1965 Fender Vibro-Champ

The Black-Panel 1960’s Vibro-Champ was one of Fender’s smallest and most simple amp/circuit designs and was intended for students and amateurs of the time. It was immediately cherished however by a different crowd, that of professional studio owners and pro guitar players looking to get that cranked-amp, everything-on-ten sound for their albums. Eric Clapton was probably the most famous player associated with this amp. It has an incredible overdrive/fuzz when used with humbuckers with all the controls set at ten - which is my preferred way to play these amps. The Bias Modulating Tremolo is what sets this amp apart from the even more simple Champ-Amp, although the two amps are identical in all other ways. The added effect makes for a more “vibey” experience in my opinion and is the superior form between the two models.

This amp came in to my shop in almost completely original condition. The electronics were untouched upon arrival. The only thing ever done to it was a 2 prong AC cord that was spliced with two other cords to make it even longer, yikes! This little guy had leaking filter caps, some heat damaged resistors, and a blown speaker. Relatively light issues for a 60+ year old amp that had never been serviced. It needed a full restoration including a cap job, new power dropping/plate resistors, new speaker, 3 prong AC cord conversion, replacement hardware, and a good cleaning.

The amp was completely restored. The electrolytic cap can was replaced with a new USA made CE brand exact replica (20uf x 4 @ 475v) for the filter section. The bypass caps were replaced with MOD/Vishay brand electrolytics with upgraded voltage and temperature ratings. New 2 Watt Metal Oxide/5 Watt cement power dropping resistors were installed for better reliability and lower noise floor. All preamp plate resistors were replaced with 2 Watt Reduced Mass Metal Film type units due to the original parts making hissing/popping noises. A new 5 Watt 470 ohm Wire-Wound cathode bias resistor was installed for better reliability and for stability of the 6V6GT bias. A new 3 prong AC cord was installed to replace the old 2 prong AC cord and the death cap was removed for safety reasons. A new #47 pilot lamp and red jewel cover were installed as the originals were missing.

The speaker was changed to a Jensen brand C8R 8” 25W Ceramic unit. This is Jensen's Italian made reissue of the famed speaker - an extremely close and high quality reproduction. The original speaker had a hole in it's cone and needed an upgrade for tonal reasons as well. A custom made RCA to Spade Connector Speaker Cable was installed to replace the frayed original, providing a solid connection between the new Jensen and the RCA jack.

All of the original tubes tested good and were kept in place. The final lineup was: V1/V2 = MULLARD ECC83, V3 = RCA 6V6GTA, V4 = RCA 5Y3GT. The 6V6GTA's Cathode Bias was set to 110% Class A Plate Dissipation with a B+ of 390VDC. The Cathode Bias here was set a little hot to accentuate its tone and output volume when cranked up. The tube sockets were all re-tensioned to stop the tubes from jiggling or falling out while they hang upside down - they also were cleaned with a De-Oxit treatment to prevent noise from corrosion. The pots were sprayed out and the amp was cleaned inside and out. A new Fender Style RCA cable Single Foot-Switch was provided to be able to switch the Tremolo ON/OFF. Amp now sounds great, and is surprising powerful for its size.