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  #16  
Old 10-06-2017, 08:49 AM
bigD77 bigD77 is offline
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Originally Posted by redir View Post
I've always wanted a cheesy little amp with a sign on the front that says Fender Champ.
I'd be curious where you'd put your $3-400 of amp budget?
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  #17  
Old 10-06-2017, 09:38 AM
rockabilly69 rockabilly69 is offline
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Originally Posted by bigD77 View Post
But I don't really have anything 'vintage' at this point, so I'm OK with spending a little bit more to give that experiment a try. Also, The Champ seems like a great way to dip my toes into the vintage thing without spending the cash for a Deluxe Reverb type setup...
Well I DO have some killer vintage amps, one being a MINT '64 Deluxe Reverb, but I still record with my VibroChamp. They are really great amps. I like the silverface versions especially '69 through the early 70's. Most likely, if you get one, you'll be replacing the filter caps, adding a 3 prong cord, and swapping the speaker if you want to hit it hard. My Vibrochamp has a Jupiter replacement speaker that sounds great and was very inexpensive. I put the original in a box and stored it away for safekeeping. If you're just using it for lower volume stuff the stock speaker is fine. Although a little shy on bass the original Jensen speakers had a sweet top end.

Good luck on your search.

Here's another VibroChamp recording, this time a cover

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  #18  
Old 10-06-2017, 10:04 AM
Song Song is offline
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Here's another VibroChamp recording, this time a cover

Thanks for the songs! Sounds great!
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  #19  
Old 10-06-2017, 10:09 AM
rockabilly69 rockabilly69 is offline
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Thanks for the songs! Sounds great!
Thanks, I hope they sway him towards a Champ (or preferably a VibroChamp)
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  #20  
Old 10-06-2017, 11:14 AM
roylor4 roylor4 is offline
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My opinion, for what's it's worth, is to go non-vintage.

While I'm a relative newbie in the electric guitar realm, I've been blowing Blues harp for 25+ years and have owned 20-30 of the many iconic vintage tube amps, 57 Tweed Champ, 59 GA 18T Explorer, Tweed Bassman RI, Alamo Challenger, Kalamazoo Blackface Model 1, Silvertone 1482, the list goes on.

Vintage tube amps are cool and actually do okay value wise, but with the options available now, an absolute no-go for me. In the early 90's the only small wattage tube amps you could buy were boutique or vintage. There are newer, cheaper amps now that give you the same tone, just sans bragging rights.

Keep in mind that many vintage tube amp owners and lovers grew up with these and is what they know.

The two best vintage amps I ever owned was the Kalamazoo Model One (smokes the hat off of most Champs) and the 1482 (think a Deluxe with more headroom and tremolo). Some of these oddball amps can be had for a bargain.

Old amps come with issues, unless rebuilt. Worn out speakers, old leaky caps, 2 prong/non grounded wiring, etc.

I would pay for a handbuilt lower end boutique build before going vintage, but that's just my opinion.

I am a fan of PTP wiring, but am unwilling to pay the huge upcharge that usually goes with it. My .02
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  #21  
Old 10-06-2017, 02:30 PM
Beachrunner Beachrunner is offline
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I don't think you can go wrong with a vintage Champ. You can still get them at reasonable prices, and then you've got that vintage Fender tone..

I've got a '69 silverface Champ, and while it's been in the shop a time or two (new caps, some minor work), it's just got that fantastic tone.

I did have to replace the original Oxford speaker (that had blown) with a Weber alnico Sig 8, but the Champ sounds fantastic with the Weber speaker.

I'd say go for the Champ - while they're still affordable!

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  #22  
Old 10-06-2017, 03:19 PM
Rodger Knox Rodger Knox is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redir View Post
I've always wanted a cheesy little amp with a sign on the front that says Fender Champ.
I had one of those, and a secondhand guitar, it was a Stratocaster with a whammy bar. I think I left them in Joe's garage.
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  #23  
Old 10-06-2017, 04:03 PM
redir redir is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigD77 View Post
I'd be curious where you'd put your $3-400 of amp budget?
See Frank Zappa reference below

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodger Knox View Post
I had one of those, and a secondhand guitar, it was a Stratocaster with a whammy bar. I think I left them in Joe's garage.
I would not pass up a good deal on a Champ, they are fantastic amps.
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  #24  
Old 10-06-2017, 04:29 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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You are going to use the amp clean, skip the tubes. A Frontman 25R.

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  #25  
Old 10-06-2017, 04:50 PM
TNO TNO is offline
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I really like the Vibro Champ with the trem just barely on... better than reverb, IMO.

The Monoprice mentioned above sounds small and kinda grungy. It really can't do a great clean. Even tried a better speaker and tubes in mine but it moved on rather quickly. Most of the tweed champ clones get the voltage too high and don't sound like a good oldie.

I finally found single-ended bliss with a Panama Conqueror. GREAT clean tone and it slides into overdrive effortlessly (better than a SF Champ or even the Kalamazoo Model 1). Has a built-in attenuator that sounds great. I can have mine raging with the volume dimed while my daughter sleeps in the next room.
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  #26  
Old 10-06-2017, 05:01 PM
Gmountain Gmountain is offline
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How about a new Vox AC10? Great sounding amp, and you should be able to get it for around $400.
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  #27  
Old 10-06-2017, 06:21 PM
harpspitfire harpspitfire is offline
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hmm, that 25r sounds amazing!
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  #28  
Old 10-06-2017, 06:50 PM
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kbraker kbraker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by printer2 View Post
You are going to use the amp clean, skip the tubes. A Frontman 25R.





This is very true, they are fantastic. I bought the red Tolex one for a friends birthday.
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  #29  
Old 10-06-2017, 09:55 PM
Jerry D Jerry D is offline
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Wow. I had a '65 or '66 Vibro Champ (like the one below) that I somehow acquired in the day - don't know how. At the time I was a grocery clerk going to college.

Worse than that, I can't for the life of me remember what I did with it.
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File Type: jpg Vibro Champ.jpg (97.6 KB, 60 views)
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  #30  
Old 10-07-2017, 06:02 AM
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Mr. Jelly Mr. Jelly is offline
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Back in the 70s I used to run into old Champ amps here in the mid-west. I started buying them and selling them to Mandolin Bros. back east to make a little extra cash. They paid the highest for them then. I ran into a tweed Champ once for $25. I ended up selling it in Hollywood for $175 when I needed the money. I still think I got screwed.
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