Fender Champ

I have 2 silver Faces, 1974 and 1978 (often used in stereo). Simple 6 watt hand wired tube heaven. Simple circuit, 1 5y3 rectifier, 1 6V6, 1 12AX7, 1 vol, Treble, Bass, Mustang style on/off switch, light and portable, not very loud, but mic it up! Stradavarious of 4-6 watt tube amps. tone really responds to tube changes, speaker changes, etc.

no digital junk

Great for roots rock, indie rock, blues, rock'n roll, (I use 2 in stereo with delay and reverb effects)also takes all pedals well. Noisy only if you do not let it warm up. at 3-4 nice clean and warm- very natural and woody, at 5 and 6 it starts breaking up, 7-10 it sounds like a cross between the Stooges and old Sabbath with buckers and p90s, nice blues over drive with singles.

Very elementary- the original Fender cleans/ overdrive

wattage/size not big enough for bassy rhythm live, but works great recording.

Old amps really need alot of tlc, educate yourself as much as you can. The 74 seems to have some filter cap problems- have blown many fuses.

Keep them clean, let them warm up and you will be fine.

backup- another reason I have 2. totally worth it.

CBS musical instruments no longer exists.

instead of buying one of those new fangled Champion 600's or whatever they are, save a little more and look for a silverface Champ- they have basically the same circuit as the blackface champ (unlike the larger old Fender amps that had many changes over the '70s)

Love the size- packs a punch for such a small and light amp
also have a 76 princeton Reverb, 71 Twin Reverb, 68 Bandmaster.

These old amps blow the new amps away

1959 tweed Champ Amp. Little box. Little speaker. Volume control that switches off. Mine is fully original with the original speaker--not reconed but in good shape.

I use it with a lot of different guitars, but mainly a P90 equipped Suhr Classic T. I don't understand the hype and mystique that has grown up around this amp. My Champ is in great shape but it sounds like what it is: a tiny little amp with a tiny little speaker. It sounds much better through a Weber Z-Matcher and into a 4x12, but through the little speaker it sounds pretty lame.

It's been around for half a century, and likely will last quite a bit longer. Largely due to the fact that it sounds bad and I don't play it much except to remind myself how much better my other amps sound.

Irrelevant for something this old

Sorry Champ fans. I cannot recommend this amp to anyone but possibly a harp player. Even then, your other options in this price range are much better. Try a 5C3. It's just a bit bigger but with a 12 inch speaker it KOs the Champ in any kind of comparison.

What I can't understand is that Fender is reissuing these amps for almost what you can buy a vintage one for.

Even more incomprehensible is that people buy those reissues. Anyway, when the economy picks up, mine is going on the block.

57 Reissue champ made 2009. One knob, and two input channels, one each for single coils and humbuckers. I got tired of lugging my 42 lb Deluxe Reverb RI up and down the stairs in my house and I wanted a good samll 5 watt amp that breaks up at lower volumes. All tube and very responsive to picking.

I use mostly single coil guitars with this amp and it really shines. I love the way it grits with a very nice smooth distortion as you crank up the volume past 5 (it goes to 12). At 12 the distortion is very very good and the speaker (Weber 8" alinco) sounds just great. I put Weber speakers in all my amps. I think the speaker chosen for this amp is fantastic!

This amp iw very quiet even with the volume at 12. I can't get over how much I love this amp!

Time will tell. Just got it!

I've had very good experiences with Fender customer support. I once had a Blues Junior I really beat the hell out of until it just smoked one day. My Fender repair man is just two miles from my house. He looked it over and told Fender I needed a replacement (love that 5 year warranty). I had a new amp in less than a week.

I've been playing 15 years and own a Fender custom shop strat and 3 custom shop teles (all relics) and a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion. I have a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI and a THD Bivalve. I've had a Blues Junior (stolen) and a Hot Rod Deluxe (sold). I've had a Gibson Hisotric Les Paul Gold Top, ES 175 and many other guitars. The only Gibson I'll ever have is the Howard Roberts. All other guitars will probably be Fenders (I just love Fender CS guitars).

This amp is a keeper and will be replaced if lost or stolen.

I can't give this amp a 10 because it is expensive. I looked at the Swart 5W amps and would have really considered one of them if I knew that I could get warranty repair work as easily as I can with Fender amps.

Not a lot of features on a 1965 Fender Champ. However, it "features" GREAT tone. Simple Volume, Treble, and Bass controls. Responsive to guitar volume control and picking attack.

