1957 Fender Tweed Vibrolux, Part 3 

Jack is a beautiful cat. His fur glows

Came back to this unseen series - loved seeing an old friend and hearing the Peach Pip quip !! Great stuff as always.

When I took my kid to the guitar center ,everyone was.looking the tube amps better ,you do nice.work ,but if it was my amp .I would have thrown the selenium rectifier as far as I could throw it .not a fan ,but I understand why you leave them in ,and you are the expert .I wish most people ,would understand neatness counts ,like the amazing work you do .

Great video Doug! So many thanks for sharing your knowledge and skills! Jack and Rusty's cameos are a riot!

OK, the mystery guitar was an early Telecaster, with that crazy treble dump on the neck pickup that nobody ever used. Leo got so much right that he can be excused the odd blip. He changed guitar playing for ever, and couldn't even play himself. Thank you Leo. Thanks Lupe, and a special round of applause to Rusty for his, (literally), boundless enthusiasm. Sadly missed. Oh, and to our favourite uncle, natch. Hogwarts' finest alumnus. Thank you all...

Hey Uncle Doug thanks so much for sharing. If you only knew how many times I've said how I wish you were really my uncle Doug, because I would be a daily visit just wanting to learn all you have to offer. I'm just fascinated with your knowledge. Thanks again

I also own a Tele and could tell it was the mystery guitar. You could tell that amp was a match to the Tele. This latest project series is as good as it gets! It is a virtual look at an excellent repair/restore of an amazing tube amp. The owner will be very pleased, as usual. Can't wait for your next installment. Thankz

I have watched this series a few times now and it just donned on me that my scratch built 5F10 Harvard has the exact same input scheme as the Vibrolux. I guess I will be doing some soldering tomorrow. Thanks, Doug.

You're so minimalist with these equipments. That's awesome😺

Thanks Uncle Doug. i always enjoy your videos. i remember getting the chance to record with a '58 Deluxe. i'm more of a bassist than a guitarist, but i can tell you that my 80s Squier Telecaster never sounded better.

As always, Rusty and Jack have produced a top notch video! Not too shabby yourself Uncle Doug! Thank you again for passing on your vast knowledge of these fine tube amps, it is a great learning experience.

Thoroughly enjoyed watching this three-part video. Helpful clarification of the early tweed amps, and the input resistor modification is cleaver.

I just want to thank you for your expertise and taking valuable time for these wonderful and educating videos. I am semi retired at 65 and have time for learning electronics which I was always interested in. I have been repairing old tube radios and cant wait to build one of your amps. This is exactly what I was looking for. You have a knack for explaining and thank you again for sharing your knowledge. Love the humor with the pets. Please keep doing these. thanks Terry

Another great series, a tip of the hat to our Texas Troubadours , Rusty, Jack & Uncle Doug! Bravo!

It never ceases to amaze me how long a new speaker takes to break in. I broke in 4 Celestion Greenbacks ( Real ones, Heritage G12H made in England) in a Marshall 4x12 played regularly with a JTM45. I got a price on 5, and put one in a 74 Deluxe Reverb. 4 years later, the Deluxe Reverb became my number 1, after hardly being played with the new speaker. I swapped out the DR speaker with one from the 4x12 and the difference was unbelievable. The Moral of the story is never judge a speaker before it is broken in, which is going to take at least a year I reckon.

"like a dog passing a peach pit..." Ha! The amp sounds sweet!

Hey Uncle Doug, this video series really helped me out in building my own 5f11 vibrolux kit. I paused the video at strategic points and tried to copy Lupe's neat and tidy wiring as close as possible. The amp turned out great. Thanks for your generosity in sharing your tube amp knowledge in layman's terms on so many occasions.

When I worked at Ernie Ball Music Mann years ago, a lot of Fender and Music Mann Amplifier history went to the land fill. Wish I did some dumpster diving. Too bad we do not make tubes in this country anymore. There is still a need for tubes (valves) in audio, and ham radio applications. Nice views of desert. Flew over many time while flight training at ELP and LRU.

thanks for another great video.a very sympathetic repair and a good tip about not over tightening the speaker. regards to rusty and jack.

