Embracing and overcoming the quirky qualities of an under-appreciated hero of tube tone.
As a guitar player, I consider guitar amps to be tools. The more varied work I do, the more tools I need. There are some amps that excel in one or two things but often disappoint outside their playing field. These amps require experience to dial in good tones and to pair with guitars and other gear.
This month’s amp is an underdog—a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. It is a tool you can bring with you to any type of practice or gig, small or large, and it will deliver. It truly lives up to its name: the Pro Reverb. So, let me explain why I love this amp … but also what annoys me about it, and what I do to get around that.
In 1963, Fender offered a single-speaker Pro amp with front-mounted controls. Various Pros with top-based controls had been in Fender’s line since 1946. In ’65, the Pro was replaced by the Pro Reverb, loaded with 6L6GC power tubes in a classic Fender push/pull class-AB configuration. The Pro had either a single 15"CTS ceramic speaker or a Jensen C15N. The Pro Reverb came as a 2x12, with either Jensen C12Ns, Oxford 12L6, or Oxford 12T6 speakers—the latter a very underestimated speaker and comparable to the more famous C12N. In 1967, a silver-panel model followed and was available through 1969. Several other speakers, including models by Utah and Rola, came throughout the ’70s. And around 1978, a 70W version of the Pro emerged, with master volume and a push/pull boost, for a roughly five-year run.
The differences between the single- and dual-speaker black-panel Pros were most importantly the speaker configuration and the addition of reverb in the vibrato channel. There were two different versions of the output transformer: the 8-ohm 125A7A and 4-ohm 125A6A. This smaller output transformer is found in several medium-sized amps, such as the Vibrolux Reverb, Bandmaster, Tremolux, and also the rare and coveted 1964 Vibroverb.
How does it sound to play through a Pro Reverb, with its combination of the classic black-panel AB763 tone stack, dual 6L6GCs, a large and bass-y 2x12 cabinet with a 5U4GB rectifier tube and a small output transformer? Beautiful, full, clean tone at lower volumes and wildly cranked tones when pushed—much more than you’d expect from such a big Fender amp. Very few amps can do both of these sonic profiles.
Please find a Pro Reverb and plug in your Telecaster for a real Keith Richards experience, with one of the best rhythm tones there is.
The large open-back cabinet means you can point the Pro in almost any direction and fill the room or stage. At home, I sometimes want the most natural break-up from the amp at lower volumes, so I simply disengage one of the speakers and insert a 12AX7 in the phase inverter slot. I think the Pro Reverb delivers the most elegant and balanced cranked tones of all black-panel amps. I also love that the amp offers a bright switch that will support pedals and guitars well.
One annoying thing about the Pro is the lack of a mid pot. Since it is that good at delivering cranked tones, I would like more mids for heavier distortion at lower volumes without having to disengage speakers or swap tubes. A mid dial would also improve EQ control, for playing clean. Without a mid knob, I often have to dial the bass knob all the way down due to the bass-y cabinet and flabby output transformer. The solution is, as always, installing a switch on the back of the amp that toggles between the stock 6.8k mid resistor and a 25k. The Pro Reverb is the amp that benefits the most from this mod, I think.
Finally, do we really need a Pro Reverb in our toolbox? The Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb are also low/medium wattage amps. Both are lighter, more snappy, more practical at home or in the studio, and don’t carry two large 12" speakers, which are overkill for the Pro’s light output transformer. The Super Reverb also breaks up—and with more punch, bass, treble, and attack overall. It is also more touch sensitive. The clean-voiced monster Twin Reverb is 17 1/2 to 22 pounds heavier but does not require more space than the Pro Reverb.
Given all the superior amps mentioned above, the answer to my question is still “yes.” Our underdog can almost do all of what these legendary Fender amps excel at. But none of them will sound as warm as the Pro Reverb when cranked.
Please find a Pro Reverb and plug in your Telecaster for a real Keith Richards experience, with one of the best rhythm tones there is. Also, try a Les Paul or SG in the bridge pickup position and you might consider selling all your overdrive pedals. A semi-hollow ES-style guitar with P-90s in neck and the amp dialed-in clean will urge you to learn jazz! Please, don’t just take my word for it. Go experiment.