Played with single coils it has a nice bell like tone. Played with humbuckers it has a nice growl and surprising low end for a small enclosure and speaker. The distortion is very bluesy, from a light overdrive (hair) to nice fuzzy breakup similar to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Stones. I think Keith even used one on that track with a Treble Booster in front of it. No noise. I haven't opened the chassis yet to see if any caps have been changed or any mods made, but I think not. It still has the original two-prong power cord and any tech worth his salt would have changed it to a grounded cord if doing a cap job. Original speaker as well and old US made tubes.

In the realm of reliability, I believe Fender wrote the book on tube amp reliability. 44 years old and still works (and sounds) like a dream.

Um, if I was really in a pinch I might call Fender and they might respond. More likely I would work on it myself. Its a Champ after all. Doesn't get much simpler inside than this.

I have been playing for over 20 years, collecting amps and guitars for just as long. Been working on tube amps for the last year or so. I play mostly Fender guitars (Tele, Strat, Jag, Jazzmaster, Musicmaster) and have a couple of Gibsons too. Also, Epiphone Dot. All sound great through this little tone monster. I have no issues with it not having tremolo or reverb. I plan on using a tape echo and maybe a standalone 63 Reverb most of the time anyway. Well, maybe having Vibro Champ would be a little cooler than just a Champ, but I still love it. Paid a decent price for this amp. Tried to haggle, but decided not to let it slip away. This is an all original 1965 Champ. Transition era Fender Musical Instruments on the front but Fender Electric Instruments on the back!

Basic as they come, 5 watt tube amp. Volume and tone are only controls along with high and low gain inputs. There is an output jack inside of the cabinet for connection to a cabinet. I've never used this feature. The amp is small, light and very cool looking. I bought this amp new from a local supplier about a year ago. It has only worked intermittently (first one failed completely, bad switch).

For what it is it, and when I have been able to use it it sounds good. I play rock, blues and it has a nice growl when distorted. Performance is quiet. Nice clean and distorted sounds, when it works.

This is where I vent. This is the second champ I have purchased. Each had faulty switches. I returned the first one, and have the same problem again. Must have been made on the same day, tequila day in Mexico. I'll just repair this one myself rather than go thru the hassle of happening again. Because I like the sound and portability of the amp, I'll keep it and solve the problem on my own.

I don't know what the warranty is, I returned the first clunker and was immediately issued a new one by the retailer, no questions asked. I don't want to go thru the hassle of repair process, so I'll fix it myself. I really have no opinion on Fender's customer service, but I'll give a high grade to the retailer who acted, I'm sure, with the certainty that Fender would take the clunker back.

I have been playing for 2 years. I would not buy another one because of the unreliability of the unit. I like its portability, great sound for a small amp. I hate the fact of such a poor product being built by a good American company. I also own a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue that is a great amp, and a Roland Cube 20, great amplifier also. I own several guitars, both acoustic and electric.

November 1964 AA764 Fender Champ.. I traded a Solid State Peavey for this amp some time around 1975. Lost some volume but gained a lot of tone. If I want the volume I can always mic it.
Upgraded the cord to 3 prong for safety years ago and I think I replaced the original tubes once in the 80's.
The controls are simple.. 2 inputs, volume, treble and bass.
I wish it had a reverb, otherwise I would change nothing about it, it is perfect.

I play an 80's Japanese custom shop strat with the only current mod being that I traded the pickups for some from the 70's.
However, I've played various guitars through it over the years.

It has that classic clean Fender tone. It breaks up a little at full volume but not enough for any kind of metal.
It is surprisingly loud for such a little amp.

I play mostly blues/rock kinda stuff but my daughter plays some pretty heavy stuff (Opeth, Lamb of God) by plugging her Jackson Warrior into a pedal board in front of it.

It's a workhorse.
I have been using this amp regularly since I got it in 1975. It gets played almost every day by either me or one of my kids. Every style, all kinds of abuse. I've used it as a PA monitor, playing out, mic-ed, at home in a garage. This thing has not only survived, it has kept it's beautiful, musical tone.
I've thought about putting it away and stop abusing it since it's vintage gear but then I wouldn't get to play it.

N/A I guess.

The tone is why I've kept it.. that and the way it smells.. tubes and wood like something from another time.
This amp and my guitar have gotten me through a lot of hard times.
If it were stolen or lost I would spend the rest of my life looking for it and I WOULD find it.
When you can build a mechanical device, from wood and metal and wires, that can generate those kinds of feelings in someone you know you did something right. Thank you Leo Fender :-).

My champ is an all original 1959 5F1 narrow panel. It has the very basic tweed Champ features: volume knob and little speaker.

