Fender Vibro Champ

Not very versitile. I set all the tone knobs to ten since they are not very wide ranged.

The Champ amps are the kind of equipent that actually inspire for songs. Of course this is a creativity no-no but not many pieces of equipment do this. The stonesy raunchy crunch that comes out of this little box is actually very inspiring. You aren't gonna go from SRV to Cannible Corpse and back to The Yardbirds with this thing but the tone you do get is endearing and unique to the tube champs. The vibrato doesn't have alot of range but what you do get is a nice bouncy lo-fi warble.

I have 3 champs (a blackface and siverface vibrochamp and a silverface champ)and a thing i noticed is that the fuses on these things tend to be short-lived. Also the volume output from one champ to another is very different. Some are weak and some make the windows rattle a bit. But the tones are always grooving.

Fender is a big conglomerate these days and may soon be making aircraft engines. American companies can have great or awful customer service depending on how big they are. I have noticed that British music gear makers have always been friendly and helpful unlike American companies like Fender. So I avoid 'em. The champs are old anyway and I probably wouldn't even get a human if i called a Fender toll free number.

These are such great little gems for recording. Their prices are going up and I want to sell mine but I'd sure miss them if i did sell 'em. Not to mention that I got all three very cheap from fairly clueless chain pawn shops years ago (who are now catching on to their value). Suckkkaaaaaahhhhhhssss!

1964 blackface Fender Vibro-champ. This thing is fantastic for me, as I tend to play solo or with light percussion. I've a larger Princeton combo, but except for the reverb I far prefer this little kitty-cat.
I feel very in control of my sound with it.

I mostly use my Telecaster through it. The bridge pickup is like a live wire on that guitar, so i'll get pretty loud and a bit dirty with the volume at around 6. occasionally i'll use a distortion pedal on it, or an analog delay to make up for the lack of echo.
Great for solo performers like myself.

Very dependable. I've replaced the speaker once in 10 years, and I'm pretty sure that the old one was the original. I'll give it a "9" only because it is a very low-watt amp...One could blow this thing up real good.

N/A

1968, 6 watt, one channel, Volume , Treble, Bass, Tremolo (speed & intensity. I use this amp as a practice amp at home. Hardly ever use the tremolo. Like Blues and Jazz tone and sounds so this amp nails it.

I use a Les Paul at first with 490's and now with Seth Lovers. This amp has great tone with the origional Oxford speaker at a low volume. The Oxford has a seamed ribbed cone which produces a woody/reedy and aggressive tone and does a good job of it. However the amp and speaker in particular was breaking up to early for a house party or the like. Also the speaker didn't like the low E on the Les Paul. NOW HERE'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS REVEIW.
Fender made a great little practice amp with a weak speaker. Weber makes ten inch speakers in 3.4, & 4 ohms that will fit into the Champ cabinet's. All you have to do is make a new sound board or simply recut the hole to the left so that a ten inch will fit in. I bought two Weber speakers, a 10A100 4ohm, and a 10F150 4ohm. The 10A100 is is my favourite for its warm Alnico vintage tone. Just like the Guitar player review says its Angelic at a low volume. See WWW.WEBERVST.COM A 10A125 would do just as well if not better. The 10F150 has a huge bottm end, good for a Les Paul playing Rock with lots of effects, real clear and it won't be breaking up any time soon with a 6 watt amp.
This amp is the quietest Fender I've had. No irritating hiss here. My Deluxe Reverb and Hotrod Deluxe both were noisy.

This is a 1968 and it works beautifully, need I say more.

A couple other things. One reviewer below said that other tubes really helped his amp, well I tried them and they made no appreciable difference with mine. Maybe new tube's was all that was needed or a better connection on existing one's.
Also another reviewer said to make sure the Tremolo is turned off or it sucks tone. Well I tried that to and if the Intensity knob is turned to one on my amp it made no difference. You could save the cost of a vintage Fender (tremolo)switch, buy buying an RCA connector at Radio Shack and soldering the two leads together. That would turn the trem circuit off and if you want the trem just unplug it.
Great sounding little amp, with a 10 inch speaker, strong enough to play a house party.

