An absolutely stunning and original 1957 Fender Vibrolux.
The Tweed Vibrolux (5F11) features a 10” speaker and delivers around 12 watts. The circuit is very similar to that of the Brownface Princeton introduced a few years later.
In my opinion, the Vibrolux is one of the best sounding Fender amps from the tweed-era. It has a beautiful bias tremolo, and when you turn up the volume it delivers a gorgeous, natural overdrive. Compared to a Tweed Deluxe, the Vibrolux offers noticeably more headroom, and has a beautiful clean tone as well.
Most importantly, the power and output transformers are both original, the Jensen P10R speaker is original (although it has been professionally reconed), the tweed covering is original, and so on. The top edge of the faceplate shows some wear, but internally the amplifier remains remarkably clean and well preserved.
The leather handle has been replaced, the original lead has been upgraded to a modern three-prong plug, and the amplifier has been fully serviced, including a wonderful matched set of NOS RCA 6V6 tubes!
A lovely detail: during the 1950s, Fender employees often placed a small piece of masking tape inside the amplifier with their name written on it. This amp still has that piece of tape. It’s difficult to read, but I believe this amplifier was wired by Lupe.
If you have any questions or would like to see more photos of the amplifier, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Worldwide shipping is available, or you’re very welcome to come and see and try it out in The Hague, the Netherlands.