I use a variety of guitars (Suhr Tele, SG Specials and Jrs etc.), the one thing they have in common is P90 pickups. I like my amps to be responsive to the way I play, the Champ does that, but to my ears it just sounds small and boxy. It's got a lot of volume, but not quite enough headroom to gig with.

I can't help but wonder what people who rate this amp so highly are comparing it to. I've got lots of old tweeds and some black and brownface Fenders and with respect to sound quality, the Champ is the hands down loser of the lot. If I need to use a small amp. I'll take my 6G2 white knob Princeton. It's an all around better sounding amp.

It's in great shape for a 50 year old amp. It'll probably withstand a lot of abuse

I've been waiting for the economy to recover so I can sell it for a reasonable price. I will not be replacing it with another Champ

mine is a 1973 Silverface Champ. Came with a really muddy bad sounding speaker, replaced it with a Jensen Special Design (Italy) ferrite magnet speaker, soldered the wires right to the terminals just like the original. I showed it to a friend (a musician!) and he thought it was the original speaker! It's been modded with a speaker line out and a Vibro circuit (knob on back for vibro - so kinda impractical, but a good circuit never the less. Face plate & tolex seen much better days, scrapes on the corners of the cab, kinda beat up. Sounds freakin great.

Crank it and it really is nice. I saw Jeff Beck years ago at the infamous Todd Rundren (opening act) show in Boston. Beck had a Strat, with a line out of his Champ going to the big speakers. Couldn't tell if it was a vibro or not. Mine is a little noisy, might need new caps at some point. I had a 3 prong plug put on it, mostly because being shocked to death is not my idea of fun. The 12AX7's are sylvania or something. I have not experimented with tone by using diff tubes (valves), although I'm tempted to try Mullard AY7's just to see... I play blues and rock, from power chords to slide to just pickin. The Champ is great for all that. It's a plain vanilla budget amp. People are starting to pay crazy money for old Fenders, including the black & silverface amps but if you got the coin, it's worth it IMO.

super reliable, too small to heat up too much, great little amp. I play it thru a marshall cab with 4 alnico speakers (3 Heppners and 1 Utah, 16 ohm speakers wired to be 4 ohms )and it sounds nice and full, just with the 8" Jensen it's fine. This is a workhorse, could probably be used 8 hrs a day for years before you'd have to re-cap & tube it.

somehow I doubt it would be worth it to send this to Fender. I think the warrenty expired 35 years ago - but it's still working, so they did somehting right when they built this amp!

There are few amps in the world that compare to this one. It's the small block Chevy of the amp world. I have a 1948 Vega steel guitar amp that is very close to the Champ in some ways, but still different in terms of tone. I paid $200 for my Champ in 2006 and about $100 for the Jensen speaker and for the amp technician (Mr. Ben)to give it a speaker line out, the caps checked, the tubes tested and a 3 prong cord added. Totally worth it. One of the best little amps you can buy, and they are a known product with an established market. It's really hard to go wrong with this amp, kids. Get one.

Mine is a 1959 tweed Fender Champ. It's simple design is is its only feature. Less is more, here. That is what I love about it! It has just one knob to turn the amp on and to adjust its volume and has two inputs, one high-gain and one low. It was created to be a student/practice tool. It was born in a time when guitarists still had to learn to play their instrument without the crutch of effects.

It is what it is. Sonically, it's supposed to be simple and pure. At low volumes, it has a wonderfully mellow and rich tone. As volume increases, it begins to bark and then really fuzzes when cranked all the way up. Single coil pickups really shine through on this amp. However, humbuckers produce a nice sound when plugged into the second input, as well. Regardless of the pickup or guitar used, the forces the player to pay special attention to technique. It's not very forgiving towards mistakes, which is ideal for students and practicing.

It's almost a 50 year old amp. From time to time, tubes and things need to be checked and/or changed.

No need to call Fender about something this old.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years and this has been the most constant, and probably most important, tool in my development as a player. I've had many great amplifiers over the years that have seen stages and studios all over the world, but no other can take this amp's place in my home.

Been playing for 30 years, but never owned a tube amp. The Champ was recommended to me as a "starter" tube amp. Mine is a 1973 with a Jensen speaker and American made tubes. I won't detract too much from the rating on account of the simplicity because anyone buying this amp knows it has no frills. I usually play through a 2X12 Line 6 with a floorboard, giving me every effect, amp model, cabinet configuration at the step of a switch... so this is quite a departure for me.