Mine is a gorgeous 1965 model in amazing condition. It's a basic amp for a basic purpose. The tremolo is amazing. Wish it had reverb, but it wasn't a deal-breaker. I would love to find a good deal on a footswitch for the tremolo, but RCA switches can be a pain to find, and expensive. I use this amp primarily for jamming at home, writing songs, playing with new toys, and recording. This amp is definitely the foundation of my tone, with a Tubescreamer and no frills. Tube rectifier is sweet, I don't care what the amp manufacturers say.

I currently have it loaded with Electro-Harmonix tubes and a Weber AlNiCo speaker. This thing truly sings! I love the tone at around 6 or 7 on this thing, and the Weber speaker certainly can handle the extended play at these volumes. If you want the sound of a Fender Deluxe or Bassman, but at bedroom volumes, get a Champ or Vibro Champ. I can crank it to 6, keep my hearing, not piss off neighbors, and still get power-tube saturation! In the studio, the lower volume is great for highly-sensative mics. My rig looks like this:

Fender Telesonic or Bastard Esquire -> Ibanez Tubescreamer (reissue) -> Ibanez Delay -> Fender Vibro Champ

With the Tubescreamer, this thing has lots of bite and great tone, a good overdriven tone without losing string definition. I would love to get a TS-808 instead of the TS-9, or maybe a TS-9 modded to 808 specs. The amp itself overdrives nicely around 8 or 9, too.

Well, it IS almost 40 years old. I've had to retube twice since I bought it three years ago, and the second time required a couple new caps and a resistor. The electrolytic and remaining caps are all original, and doing fine! The power plug has been replaced with a grounded 3-prong. The original Fender Special Design speaker developed a hole that began to tear, so when I found a great deal on a Weber P8R, I picked it up and swapped. I'll be re-coning the Fender speaker eventually, but with the Weber, I'm in no hurry. I highly advise this replacement to anyone with a vintage Vibro Champ, I now feel fully comfortable playing the amp dimed!

Never dealt with Fender for support.

I've spent twice as much on tubes and repairs as I did on the amp, but it's been worth it. I play this thing for an hour a day or more, so it definitely gets it's use. And no other amp I've ever recorded has ever sounded so pure and punchy. I would replace this thing in a heartbeat if it ever was stolen, shortly after running the thief through a blender. Once I find a reverb that matches it's great tone, I'm set.

This is the first amp i got, something like 20 years ago... Good practice /recording amp.
6 watts, 5 knobs... Tremolo is cool, so I'll give it a 4...

Very good clean sound, until you crank the volume passed 6. I think it's a one trick pony, good for blues and country!! But if you crank it passed 6-7, it doesn't sound very good, partly due to the small speaker... Still an interesting amp to have because of the "mojo" it has, but frankly there's a lot of amps, tube and ss that sound just as good, and have more features...

Well, the thing runs pretty hot!!! It caught fire once!!! But considering all the beating i gave it in the last 20 years, and that it costed only 25 canadian dollars to have it repared, it certainly deserves a 9.

Seems to be very easy to repaire, and every tech i know seem to be familiar with the thing, and apparently have parts for these old amps is easy.

I've been playing for about 20 years, and i also own 2 other amps: H&K Edition Tube (20W) and a h&k Tour Reverb (ss 100W)... It's a cool amp, but i have better amps so i don't use it very much... I'm actually thinking of having it modified so i can use a cabinet with it, instead of the little speaker. I like its small size and look, i take it with me when i go on vacation... If it was lost or stolen, i would probably just forget about it. A good little watter, but i think that its reputation is a little bit overrated.

Well, five knobs - right? What's a little amp need but a plug next to the toilet? I guess i miss the reverb but ain't complaining. Mine's from the first production batch of the first year produced ('64 Blackface) and is all stock. Two channels work great for my studio "Y" cord.

I play a '60 ES-355 (w/original PAF's and a '69 Fender Tele w/ factory Bigsby. Pure, simple, sparkling tone. When I through a Klon Centaur into the mix - this amp goes to 11 (in the bedroom, of course - your not gonna crumble the walls of Shea Stadium with it). The vibrato is real quite and at the higher ends of the volume knob distorts out pretty well. But for ear-shot, i usually play just over 7.

