Vintage Fender question

bsman

b00b
I have a question: I used to see Fender Champ silverface amps for $200-250 all the time, and now folks are getting $4-600 (with about a $200 bump for the vibro-champ). Are these amps worth it? Is there a modern equivalent that will get me the same tones? I like the thought of a P-T-P wired amp with quality components, but figure that spending that sort of money on electronics from the 70s is taking a huge risk in terms of the aging of the components...
 
IMO, Vibro Champs were worth up to $300. Any more than that and the repairs and maintenance make them not worth the asking price. I sold mine at $500.
 
I had a silver face vibro champ years ago. They sound really good, but I don't know if they sound that much better than some of the new smaller tube amps. When you factor in the maintenance, that would probably offset any sonic benefits for me.
 
I can’t see why people who aren’t collectors pay a premium for old Champs. You can buy a new Champ and mod it to match all sorts of old designs fairly inexpensively. And people sell modded Champs on eBay for significantly less than the vintage models.
 
I can’t see why people who aren’t collectors pay a premium for old Champs. You can buy a new Champ and mod it to match all sorts of old designs fairly inexpensively. And people sell modded Champs on eBay for significantly less than the vintage models.
Yup
 
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