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FAD - Champ

Started by madbean, February 17, 2016, 03:24:58 PM

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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

Quote from: pryde on February 17, 2016, 03:31:47 PM
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

Quote from: pryde on February 17, 2016, 03:31:47 PM
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

Quote from: madbean on February 17, 2016, 04:04:25 PM
Quote from: pryde on February 17, 2016, 03:31:47 PM
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. :)
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Haberdasher

It is the perfect amp for singin' songs about the trials & tribulations of garage-band husbandry.
Looking for a discontinued madbean board?  Check out my THREAD

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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

Quote from: Haberdasher on February 17, 2016, 10:20:29 PM
It is the perfect amp for singin' songs about the trials & tribulations of garage-band husbandry.

Hahaha, those are great little amps.

AntKnee

Quote from: Haberdasher on February 17, 2016, 10:20:29 PM
It is the perfect amp for singin' songs about the trials & tribulations of garage-band husbandry.

Amen, brother!
I build, and once in a while I might sell, pedals as "Vertigo Effects".

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.
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