Well, it's nearly forty years old and the only thing replace is the three-prong cord.

Have never had to call Fender ever.

A wonderful little bedroom amp with alot of character. Light and easy to move over to the next room if someone doesn't care for your tenth go at "There, There" or "This Charming Man".

1965 Blackface One channel Vol,Bass,Treble,Speed and Intensity
All One really needs to add would be reverb...The Vibro Champ does
the rest

I play mostly Strats, a 62' reissue,a mij 62' ,a 6120 Gretch (vintage
1962) and a Gibson ES 295 (1952).I play BLUES...and this little baby
has turned many a head let me tell ya! Each of my guitars have a distinct and clear vioce of there own...My USA made 62 Strat has the
Buddy Guy tone from say...The Buddy Guy / Junior Wells period,The MIJ
is more SRV,the 6120 and the 295...well it's down right spirtual peole. The only up grade has been Tubes of course and I put a 8"
Fat-Cat (a Buy-Product of Guitar CPR.) My good friend and amp guru
Charlie Powers does all my work and the champ circuit is his favorite
and we both enjoy what he does for a livin' He builds these speakers from scratch they are incredible ,if you ever see one ...buy it! You wont be sorry...Set the volume on 3,sounds sweet in the livin room and the wife don't complain,5 She's breathin' better startin to break
up some, 7 Oh yeah very nice, people's eye's start ot pear toward your rig..smiling in disbelief..I just Drop a SM 57 in the back an go to the board...This amp is loud for 6-8 watts but you will need to mike it in bigger rooms..My guitars volume nob acts more like a gain
control when she cranked, add the tone controls and possiblities are
almost endless..It can be very sweet and clean or as brutal as you like with pedals...But the more I play this little amp,the fewer pedals I need and thats No Jive

knock on wood baby she has never let me down yet...I keep tubes and fuses on hand ..Almost 40 years old and goin strong...and if so my ol' bud Charlie is not far away.If indeed you have one like this you can expect to replace the original speaker eventually,they simply can't handle it and blow

I have never had to deal with Fender, besides vintage amps generaly dont have much of a warranty

I've been Playin' for about 35 years and I've had several different
amps in my life, Tube and S.S. None of them sound like My Vibro Champ
I've got a 59 Bassman ri I use on big shows and outdoor gigs,an old Premier (40's) and a Legend A30.
If it were stolen or lost I'd replace it and still be mad as hell
Good Blackfaces are hard to find and even harder to buy
What do I love about this amp...everything...What do i hate about it ..The thoughts of some fuck stealing it

6 watts? Amazing! I've actually played with drummer using this 1968 Vibro Champ. of course, it was on 10 and struggling to be heard.

5 knobs!

Low noise. Typical Fender clean sparkle. Vibro sounds great. Overdriven is sounds like van Halen or Stevie Ray Vaughn.

I have always used it with Boss pedals for overdrive. Cranking the amp for overdrive has been interesting however.

Blew out the speaker however. Now what?

Still has the original tubes from 1968 and they work great. Has the original fuse too I think. I bought the amp in 1979 from a guy at work. I've been playing on it daily since then without any problems other than fnally blowing out the speaker. The on off switch is intermittant and requires a little jiggling. The light is out.

The two prong ac plug has attributed to an occasional severe electrical shock. One must make sure to install the plug properly into the wall. Everyone should use a Ground fault circuit interrupter to protect themselves from electrocution (death) or worse!

I've been playing since 1969.
Been playing the Vibro Champ since 1979.
I also has a dozen other amps.
I play old Les Pauls.
I've used the Vibro Champ to write a hundred songs.
If it was lost or stolen I would buy a new Fender amplifier as I think they finally sound as good as these old guys. How Fender stayed in business thru the 70's, 80's and 90's is amazing. What a bunch of crap! But now when I go to the music stores I'm surprised how well the Fender solidstate amps sound.

