I remember back in 76-77, a neighbor of mine bought a vibro champ, and that thing rocked my world. I've been addicted to guitar ever since. RIP, Louie!!!

You have quickly become one of the best channels on youtube for helping figure out what amp to buy. Your unique insight into the build quality and projected longevity has been a huge help in narrowing down my choices. I've been burned before with crappy tube amps but this sort of insight is hard to come by. Thanks for your service!!

My heart skipped a beat when I saw your hand fingering the caps inside that circuit ! Great you‘re still healthy and well 😅

Awesome, Lyle! I’ve been waiting for someone to open one of these up. Thank you!!

It’s obvious that you care about the work you were doing. Loved watching this video

lol you are probably one of the most well spoken individuals I've ever heard speak! great content, keep up the good work!

I have this amp and LOVE it. Thanks so for your channel! Love it!

Love your channel, could watch you all day

Another informative and even entertaining (to me) video. I own one of these amps and so far no tube issues for me. I tend to prefer the Celestion G10 speaker of this size & might swap it at some point. I typically don't go for pcb amps but for the price I think this little amp is quite nice & fun to bring with me for family vacation type playing. You've always done a good job repairing my amps but hopefully I won't need to have this one worked on anytime soon.

To quantify that "feels warmer than it should" thing, I'd use one of those Harbor Freight heat laser handheld devices. I've found them accurate when diagnosing issues involving warmer-than-normal wiring issues.

I couldn't decide between this and the custom 57. After seeing this video I'm glad I went with the 57! It sounds amazing! Thanks for the great video!

I think your playing is very good and clear, you also seam to always be in tune

Hi, I've been using this amp as a practice amp in the living room since April. I swapped the speaker for a Jenson P10R Alnico to get a little more treble.

Hi! Thanks so much for your highly informative videos letting us behind the curtain of amp repair! I was wondering when you swapped out the power tube, did you have to rebias on this amp?

I have one of these and thankfully no issues. It sounds wonderful to me. I did after. few weeks change the stock tubes to all NOS RCA and its even better now. Got me worried about the speaker now though.

Thanks for the video! I own this amp and was considering to replace the stock TEN30 as well. I opened it up but after removing all screws I was not able to move the speaker. It seems they glued it to front. Can you please let me know how to best get the TEN30 out without damaging anything?

This amp solves the limitations of early Champ/VibroChamp amps. It sounds good, it's more versatile due to 10" speaker and reverb. I've gigged this several times and it works well.

Figured it was a speaker issue upon hearing it. I’ve been having fits matching speakers with conversions utilizing VVR’s as I got a batch of 6 Hammond Ao44’s I’ve been turning into different guitar amps. They have a strangely large output transformer and a smallish power transformer so it’s not as simple to get them right if doing a complete conversion with them. And every version (stock tubes,el84’s,or 6v6’s)reacts differently to different speakers. Still fun to experiment tho!

Thanks a bunch for this video! I'm currently troubleshooting some pretty major static from 5 onward. Seems like way too much although this is my first tube amp. I've gone so far as to switch out all 3 tubes, made sure all connections were secure and no grounding issues that I can tell. Tried different cables and guitars. Essentially unusable for recording above 5 or 6. What's next after all the obvious stuff? It's sooo sweet at lower volumes.

Just wondering if a 6L6 could be put in to replace the 6v6 should give it more headroom if it can be done without too much messing about? NB ,the Jensen P10r is a pretty good speaker and they gave a P10r F which sounds a bit more zingy like the older version.

How hard was the speaker swap? I’ve heard the stock Ten30 is tough to remove.

Any chance you remember if the tone stack was the 68 modified "bassman" style or something akin to a black panel?

Could you please comment on the value and the quality of this amp in your estimation or recommend some thing that is actually comparable, but a better build and value?.. please and thank you

Great that you pulled the tube cage thing. Those are terrible when you are trying to trouble shoot some tubes on the gig.

Do you know what digital reverb IC they are using on that module on the right? Unfortunately it's not readable from the video, and I am just really curious :)

It looks like the potentiometers are attached to a PCB like the Blues Jr and that is a disappointment but at least your video is informative and entertaining. You provide real information instead of marketing hype. Keep up the good work. Thank you.

Of course, the amplifier is not for playing really loud (there are others for that) but for practicing at home it is very good. And for the price, it's definitely a good choice. My opinion...

I had that speaker in a Princeton reissue and it was lousy sounding, replaced it. I too also had one in a Marshall DSL5 and it was fine in that amp.