This is what it's all about. Others have noted that this amp shines with single coil pickups, and that has been my finding as well. My Ovation Viper hardbody sounds great, but the Ovation Preacher and UK2... not so much. The holy grail is coupling my Gretsch Tennesean (single coil Hi-Lo Tron pups) with the Champ. I have NEVER heard my Gretsch sound so sweet. As has been said before, the Champ has tons of headroom and not much distortion. For some that would be beneficial, for others a detraction. I dusted off an old DOD overdrive pedal and it sounded great through the Champ. The Champ may not shine with all of your guitars, but for the right ones, wow!

With the simplicity of design, I imagine someone will be enjoying this amp for a century or so.

No opinion. Will take it to the amp repair professional I purchased it from if anything needs to be fixed.

Once you pair the Champ with the right single coil guitar, you will be enamored with this amp. Could it be more powerful, have more (any) features, a second channel, etc.? Sure, but it does what it was built for just fine. I am very happy with my purchase of The Champ.

1968 Vibro Champ

I would swap the vibrato for reverb in a heartbeat but......oh well

Have used a variety of guitars through this lil' "champ", mainly now my Nashville Power Tele. I even use it for practicing my pedal steel which sounds great!

Replaced power cord, broken 3rd prong, otherwise no problems..

Has never been needed....

All the original "needs" is reverb to make it the perfect practice, recording or even small gig amp....

Made in heaven in 1973. Incredible sound from blues to rock. Goes well with Strats, LP, Tele. One channel, 2 jack inputs. The only thing I miss is a line out and/or Headphones. It was sweet and beautiful with the '73 stock components, but after the Torres Tweed mod, a new Weber Alnico speaker upgrade and a swap of tubes for original NOS RCA, it now develops an incredibly rich sound. Tons of cream. Regarding the mod, I really prefer the mod with the Fine Tuning 750 mF cap, smoothening the beast. It is now a solid 10.

Blues, Rock sound. Crunchy, creamy, hot, sweet, 70's.
Good with HB, good with single coils.

It worked since '73. That deserves a 10, does it not?

Dont' wanna know about it: I will fix it myself, it is so simple.
Actually schematics are so simple that I think I will clone it to have a backup.

For less than 10 bucks, go fot the Tweed Amp Torres mod kit. It boosts the sound, overall volume and reactivity to your play.
The other upgrades (Weber speaker, NOS valves,... ) are expensive. But if you can afford this little luxury, go for it. It is much sweeter than the Champion 600. All in all, it is not a real good value, but what would be life without gems like this??? Hmmm? Tell me...

My follow-up review.
Just a basic, feature-less practice amp... 2 channels, channel one slightly louder than channel two. Volume, treble, bass. 5 watts, 8" speaker. 12ax7, 6V6, 5Y3. Nothing more, nothing less.
When the Champ was still in the Fender line-up, it was sold as a simple, bedroom practice amp, yet has risen to almost empirical status. Would I pay big bucks for a 60's black face Champ? Only if I were a desperate collector or out of my mind.

No "distortion", except for a certain tube saturation at high volume, if you can even get the 6V6 to saturate that is. The ratty, stock speaker is horrendous, thus invites a replacement. However, after replacement the clean, bell-like tone is heavenly. For more volume, a 4 ohm, 10" speaker can be used. If the amp has been used extensively, over time some components on the circuit board may have to be replaced unless you want all your expensive tubes to die a slow death.
The Champ has been hyped to no end and perhaps rightfully. Let's face it: the clean, bell-like tonal quality is a thing of beauty and it is shameful to put a fuzz box in front of it. It would be better to change the caps and transistors to saturate the 6V6 to get a good tube-breakup. Just my opinion.

How reliable are tube amps? Depends. I bought my 1980 Champ used and have had no problems. However, I modded the board extensively with a Torres tweed-kit, so many capacitors and transistors were replaced. I'd say that tube amps in general are as reliable as the time one is willing to invest in general maintenance, the quality of electricity coming out of the socket (no major spikes and surges) and storage (temp and humidity/moisture controlled).

Never needed.

I like my Champ the way I have it now modded, which has cost as much as the original acqicision price. Tweed-mod (caps and transistors replaced), speaker replacement (10" Weber). In its original form, I wasn't too impressed. Don't get me wrong, I loved the tone. But the Champ has more potential and that is ultimately why I bought it. If I have to sell off all my gear, the last stuff I'd keep would be my Carvin SC90 and my Fender Champ.
I would like to buy another Champ and leave that one original, but the prices have become almost prohibitive... yet in a way, I am glad. The higher prices keeps the Champ from being bought by folks, i.e. kids (no offense) that should really buy a solid-state super shredder of some sort. I almost did leave it original, but the late silver face Champs are tonally really nothing to write home about and the modification is certainly justifiable, so I think no sin has been commited.

