FAD - Champ

[madbean]

Fixed Amp Day. After being broken for over a year I finally got the Silverface Champ fixed. I blew this puppy up pretty good a while ago. Pop, smoke, burning smell. I kept putting off dealing with it with the thought that I should be able to fix it myself. But, fixing something is quite a bit different than diagnosing the problem so I took it to a repair shop in Nashville. I'm glad I did because there were quite a few issues. Finally diagnosis - too much B+ blew the power tube. So, the dudes at Nashville Amplifier Service did the following:

Dropped B+ a bit, replaced the tube, replaced the tube sockets (really loose), filter recap, removed the death cap (was still there for some reason despite having a three prong), new fuse. Now she sounds as good as ever! Unfortunately, the total repair cost was more than I paid for the amp but my total investment now is on par with a perfectly working 70's era Champ so I'm cool with it (I got it cheap to begin with). Plus, I will never sell it. Only drag is the dead OS Ratheon tube. Sorry bro.

The Champ is pretty near perfect as a test amp for pedal designs, IMO. I'm so glad to have it back! And, the NAS guys were really great, too. Very friendly and knowledgeable.

[pryde]

Awesome Brian. I have repaired many of these awesome little guys. They are always a worthy investment.
I would be curious what the total bill was for you. I like to know these things to help me better price my services (although I understand location is a big factor here).

[flanagan0718]

Nice. I've always liked Fender Amps. They have great verb and clean tones. Thinking i might start looking for one of these!

[madbean]

Awesome Brian. I have repaired many of these awesome little guys. They are always a worthy investment.
I would be curious what the total bill was for you. I like to know these things to help me better price my services (although I understand location is a big factor here).

It was $288. Their bench charge is $80/hr with 2.25 hrs charged for diagnosis and repair, plus parts, etc. Kinda spendy but not unreasonable. I paid only $200 for the amp to begin with.

[madbean]

Also, the entire bill was itemized with the cost of each part (plus the tax).

[peAk]

Awesome Brian. I have repaired many of these awesome little guys. They are always a worthy investment.
I would be curious what the total bill was for you. I like to know these things to help me better price my services (although I understand location is a big factor here).

Pryde helped me with my 70's (Vibro) Champ a while back. Thing has worked awesome ever since

Thanks again man!!

[pryde]

Awesome Brian. I have repaired many of these awesome little guys. They are always a worthy investment.
I would be curious what the total bill was for you. I like to know these things to help me better price my services (although I understand location is a big factor here).

It was $288. Their bench charge is $80/hr with 2.25 hrs charged for diagnosis and repair, plus parts, etc. Kinda spendy but not unreasonable. I paid only $200 for the amp to begin with.

That doesn't seam unreasonable being in the Nashville area. I do $60 per hour in my area + parts and tax. I also pickup repairs for a couple local music shops but they get a discount per volume.

[Martan]

Those old champ/vibrochamps are great for playing at "conversation" volume with great tube warmth. I use to keep mine hidden next to the couch in our living room with a reverb pedal and light OD.

I would definitely destroy mine if I used it at the test bench. Too many pops and crazy sounds out of my builds😀. You are a brave man.

[culturejam]

Nice to see a vintage piece back in action.

[Haberdasher]

It is the perfect amp for singin' songs about the trials & tribulations of garage-band husbandry.

[selfdestroyer]

I have a soft spot for drip edge/silverface anything.. Really awesome you decided to drop some money on it and get it going again.

Cody

[matmosphere]

It is the perfect amp for singin' songs about the trials & tribulations of garage-band husbandry.

Hahaha, those are great little amps.

[AntKnee]

It is the perfect amp for singin' songs about the trials & tribulations of garage-band husbandry.

Amen, brother!

[nzCdog]

Yay.  Worth it for sure, that's a special amp

[alanp]

Good stuff it amazes me how cheap gear is in the USA.

I was using a cheap Marshall MG15CD for a bench test amp for awhile, on the basis of I didn't really give a crap if something awful happened to it. Plus if something sounded not entirely awful through it (as opposed to pure meh), it was generally a good indicator that it would be a wee ripper on the 2204 amp.