To anyone looking at this amp, I have had it a while and it sounds great and does everything thing I want of it. Regarding the speaker, I changed the stock to a Weber. I played on the Weber for quite a while and switched back to the stock one. The stock one to my ears sounds better. Good definition overall and the bass is more than serviceable for 5 watts. Before you go down the speaker rabbit hole just know the stock one sounds great and is paired with this amp for a reason. As stated in the video these speakers may fail more than others, however, that has not been my experience so far and it has worked out for me. The stock one to my ears sounds good not only clean but also if you run an overdrive pedal into it. The Weber sounded reasonable clean but not desirable with an OD pedal. Again, this is all subjective and to my ears. This amp does take pedals extremely well in my experience also by the way. In my opinion the best upgrade is to get some NOS RCA or other tubes and put them in. Mine sounds fantastic to my ears, particularly after tube upgrades. NOS tubes are pricey and not all will claim to notice a big difference but, my ears hear a vast difference between a good NOS tube and the basic newer ones that come stock.

Hey Lyle, talk about filaments wiring, how you do etc... Thanks for all information that you sharing.

Don’t fix it, send it to me:) sounds great!!

Some of my favorite hit songs were played on Fender Champ amps. They sound huge on tape and are the perfect size for the house or studio. You don't really need much more to play live. Mic it and it can be any size... easier to move and sounds great.. win win.

What about switching out for a 12AT7

You removed the bracing/heat shield and you put a 4 ohm speaker in? Man I’m confused. 🤷‍♂️

I think the Celestion Ten-30 is pretty underrated. Not sure how much bass you can expect from a 7-watt, single-ended amp.

In front of the amplifier I have a Greer Amps Lightspeed (which is very good and very transparent). Then comes an MXR Carbon Copy Bright and an MXR Analog Chorus. I am very flexible with that. At volume 3-4, treble at 7, bass at 5, I have my Fender sound.

I've got the same amp. When I tried to change the power tube, I've notice that it's very hard to put the tube in. When I think it's in correctly, their's no sound coming out or a lound hum. I've manage to put it in correctly after a couple of try. Should I replace the 6V6 socket? And also, do I have to re-biais it for a Tung Sol 6v6? Thanks

I finally changed the speaker to the same one in this video. Huge improvement!! Thank you for that!! Learning so much from your videos. Something odd though, before the speaker change I felt like the amp was getting hotter than it should. I could feel the heat when touching the front panel. Nothing too serious but I've owned a lot of Champs in my life and its not something I remember. Since I changed the speaker, its not getting that hot anymore. Weird.

Hello thanks for sharing this. Just curious why you didn’t go for the WGS Veteran 10 or Green Beret? I am considering a speaker swap for mine and looking at the options WGS has. Also, I noticed that 10-30 that comes with it is rated at 3.2 Ohms. I’m guessing that a 4 Ohm speaker works fine in these?

Did u like the amp though ?

Great video! I was wondering if the light jewel is fixed or removable? They tend to be LED if there is no knurling around the metal on the bottom of the jewel. Also, it looks like some versions of this particular amp comes with a smaller tube cage, and only two mounting screws.

Is there any chance for a 65 custom reverb vibro Champ?

I like fender amps (I have 2). Are they just not making them like they used to?

My DIY version of the Vibro Champ has a diode rectifier and an additional filter stage with a choke and a 68uF. It's dead quiet now. Some other useful addition: NFB switch, master volume and a 100k log mid control, which works as a tone stack lift when it's fully CW. And I love the Eminence Legend 128p in this amp.

Do they make a hand wired model of that amp? That would make fine little tweed amp.

Great video. I was thinking of buying this amp. May go digital instead.

What is your opinion on the long term reliability of PCB board amps in general? Do you think parts, like chips, etc, will be available when needed? One thing about vintage tube amps is that they are still repairable when necessary; circuit diagrams and parts are available. Seems that a lot of modern electronics are disposable.

I have this amp & plan to change the speaker to the same Warehouse you used. I wish this amp had a standby switch. Is this amp able to be modified to have a standby switch?

Jesus ..how long has that amp been out anyways… those amps can’t be pushed max hard.. changed our speaker… cool.. peace out.. great learning videos!!

it is amazing that it would be just as easy to wire it PTP than Fender going PCB....in a few years when its in the scrap pile it would be great to hand wire it

Since it's not tube rectified, and doesn't have a standby switch, how does it not present a problem for the electronics on initial startup? Thermistor? Sorry to comment on a year-old video, but if anyone knows the answer, I would be grateful to find out.

What do y'all think of the reissue 57 Champ?

Ironically “Don’t let me down” didn’t seem to work unless of course it was played to make your point, in that case it worked a treat 😁

A couple to three hundred bucks, above that, I'd be VERY hard pressed to get one of these. What do you think of the Kustom Defender V5?I have two of them and they seem pretty darn good considering how inexpensive they were.

would there be any problem with putting a WGS G10c of 8 ohms, instead of 4 ohms. In Europe it's hard to find 4ohms... :(

With that PCB and digital reverb it should be half the price, even with the Fender logo on.

Does anyone know why they put that metal cage there in the first place? I'm afraid I'm asking a stupid question.... but I don't get it.

