GAS: School me on Champ or Champion Amps please

[Willie Johnson]

I have a Champion 600 reissue and it's a little flaky and tempemental--there's a bad component in there somewhere that I havent been able to isolate and fish out--but overall it's a fun amp. I did some of the standard modifications, like taking out the fixed tone stack and negative feedback loop and a few of the additional components that weren't in the old ones, and I replaced the speaker, tubes, and grill cloth, but I think the best thing I did was to alter the rear panel, like this:

To my ears, it sounds better like this and increases the perceived volume. My Dan Echo slapback pedal sounds great with this amp.

 

[Dacious]

A friend has a Joyo Sweet Baby. If you plug in a 5Y3 instead of a GZ34 you have a 5F1.

 

[wrathfuldeity]

Stumbled across this little Muchxs monster for a steal off CL. Spkr selection is a huge factor, fortunately this little gem has 8 ohm external spkr shorting jack. But the old alnico jensen 6x9 roars like a lion...definitely not ratty nor boxy. If need something a bit bigger sounding plug right in to a slightly bigger box.

 

[Mongo Park]

Muchxs build is a whole different animal. What a lucky find, somebody’s loss is your gain enjoy
I like the bigger box, did you build that one yourself, the baffle is quite unusual

 

[wrathfuldeity]

Muchxs build is a whole different animal. What a lucky find, somebody’s loss is your gain enjoy
I like the bigger box, did you build that one yourself, the baffle is quite unusual

See post #3 and #15 below

Eminence Ramrod and detuned cab

Picked up 2 today off of craigslist. $40 a piece. Score. :razz: I wanted to do a 2x10. I'm tired of big, heavy gear. And I knew I wanted Eminence. I'd been eyeing the Ramrod for awhile because of it's sensitivity rating and then they appeared on CL, so... I built a 210 cab, 24x14x12 and...

www.tdpri.com

Pic of the back side of the baffle (floating), 1/2" ply with braces to stiffen fairly lively and works great with low watt tweed; with a 3/4 baffle the liveliness was reduced and stiffer sounding.

 

[giogolf]

Little update.. In stock form this little C600 rocks.. Its sparkly with single coils and growls with humbuckers.. Of course single coild will growl, but I need to push it more..

Oh, through a 1x12 ET90 this thing gets loud

 

[Mongo Park]

That is one sweet baffel. I like it
While on the topic a bigger speaker doe make these little amps sound way better. 5f2a with a big cab and a 12 Canibus Rex and you are in another world.

 

[vernon]

Dude… scratch that itch and build a 5f1 tweed champ. I bought a Boothill kit, had a blast putting it together, and it sounds great. Far, far better than that little Champion 600 (had one of those too… it’s a toy amp.) A tele with bridge pickup into a 5f1… there’s nothing like it!

 

[giogolf]

Dude… scratch that itch and build a 5f1 tweed champ. I bought a Boothill kit, had a blast putting it together, and it sounds great. Far, far better than that little Champion 600 (had one of those too… it’s a toy amp.) A tele with bridge pickup into a 5f1… there’s nothing like it!

Already contacted Boothill to build a 5f1 . I want run them A/B with the 600 on the edge of breakup and the Tweed wide open for grind

 

[El Tele Lobo]

A 5F1 tweed Champ is my favorite amp to date. However, build/buy one with a 12" speaker for optimal expression of this simple but excellent circuit. Check out AlNiCo and Ceramic speaker options to find the sound that best suits your playing style. l have a 12" Jupiter ceramic in mine and I love it.

 

[Cali Dude]

In my humble experience, you can't go wrong with the Clapton vibro champ. The amp smokes, and the vibrato is sultry sweet.

 

[giogolf]

In my humble experience, you can't go wrong with the Clapton vibro champ. The amp smokes, and the vibrato is sultry sweet.

Well maybe I need all 3 versions .. or is it 4 with BF and the 600

 

[wrathfuldeity]

A 5F1 tweed Champ is my favorite amp to date. However, build/buy one with a 12" speaker for optimal expression of this simple but excellent circuit. Check out AlNiCo and Ceramic speaker options to find the sound that best suits your playing style. l have a 12" Jupiter ceramic in mine and I love it.

OP a more beefy/bigger spkr will present the subtle aspects of the tone to blossom that are difficult to hear with smaller speakers.

 

[giogolf]

OP a more beefy/bigger spkr will present the subtle aspects of the tone to blossom that are difficult to hear with smaller speakers.

Already having an external 1x12 cab I am already noticing how different I can get eh C600 to sound.. Unfortunately the Ohms do not match, but it works going from a 4 to an 8ohm speaker..

This little experiment really has stalled my GAS for a Princeton Reverb.. Honestly the sweet little clean sounds I can get from the C600 is all I need and having a 5f1 would then nail all my classic rock sounds..

 

[TeleBackelaer]

So my search netted a sweet bargain on a Champion 600.. Its no Tweed or SF Champ but for $70 I couldn’t pass it up.
Breaks up really nicely with the LP.. Cant wait to try the bridge PU in the Tele later

$70? That's a steal! Congrats.
I've got one as well. Changed speaker, grill cloth and the volume pot which started to crap out but didn't feel the need yet to actually work on the internals. To me it sounds great as it is at the moment.
Have fun with it, they're fine little amps.

 

[stormsedge]

$70? That's a steal!

^^For sure! Wow!^^

 

[wrathfuldeity]

OP, forgot another champ variation is the 5c1 that has an octal pre, not a fender, but delicious oddball in the collection...circa late 40's Silvertone 1301 6sj7, 6v6, 5y3gt and a 6" rola. Traded for a loose spkr