Awesome videos, Uncle Doug ! I've just found your YT channel on my recommended list, and watched almost everything by now. I've worked 3 years on a local workshop here in São Paulo, Brazil building mainly Fender Tweed era replicas, but it has been a while since I'm "retired" of working in electronics (it gave me a huge problem that causes me terrible back pain) but sometimes I mess around with it as a hobby. Wish I've had known your channel back then, it would be very helpful at that time. I'm writing in this specific video because I've built for my personal use a Vibrolux 5F11 replica, and it works like a charm, but I've never noticed that flaw on the input scheme ! So, thank you very much for pointing that so I can add the 100k resistor in the input just as you did and save myself from some future headache ! Cheers for you, Rusty and Jack !

Thanks for the reply, Doug! I kinda guessed at Fender, not because of the sound, but because of the amp! My Fender Strat sounds a bit different, so again I thought 'maybe a Tele'! Keep these shows coming, I really enjoy listening to you explaining things! Have a good Sunday! Ben (Eccles Radio U.K.) here on the internet!

I Like the Idea you are giving back the old parts so that the person can have a option. I am fooling around with a 61 Princeton amp and one of the resistors in the bias circuit looks burnt. I am going to take another peek at this video when I address the problem. Great Info Doug Thanks c];-D

This series just perfect :)))) Real pleasure to watch and listen. Thank You!

Great series, thanks Dough! What a jewel of an amp.

That tone is to die for Doug! Lovely work, I'm guessing that this is one amp you'll be sad to see go!

Uncle Doug, thanks for another enjoyable video, the amp sounds amazing and I can't wait for the re-cone-ing video. Always have been interested in that actually. Buddy

Uncle Doug, GREAT series here and quite helpful to me personally, I have a 1956 Vibrolux with "Lily" on masking tape in there, completely original except for me switching out the diode and adding the 100k resistor to ground in the input section. Alas I was unable to turn up a pic of Lily. THANKS for all you do!

"...like a dog passing a peach pit." I had to pause the video because I was laughing so hard. Totally been there, done that.

Very nice job on beautiful amp Doug. I really appreciate the effort you make to produce these informative vids.

Hard to beat a tele and a fender amp, and don't forget the strat!!!!!. Give me a tele a strat and a les paul jr. and I am in heaven.

When it comes to changing parts or making circuit alterations to an amp I really like your approach. It is thought through and done so carefully that, if desired, the amp could be returned to exactly how it was when you received it (I'm not advocating you blow the voice coil out). I believe Lupe would be very pleased to see your work and Leo would give a thumbs up to your circuit corrections. The tremolo does lack depth though, not in the same league as Uncle Doug's Tremoverb. I have tried watching videos by other amp repairers but for the most part have given up in frustration. The subject is interesting but they either swish up and down the amp like the camera is a spray gun or they go in and replace more components than is reasonably necessary. They should watch how you do it. Hope the re-coning parts arrive soon so you can make yet another video for us to enjoy. Then all we need is someone who would like you to "Take a look at his 5E9-A Tremolux......". All the best, Jeff.

Hi Uncle Doug & Family, Very nice resto-mod on the '57. You truly are the master! Learning a lot, way more to go. It sounds fantastic, I'm sure the owner will be quite pleased. Wishing you and yours all the best, take care, C.

Finally catching up! This is great. I will probably build a clone of this to donate to a fundraiser this winter (I built a 5C1-clone in a 5F1-style cabinet, complete with shellac'd-by-me tweed, least year for the same fundraiser). FWIW, I think this amp has the BEST tremolo! I like it on the subtle side. Reverb, on the other hand... that s**t need to be swampy :-) Kudos, Doug! And keep 'em coming!

Good likeness of Jack! The neck pup on the mystery guitar has me completely baffled.

I can't believe how clean the amp was inside.

Very interesting Uncle Doug.

Great for showing us these important modifications. Again i learned a lot. thx Uncle Doug!

Hi Uncle Doug, Rusty and Jack!!!

man what a sweet little amp!

Hi Doug. Fantastic job on the Fender Amp ! I hate to see the end of this series. What are the odds that, Jack and Molly have the same small tuff's of whit hair on their neck and belly ?. Amazing. Back to the Amp it's sounds and looks great ! Bravo Doug !. The Desert part in your other video was awesome to say the least. I don't comment every time has I figure you are busy and I do it out of respect,not because I am to busy or lazy. Just know I appreciate each and every video from you. All my very best to you and yours Bobby Molly and my wife

Great series very informative and entertaining wouldn't expect less from You, Rusty and Jack. I'm looking forward to the speaker rebuild I hope you put it in a cab so we can hear it. Thanks for your efforts you really help us amateurs :]

Thanks Doug. Both educational and entertaining!

Bravo!! Thanks so much for all of your time and effort in making these videos. They are greatly appreciated and a wonderful learning tool!