6 loud watts of power. Straight forward controls and classic Fender sound. It nails the blues tone I am looking for perfectly. Overdrives with a warm compressed sound on 5 or 6 volume. Mine is a '66 Blackface bought over the internet. This also is a good amp to back up acoustic players when using strat pickups set on the 2 & 4 switch positions. With the guitar volume backed off to 8 it has a really nice compressed percussive bell-like tone.

This amp nails the Tab Benoit - Tommy Castro type blues tone real well. Mine was stock except the speaker was upgraded to a 10 inch Mojotone. I would describe the tone as a warm compressed overdriven sound. (I'm a little puzzled by the reviews describing the amp with a clean sound?) I play mine with a Holy Grail reverb pedal and it honestly sounds comparable to my Princeton Reverb (but with more growl). I mention this Holy Grail pedal 'cause I missed the reverb sound.

After playing for 35 yrs I wanted to save the remaining of my hearing. I play a hollow-Tele style with 3 strat pickups and another hollow-Tele style with Air Nortons and a FastTrack 1 in between (Dimarzio). Guitars are flame/quilt maple over southern ash and are very vibrant in tone with good pop. The Vibrato on the ampis the best I've ever heard. With all the good reviews already listed, I wrote this primarily to mention using the reverb pedal with it which gives this amp the best lower volume blues tone I have ever heard bar none.

I have a crybaby, Mosfet Distortion and flanger but the straight amp tone is so good I almost never use the pedals. The overdriven tone just soars with the Ibanex Mosfet distortion. Having said that, the amp seems to sustain notes really well without any pedals.I'd describe the amp as sort of a one trick pony tonewise, but the tone is fantastic!

I use the amp for blues but grab it if I'm backing up acoustic players and keep my volume on the guitar on 8. I play the amp usually on volume 5 or 6 which has been fine for jamming with other players w/o the drums and bass. I am presuming my 10"speaker has added some volume? I really love the tone the thing has!

Been fine for me - no problems.

Not contacted Fender. Getting service and info on the these amps is easy and tubes are simple to find.

I would get another and recommend it for anyone wanting that cranked Fender tone with lower volumes. I like the simplicity of it and greatly appreciate how well all the notes articulate with the wonderful nuances of expression and tone. It captures your playing style so you can mold it to the groove you want.

My VC is circa 1977 in very good condition. It has the original speaker which I'm considering replacing with a Kendrick or Weber. I'm a big fan of jangly guitar (Telecaster, Rickenbacker, etc.) ala Byrds, Beatles, Tom Petty. I like playing a guitar and amp just at the edge of breakup and the Vibro Champ is perfect for that. It's best feature is that it is hard to make it sound bad.
I sometimes see VCs for $250 and more, but I paid $150 in a music store in Sunnyvale, CA in 1994. Even at $250, it's a great deal.

My beater guitar is a Mako Telecaster copy. This guitar sounds quite good through the VC. My other guitars are Rickenbacker hollowbodies--a six and a twelve string--both with old style toaster top pickups. The VC really enhances the chimey sparkle of these guitars. I like to run it at a volume between 6 and 10 with the treble around 5 and the bass at 5-7. My VC is really quiet--almost no hum and only a little hiss even when dimed.
One thing that I've noticed is that the tone with the tremelo on is crappy UNLESS the intensity is above 3. So, if you aren't using the tremelo, be sure that it's switched off. When it's on it radiacally changes the bias of the second 12AX7 stage even with the intensity at 0. I think this is why some people think the tone sucks.

When I first bought it I replaced all of the tubes except the tremelo 12AX7. That was about 9 years ago. It's due for a new 6V6. I've never had any trouble with it as a practice amp.

Not an issue with this amp.

I've been playing guitar for about 15 years (late starter). My first tube amp was a red (gack!) Champ 12 (class A 6L6 with awful preamp section). I've modified this amp to make it's tone tolerable and I often use it in an asymmetrical stereo setup with the Vibro Champ. I also have a mid-70's Deluxe Reverb which I love. It's just too loud for most of my playing situations. The Vibro Champ is my "go to" amp. I'd like to try it through a 2x10 or 2x12 cabinet to see what kind of bottom end the amp actually has.