Brownface Vibroverb® Style Guitar Tube Amp Kit
Amp Kit Difficulty Level
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Please read our article 'Mojotone Amp Kit Building Primer' along with our amp kit disclaimer located in the Specs tab before buying this kit.
Mojotone is excited to introduce a new kit to our brownface lineup - the 6G16 Vibroverb. We're offering everything needed to build an accurate replica from the finger-joint constructed pine cabinet to the tapped 350k treble potentiometers. You'll be pleased to have such a rare bird in your collection. As with any of our kits, you get the finest components available.
The original (6G16 circuit) Vibroverb was introduced in February 1963. The speaker lineup and the output transformer were based on the Super amp of the time and the circuit based on the Vibrolux of the time, with no presence control and only one 12AX7 tube for the tremolo effect. It sported typical "brownface" cosmetics, with brown "Tolex" covering (introduced in 1959), and wheat-colored speaker cloth.
The 40 Watt amplifier boasted two channels (NORMAL and BRIGHT). Both channels had VOLUME, TREBLE and BASS controls; the single-control REVERB affected only the BRIGHT channel.
The tremolo effect (labeled Vibrato) had two controls, SPEED and also INTENSITY, which affected the bias of the output tubes and therefore both channels. To make room for the reverb circuitry (not found on the Super amp) a direct-coupled oscillator vibrato circuit was used which was found on the previous generation tweed amplifiers (which used two tubes fewer than the Super’s brownface vibrato circuit).
The TREBLE control was the same as found in many Fender amplifiers of the time (i.e., Pro Amp -6G5A-, the Super -6G4A-, the Showman -6G14-, the Vibrolux -6G11-). It was fitted with a "tapped" treble circuit, meaning that the treble control is "flat" at setting "5"; cutting or boosting the treble was possible by turning the knob down (below "5") or up (above "5"), respectively.
This incarnation of the Vibroverb was made for only a few months, and it is thought that fewer than 600 of these units were made.
- Class Type:AB All Tube Amplifier
- Output:~40 Watts
- Circuit:6G16
- Bias Type:Fixed with an adjustable potentiometer
- Build Time:~7 hours
- Preamp Tubes: ECC83/12AX7 (6)
- Output Tube(s): 6L6GC (2)
- Rectifier Tube: 5AR4 / GZ34
- Transformers:Power - BF Vibrolux / Tremoloux (MOJO758EX), Output - BF Vibrolux / Tremolux (MOJO770), Choke - for 6L6 Amps (MOJO777), Reverb Driver - (MOJO776)
- Hardware:Vibroverb Small Parts Kit, Vibroverb Chassis, Small Cap Pan, Front & Rear Faceplates, Fender style 2-button Footswitch, 4AB3C1B Reverb Tank, Black Tolex Reverb Bag, Vintage Reverb Wire Kit, 10' Install Power Cord
Disclaimer: Some of the parts contained in this kit are subject to availability.
Mojotone reserves the right to change or substitute any and all of the parts contained in this amplifier kit without advertisement or notification to the buyer. Part substitutions made by Mojotone are guaranteed not to affect the integrity or operation of your amplifier kit. Time estimates listed are from start to finish. If you are new to tube amplifiers, additional time may need to be factored.
When purchasing a kit from Mojotone, you will receive the following documentation.
1. Schematic
2. Wiring Diagram / Layout
Our beginner level kits such as the tweed champ and tweed deluxe include a manual. If you purchase a kit from Mojotone and do not receive these documents, you can obtain copies by emailing [email protected] or calling 800-927-6656. The Mojotone staff is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST unless otherwise closed.
Mojotone kits include the best quality parts that are available at the time of purchase. If a substitution is required, our team will use parts that are of equal quality to ensure the integrity of the kit build remains the same.
Building a fully functional amplifier kit is not an easy task. Before building a kit, one should have the ability to properly solder as well as read and understand a schematic and wiring diagram. While we do our very best to ensure all documentation is current, the included documentation is meant to serve as an overall guide to building the amplifier. Simply following the schematic and wiring diagram does not guarantee you will have a fully functional amplifier. In fact, post build troubleshooting is a common issue across all builds.
Our staff is available to assist with basic troubleshooting needs. There are plenty of online videos available that are helpful with most post build issues. Technical staff is available via email by sending a message to [email protected]. You may also call our sales team to discuss build problems, dial 800-927-6656 and press 1 for sales.
Building a tube amplifier takes time, dedication, resources and most importantly... Skills! The experience of building an amp can come with some frustration, the reward of completing the build is definitely well worth your time. Please review the wiring diagram, schematic and manual (if applicable) prior to making your purchase. Mojotone will not accept any returns on amplifier kits and/or parts that have been assembled, soldered or modified.
The following documents are included. Please feel free to view and/or download them:
Brownface Vibroverb SchematicBrownface Vibroverb Wiring Diagram
Warehouse Sessions Featuring This Product
Other Videos Featuring This Product
Ratings & Reviews
7 reviews
Edit: All's Well that Ends Well
by Samuel
Mojotone has the best customer service of any business I have ever seen, full stop. It was scary how committed they were to making everything right. Even when the problem was awkward and hard to solve, they still made it work and I couldn't be more pleased. Yes, there were issues with the kit when I got it that I left an earlier review about, if that's important to you, but the customer service was too good and I'm walking away happier than I have with any company experience I can think of. Oh and the amp sounds fantastic and uses super quality parts and is amazing in every single way, but you knew that already since it's an amazing circuit. I just want to gush about the amazing help desk when so many other companies are so bad at being good to their customers. It took some time, but all's well that ends well.
Tripped at the Finish Line
by Samuel
The circuit was great. The clear, well laid out schematic and wiring diagram made this kit very approachable, even though I'm not the most experienced. And of course it sounds great. It's a faithful rendition of an amazing circuit using many high quality components. The problems were everything else. Every order I've gotten from mojotone has had a mistake. This time it was knobs that didn't have all the set screws and the wrong footswitch. The customer support team is always amazing, so I'm honestly not even upset about it, but I wanted to warn people since this is a consistent problem. The part that I am really upset about though is that the chassis was drilled slightly off, so the face-plate can't fit and is unusable. It's such a frustrating end to an otherwise great kit. It's still an amazing amp and I had a good overall experience so I can't knock off too much from the score, but it still leaves me so sad to have such an end to an otherwise amazing experience.