Hey Lyle, I know your busy...but, I dont know who else to ask about this. My Vibro Champ Reverb Amp "reissue" has a noticeable volume and tone loss starting around 5 to 6 on trem intensity. Gets worse the higher you go. This is with trem off via footswitch. Is this normal? ..or do i have something going on? I have to remember to turn down the intensity when not using trem. Pretty annoying.

what is your favorite 10" speaker? thinking of swapping something into my superchamp x2

As soon as I play it louder and especially in low frequencies the amp creates terrible vibration noise. It seems that the sound comes from a point between the grill cloth top center under the reverb knob. It is gettin quieter when I press gently against the grill cloth. I don#t know what I should do to fix the issue?

They used to make Zippos. Then they started making Bics . Now , they make amps that make Bics look like Zippos .

I’d almost be ready to turn this amp into a head if I owned this.

Question about the wgsg10c it’s 4 ohms and the amp is 8ohms… is that hard on the amp or anything? Why not match it with an 8 ohm speaker?

The only amp I’ve had that a Celestion Ten 30 sounded acceptable in was Marshall DSL5 that I took in a trade.

at least they learned to put the tube sockets on the chassis and not on the PCB like on the Blues Junior making it fail after some time

Hello everybody ! Got the same amp and the same problem, exept that there is a "hum" on mine. 50hz. Do someone know if the two 12AX7 need to be paired ? What could be the source of the hum ?

What I discover is that a lot of people have problems with the factory tubes. It happened with mine, the trem was horrible, white noise, clipping at each rotation cycle.. A mess. The power tube was mictophonic and vibrated like hell. Changed the tubes and everything was solved. Fender put crap tubes, they must have bought a low price batch to save $$$... For such a price (very expensive), I find that Fender are not very honest with their customers

Nah, your playing is fine.

Just reading up on this amp . I don’t think it’s a stock Celestion Ten 30 . It was designed with fender specifically for this amp , hence the 3,2 ohm rating . Stock I believe it only comes in 8 or 16 ohm ? Yes people may want to change the speaker at some point which many do with a lot more expensive combos , just for a different flavour . Having briefly tried the amp in a shop and listening to KZfaq demos I think the amp sounds killer for what it is 👍

10" EV!

Ок!Добавьте еще лампу 12аu7 и пружинный ревербератор и кенатрон.

68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb or Tone Master Princeton?

Clicked on this thinking "wtf... '68 Champs didn't have reverb" When you were first playing softly, it was really a pretty great sound. Too bad it seems to ship with a crappy speaker.

You sound like Neil Peart, you have a good public speaking voice.

Well I thought I might want that amp till I’ve seen inside I’ll stick with my 70s champ I do appreciate your knowledge though

I wonder if it was played really loud and that's why the speaker went bad.

At the end of the day I personally find it better to purchase old Inoperable vintage amps and restore what I can and then send it to my Technician. I’m just not feeling the confidence with these new smaller less expensive amps that are flooding the market.

Love the comment about being disappointed when "Amp X" doesn't sound like "Player Y". You made a comment in another video about "tone chasing", and the fact (that most of us disregard) that most of the music we love was made with NEW equipment. Doesn't it stand to reason then, that what you'd REALLY be looking for is an equivalent to a vintage amp, but in its NEW state? i.e no component drift, etc.

Give me an ac15c1 over this anyday!

How can they call this a '68 reissue when the DSP powering the reverb probably has more processing power than the computer's which launched the Apollo mission a year later.

The „cage“ is a requirement to comply with CE requirements, so that a person cannot burn their fingers.

“JJ’s aren’t better or worse than others.” What??? There are many variables in tube manufacturing. And yes, some tubes are absolutely better or worse than others.

I've read good reviews on this model loaded with a 10 ceramic celestion and digital reverb I've got a vested interest as I own a 70 champ myself. Of course reviews can't all be honest obviously . Not a fan of digital reverb or celestions in a fender

Too bad the reverb is solid state and even digital it seems ...Today with the high impedance reverb tanks we can make wonderful spring reverbs transformerless with only one 12DW7 tube...

$900 for this amp, hard to believe.

Bad cord makes noise string breakup.

Looks nice cosmetically, pity it's a pc board. Kinda' like all your hand wired turret board inventions.. Wouldn't want one of those new Fenders..Thanks for the info, and sharing..Ed..UK..😀

Pilot light's the wrong color.

Listen to the whole stupid thing I wanted to hear the speaker at the end where is that?

Diagnosis is far more informative than a review, problem solved.

Why do you have the chassis just flopping around your table? you think that you have them on some kind of stand so they're not bouncing on the tubes. doesn't look very professional.

It's farting

It's a cap

For that price it's a horrible amp

Amp looks cute, but way, way overpriced and not very analog at all.

Wow, what a mess! they couldn't make this a PTP amp, I mean there's not much to a Vibro-Champ. Fender should be ashamed of themselves to build a pcb piece of shite like this.

poorly designed junk with cheap parts

Sounds like a Champ to me. Mine always had that sound of the notes bleeding together in that awesome, slightly trashy tone. Tone is also a matter of taste (unless it's a really really bad tone).