"shakin' like a dog passin' a peach pit" thank you sir.

Congratulations !! The amp is sounding amazing. On the other hand i think Jack´s tubes need some Bias adjustment.

Hi Uncle Doug, Bravo! Excellent final episode to the series! Could that anomaly in the first input jack have caused the speaker to blow? Folks as I stated before don't forget to "like" this video by clicking once on the thumbs up image at the bottom right of the video screen. It is the only way to thank "Uncle" and his buddies, Jack and Rusty, for this complimentary and pleasurable viewing fun, entertainment and especially the educational value so skillfully presented within the matrix of the production! Many thanks of appreciation! I just wish there were other ways to show my thankfulness? Kind Regards, Steve

I want a T Shirt that says "All I know about 'luxes I learned from Uncle Doug"

That amp sounded sweet, Jazzmaster

it absolutely sounds amazing and i know what you mean about the imput Jack's, and the atom sprage capasitors ar one of the best I think. great job sounds good keep it up

Your welcome Sir !!!

love that speaker bolt trick!

Very informative, Thanks Uncle Doug ☺

Great video as alway Doug as I am an Ampliholic and a Teleholic I was onto your mystery guitar straight away that muddiness at the neck is a dead giveaway, easily adjusted with the right PIO cap, one of the reasons Fender supply a spare with the 52 reissue I think!

This magic moment so different a different and so newwwww .hit it.teenager in love.kinks sound nice.

Fantástico....suena excelente!!! Gran trabajo Uncle Doug!! !!!

Tone demo sounds real good with that new jensen. I hear smome old familiar guitar strains and riffs, but I can't place them anymore..too much water passed under the bridge as they say. First guitar must be a strat? drastic tone difference between neck and bridge on the second...definitely tele or at least some form of it.

The amplifier has a great tone! But, I can hear the delay in the tremolo. That has to be uncomfortable for players that are used to the quick response and thick tremolo. Again, it saved Fender from using an extra tube and components. That input circuit design was a bad move on Fender's part, but is easily modifiable...Changing the resistor for the first input jack is a mod I always make. That Telecaster sound is recognizable from New Jersey :) Even tough I'm not a guitar player, each guitar has it's own distinct sound that can be heard instantly. My instrument is the Hammond B3 Organ (jazz organist) it's hard to do the real world tone test on an amp for me in the shop. I usually ask the customer to bring his ax for the final listening test. Excellent 3 part video. :)

This trem may not have the awesome psychadelic wobble we're used to, but at moderate levels the delayed onset makes it far more musical and doesn't randomly remove attack.

Telecaster!! Beautiful work, and a gorgeous sound. Subtle would be a good description of the tremolo. :)) A nice trick with the tubing on the studs. I think Jack was resting up from all the hard work filming and editing a great series. Thank you. Andrew

Diode +/- labeling conundrum. If memory serves, if the DC voltage is measured across the diode it will read as the same polarity that is marked on the schematic. For factory checks or for troubleshooting that labeling might be helpful. Makes sense because the meter will be displaying the voltage drop across the high resistance of the diode when it is not conducting.

Howdy Uncle Doug. I know I'm about 6 years late with this comment, but I wanted to point out that I know a number of techs who, like I, have had BAD experiences with Sprague Atom electrolytic caps. They just don't hold up very well over time in my opinion. I know there's a great deal of hype about their supposed incredible quality, but I'd argue it's really just hype. I had 5 in an old Vibrolux Reverb dated from 29th week of 2010. This amp hasn't been used for more than a total of 20 hours in the last 11+ years since those caps were made and I had one fail this week (Feb 2022). The amp has lived in dry, sunny-southern California all this time and not been exposed to cold or humidity. I decided to cut open the 16uF Atom that just failed and I can tell you that inside, the dielectric is rather puny when compared to the blue cover; it was about 1/4" shorter and maybe 3/5ths the diameter. Not nearly as impressive is the big blue exterior shell! I simply don't use Sprague Atoms anymore. I've been using MIEC caps with much better luck, FWIW.

thanks a lot for the video Doug , Nice sounding amp, crisp and warm too dependent on pickups, very expressive.

great job! Amazing work on the control panel. thanks and good luck with the recone kit!

Very informative video.

By the way, enjoyed watching the three part videos of you working on this nice sounding amp.

Great Job Guys!

A Weber 10F150 might have been a better speaker for this guy providing a bit better bottom end. Ahh. A little, "Night Train" going down!

