Fender VIBRO-KING P/N 053493 User manual

™

Fender Musical Instruments
7975 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258 U.S.A.
A Message from the Chairman
Since 1946, Fender realized the importance of your amplifier. You see, your
amplifier is more than just a combination of dials, wires and speakers. It is a
finely tuned musical instrument. And like any fine musical instrument, it
should be treated with special care and attention to detail.
At Fender, we know what building guitar amplifiers is all about. For over half a
century, we have been designing and producing some of the world’s best
amplifiers, helping shape the face of music. In fact, many of the world’s most
classic and best sounding amplifiers proudly wear the Fender name.
Whether your are after that classic Fender tone, a clean crisp sound for your
Bass or Keyboard or the raw driving power of modern distortion, your
decision to purchase a Fender amplifier is one you will appreciate with each
passing note for years to come.
Wishing you years of enjoyment and a heartfelt thank you,
Bill Schultz
Chairman of the Board
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Bill Schultz

ALL TUBE PREAMP AND POWERAMP
GENERATE THAT TONE AS ONLY
TUBES CAN
MAGNETIC INTERFERENCE REDUCING
CHASSIS ELIMINATES UNWANTED NOISE
AND RADIO INTERFERENCE
FENDER SPECIAL DESIGN HIGH
PERFORMANCE SPEAKERS
ROAD-WORTHY AND MUSICAL
COMPONENTS, CAPABLE OF
HANDLING THE MOST DEMANDING
PERFORMANCE SITUATIONS
CONSTRUCTED FROM HAND-
SELECTED WOODS, EMPLOYING
RUGGED CORNER JOINERY FOR
ENDURING RELIABILITY
COVERED IN GENUINE TOLEX®FOR
LONG LIFE AND LASTING GOOD LOOKS
VIBRO-KING®INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of a Fender®
Vibro-King Professional Tube Amplifier. The Vibro-
King is a single channel all tube combo amplifier built
entirely using point to point wiring. Moreover, each
Vibro-King amplifier is individually hand-crafted from
the finest components available and assembled at
the Fender Amplifier Custom Shop in Corona,
California, USA.
The All-Tube Vibro-King features 3 Reissue “Blue
Frame” 10" speakers with Alnico Magnets speakers
and is rated at 60 Watts R.M.S. into 2Ω. Furthermore,
the Dwell, Mix and Tone knobs control the all-tube
reverb allowing a “custom” designed reverb tone. Still,
the footswitch offers the ability to remotely switch on
and off both the Vibrato and Fat features. With the
built-in effects loop, adding an external signal
processor is a snap.
Designed for the most discriminating of guitarists, the
Vibro-King produces tones ranging from the crystal
clean to a smooth yet smooth overdriven crunch.
Couple the Vibro-King with the optional Vibro-King
212 Enclosure and you have an amplifier that is
undoubtedly The King of Tone.
In order to thoroughly understand the operation,
features and functions of your Fender®Vibro-King®
Professional Tube Amplifier, please read and refer as
needed to this operation manual. By doing so, your
amplifier is sure to provide you with years of trouble-
free music making and maximum playing enjoyment.
FENDER®PROFESSIONAL TUBE AMPLIFIERS

FRONT PANEL FUNCTIONS
A. INPUT 1 - Plug your guitar in here.
B. INPUT 2 - A lower impedance and sensitivity input
than input 1, useful for guitars with active pickups.
NOTE: Input 2 may also be used for chaining multiple
amps together. With your guitar plugged into input 1,
insert a cord in the number 2 input and connect the
other end of the cord to another amplifier. The
number 2 input now acts as a Y jack sending the
guitar’s input signal to another amplifier.
C. DWELL - Adjusts the amount of Reverb sustain.
Lower settings create a “choked” or gated effect,
while higher settings produce a bouncy or saturated
(water dripping in a cave) effect.
D. MIX - Adjusts the “wet / dry” ratio of the Reverb.
Lower settings produce a “drier” guitar sound with
less Reverb. A higher setting will produce a “wetter”
or heavier Reverb signal in the mix.
E. TONE - Adjusts the overall tonal characteristics
of the Reverb. Lower settings produce a darker
Reverb sound while higher settings produce a much
brighter sound.
F. FAT - In the up position, this switch boosts the gain
of the preamp in a frequency range best suited for an
electric guitar. This results in an overdriven or “fatter”
sound at lower volumes.
G. VOLUME - Adjust the overall volume of the Vibro-
King Amplifier.

H. TREBLE - Adjusts the level of high frequencies of
your Vibro-King. NOTE: Like many vintage amplifiers,
all tone controls are pre-distortion and adjusting
them determines how the amplifier will overdrive.
I. BASS - Adjusts the level of low frequencies of your
Vibro-King. Performance Tip: When overdriven, the
tube power amp enhances bass frequencies. It may
be necessary to use lower bass settings when
playing at high volume settings.
J. MID - Adjusts the level of the mid-frequencies of
your Vibro-King.
K. SPEED - Adjusts the speed of the Vibro-King’s
Vibrato feature. Turning this knob clockwise
increases the speed of Vibrato oscillation.
L. INTENSITY - Adjusts the level of signal
modulation of the Vibro-King’s Vibrato feature.
Turning this knob completely counter-clockwise turns
the Vibrato feature off. The Vibrato feature can also
be turned off via the footswitch.
M. PILOT JEWEL - Illuminates when the Vibro-King
is receiving power. Should this bulb burn out, turn off
and unplug the amplifier, unscrew the pilot jewel and
replace the lamp with a type T47 bulb.