This is my '68 Silverface Champ that have the same schematic model as later Blackface Champs..Volume, Treble, Bass, 1 6v6, 1 12AX7, 1 5y3GT and a oxford speaker.

I think my Champ works best with lower-powered single-coil pickups, i use it with my fender '66 mustang and it's perfect!!!This amp is perfect for studio work, stays clean until about 5, gets warm around 9, then is wonderfully overdriven at 10

ok!

ok!

I highly recommend this amp as a practice amp for people who want clean sounds, like the blues, and don't want to piss off their neighbors or family. A great apartment/dorm amp, although if you cranked it, it would be too loud for that.
I play all different styles of music. From Country to blues, alternative, Its absolutely the perfect size for a practice amp, small gigs and recording

1975 Champ. Amp was sent to Mojotone and totally gone over. New JJ tubes and new 10" mojotone speaker. Also had a new transformer for a 8 Ohm 10 added to it. This amp truly kicks ass. I was stunned at how much better a Champ sounded with a 10" speaker in it.The cleans are unbveleiveable and the cranked sound is too die for.

Cleans are to die for and so is the cranked sound.

Built like a Tank!

Fender doesn't know these things exit.

I have been jamming since 1977. Am tone fanatic! Get yourself a Champ and plug into a 10" or 2-10" cab and enjoy!

I have a 78 Silver Face Champ, bought at a music store in Orlando about 3 years ago. While limited to volume bass and treble controls, this amp does what it is supposed to do. Volume control is actually the most versatile, providing a nice crunch that starts around "6" and really gets thick around "9". Treble and bass controls don't seem overly responsive until you hit about "6-7" but do offer as much control as is needed given the pedigree of this amp.

I mostly play my 62 Gibson ES330 through this amp so it benefits greatly from the rich sound of vintage P90s. Nonetheless it has such an even clear tone that the P90 sound is well represented. Overall it is pretty quiet at most volumes, hence it's reputation as a great recording amp. This is also supplemented by its clarity and the evenness of its tone It's probably too small for playing out at anything but a small venue. However, it is a great practice amp and I have used it for many recordings and the sound quality comes through very well. I don't play anything too heavy (blues and classic rock mostly), but do enjoy a fat tone nonetheless and this amp delivers. The natural overdrive that really kicks in around "7" is rich yet controlled and tasteful. When supplemented by a boost or Tube Screamer, it offers limitless natural tone. It's a Fender Tube amp. How could it be less than a 10 for this one?

I must report that recently, after only 30 years I had to have this amp serviced when a tube socket fried out on me. All joking aside this amp is bulletproof, partly due to its simplicity, partly due to Fender quality. With the exception of a few caps that need replacing periodically, everything else is stock on this amp. The speaker still sounds great, all controls work, and the cabinet is still pristine and looks great. The hand wired circuitry is still flawless after nearly 3 decades too. The aforementioned service included a filter cap change, a tube socket change and replacing the large can type capacitor in the power section. Once completed, the sound was amazing. I would guess every bit as good as the day this baby rolled off the line.

It's a Fender so it was no trick to find an authorized service center. Otherwise I've had no contact with Fender so I can offer no opinion.

This is a great amp. The sound is so sweet that I would always want one for recording and for the bedroom. Given its size, it's not the amp that will replace all others. However it's small size and big versatility, make it a great multi purpose amp. Easy to lug around, and easy to get great tones out of. Given that these amps are still relatively cheap, I call it an absolute MUST HAVE.

Made in April 1965 (OD). Blackface with Sam Hutton initials on inside cabinet. Envelope in speaker cabinet contains original schematic.

Sounds exactly the same as the first time I plugged it in Christmas of '65. Just dug it up out of the bowels of my parent's house after a 40 year hibernation. Can't believe it just fired up and worked and still sounds so amazing.

Original everything. My friends are envious!

With such a great product, who needs customer support?

I can't believe the interest in this amp after all these years (never found my electric train in the attic, though). Don't play much anymore, so it's fate is in question.

