This Amp has excellent tone through the entire volume spectrum. Good for any music especially Blues and Good Rock. The Pick Dynamics are second to none with a reverb that will have you melting inside. The Vabrato is excellect. This is in my opinion is the best of the fender Amps...or for that matter just about any Amp out there...I've played Amps that cost 10K that won't come close to this amp in tone. It's a TONE Monster! Simple to operate...no fancy lights and other gadget stuff to make you think "You Got A Sweet Deal"

I like the Fat/Vibrato Foot switch...I wish it handled reverb as well. however, with this beautiful reverb that's the Holy grail of Reverbs why would you want to turn it off anyway! very Colorful! It has a no nonsense tube compliment...

This is the great thing about this amp...it's a basic Tone King...No unneeded gadgets...just great fender tone...second to none in my opinion. It's heavy, but dynamite comes in big packages most of the time...it's got guts in it's construction.

Great construction and Cosmetically beautiful...I've got the Tan Oxblood model.

Worth the price...just like the Blues Jr.

Fender is fender...they proud and expect you to know somthing about your product. They don't take stupid questions very well...Their very helpful in providing you with the closest Auth. fender Repair Facility. What more do you need...

It's really got sex appeal...women love it! It makes them groove to the music!

Professional Musician...Master luthier

Blues and Good Rock, Jazz, country, Fusion

It has the elusive yet desirable pre-CBS blackface sound and look. It sounds great clean with shimmering warm tones and it sounds great with overdriven crunch tones. It breaks up gradually and you can play with that dynamic much more on this amp more than any other amp I have played. Probably because the incredibly large transformer has something to do with that. That's why you can only fit three 10" Blue Lable Jensens into it. The Bassman and Super Reverb have 4 speakers each and the transformers in those amps are much smaller. I like being able to play with a gradual overdriven sound because it puts you in control of the sound with your picking dynamics. Most amps seem to go from clean to total saturation too abruptly and that is fine in some cases but not all cases. I play mostly classic rock and I can get msot sounds I need with no external effects. Because the tubes overdive so even-order harmonically many types of distortion units in the front end will sound good. Probably a good choice for a distortion unit is the new Steve Vai Jemini double distortion unit with two kinds of distortion, one soft, one hard. This amp would sound great anywhere. However, I suggest having the amp close to you when you are playing. That way you can monitor and adjust the tone controls as needed depending on the venue. You want an amp that sounds great to be close to you because it inspires you to play better. Pete Townsend plays on stage with two Vibro Kings right behind him. The 3x10 combo delivers shimmering cleans and crunch overdrive. He uses the 2x12 extension cabinets for punch. I use the amp with no effects. The only thing I have plugged into the front end is a high end electronic tuner. If you are playing in a venue where you can play loud enough to get desirable guitar/amp feedback then you need to be able to get those pickups really close to the speakers. I play an American HSS Strat, ash body, maple neck, 11-56 strings tuned down one semitone. Why? Listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan. I have a few things in common with his setup. I am giving myself a few more years to get up to anywhere near his phenomenal playing level. It is amazing how much influence one guy can have especially since we have been missing him since 1990.

I don't use the footswitch because it does not have indicator LED's. If the amp is close to me it is easy to adjust the Vibrato/Tremolo or turn on/off the FAT switch. I like to adjust the reverb too depending on the song and venue. The 2x12 extension cabinet is more important than most people realize. The amp runs at a comparatively low impedance. Probably since the transformer is so massive it can handle running like that electronically. Sonically the payoff is huge but so is the price to make that happen. Well I am okay with that because I know I want that sound. Other amps try to run differently, safer, and you get less adventurous results. Keith Richards has said that the Telecaster is like a workhorse and the Stratocaster is like a racehorse. Well the Vibro King can do both equally well. Its solid hand-wired design makes it run trouble free more than most amps. Its equisitely clean and balls deep crunch make it a pleasure to play hour after hour.

Just plug any decent guitar directly into this amp and you can have superb sound. The tone controls work well and are responsive. You can plug in to this amp and achieve great sound in seconds. You can also spend years of playing to experience every nuance of rich tones this amp has. Best of both worlds.

