Fender '68 Custom Pro Reverb | First One on the Bench Part 2

[@retread1083]

Lyle, I'm sure you have a better grasp (than I do) of whether the upgrade to double-sided with plated thru holes is more on the order of dollars than dimes. But either way the fact that the bean counters were willing to invest anything at all for greater reliability and serviceability, bodes well. It will be interesting to see if they take a bigger steps in the future.

[@redheart6995]

I performed the r53 mod and rewired the socket, those 2 modes made this amp perfect! Now gone are the hiss and hum! Thank you so so much! Had this amp since last year, and I like it but my Princeton reverb ri was still more humless thus was still my fav. Now this amp is so versatile and is getting my fav spot!👍👍

[@borgassi]

Hey there! Is there any detail guide for these mods?

[@monoclepigproductions]

Did you have to pull the board to change R53, or were you able to solder it in place from the top side?

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Ayyyyy, here he is!

[@shckltnebay]

He did a reverb tank vid, sounds like you missed it???

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

@@shckltnebay I thought that might have just been a teaser. Lol!

[@shanrandall932]

Great video. I've been eyeing these Custom Pro Reverb models and have been hesitate due to what I read. But when I play one, I love the tone. Now I feel prepared to make a few modifications shown in this video if needed. Thanks for your insight and work

[@tjminasi1442]

My ‘65 DRRI has developed some noise/early distortion issues. Time to check: the generic silver mica treble caps and replace with class2 ceramics, the coupling caps and plate resistors. All F&Ts 500v and WIMA Polypropylene 400v & 630v throughout the sig chain and 63V Vishay BP caps used. And a bunch of other upgrades. (Maybe too many?)

[@vadenk4433]

Man that camera is sweet. Really nice close up shots Lyle

[@Texritter78]

I picked up one of these amps used at a great price a couple of weeks ago and I really like it for what it is. The previous owner replaced the neo with a G12 M and as a whole it sounds pretty good. I watch your channel A LOT and I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to teach. There are a lot of amps that I've thought about buying until you pointed out design flaws in them. You do a lot for all us!

[@ditchgator1]

Looking forward to hearing a well put together 68 custom pro reverb 😃👍 😎👍❤🖖v. CV😢

[@richardbrucemusic]

Ignore the question I posted on Pt. 1 - you answered my questions by addressing those "junky" issues. Now if I can just find the details on the heater and reverb rewires...

[@taylornutt]

I was planning on buying one of these amps before I scored a 68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb.

[@shckltnebay]

You didnt miss much!!!

[@taylornutt]

@@shckltnebay ?

[@shckltnebay]

@@taylornutt You probably got the better amp, got it?

[@taylornutt]

@@shckltnebay Understood. I think they are two of the better amps in the line.

[@halhawkins7641]

Cool vid. Excellent new look....

[@teleclasster]

I bought one and when it worked it sounded great. But it took a lot of jostling the tubes around to get it right, and then it would fall back to erratic noises and power fluctuations. Returned it and stumbled onto a blackface Bassman so went that route and all good...great actually.

[@MOAB-UT]

What is better about the bf bassman? Does it have the same touch sensitivity and sparkle I like?

[@christophersambuco9414]

Hey Man! Good to see you're back.

[@narta11]

Well done. I just picked one up a used one yesterday for $700. I need to work with it a bit. It doesn’t have as much low end as my twin but the tone is impressive.

[@MOAB-UT]

Great deal! What year is the best 68? In the past, he was not a fan of the 68. Did they do an update?

[@Lu_Woods]

I sorta like the documentary style ; ) New camera is great!!

[@carlosluz2926]

Hi, the Deluxe Reverb ´65 reissue or the ´68 Custom Pro Reverb? Which one do you recommend ?

[@caorach3354]

Great review, very useful for anyone thinking of buying one of these. These technical reviews might warrant another channel in my view as I enjoy the "fixing stuff" videos but many potential amp buyers may not be into that plus having someone review the guts of amplifiers might encourage manufacturers to up their game a little. I was doing a little research and did note that people on some forums were referencing your "technical reviews" of some amps I was considering (I'd already seen your reviews) so clearly you are carrying some weight among potential purchasers. I didn't consider the Tone King Sky King on the basis of your examination of its guts as it just looked like careless work in something that commands a premium price.

[@tedmich]

Nice video! I believe its Cadmium (Cd) that the EU doesnt want from the old "roach" optical trem. Uncle Doug just did a 1963 Vibroverb (one of only ¬500 made!) and stated that the Princeton type bias trem was a bad idea for 6L6s...what say you Lyle?

[@PsionicAudio]

I haven't seen Doug's video. I can't think of a reason it would be "bad" for the amp (so long as you add a parallel resistor to the Intensity pot so the tubes cannot lose their bias reference) but it's really difficult to get a deep trem that doesn't thud with 6L6s. This 68CPR has a fairly shallow trem depth as a result.

[@gearsofsounds]

I checked mine, but phew, all nuts/jacks tightened correctly ! :D

[@BitMatt1]

I dont have this amp and will never, but this channel is interesting.

[@Guitar5986]

Great production quality!