Sounds and looks amazing! Great videos!

looks like Jack ain't having none of that! haha

I put the nuts on with a deep socket, alone with minimal force, so probably about the same as finger tight. I agree though, a speaker doesn't need lotsa torque to be held in place securely. Love the way it sounds. Really like the idea of a high and low gain input. On such an otherwise simple amp, you can really change the way it responds.

I Think Jack likes to relax, after such a big meal.

Thanks for the informative and entertaining videoes,Doug. Maybe you could pound out some tunes out in the desert on one of your favourite amps sometime!

Doug, thought i might mention the sound is a little late. I do enjoy your videos... Thanks!!

Uncle Doug you are such a good teacher and might even have a mild case of geniusitis. Your delivery is such that most, that is ones with half a brain, can understand and more importantly in an inviting way captures my interest. I love the breaks, or comedic relief, with Rusty and Jack. I am guessing that Rusty may no longer be with us and that would be a sad thing if true. I am a true-blue pet lover (who happens to struggle a bit with depression) and couldn't get by without my golden doodle (Jarvis). I spend a lot of my extra time watching your videos and I can't wait for your next series. If I were closer I would bug you to let me come apprentice at your side because your teaching style meshes very well with my learning style. Anyway... another great mini series by you and your comrades. Hope you are enjoying your sabbatical, lol.

I have a different view of the input staging. I believe it was intentionally designed to allow the user to use instruments and mics with different output characteristics. For example, my 1956 triple neck Fender steel guitar has very low output when all three necks (six total pickups) are engaged. For this I use input number 1 to boost the signal. My '51 Rickenbacker (horseshoe pickup) and '57 Gibson (PAF humbuckers) lap steels, however, have very strong output and work best in the #3 input.

Uncle Doug, I searched your videos but could not find one that covers my questions completely. I have a 1959 vintage Tweed Bassman that is blowing fuses. In the past (two other times in my 1960 Bassman) it was the GZ34 rectifier (expensive NOS Mullard) tube that was going bad. I have a unique filtering setup as per Gerald Weber which is way higher that the max 60uF spec of the GZ34. But, Gerald does other things to minimize the strain on the rectifier. I have not had many problems but I suspect it is the extra load on the tube that causes them to eventually wear out. I have thought about doing two new mods when I get my new modern JJ GZ34 and diodes. I was thinking of replacing the selenium rectifier with a IN4007 diode and was told I don't need to put a resistor in series with it. Some circuits may require the resistor. I have an adjustable bias installed so I am assuming I can just put the diode in place of the selenium rectifier and be done with it. What do you think? Another mod I was thinking of doing was adding two IN5408 (3A) diodes in line with the 325VAC coming from the PT to the rectifier socket (pins #4 & 6). I was told this can take some of the stress off of the tube by "pre-rectifying" the AC voltage. What do you think about that? I've found schematics online that show using pins 5 & 7 as solder points and then bridging the diodes from pins 5 to 4 and 7 to 6. Thanks for your help.

Great video as usual, wow were you ever right about the tremolo being "barely there" as compare to others you have done. I was going to guess Stratorcaster until you played the neck pickup then I figured it was probably a Telecaster. Once again Jack was brilliant demonstrating his dominance, and you were just as brilliant with your amplifier prowess.

I knew right away that the second guitar was probably a 50's or low to mid 60's Tele. I have a '67 Tele (which I bought brand new) that was one of the last to have Leo's "dark circuit" in the neck position. This was supposedly to allow the guitar to sound like a bass if needed. I have so far resisted the urge to mod it from the original design.

hey doug great stuff told my friend at gc to look you up. he works there super nice kid told him about. youre scratch videos

The selenium rectifier polarity and symbol are correct in the schematic

Mystery guitar sounds like a '52 Telecaster, I checked out the wiring of my 2014 Fender Mexican Telecaster, and it looks to be wired to Fender's 1966 Telecaster specs where the pickup selector is wired to allow the neck, neck plus bridge, or bridge pickup selections, with a master volume and tone control, tone cap is a .05uF ceramic, but I might swap it out for a .05uF Orange Drop or some other cap at a later date.

The schematic marking with "+" at the selenium rectifier's cathode (6:45) reflects the typical marking seen on the part itself. I suppose the reason is that positive DC voltage will appear on that terminal.

To retain the speaker nuts in place I use a drop of red Loctite

I thought you were going to tell what "axe" you used. Oh well excellent video as always from Uncle Doug's lab.