The amp is made as well as any amp I have seen. The Fender Custom Shop has the most of the best resources Fender has. The amp seems like it can last for decades with ocassionaly tube replacement. Also I can buy another amp and hopefully the second Vibro King will be flawless like the first one. I am glad the new Vibro Kings have all the upgrades such as the 6V6 reverb tube.

The price is prohibitave. Most people can't see spending this much money on a guitar amp but I have used enough crap so that I got fed up with doing things half way. Because this amp is so superior to most other amps I can muster the gumption to get this beast. Many people would be happy with a cheap transistor amp and good for them. However, when tone is important you need to pony up the dough because you ain't gonna buy this at WalMart.

Other amps in the past that were puchased from Fender were serviced under warranty. My thinking is that I want an amp that does not need servicing in the first place. This is the gamble I made with the Custom Shop Vibro King. So far the amp is flawless in its delivery of the sound I want. No technical issues. I want an amp that I don't have to worry about techically. That way I can concentrate on my performance and progress as a musician.

This amp is top of the line aesthetically. It shines as an example of pre-CBS blackface design when Fender was the "King" of amps, soundwise, designwise and lookswise.

Semi Pro

Clasic Rock

The sound and 'color' of the Vibroking reminds me of older, pre CBS Fender amps after they had warmed up with age. The 'fat'switch gives you a strong, driven signal. The limitations would be that it will never offer the classic surf, super-clean sound of the Twins etc. If you want and need distortion you need another amp, modeler or outboard devise.

If you want 'features' and extras this is not really the amp for you. If you want a stripped down killer amp that will never leave you out of the mix...this is it.

Being touch-sensitive like older amps, you really can be more expressive but if you are used to playing distortion and metal, you would probably not appreciate this amp. This is best for general Rock and Roll or Rhythm and blues, blues etc. Classic sounds and cry your heart out blues work well. This is a HEAVY amp and you feel it if you don't have roadies! I am surprized it doesn't come with rollers.

Everything was very well made and solid. A common complaint I have heard is that there are problems with the foot switch (reverb and fat). I, too, had the same problem and see the basic soldering at the jack that plugs into the amp often becomes disconnected INSIDE the jack. If you unscrew the plug and resolder it, your problems will be gone.

Very nice amp. I personally have found it very worth my investment. It has taken some occassional abuse and bumps but has been very dependable and I still enjoy mine almost 5 years after purchasing it.

I was surprized that I reached a rep and he was very helpful to a degree.....when I wanted to know what 'hardness' of TUBE was STOCK in the Vibroking, not a single person at Fender knew! The recent VIBROKING's have the improved, vintage style, US made tubes. The are much much better right out of the box. Finally, it is hard as hell to find ANYONE that can set the BIAS when you change tubes!!! Are the new ones any better in that regard? BIAS problems with new tubes plagues soooooooo many Fender amp players....and they don't even know it!

It does look nice...

Active

Rock, American, R & B (hip-hop sucks harder than disco)

I am only writing this review becuase the last reviewer was so far off the mark. Everyone who is everyone seems to use this amp (Townsend, Clapton, Page, Beck, Stones...). Yes it is expensive. Very expensive. But then how much money do we all waste before after 15 years of umming and ahring we bite the bullet? If you want an awsome blues tone or rock tone this is your amp. Works great with single coils or humbuckers. If you see one just try it. No need to play with the controls, just set everything at 12 o'clock and have a go. I bet you will be amazed.

Well, the reverb is basically the tube tank reverb you can buy from fender built in. The tremelo is pretty much par for the course. The shimmer is very subtle, but I tend to leave it off. Otherwsie it is the usual Vol, Treb, Mid and Bass affair. I don't like playing with these knobs becuase I just like to keep everything simple. There is a footswitch that has tremelo on/off and fat on/off. The fat is basically a usable boost for solos (bit like treading on a TS-808).

It is top of the range so this is as good as fender build quality gets - and that is very good!

There is a lot of competition in this price bracket. If you want a blues tone machine, I would say it is worth the money. If you have to sell a kidney to get one, suggest you get a Blues Junior and start saving for this baby.

I have no idea, but i bet you would be better off taking it back to where you bought it from.

Everyone is jealous so there is a lot of envious appeal. Don't be mean though. Let them try it. Spread the word!

Hobbyist

Blues