[@tjminasi1442]

Funny. Growing pains for the channel. Keepin’ it real! I like.

[@andrewksadventures]

Great insight! Thanks for the vid. I was hoping someone would do one like this so we get a good look. I'd heard some misinformation about these amps. Definitely a good portable size. I've sold my old 70s twin but still have an original 66 Pro Reverb!

[@elbowjames7625]

I'm just noticing that rather than machine-turned as the silver faced amps' panels were, this one appears to have a zig-zag pattern instead. Probably a lot easier and faster to make that pattern in probably a single pass than the multiple passes a true machine-turned pattern would require.

[@teleplucker6802]

So I just acquired a 68 Custom Pro Reverb that is 1 year old and I don't have any issues with it. No hum or hiss that I can notice. I am curious though as to what speaker cable you replaced and where I can get one. Thanks and great job. You seem totally knowledgeable about this amp.

[@tylerlobdell2669]

Thanks so much for posting this video! I love my 68 custom Pro, and I had been wondering if the tone stack was cathode follower or plate fed because of the mids, but that higher value pot confirms what I was wondering. I like the added midrange variables for flexibility in different rooms! I'll definitely take these QC concerns into account and look into my model, as it does have a little bass rattle. I think the issue with the ohm ratings in the NFB portion of the PI may come from the the fact of the amp being tube bias tremolo, which was why I opted for this amp. More power than a Princeton, but no tick of a Deluxe. The tube bias tremolo of the princeton requires the split load phase inverter rather than the long tail pair. Is that the case with this model's PI?

[@lazycomet76]

Thanks for doing this video. What’s your analysis of the Supro Royale? A comparable amp to the Custom Pro Reverb from my perspective. Would love to hear your thoughts on the Royale. Cheers!

[@maximilianlun]

So ots worh the money?

[@markspurgin8225]

Glad to see new content 😊

[@monoclepigproductions]

Did you have to pull the board to change the negative feedback resistor, or were you able to solder it in place from the top side?

[@ThomasACarlos]

What about the filament (heater) connection? I believe on the Deluxe Reissue amps you take the heaters directly the output tubes and wires directly to the preamp tubes, thus bypassing the PC board for the heaters. Was that a concern for this amp? Thanks!

[@cosmoganic]

Hi There, I own one of these amps & have so far not been able to solve my issues with extremely annoying rattling power tubes. The original groove tubes and 2x sets of brand new JJ's have not solved the issue. Do you recommend the TAD 6L6WGC-STR as a likely way to solve what seems to be poor modern tube manufacturing? Also having a relatively powerful amp in a cabinet smaller than a Deluxe seems to be problematic for cabinet vibration & mechanical noise with the Pro Reverb in my case. But I love the amp, And the Bias tremolo to my ears is perfect.. not so "helicopter" sounding as an opto trem.

[@PsionicAudio]

JJs go microphonic in combos. The TADs are a better choice.

[@cosmoganic]

@@PsionicAudio Sweet, It looks like I can get them here in Australia too. Did you find that the Pro Reverb having a solid state rectifier still feels similar in attack/"sag" to say a Deluxe Reverb that has the tube rectifier?

[@cosmoganic]

@@PsionicAudio Yes I can confirm that a pair of TAD 6L6WGC-STR Redbase Power tubes have finally solved my tube rattle issues in this amp. Never buying JJ's again.. I also found that the neo cream back (at least in my case) can't handle this amp and turns into a mess of mechanical vibration when playing a low E string at any volume past 5. that's with the speaker completely out of the cabinet and on its own. I solved this issue by replacing it with a vintage 30. Though the neo cream back works and sounds great in my blues junior instead.

[@oldguy5381]

Looking forward to future videos with the new camera. Glad your doing well. Any news on Excalibur?

[@walterrizotto8668]

Couls that cage be there in order to prevent the user from touching the transformer when it's hot?

[@MOAB-UT]

In the past you did not like the '68. You have said it was really bad. I like the way the 68 sounds at GC. Can you please tell me which '68 I need to buy? Was there an update or redesign?

[@PsionicAudio]

This Pro Reverb is pretty damn good. It’s the 68 Super, Twin, Princeton, and Deluxe that should be avoided in favor of the 65 versions.

[@jerryking2418]

Informative overview. Thanks.

[@jessielee1520]

Well I am going to do this to my pro I just got but don't know what to set the bias to? What did you bias this amp at and where did you measure from? Thanks I love you content its addicting! haha

[@MichaelSmith-rn1qw]

Your new camera does produce a nice crisp video image. When you were panning back and forth did you have it on a tripod or holding it? Edit: On yesterday's "Uncle Doug" video on the 1963 Vibroverb, he stated it was a bad idea to use a bias tremolo on an amp using 6L6's, and Fender quickly changed that circuit. Any thoughts?

[@PsionicAudio]

Thanks. Holding it steady and swiveling my chair. ;) I don’t have a gimble. It’s not a bad idea as in “unsafe” - it’s just hard to get it deep without throbbing.

[@marktierney3938]

Are the pcbs in this higher quality than the rest of the ‘68 custom line?

