Silverface Champ

[fulltone1989]

Looking for an apartment amp and have had my eye on the Champ for awhile, has anyone ever played/owned one? What're your opinions?

[sour d]

Looking for an apartment amp and have had my eye on the Champ for awhile, has anyone ever played/owned one? What're your opinions?

I love mine. Great for low volume playing but they also have quite a grind if you crank them and hit it with a humbucker. Before you go shopping for one just know that the circuit was basically the same for the blackface and silverface all the way until 1982 or something. People usually get twice as much for the blackface ones. I think everybody should have one.

[fulltone1989]

Looking for an apartment amp and have had my eye on the Champ for awhile, has anyone ever played/owned one? What're your opinions?

I love mine. Great for low volume playing but they also have quite a grind if you crank them and hit it with a humbucker. Before you go shopping for one just know that the circuit was basically the same for the blackface and silverface all the way until 1982 or something. People usually get twice as much for the blackface ones. I think everybody should have one.

Thanks for the insight! Definitely thinking of getting a TRRI for gigging and a Champ for practicing and Layla tonez. Specifically Duane's. I have read that the circuits are remarkably similar, big thanks to CBS I guess. I'm probably going to swap out the speaker and get a splitter box so I can run a 2x12 off of it as well. What have you done to yours? I'm guessing the cord is the first thing to replace.

[raisingfreen]

Silverface Champs are just perfect for practice and even some low volume jamming. I have had one (3 knob) for years and recently had it modded with an extra preamp tube, new output transformer as well as a preamp line out so I can just use the preamp into my A/D converter to laptop. I can show the slightly new circuit design I had done if I can find it. It's really a remarkable little amp. Kinda sounds like a little Matchless preamp circuit now.

Another cool thing is that you can use old musicmaster bass combo cabinets, swap the chassis and have a 1x12 champ. I think Fender Frontman 25's will are also swappable with old champ chassis giving you room for a 10" speaker.

I run my champ with a 1x12 cabinet loaded with a 30 watt Weber Alinco Blue and it is just perfect. I use a crappy Pyle Driver speaker for the original 8" speaker cabinet and it can get the edge of breakup sound just perfect.

Don't pay more than $$250-300. Just get a beat up one and have it fixed up to your liking. Or get a little music master bass amp as that has a 12 already. Still a great little sounding tube amp.

For even more fun grab a used reissue Super Champ XD. Those are easy to find on CL cheap (maybe $200). I think those are solid state preamp section with a tube power section (I think). They have a huge following as well similar to the Blues Jr users. In fact I would say the new Super Champ XDs really give the Blues Jr's a run for the money.

[fulltone1989]

Silverface Champs are just perfect for practice and even some low volume jamming. I have had one (3 knob) for years and recently had it modded with an extra preamp tube, new output transformer as well as a preamp line out so I can just use the preamp into my A/D converter to laptop. I can show the slightly new circuit design I had done if I can find it. It's really a remarkable little amp. Kinda sounds like a little Matchless preamp circuit now.

Another cool thing is that you can use old musicmaster bass combo cabinets, swap the chassis and have a 1x12 champ. I think Fender Frontman 25's will are also swappable with old champ chassis giving you room for a 10" speaker.

I run my champ with a 1x12 cabinet loaded with a 30 watt Weber Alinco Blue and it is just perfect. I use a crappy Pyle Driver speaker for the original 8" speaker cabinet and it can get the edge of breakup sound just perfect.

Don't pay more than $$250-300. Just get a beat up one and have it fixed up to your liking. Or get a little music master bass amp as that has a 12 already. Still a great little sounding tube amp.

For even more fun grab a used reissue Super Champ XD. Those are easy to find on CL cheap (maybe $200). I think those are solid state preamp section with a tube power section (I think). They have a huge following as well similar to the Blues Jr users. In fact I would say the new Super Champ XDs really give the Blues Jr's a run for the money.

My buddy owns a XD, and he run it with a mesa 2x12 and gets some pretty gnarly tones. After looking at one of those I may pick one up? Champs are timeless though... I bet yours sounds awesome! Thanks for the info too btw