Does anyone on board know anything about these ? I've searched the forum for it - no results

Came across one for sale . Approximately from -85. It's never been gigged- upgraded with a Celestion Vintage 30 ( G12 )
I thought this could be an interesting amp for home recording . You can see - it has even got a Line out and headphone-socket ( which I have rarely seen on a tube amp) The asking price for this is rather stiff - I would be better off with a new Champ XD15. But it may be worth it ?
I guess that chances for finding anyone familiar with it is greater on ''the Lounge'' - so here we go ! Any inputs will be appreciated

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A-man

Hi. I searched these earlier this year.
Wanted this particular model
Has a reputation of bad plastic input sockets (on the faceplate).
Also, and I forget the exact reason, the reverb tank was bad
and I told the seller I'd buy it if he could fix the reverb tank.
The seller was an amp restore/builder and had lots of reverb tanks
in stock and had access to wholesale reverb tanks, etc.

Problem is that this particular amp has a special reverb tank
and it was impossible to find a "normal" replacement tank.
Silly as it sounds, and we both wanted the sale, it did not happen.
Sorry, I cannot remember the compatibility or socket or plug issue.
But, inquire in about it. Goodluck. Toppscore

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Thanks ,Toppscore! Valuable info . As far as this particular one , the seller claims 'no issues' . However , as long as I want it for recording , the reverb tank is not of the biggest importance . One can always add reverb later , to the take . Then again , no use in buying it for a high price if it does not do what it is supposed to do I guess we will hear from others , as well - if they've any experience here....Thanks for relpying

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A-man

Here you go. Suprisingly, its a tube amp.

http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-champ-12/

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Bill

Thanks ,Bill. Believe it or not - I knew it was a tube amp. That was what attracted me. It just had some features I found a bit unusual and practical . It confused me that I did not know anything about it - but it is obviously from that period I was 'on top' regarding family and kids , only playing my acoustic when I found the time for it......

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A-man

You're welcome. Looking at the schematic, it appears to be a rather unusual circuit design.

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Bill

OK- I know that that subject is your speciality - unfortunately not mine . Does that mean it would be stupid to buy it ? Or could I expect it to sound bad ? Being unstable ? I have no experience (lately) of other tube amps than my (unpopular) HRD ( I like it !) and my Blackheart Little Giant. Though - if I find time and money for it I would really like to try building a 5e3-circuit - thing. A great chance to learn , I guess ..... Thanks for the info !

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A-man

I collect amps and have sought amps with the headphone jack.
And, I know it is not the only one in the history of amps,
but it is/was the first real tube amp that has the headphone jack that
I've noticed. There may be some combo solid-state tube amps with the HP jack.
But, other "issues" regarding the Champ-12 kept me away.

Last week I was jamming with a hot guitarist with the new Champ X2.
Incredible. I could not believe the tones and sounds from the 1960s/1970s
hard rock to modern/punk rock.

There are other 10" & 12" Fender Champs.
What is the asking price for your Champ 12?
Also, adding reverb later, my be an external option.

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Hi ,again. I just noticed there were a new champ 'in town' . Interesting that you liked it. I guess it was ok ,then
The asking price for this one , is only suitable to scare you off You see, I live in Norway were the prices are generally pretty high -and the american stuff-Fender/gibson is of course much higher here. The asking price is 4500 norwegian kroner(NKr) = 787 USD.
To put it into a perspective - that is about 50$ less than I would have to pay for a new Blues Jr , or 100$ below the half price of an AmStd Strat/Tele.......

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A-man

To tell you the truth, I'd have to really take a long hard look at the schematic to figure out what it is doing. Fender appears to be using some sort of light dependent resistor for the distortion and overdrive circuits that apparently alters the gain of V1B and V2A. The reverb circuit is really weird too. Most reverbs are located between the preamp and phase inverter in a push-pull amp. This amp is single ended and the reverb appears to be driven by the cathode of V3 and feeds directly to the speaker. V2B looks like a buffer for the tape inputs and is connected into the reverb circuit for some reason. I wouldn't want to troubleshoot this amp if there was a problem.



Based on that price and the oddness of the circuit, I wouldn't buy it.

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Bill

Thank you very much, Bill! I've been watching some of your postings from time to time , so I suspected you wanted to find out of this And I am very thankful for that - your conclusion is my conclusion in this : don't buy ! Like Toppscore said:
That kind of rhymes with your search ? And I have also read there another place that there are some troubles in the overdrive/distortion-circuit So I am really impressed by your knowledge
Thats ok to know - I do fine with my amps for now - I even have a Roland Cube 40XL if I have to use headphones Then I probably should save my money for the wanted 5e3-build .
Thanx again , much appreciated. Hope you are doing well , Bill - and that you can see some new solutions about your work....

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A-man

Google Fender Champ 12. There is quite a bit out there. Apparently the reverb "tank" is two short springs inside a cardboard box. There are a number of forums that talk about mods to this amp. Apparently the distortion circuit is quite bad. I'm sure some sort of small tank could be found to fit, but I doubt it would be worth the trouble and money.

Definitely build an amp if you can. The learning experience alone is worth the effort. I hope to build another one soon.

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Bill

I did some googling in advance of this thread But there were so many uncoordinated views out there - so I decided to drop a question in here - THE forum of knowledge .
BTW - saw the other participant here was banned. His input to this conversation was quite moderate ....
I think if I get better in managing my time (and money!!) - I will be able to make an amp-build later this autumn/winter - but I think it takes quite a lot more to reach your level Still impressed by the schematic reading of yours.... you spotted some troubles that way

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A-man

Start with something easy like this:

https://taweber.powweb.com/store/kits_50a.htm#5F1

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Bill

Link bookmarked I heard the Weber kits are great - but thanks for this link - might be very useful ! Here is early morning - just got a phone telling me I did not need to go to work before an hour later than planned.Ahh - more coffee/ forum and Weber studies

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A-man