Fender 1967 VibroChamp

The opinions I am expressing her are based on some fairly simple modifications I made to the stock champ. For example; by putting a switch on the feedback loop that can bring either in or out serves as a power boost when switched out and adds that much cherished output distortion. Also doing the same to the tone controls adds further boost. Finally by designing a simple dummy-load/line level converter I am able to use the amp in conjunction with a higher powered solid-state amp that reproduces that glorious cranked tube amp sound at any level I choose! With the added bonus of only needing a single 6V6 power tube thus saving a considerable amount of money compared to doing it with a high powered marshall or the like which wastes a bunch of expensive tubes and faithfully reproduces the same results!

Kicks Arse! (see above) If you want even more sweet distortion, using your favorite tube driver pedal puts this amp into Ballsy bliss!

More than any other valve amp I have owned at this point...

Playing over 20 years... To much gear to mention in a short period of time... Have done loads of session work with this amp as well as teaching and original recordings. I have also done some mods and put rigs together for other players. You can check out some recorded examples at http://www.myspace.com/zenosonik Happy jammin!

This amp is a 65 blackface, I have two Les Pauls, Four strats, a De Armond M-75t a 1980 Fender Bullet, and a Gretsch sparklejet.
This simple amp knocks my socks off. I re-tubed it with premeum Groove Tubes to kick the destortion down a bit, and this amp is killer.
It's just about all I use anymore wether it's a big room or small. I mike it and it just sounds like nothing else!
For a meat a potatoes amp, you cant beat it, simple and direct. What you see is exactly what you get.

I'm mostly playing blues with this amp using my 77 fender strat, the strings I use are a 11-70 heavy set with as high action as I can stand. You wouldnt believe how this setup sounds. SRV look out!
I turn the amp to 10 and use the guitar for volume control, or an old 70's fender wah/volume to control the volume.

Dependability? It's old and could go at any time, thats half the fun.
thought it had problems when I bought it, payed $400 US, but new tubes fixed all that, knew it would.

GEEZ, Customer support around here is a guy that lives 40 miles away in the stix, fender dont care.

I've been playing for twenty years now, I own lots of old cool stuff. Cant really pick an amp I have that I like best but... I would sure try to find another one of these if it were stollin or went kaput.
Great little amp, worth the money everytime.

I purchased my Fender Vibro Champ new in 1979 for around $150. It has been used on many studio recordings, usually with a Boss Turbo Overdrive OD-2 pedal plugged into input #2. For clean country sounds, I play a Telecaster plugged into input #1, with a slight amount of vibrato (which is actually tremelo-long identified by Fender as vibrato). Several years ago, I removed the chassis from the original cabinet and built a larger cabinet (also open-back) and installed two eight ohm Fender "special design" 10" speakers (wired to yield 4 ohms). This combination gives me much more low end than the original Fender 8" 3.2 ohm speaker and makes the amp sound relly big! I also sometimes switch out the 6v6 power tube with a 6L6 (I prefer one that is kind of worn out). I do wish the amplifier had reverb, but most of the time it is used in the recording studio, and reverb is added once the guitar is tracked. Overall, this is my favorite amplifier, even surpasssing my 1970's Fender Super Twin Reverb (originally 185 watts RMS output, modified to be switchable between 25/100 watts) or 1960's Fender 50 watt Bassman. If you can find one of these amps in a pawn shop or music store, buy it!

Definitely an FX loop would benifit rhis amp. A footswitch for the vibrato would be a nice addition as well.

Very warm distortion is acheived when cranked up via the output tubes. Response is dynamically superlative. Very clean running without any noisy outboard gear.If youve got a preamp or a favorite overdrive pedal it can become quite ballsy in its own right.Especially if used for recording or in small rooms. i've yielded some fabulous resuts by experimenting with several different external speaker cabinets (closed and ported as well as matching the impedance) of my own design, that took it to a whole new level of fat punchy guitar meat.

25yrs of guitar experience I would definitely have to replace with the same type of amp. As amatter of fact. i have already built a few amps based on the same concept and tube compliment.I love being able to crank it up with no earbleeds.

