ssgfowler Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I bought a very clean early 70's Champ (have yet to see the transformer code so I don't know the exact year) on Fleabay for a really reasonable price. My question is: will replacing the 2 prong power cord with a (much safer) 3 prong cord hurt the value of the amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appa69 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Most likely no, but not changing it could hurt your value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Folks generally change from 2 to 3 prong to avoid getting shocked/knocked unconcious/killed when gigging where there's a high liklihood of incorrect grounding/polarity issues going on at the venue. But since it's a Champ, are you really planning on using at gigs? Also, is does this amp have some dings, roadrash and whatnot? If your answer is yes to either of those questions then change it to 3-prong. If it's minty clean and you bought it as a museum/collector/invesment item, then leave it alone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 My question is: will replacing the 2 prong power cord with a (much safer) 3 prong cord hurt the value of the amp? Not if it's a player, and the work is done properly. The only time you shouldn't do ANYTHING to a vintage amp, including plug into it, is when it's absolutely, positively dead mint, and it's a truly valuable collector, such as a GA-79RVT, a '59 Bassman, an offset Marshall, or '65 Deluxe Reverb, for instance. Champs are a dime a dozen, and will never reside amongst the true kings of the collectibles. If yours isn't an absolutely spotless museum piece, it's a player, and as such, it will automatically always be worth signficantly less than a museum piece. Because of that, standard maintenence work, such as a 3 prong cord, not only won't harm the value of the amp anymore than it's already harmed, but it's an essential "mod" if you plan to play the amp. I don't think there's actually any record of anyone dying from using an amp with a 2 prong cord, but I can speak from experience in saying that you can absolutely get uncomfortably shocked dinking around at home with such an amp. If you intend to use the amp, even around the house, it should have the cord replaced, as well as the filter cap/can, the cathode bypass cap, and any other components that may have drifted out of tolerance over time. Get a real speaker while you're at it, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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