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Post subject: Confused About Vibro-Champ XD and Champion 600
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:56 pm
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I'll get to the point. The greatest guitar sound I ever heard was John Lennon's on his first solo album. Pure grit distortion. Studio guys say he played his guitars through a tiny little one speaker Fender Vibro-Champ amp to get that insane sound.

That glorious sound was recorded nearly forty years ago and I wonder if Fender is still making these Vibro-Champs that Lennon used. I sure would buy one on an instant if they are. So I go to Fender's website looking for something similar and I come across a "Champion 600" and a "Vibro-Champ XD."

Questions:

1. Which one is closer to the amp that Lennon used in the early 70s? Which would give the closer sound?

2. That Vibro-Champ XD is a - yech!- modeling amp. Can that amp be played straight without using those modeling tones?

Thanks for any help or direction.


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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:48 am
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I’m in a similar position. I’m a little confused by the Champ XD’s – what’s solid state and what’s not? What I need is something that gives me a great overdriven tube sound at low volumes. I know it’s a tube preamp, but are the volume and gain controls solid state? So, can you have the volume at around 2 for quiet late night practice and still get good distortion like on solid state amps? Or do you have to crank the volume? :?

To the above poster: from what I understand the Vibro Champ XD does a remarkable job of attaining that vintage tone. Not 100% there, but very close. I’ve played the champ 600 and it was nice, but not nearly as good as an original Vibro. You could buy an original, or get a reissue, but it'll cost you.


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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:51 am
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As far as i can figure the only thing solidstate about the vibrochamp xd is the effects and eq presets that determine the preamp sound. Its a good amp but i dont think it does a early lennon sound, you'd be better off going to a small vox modeller for that. The vibrochamp gives good valve sounds at reasonable volumes the marshall settings are garbage though. The speaker needs replacing too, its not very good.

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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:40 am
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Here's the amp http://www.ampwares.com/amp.asp?id=41

Fender no longer makes them. Look on Craigs List or Ebay. They get quite a few bucks for them. I have a plain 74 Silverface Champ. They are nothing like the new ones. You can actually get a kit from Weber or Mission Amps and build one yourself for not a ton of money. It's a pretty simple build.


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Post subject: Re: Confused About Vibro-Champ XD and Champion 600
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:46 am
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..


Last edited by billco on Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:02 pm
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I got one and I love it for bedroom levels. Check out John Grimsley's reviews on You tube. He runs through all the amp models and effects. O.K., I have always owned solid state amps, and have never appreciated the tone of a valve amp. At my age, chances are I will never own a large tube amp. So, this was a perfect choice and may just cause me to move up to a BJr one day.
Go somewhere and try one out. You wont be sorry.


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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:27 pm
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Thanks all for the info. Prices on these vintage Vibro-Champs run close to a grand. I just spent a grand on a VOX. That thing has two 12" speakers; I ain't spending a grand on one 8" speaker. I can get a real close approximation of Lennon's solo distortion tone through my Fender Princeton. That will have to do.

smoorer@nc.rr.com wrote:
Go somewhere and try one out. You wont be sorry.

I will. If I ever feel the need for a modeling amp, I will check out this little Fender.


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