I don't know what year mine was made, but it is a silverface. Someone put a new pigtail on it and did a nice job at that. They used 16-3 SJO cord (goes up to 90 c), beefy stuff for a practice amp.
It has RCA jacks for the speaker (original Fender 'special design') and one for the tremelo that I have never used.

I own 4 les pauls, a strat, a tele, an Ibanez 335 knock-off(1977) and two 1966 mosrites (one is a 6-string, the other a 12-string).
Every guitar sounds different through it and that is the mark of a great amp.
When using guitars with single-coils, I use the #1 input. For humbuckers, the #2 input.
When I first saw this amp it was at my favorite 'fishing-hole' - the local pawn shop.
I told the guy there that I wanted to hear the amp. He said go get a guitar. I said again that I wanted to HEAR the amp. Wih nothing plugged in and all the controls on 10. Silent running! No hisses, pops, crackles, buzzes or hums.
I use it primarily as a recording amp. I just can't get over how versitle a single volume, treble and bass control can be. Word to the wise, I just bought one of the new Sennheiser e609 Silver mic's and they are worth the coin in spades. I parked it right up tight agianst the amp and it is to die for!
It is kind of a one-trick-pony, but that one trick can take you for one hell of a ride.

Nothing is perfect and nothing lasts forever, but if it just stays in the studio it should last for many years to come.
I always have a back-up because that's just how I am about everything I do. But it's still nice to know that FENDER amps that are well cared for seem to return the favor.

The warranty period has long expired, but there are still plenty of guys who love working on old tube amps. So I am confident that if it ever has any problems, it will be no trouble to get it fixed.

I have been playing for 31 years, all of them as a pro or semi-pro.
I also own: a 1979 ( or so ) Music Man. 65 watts with 1 15" electro-voice speaker.
A 1981 Marshall JCM800 50 watt head
A custom-built 4 x 12 cab with 4 G-30'S
A Particle-board 2 x 12 with G-25's and
An old BOGEN 2 x 12 cab with Jensen Purple-back's
When that doesn't cut it I have a Marshall JMP-1 that goes direct and never fails to please.
If my vibrochamp was ever stolen or broken I would try to find another. It's versetility continues to amaze me.

This little puppy is from 67 june. I love the snap it has and the vibrato is real warm and has great depth. The speake is a oxford from march 67 and it all looks origional. It runs a pair of rca 12ax7s a ge5y3 and a slyvania 6v6. If I want reverb I will add a danecho.

I play a variety of guitars and this fits them all. It is quiet and friendly to the environment.I t does a real fine breakup and reminds me of a proreverb for some reason.

I think as long as the tubes and caps hold out this will work fine and when it needs it I will fix it.

I am sure that fender wishes me and this little 67 well.

This is champ number ? for me I don't like to count. I would by it again. I think that as long as you get the tone it does not matter what it is you play through, that said you can find tone in the Champ. I never had a black face before and it sounds even better then my early 70's silverface VibroChamp. Fender is Good!

One channel. Volume, bass, treble. Vibrato, speed and intensity. On/off, no standby. 6 Watts RMS. 3.2 Ohm 8 inch speaker. Where can I get a replacement speaker at 3.2 ohms? This one is fine, but I'm curious.

Sound is great; I wish it had reverb instead of vibrato (or both). The vibrato is very good, but I only use it to make the kids laugh. My favorite setting is Vol=8, bass=8, treble=8. Warm and creamy overdrive with my Melody Maker. Makes the stock single coils sound much better than they should. Plays very clean below vol=5 and so is an excellent practice amp, or to use when playing with acoustic musicians. It's very quiet throughout the volume settings. I'll bet it would make a swell harp amp, too.

It must be reliable. It still has Fender tubes in it, but that doesn't mean they're original. I've only had it for a few months.

I would buy it again in a second. I wish it had a headphone jack or a 4 or 8 ohm speaker output. I like vintage, when I can afford it, and the V-Champ is affordable. The store where I bought it had a silverface Champ for $125 that sounded almost as good as this one. I routinely see V-Champs for $200-250, which is still reasonable for a tube practice amp, one that will likely not depreciate, either.