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These before and after photos show the rough condition that our columnist's '65 Super Reverb arrived in, and the worn-but-dignified look of his restoration. Of course, a shiny red ES-335 with a Bigsby pretties things up, too.
Our columnist shares a love story about his longtime passion for the 1965 heavyweight that’s his No. 1.
Let me tell you the story of my first vintage Fender amp, which I call “No. 1"—the 1965 Super Reverb that I consider the greatest guitar amp I've ever heard and played.
When I was a teenager, in the late '80s, I had a 25-watt Fender Sidekick and a bigger, 2x12, 40-watt Marshall Valvestate. They worked well for the Gary Moore and Jeff Healey blues-rock licks I was into then. When I moved to Trondheim, Norway, in 1998 to study at the university, I went back in time and listened to classic blues from Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Albert King, B.B. King, and Freddie King. I learned they all played Fender amps, at various times, and when I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan's legendary Live at the El Mocambo concert film, where he played a Vibroverb and a Super Reverb, I knew I had to get a black-panel Super Reverb. So I got in touch with a local guitar shop called Tre45, and they helped me find a Super Reverb in the U.S.
A few months later, I paid €1,400 for a beat-up Super Reverb dated January 1965 that came via boat. The amp looked real rough and had large cuts in the aged brownish grille cloth. It had replacement Mojotone speakers with weighty ceramic magnets and large speaker coils. The shop installed a heavy-duty step-down transformer in the back to cope with 230V, making the amp extremely heavy. Despite the weight and rough looks, I loved it. It played twice as loud as my brother's 1968 transition-era Super Reverb with original square-magnet CTS alnico speakers. Back then, volume and punch meant everything, and I hadn't yet developed an appreciation for the CTS alnicos, which later became one of my favorite speakers. Neither did I have much experience with how speakers affect tone. My No. 1 sounded louder, more mellow, and creamy compared to a typical black-panel Super. Because of my amp, my brother sold his precious, vintage-correct '68.
Twelve years later, in 2010, I started trading Fender amps on a larger scale, finding them on U.S. eBay and importing them to Norway, where I swapped power transformers and did basic service like tubes and cap jobs. I eventually developed a taste for vintage-correct tone and pursued amps in original or mint condition. I was eager to learn, and systematically A/B-tested all black- and silver-panel Fender amps, with all possible speakers and circuits. I also experimented with newer replacement speakers from Weber, Jensen, Eminence, Celestion, and WGS, and tried all kinds of circuit mods.
"Because of my amp, my brother sold his precious, vintage-correct '68."
I decided to replace my Super's Mojotones with a set of vintage-correct speakers for an authentic pre-CBS sound. I found a 1965 Super in really poor technical condition and swapped the grille cloth and the factory-original CTS ceramic speakers into my No. 1. Now my amp was restored to original condition, with speakers with matching manufacturer date codes, and, more important, it sounded better! The new-old speakers added more clarity and crispness, which I particularly enjoy with a Strat's out-of-phase, quacky tone in the in-between pickup positions.
Other amps have caught my affection, too. Not surprisingly, I find the narrow-panel Fender Bassman a great amp, but unfortunately it lacks reverb, which is a big deal to me. Same goes with the Marshall JTM45 and JMP50 amps from the '60s. They have great crunch but lack some transparency and clarity when used with closed-back 4x12 cabinets. I've also had the pleasure of owning and playing some popular boutique amps, like the Two-Rock Custom Reverb, Victorias, Headstrongs, Bad Cats, and others. Compared to vintage amps, they are more robust and have high quality materials and components that survive longer on the road. I also like how the solid, thick cabinets in some modern amps produce a tight low end. All the boutique amps I've tried sounded good, different, and had more tone options than my Super Reverb, but when I played those amps for a long time or at gigs, I found myself confused with all the tonal options and I end up dialing in a sound as close as possible to a Super Reverb. I can't help it. That is how a guitar is supposed to sound, in my ears. And nothing sounds more vintage Fender than a black-panel Super Reverb, in my humble opinion.
If you haven't played one, try the huge tone and dynamic response within the big and airy 4x10 speaker cabinet of a Super. It offers a pure, natural, and transparent tone and connects with your guitar in a physical way when you crank the amp a few meters behind you on a larger stage. If you need a little more crunch and early break-up, add an Xotic RC Booster and see my April 2020 column, "How to Get Big Tones on Small Stages."
