Fender 1970's silver face champ,opinions please?

marktheharp

As above
a mate is about to buy one ,at the weekend.  I would say its in average condition. I  believe it needs new input sockets and power switch as they're corroded. Would this be a sign it probably needs other work?
the more I am writing this the more I am thinking there is better condition/fully working models out there. And telling him to look elsewhere?
Any idea on 2nd hand prices and do they take pedals well?
Thanks in advance. 
Cheers 
Mark. 

Stuckfast

What's the asking price? They are very basic things, there's not much that can't be fixed.

I love my silverface Vibrochamp, but I never quite understand what people mean by 'take pedals well'. If you mean can you stick a distortion pedal in front of it to make it sound even more chewy, then yes. If you mean is it a super-clean amp with tons of headroom where you can shape your sound entirely using pedals, then absolutely not. It's a small boxy honky thing that is what it is.

ICBM

marktheharp said:

a mate is about to buy one ,at the weekend.  I would say its in average condition. I  believe it needs new input sockets and power switch as they're corroded. Would this be a sign it probably needs other work?

Yes. I would say that's poor condition, not average. Damp is a particular worry as it can lead to the notorious board-conductivity problem on old Fenders which can be difficult to fix.

marktheharp said:

Any idea on 2nd hand prices

Don't pay too much. Most people selling old amps in poor condition overvalue them - it could easily cost half its value to fix properly. An amp like this could need a lot of work up to and including almost a complete rebuild, possibly including a replacement speaker.

marktheharp said:

do they take pedals well?

Yes, but as Stuckfast said they don't have a huge amount of headroom.

marktheharp

Wise words guys. Thank you  I will pass the info on... 

marktheharp

Thanks everyone,he has decided to keep on looking..  he has recently joined on here.   But is a busy lad, guitar building and working on his main job....  !