Champ: "71" or "73" I don't remember!
It was given to me as a gift as I swore to protect it till the day I die!
I am the 2nd owner. It has the original tag on the cord, and the original owners manual is still in the plastic w/ the staple intact.
Est. 20-30 hrs. of play time on it and could be put right back on the shelf as being brand new, all original, extremely mint.
I keep it in a special hardcase!
It has been played just enough at regular intervals to keep the caps alive.
Features etc. are obvious.
I play everything from metal to mellow.
About 25-yrs. experience.
Obviously I use another amp for the metal, but this thing does everything else quite well, although squeals and fingered harmonics are lacking a bit due to the anti-feedback circuit.
Wish it had a good 12-in. speaker instead of the 8-in. to take advantage of the power it is capable of producing.

Excellent. Like I said, not a metal amp, but does everything else very well, probably one of the more diverse amps I own.
Very clean, but will get some very good distorted tones when used w/ an overdrive pedal like a Boss blues driver or SD-1 especially when combined w/ a good hot double humbucker or E.M.G.
When used w/ a fender strat it is as pretty as can be.
It has some of the prettiest clean tones I've ever heard.
Never cranked it very much as the 8-in. breaks up too early and it's too cherry to abuse.

Don't know - like I said it's got about 20-30 hrs. of play time on it, but the fact that it's over 30 yrs. old and still works says guite a bit.

Although I've known several people who have owned them and they are close to bullet proof. I've seen them kicked off the stage and picked back up and keep going like the energizer bunny.

I think I covered most of these questions in earlier sections.

But, I own several different guitars of different flavors, I have everything from EL-34 100/100's to little 10 watt practice amps, as well as vintage stompboxes to POD-XT's and this thing goes well w/ all of them. Wish I had two so I could do it in stereo.

If you've ever wanted to find out just how good you are, or how good your technique is, sit down and play one of these w/ no effects.

I would buy one in a heartbeat, and if anyone ever stole this one it would be a slow gruesome death if I caught them.

Mine is a 1962 Tweed Champ. One chicken head knob turns it on, up in volume, down in volume and off. 6v6 tube. 8" speaker.
Versatile? No. It's more of a one trick pony and that pony is old school blues tone (Howlin Wolf, Muddy etc). Not to say it can't be used in other forms but that's what it epitomizes.
I could wish for other features but it woudn't be a Champ. It might be a Vox AC30 or a Marshall stack wouldnt it?
I use this amp at home, for playing and recording.

It's a clean sound up until 1 on the volume control. Then its gets more compressed and overdriven and only slightly louder as you turn it up.
When cranked it has a fat ratty blistery fuzz sound. Make of that what you will. Great for bluesy lead & doublestops. Not good at all for chords. Way too farty.
Personally I like the sound when the volume is between 1 & 4. It's a woody rockabilly/swing kinda sound.

40+ years old. All original. So it's proven to be reliable. On the other hand maybe it's so old it will konk out tomorrow. I doubt it though.
I wouldn't use it on a gig. Lacks volume for one thing.

I could contact the people who bult this amp...but I'd need to use a ouija board. Fender doens't sell anything like this amp today and I'm sure would direct me to an independent service person.
These are simple amps. Easy to service.

I'll probably sell this amp. It's too limited for me.

silverface champ , don't know the year. 6 watts of pure tone, volume, bass, treble. high and low input. 8 inch original speaker " oxford " brand. 3 tubes: 1 6v6 for the amp, 12ax7 for the preamp and a 5y3 for the rectifier. Point to point circuit original

this amp need to be play with a fender guitar single coil pickup. I don't understand there is some reviews here that says ; Oh when i play with my boss multi-effect ..... blablabla ... WO!!! don't put any digital effect with amp!!! you scrap the sound!! 1 fender guit, a champ and a wire!! that's what you need to rock and have the 100% of this little amp!! Sound amazing, you can get good distortion of the tube at low volume!!

built like a thank! it is a point to point amp so it's very to repair but don't need to. The only thing I did when i bought this amp is a clean up , i change the tube, 1 socket tube and a clip. Now it's doing 7 years.

I Email a couple of time fender for questions on my fender guitars or amps and they always answer me pretty fast.

it's doing over 20 years i play and 15 years proffesionnaly. I have over 15 guitars that's collectionnable and 6 tube amps. I,m also a studio owner with a 3 rooms studios. I use this amp for studio only. Live i'm using rivera fandango and/or old marshall jtm. For my personnal rock band project i'm using a 5150 head with a marshall with greenback speakers, with only old analog stomb box!! I don't really like digital for guitar... don't sound good as a tube amp and analog effect.

Silverface Champ from the 1970s. Volume, treble, bass knobs. Tube pre- and power, solid state rectifier. 10" speaker. All the features you could want in a small tube amp, except maybe pre- and post- levels and a 12" speaker, and maybe a tube rectifier. Then it would be perfect.