[Updated 9/3/21]
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This EVM-15L focuses sound at longer distances, which is why it's known as an audience killer. But it can also provide killer tones. For the record, this 1964 Vibroverb powers a Jensen C15N speaker.
Your signature Fender sound could be just a tweak or twist away.
More personal, original-sounding guitar tones enable me to play differently or better, making my contributions to songs inspired and relevant. In my May 2020 column, titled “Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate," we talked about classic Fender amp and guitar pairings that have stood the tonal test of time. This time, I'll discuss finding more unique Fender amp sounds that can help you be inspired and stand out from the masses. Over the years, I've made some surprising tone discoveries trading and servicing vintage Fender amps.
Few amps are love at first sight—or listen—affairs, where you immediately and effortlessly nail great tone. Some really require struggle to find a balanced, sweet sound. An interesting fact is that several of my best tone discoveries have happened with such amps. So my advice is, don't give up too quickly on what might seem like a clunker. When an amp is dialed-in just right, paired with the right guitar, or equipped with the right speakers, you can find new lead and rhythm tones that you didn't even know you were looking for.
Consider the relatively rare black-panel amps with JBL speakers: Twin Reverbs, Super Reverbs, and Vibroverbs. Guitarists either love or hate the JBLs, because of their punch, attack, and treble. The 10" D110F, the 12" D120F, and the 15" D130F all have aluminum dust caps, which makes them quite bright. And the Twin Reverb and Vibroverb are the most difficult to tame, I think.
In my November 2020 column, “The Saga of the Linda Ronstadt Deluxe," I talked about curing that poor-sounding amp with a JBL D120F speaker. I have a similar story about a 1964 JBL-loaded Vibroverb that I bought in 2012 for $2,800 from a father who needed money to buy his son a car. Plugging a single-coil guitar into that amp was brutal. Even with an overdrive pedal, the amp had a dominating and edgy attack.
Frustrated, I eventually tried a Gibson Les Paul through that amp, having no hope or expectations. I pulled out all the stops with a clean volume setting, a high bass setting, low mids, high treble, and the bright switch enabled. Suddenly, I discovered a clean, cool, and funky rhythm tone that I immediately fell in love with.
Don't give up too quickly on what might seem like a clunker.
The massive solidbody and Tune-o-matic bridge on the Les Paul provided great attack and sustain. The amp and speaker delivered clean, thumping bass notes with big air and that good, chunky feeling provided by tube rectifier sag. The smooth humbucker sound had clarity and transparency. The treble strings were clear, but not harsh. When my pick hit the bass strings, there was a metallic snap and sizzle, which I liked a lot. Playing those low strings for Stevie Wonder's “Superstition" had never been more fun. Now—thanks to some adventurous dial settings—I know how big a treat a humbucker-equipped Gibson through a black-panel Fender amp with JBL speakers can be for soul, blues, and funk guitarists. (And remember to replace strings regularly if you want extra clarity from your guitar's bass end.)
Next up: the famous narrow-panel Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3-circuit from the late '50s. We know that amp can distort a lot and has a loose and farty low end. It can easily become too muddy, particularly with humbuckers or darker-sounding single-coils, in the neck position. I used to have a replica version of this amp that I decided to pair with an old Oxford 12" ceramic speaker. This speaker was bright and lacked a firm low end, so I had low expectations. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a fantastic match for this amp, paired with a Stratocaster. The bridge pickup tone was no longer thin and shrill. It became fat and creamy, and worked incredibly well as a vintage rock voice, for both rhythm and lead playing, with great balance between all six strings. All of which underlines how important the right speaker can be, even it if initially seems, well, kind of wrong.
My last example applies to the black-panel or silver-panel Fender Pro Reverb. This amp is famous for its big, warm tone, yet it can distort when cranked because of its relatively small output transformer. For those of you who want more of the good stuff, try inserting a 25k mid pot on the back. This is a well-known fat-boost trick for Fender amps that lack a mid pot. Increasing the lower mids provides much more distortion. Add a couple of Celestion Greenback speakers, preferably vintage models, and you'll have a roaring transatlantic beast that sonically bridges the best Marshall and Fender amps the world has never heard. Disengaging one of the speakers increases the distortion even more and lowers the amp's volume.
These are just a few examples. There are many more, so go experiment and find your own signature tones.
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