A. LINE CORD - The Vibro-King is equipped with a
grounding type supply cord to reduce the possibility
of shock hazard. Be sure to connect it to a grounded
AC receptacle. DO NOT ALTER THE AC PLUG.
B. FUSE - The fuse is in the AC supply of the
amplifier and will help to protect the amplifier in the
event of an electrical fault or tube failure. If a fuse
blows, replace it only with one of the same type and
rating. (Refer to the specification page to determine
the correct fuse type and rating for your amplifier).
NEVER use a fuse with a higher current rating as
this could damage the equipment and present a
serious safety hazard. If the amplifier repeatedly
blows fuses, it should be taken to an authorized
Fender service center.
C. POWER SWITCH - Turns the AC power ON and
OFF. When the amplifier is in the OFF position, the
amplifier is completely shut down.
D. STANDBY SWITCH - When the power switch
and this switch are ON, your Vibro-King is ready to
perform. In the STANDBY position, power is
supplied ONLY to the tube filaments and sound will
NOT come out of the amp. Using the STANDBY
SWITCH during short breaks eliminates tube warm-
up time and will increase tube life.
E. MAIN SPEAKER JACK - This is the main plug-in
connection to the speakers and must always be used
as their primary connection.
F. EXTERNAL SPEAKER JACK - Plug-in connection
for an external speaker enclosure. This jack is wired
in parallel with the main speaker jack and must ONLY
be used in conjunction with the main speaker jack. If
this jack is used without the main speaker jack, no
sound will be produced. The external speaker jack
should be used with the 4ΩVibro-King 212 speaker
enclosure. Under this configuration, the resulting
speaker load will be optimum for full power.
G. FOOTSWITCH (INCLUDED) - Plug-in connection
for the footswitch. The footswitch allows the remote
On / Off selection of the FAT and VIBRATO features.
Using the footswitch overrides the front panel FAT
select switch .
H. EFFECTS RETURN - This
1/4 inch, unbalanced, TS, input
jack is designed to accept signal
from an external processing
device, such as a digital delay or
a chorus unit.
I. EFFECTS SEND - This 1/4
inch, unbalanced, TS, output
jack is designed to feed an
external signal processing
device, such as a digital delay or
a chorus unit.
REAR PANEL FUNCTIONS

Tube life varies depending upon
playing style and application with
power tubes having a much shorter
life than pre-amp tubes which can last
for years. For continued optimum
performance from your amplifier, the
tubes should ONLY be replaced with the same type
tubes as specified on the tube location label inside
the cabinet.
A simple way to check if the tubes are worn is to
replace the set in your amp with your spare set. (You
do carry spare tubes and fuses, don't you?)
When changing the tubes, ALWAYS unplug the
amplifier and remember THE TUBES ARE HOT!
Either wait for the tubes to cool or use an insulated
oven mitt to remove them from your amplifier.
• First, replace the OUTPUT tubes in the amplifier
and listen.
• Next, re-insert the original output tubes. Replace
the PRE-AMP tubes and listen.
• Finally, try replacing both the OUTPUT and PRE-
AMP tubes and listen.
If there is a marked improvement in the tone of your
amp at any point in this procedure, leave the new
tubes in your amp and purchase another spare set.
Your Vibro-King's tube compliment consists of:
• Two 5881 Tubes (part #099-5090-000),
• Five 12AX7A Tubes (part #099-5091-000),
• One Special Design 6V6 Tube (part #099-5093-000).
If the amp is set up but does not
function, check the following items:
• Is the amp power cord properly
plugged into an electrical outlet?
• Is there power to the outlet?
• Is the fuse blown?
• Is the speaker(s) properly connected to the
amplifier?
• Is the amp on standby?
• Are the amplifier VOLUME, TREBLE, MID and
BASS controls above 0?
• Is the instrument volume control turned up?
• Is the instrument plugged into the amplifier?
(Eliminate any effects pedals and try another
guitar cord.)
Check under all tube covers to see if the tube
filaments are glowing.
If, after checking all of the above, your amplifier is not
performing correctly, consult your nearest authorized
Fender service center.
Your Vibro-King is covered in genuine
Tolex for long life and lasting good
looks. To clean the Tolex covering,
use a sponge and a light soapy water
solution. Avoid spilling liquids on the
operating surfaces, grill, volume and
tone controls, switches and speakers. ALWAYS
unplug your amplifier before cleaning or approaching
it with fluids.
TUBE REPLACEMENT
COVERING CARE
TROUBLESHOOTER’S CHECKLIST

TYPE CSR 4
PART NUMBER 081-1070 (100V)
081-1000 (120V)
081-1040 (230V)
081-1030 (240V)
POWER 100V AC, 50/60 Hz 195W
REQUIREMENTS 120V AC, 60 Hz, 195W
230V AC, 50 Hz, 195W
240V AC, 50 Hz, 195W
POWER OUTPUT 60W into 2Ω
INPUT IMPEDANCE INPUT 1: 1 MΩ
INPUT 2: 136 kΩ
TUBES Four (4) 12AX7A Tubes
Two (2) 5881/6L6 Tubes
One (1) 6V6 Tube
FUSE 3A 250V fuse for
100V and 120V versions
1.6A 250V fuse for
230V and 240V versions
SPEAKER Three (3) 8ΩReissue “Blue Frame”
10" speakers with Alnico Magnets (P/N 037617)
FOOTSWITCH 2 Button Footswitch, Controls
Fat and Vibrato Select
(P/N 041273)
DIMENSIONS Height: 25.5 in 64.8 cm
Width: 24.75 in 62.9 cm
Depth: 10.5 in 26.7 cm
WEIGHT 72 lbs 32.7 kg
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD,
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS UNIT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE, REFER SERVICING TO
QUALIFIED PERSONNEL ONLY. Service by persons other than Fender
authorized service technicians may void the warranty.
THIS UNIT MUST BE EARTH GROUNDED.
SPECIFICATIONS
A Product of:
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Corona, CA 91720 USA