The lack of reverb and other effects is a plus. Who needs low-end onboard junk gumming up the works? Use pedals and shop for them a la carte, I say.

I used it mainly with a Bullet equipped with one Lace Sensor, but also with a Strat clone and a neck-through mahogany solid-body with coil-tapping, active humbuckers. Played mostly surf and rock rhythm with this. The settings were live venues, practice spaces, and home recording. It absolutely shined at semi-grunty, semi-damped rhythm, open chord strumming, and open arpeggios, all at volumes compatible with a reasonably restrained live drummer.

I prefer an EL-84 to a 6L6 in the power stage, and overall I tend to go for the mellow, warm, and wobbly Gibson tube sound over the spankier Fender sound. But that pentode-driven Fender top end sure lends you some transients. Pick attack really comes through, and at high volumes, those transients break up pretty roundly on top of the overall signal. Classic.

One of the best guitar players I ever knew used to gig with one of these in an empty Marshall 4x12 cab. He always got compliments on his apparently rockin' "stack." This was one musician who knew guitarist delusions from reality. Big amps visually fill the stage and puff up our egos, but when it comes to sound, small amps are the way to go.

It's an old tube amp. I'd have to be insane to take it to a gig or a studio without backup. Why not just set fire to my money instead? Yes, I'm aware that many of you gig and record without a backup, but you are all completely nuts.

You do not get an amp like this for its reliability!

I've been playing electrics for 16 years, mostly with small or variable-power (damped with pentode-triode modes) tube amps. I currently have 3 such amps, and the Champ isn't one of them. I don't even remember what I traded it for or why, but that's one I'd like to take back. If I had one today, I'd hang onto it, and if I lucked into one for cheap, I'd snatch it up like free pizza. But the sad fact is that everyone knows how cool these old amps are, and they don't make them anymore, and that spells a high cost for its practical value when compared to brand new tube amps. For less than half as much, you can get a new Epiphone Valve Jr. For about 3/4, you can get a new Pro Jr., and for about the same as an old Champ, you can get a new Blues Jr. All sound wonderful and should be way more reliable than the Champ.

But if you must have the old Champ sound, then only an old Champ will make it, and you will pay! It's still a bargain compared to the new "boutique" snob amps that are supposed to imitate it.

This amp is for all kinds of rootsy rock and country. Metalheads and jazz players will want to look elsewhere.

I give this a 9 where a 10 would be a pre-CBS blackface Champ.

This is a 1966 Blackface Fender Champ I bought in 1986. Plain jane, as described elsewhere. 5 watt output from a single-ended class-A output stage with a 6V6 tube, 8-inch speaker. The tone circuitry is the same as bigger Fenders, only with a higher value for the mid-range sculpting resistor (15K instead of 6.8K). This is why the bass control doesn't do much, but it is the right choice for a 5 watt amp.

This is not intended as a stage amp, but is perhaps one of the greatest practice/rehearsal amps ever made.

I have the original speaker, but replaced it with a Weber Alnico Signature 8S. What a tremendous difference - the original was rather thin sounding, but the Weber brings out tons of "body" while retaining the twang. Highly recommended upgrade, IMHO.

A perfect miniature Fender. I use a 1965 Deluxe Reverb and a Telecaster as my main rig, and this little tiny amp gets that same "vibe" at very modest volumes (the Deluxe is only 20 watts, but with a JBL it can do real damage!). Clean up to about 5, then classic Fender saturation above that. I use a Boss RV-3 reverb/echo with the Champ and it is darn hard to beat for practice, rehearsals and low volume "sit down" gigs. Nothing finer for playing with acoustic instruments, it fits right in and doesn't overwhelm.

I play a lot of country-influenced Telecaster along the lines of Danny Gatton, Jim Campilongo and James Burton. I apply this thinking to everything from rock to blues to jazz to folk, and I love it. Turn the Champ up to 8 and the ghost of Roy Buchanan materializes right over the pilot light.

I have replaced the multi-section filter cap (a must-do in a 40+ year-old piece!!), added a "tweed" switch (removes the tone ciruit) and upgraded the cathode bias resistor - but there is just nothing to go wrong in this thing, it is build like a small tank. I fully expect it to outlive me.

N/A - why would I have anyone but me fix this thing?

I have been playing for 32 years. I play quite a few styles, but when it comes to electric guitar I am all Fender and especially Telecaster. My stage amp is always a 1965 Deluxe Reverb that I have owned for 22 years.