Very nice repair and alteration on this girl I would hate to think what its resale is ,the new reissues are 2 grand and more wowsa ,guess should have gone with a fender instead of gibson lol

Is the mystery guitar a telecaster? Pretty good twang there.

Very interesting and instructive, as usual, Doug. Keep 'em comin'!

Hey Doug, great video as always; your videos are truly an education. However, I'm not so sure about your analysis of the input circuit starting at 12:39. I agree that when you connect to input one only there is no grid leak resistor (except that of course the guitar itself will act as a the grid leak resistance). When you connect to input 1 you get the full guitar output voltage to the grid. When you connect to input 2 you get 2/3 guitar voltage to grid and when you connect to input 3 you get 1/3 guitar voltage to grid. In the case of input 2 you get 68k to ground and in the case of input 3 you get 34k to ground (ignoring the resistance of the guitar). This is all assuming you only connect one guitar to the amp at one time.

Great job! Sounding the business now. I wonder how fender approached the inputs in reissues. That painting of Jack at the end was fantastic, another string to your bow? Hoping today finds you well. Keep it between the ditches!

Another really great video series Uncle Doug! No matter how many videos of yours I watch I always learn something new. And this video series was no exception. I really enjoyed your comparison of the differences between schematics of various tweed amps and your approach to updating this amp to be performance ready. Even when you simply flipped the cabinet over to show how to easily tighten the chassis down, I had one of those moments of hand on forehead for all my previous struggles wrestling to tighten down the chassis on my 5e3 and 5f1 builds. I do have a question for you in regards to your suggestion of changing the coupling cap from .1 to .02-.05 to voice the amp more for humbuckers. If I were to tweek these values on my 5e3, would you suggest I change all four of the .1 coupling caps on that circuit for both V1 and V2 or would the coupling caps coming off one of the tubes have more of an effect on the overall tone than the other?

I guess the lack of a ground reference resistor in these input circuits just shows how frugal Leo was. He relied on the gitar volume pot to function as the ground ref, to save the cost of a resistor in the amp 😀

Great series! Two things. You mentioned that the original input design might damage the amp - might that be what happened to the speaker? Also, what is the song you played at 19:33? You've played it before in some of your other videos, and I really like it. I was wondering what it is.

Another terrific video Uncle Doug. Mystery guitar:Fender Mustang with rosewood fingerboard?

Hi Uncle Doug, I love watching these AWESOME video's, and have been doing so for the last 6 months. I'm so impressed that I went and purchased the guts of an old Thomas/Leslie organ that came equipped with about 80% of what I need to build my own amp. My Traynor YGM-4 Studio Mate (yes, I'm a Canuck from Montreal) is just too big to lug around, so "compact and portable" is the new mantra. This Vibrolux is the one I have my heart set on building, the box is done, but after winning the staring contest with the underside of the organ chassis, I discovered my power transformer has only 2 ground leads and 8 others. Before I make a terrible assumption, I want to check with you to see if it matters if I use either of these ground leads to connect to the 10 K resistor before the diode? As an aside, why do we feed back the output from the speaker signal back into the second 12AX7 cathode? Thanks, Alf

Nice video Thanks

Amazing work, as always! Sounds great and looks great! I'm gonna guess that was a tele the second time around? Thanks for all the hard work you put into your channel and all of your projects!

Hola Tio Doug, I thouroughly enjoyed this series of videos. As always they were interesting and educational. I know I can always count on learning many new things when watching your videos, thanks for sharing. I have a question though, when replacing the selenium diode with the new one, would it be safe to say that the voltage decreased rather than increased since we're going further away from a positive voltage? I know this may sound like I'm nit picking but I really would like to know. Thanks again and I'm always looking forward to new uploads from you.

Hey Unc, I know this is an older video, I have been watching and learning a lot from you. my question is what soldering rig would you recommend for re creating a classic hi fi tube amp? Thanks in advance and well wishes to you and all the critters! Jeeps, Dunes, and Tubes! Oh and by the way, was the mystery inst. a Tele by chance? Cheers Bud!

another great video Uncle Doug. the circuitry is very tidy, I really like that. what is the board called? not a turret board, so maybe an eyelet board? looking through the electronic stores catalog I couldn’t find the “eyelet”? boards. lots of turret boards though

Some of those tones are very reminiscent of those from songs in "That Thing You Do," which ain't bad! Second guitar sounds like humsuckers ... I would recommend a Weber 10F150 ceramic in that, for a bit more bottom end ...