charlie brown Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Spent about 10 minutes with one in my buddies store in Danville IL. Played with US strat as he is a Fender dealer and liked it. Would like to spend some more time with a HB guitar. GC and SA here local can't seem to keep them in stock. I'm thinking it wil be my next amp purchase' date=' but I want to spend some more time with one and one of my guitars.[/quote'] Thanks, Byrds1965...did you test the Vibro-Champ, or the Super-Champ...or, both? Spec wise, I (personally) think I would lean more toward the Super-Champ. But, It would be great to test them both. No store around, to do that...without driving 100 miles. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbirchett Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Cookie, I prefer Fender amps and usually buy used. For home use, I think I would look at this list. About $300: Fender Super Champ Used Fender Princeton Chorus Used Peavey Classic 30 A little more: Used Blues Jr. Peavey Delta Blues Closer to your $600 limit: Used late 70s Princeton Reverb Used Fender Deluxe Reverb RI If you watch, you can pick up an early-60s Gibson amp that will be quite similar to a Princeton Reverb or a Deluxe Reverb for quite a bit less money. The name Gibson Falcon sticks in my mind. I think that is a GA-18 RVT. An Ebay story: I was watching a 63 Vibroverb RI. The bidding was low and time was short so I threw in a bid of about $500. Funny thing was, I got it! The amp came and when I opened it, the case was cracked. I contacted the shipper and seller and they started the paperwork. The seller was evidently submitting the original invoice to pay off that but was not contacting me. I tested the amp and it worked find, just had the case cracked clear through the top. I contacted the shipper and told them that all it would take is a new case, which was cheaper than paying for the amp. They jumped at that. I got them a couple of quotes and we settled for $365. My other guitar player looked at it and said, I can fix that if you don't mind playing an amp with an obvious cut in the tolex. So he fixed it, it works fine and my amp with a repaired cracked case got pretty cheap, pretty quick. Deals are out there to be had if you look and are patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shartom Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 The Fender Blues Junior is my choice for practice as well as small room gigs. With my Strat, Tele, and Epi 56 Reissue Gold top, it stays pretty clean. Humbuckers get it to break up nicely. The FBJ has a 12 inch Eminence and the amp is reate conservatively at 15 watts. I have always used Fenders (also use a Blues Deluxe for gigging) because they are reliable and easy to service. Schematics are everywhere, and the price is right. I'm not comparing the FBJ to what Epi has to offer as I 've heard they make some nice amps. Go out and try them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill V Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Not trying to hijack the thread, but has anyone looked the any of the B-52 tube amps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper1281734000 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Not trying to hijack the thread' date=' but has anyone looked the any of the B-52 tube amps?[/quote'] Those sound pretty good, but a lot of them are very unreliable. I really like traynor amps, as many of you know. I think they sound awesome, they only have the necessary features, and are pretty affordable. They are about $50-$150 out of your price range, but worth the wait IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byrds1965 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Thanks' date=' Byrds1965...did you test the Vibro-Champ, or the Super-Champ...or, both? Spec wise, I (personally) think I would lean more toward the Super-Champ. But, It would be great to test them both. No store around, to do that...without driving 100 miles. :D CB[/quote'] I played the Super Champ down in Danville he only carries Fender and Dean so picked a US strat and sounded good. I didn't get a chance to play with the voicings too much just the clean channel. I have played through the Vibro Champs at SA, that seems to be the only ones they can keep in stock. It just seems a bit small sounding, nice but small. The extra 2" on the speaker makes a huge difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I played the Super Champ down in Danville he only carries Fender and Dean so picked a US strat and sounded good. I didn't get a chance to play with the voicings too much just the clean channel. I have played through the Vibro Champs at SA' date=' that seems to be the only ones they can keep in stock. It just seems a bit small sounding, nice but small. The extra 2" on the speaker makes a huge difference.[/quote'] Thanks, Does it sound "full" like a Deluxe Reverb (only smaller, of course)? Some small amps can sound a bit "boxy"...good treble and midrange, but lacking depth in the bass response. That's why I ask. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted August 10, 2008 Author Share Posted August 10, 2008 Thanks guys. Alot of great suggestions. Now if I can just fight the unbelievable force that pulls me over to the guitars and focus on the amps I'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafaelh Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Good luck...mule blinders and carrying a picture of an amp might help8-[ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byrds1965 Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Thanks' date=' Does it sound "full" like a Deluxe Reverb (only smaller, of course)? Some small amps can sound a bit "boxy"...good treble and midrange, but lacking depth in the bass response. That's why I ask. CB[/quote'] It sounds like a mini Deluxe on the clean. I think that is just running the 6V6s and the 1 12ax7 they put in there, no modeling. I did switch it to the blackface setting and that was not as loud or seem as nice as just the clean. It did seem to have enough bass, but I was playing a store strat and not one of my guitars. I would like to hear it with HBs. I only got as far as the clean and blackface and he has a small store so I could not really turn up too much. The Vibro Champ I played at SA and it sounded good like a tube amp but boxy and small. Good for home pratice, but I would go with the Super Champ. I still want the GC, SA here to get one so I can spend some more time with one and a 335 style guitar and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Thanks, Byrds1965...Maybe one day, I'll get a chance to try one, myself. Sure looks interesting...and the price is right, too! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7923321&st=guitar&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1214611417744 150 off MF price. Worth considering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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