Used to be that Champs were cheap and easy to get - and with a little work they sound great. Now they are terribly expensive and I would probably build something from parts if this one were lost. Still, I love the design, the low wattage, and ease of use. Every guitarist should have one of these classics in the old kit bag!

Pretty basic, it has 3 knobs and 2 inputs. 2nd input is hot.

I've replaced the speaker with a Weber Signature AlNiCO.
It love the clean sound. It really doesn't have much distortion, but a nice breakup at higher volumes when you pick hard(mine still has the negative feedback circuitry).

It takes well to my RAT, but sounds best when you plug in direct. It's allows your guitar to shine through and is very touch sensitive.

The rectifier and light went out after I got it, but that's pretty minor. Mine is a '73, so I guess these things are pretty reliable. The power tube doesn't sit all the way into the socket, but it's not loose.

I think it's past the warranty period.

For my rating, I'll consider this to be a $300 amp. I paid $180 + $40(new speakers) + $80 (potential need for a tech to replace some old caps and such). I really love this amp's clean sound. I use a different amp when I want distortion.

I believe mine is a 1975. I bought it w/ a "tweed mod" that supposedly makes it sound more like the fifties ones. I'm not handy enough to know what that is but how much different could it be? The circuitry on these old class-A tube amps is simple as dirt--one pre and one power amp tube.

All it has is bass, treble and volume controls. You can't completely sculpt the tone like you can w/ modern amps just tweak things a little; basically, no matter what, it sounds like a Fender Champ and that's awesome. The only thing I wish it had was an extension speaker out. The real attractive feature of this is that it's a small, vintage tube amp that gives you great tones at low volume. For a practice/recording amp what more could you want?

I play mine w/ a G&L ASAT special w/ the big honkin' single coils. W/ the neck pick-up and the Champ set for as loud as it can go w/o breaking up, the tone is amazing. It fills the room but isn't loud. The sound of my guitar and pickup come through full and fat w/ just a bit of gainy sweetness added. It is quite simply one of the nicest things I've ever heard.

It responds well to the volume and tone controlls on my guitar as well as to my picking style. W/ it set at about three or four, it's as loud as you'd normally want for practice and the tone ranges from very clean if you're gentle to a good crunchy, mild overdrive.

I think what you pay for when you get something like this is its simplicity and how well it responds to your guitar. There's a certain purity to your tone you don't get as much w/ bigger, more complex amps. My neck pickup on my ASAT sounds like the neck pickup on an ASAT. The bridge pickup sounds like the bridge pickup. If you plug an SG into it, it sounds like an SG. You could see that as a limitation but that's where it's true greatness lies.

My sole complaint is that at higher volume settings, I'm not crazy about how it breaks up. It's got a fun raunchy sound but it's a bit thin and overly treble-accented. If you tool around w/ it a bit you can get some cool sounds though.

For all the years up to eighty-two, I think these were hand wired. It's very simple circuitry so there's not much to go wrong and not much to fix when something does go wrong. Even the cabinet housing is made from very heavy, sturdy wood. It's an old amp; it's gonna have problems but nothing too major.

N/A

The silverface-era Champs are a steal. The go regularly for under two-fifty on eBay. True, they aren't blackface or tweed but can you imagine getting a hand-wired tube amp of any other variety for under three hundred bucks? That just doesn't happen these days.

You don't get much w/ this. Just a nice practice amp that sounds fantastic at low volumes. I'm thrilled ot have it.

1978 Silverface Champ.
Bass control is not as responsive as the treble control, but that's the general consensus with these later Champs. Still, a good low end.

I play a G&L Legacy through it. Switching between pickups does wonders. I prefer the middle position with this amp. Very rich; nice round bottom end and clean glassy highs with lots of presence- almost felt rather than heard outright; maybe at the upper edge of human hearing. When picking certain chords, it almost sounds chorused- so lush. What a great tube amp. It really lets you know when you're actually playing well and when you're playing poorly. It makes you a better player, for sure.

So far so good.

I don't think I'd bother with the Fender folks nowadays. Just take it to a reputable amp tech.

I've been playing since 1988.
Rock, Indie. (from Son Volt to Death Cab)
They're more expensive as time rolls on, but there's nothing currently made in mass production that can replicate its responsiveness and rich tonality. If you gig with it, you'll have to mic it... and put a blanket over the whole front(~6 watts). I've heard you can mod these to sound like blackface and (near)tweed champs, but I'm not sure if I'll do that. It would be nice if it broke up more smoothly at higher volumes like its Champ predecessors, but I'd hate to sacrifice the great sparkle/chime of the lower volumes. Sounds pretty damn good with a TS-9 in front of it.