[@travismccartney]

Did they use the Princeton component values for the trem LFO?

[@jamesdlow]

How come Fender can still sell the deluxe reverb with the optical tremolo on it in Europe?

[@PsionicAudio]

They don’t. EU models have a solid state emulation done on a daughter board.

[@huddyskiba1]

Possibly on part 1 you mentioned the mixing resistors doubling as a voltage divider and this wouldn’t sound the same because of the single channel not needing them. Did you feel the need to make further mods to remedy this? Not necessary?

[@PsionicAudio]

Wasn't necessary - they have a voltage divider there. But it was something I had to check.

[@muntor7935]

Hi Lyle, thanks for the vid, love your stuff. Uncle Doug just posted a video on a 63 brown face vibroverb where he talks about the various types of tremolo (around the 7min mark). He suggests bias trem might be a bad idea with 6l6 etc higher power tubes and why fender might have gone to the opto trem. Do you have a take on that idea?

[@erajad]

You can see Lyle's response to Michael Smith's version of this question, elsewhere in these comments.

[@muntor7935]

@@erajad thanks

[@KarenBasset]

Which amp would you recommend as a gigging amp between the 68 DR and thev68 Pro Reverb? I play a Tele with a bit of amp drive/grit/breakup but get my dirt from pedals. Thanks!

[@PsionicAudio]

The Pro has far fewer problems than the 68 Custom.

[@coastalgeorgia6558]

with your content i would be ok with a vhs camcorder... but yeah man thats quite a difference.

[@cosmoganic]

Hello Again There, I recently had the mod done to my Pro Reverb (R53 - 47 ohm Resistor replaced with 100 ohm resistor) & I'm finding now that the tremolo on my amp is quite weak, about half the depth 'intensity" that it had before.. Could this mod be causing that change do you think? Thanks again Ollie

[@dougwerner4588]

Maybe double check your bias readings? I had a used HW65 Dlx Rev and the bias pot was maxed by the previous owner who sold it cause the trem was weak, lowered the bias to the proper range and it fixed the weak trem issue. I have a 2022 68 Custom Pro and it is very quiet with none of these noise issues. Swapped out the Neo asap

[@cosmoganic]

​@@dougwerner4588 Yeah you are right Doug, I also had the Bias set (60% dissipation) for the new set of power tubes and that's what has made the trem weaker, so interestingly, judging by the original depth of the tremolo the amp must have been Bias set at around 45-50% dissipation from the factory, very cool Biasing.. I have since bought a Euro Tubes Pro One Bias Tool and set the Bias myself @ 70% for a little earlier tube breakup. unfortunately though, my tremolo is very weak compared to the cooler Bias settings, I might go back down to 60% soon, but even at 60% the tremolo was still substantially weaker than the stock Bias setting, I do really love playing finger style blues on the strat with that deep , slow throb of the tube tremolo and plenty of the delicious spring reverb..

[@ernestschultz5065]

I was wondering what happened to you!

[@shckltnebay]

I had one, output tubes were microphonic and the amp just sounded OK nothing remarkable, replaced with a real 65 PR and happy. Took that dumb cage of power trans does nothing adds weight

[@crickettgames]

Hi Lyle, I'm having trouble deciding which tube amp I want to save up for. I am between a Vox AC15 which you highly recommend, or the Fender BassBreaker 15. I understand you like the quality of the AC15, but the BassBreaker seems better suited to my higher gain preferences. Do you have any comments on the quality of components in a BassBreaker versus, say, the Blues Junior which is prone to issues?

[@erajad]

You could have a look at "Stuart ukguitarampguy"s channel for his (dire) experience of a Bassbreaker repair. My hunch is either the AC15 or the Blues Jr. would be infinitely preferable from a tech-fix point of view....

[@gearsofsounds]

the classic pro reverb had a 100 ohm NFB resistor because it used 2x12 speakers. With a 1x12, 48 ohm is normal in an AB763, as in the more rare pro reverb with an 1x15" speaker or the vibroverb with the same speaker configuration. don't agree with you on this one

[@PsionicAudio]

This amp has a dual tap setup like a HRD. The NFB is connected to the 4 ohm tap.

[@gearsofsounds]

@@PsionicAudio oh damn yes, you're right, my bad

[@WyattScott]

ball busting time, this guy is a super genius love his vids, can’t even figure out how to use a camera. Sounds like me, my new QN8 Zoom, thing was super grainy yuck, returned it and still using my Q4n . Get that vid up would love to hear your genius work and wished you lived in the SD area to work on my amps. I’d be a great customer and have u upgrade my amp collection as you saw fit .

[@watkinscopicat]

if Fender were really smart, they would hire you as a consultant and get you to debug all their products pre-release.

[@Satchmoeddie]

Cadmium. If it was in a battery for an EV it would be aye okay, but not for a cadmium sulfide LDR.

[@maurizioleonardosolfietti5499]

Made in Mexico

[@BenState]

Kinda sucks that so much needs to be done to make it a great amp, when really, most of us would spend an extra 100 to have it the way you've made it. well done though mate

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Lots of basic design flaws. After all these years you think the engineers would fix these issues.