I love tweed amps but have been struggling to find the right one for me. Started with a 5E3 ‘57 Deluxe reissue before ‘upgrading’ to a Lazy J. Found it to be a very different beast, fantastic of course but a bit more refined and much too loud for me. Flogged that and tried an EC Vibro Champ. Cool home use amp but a bit boxy, didn’t see the point of the attenuator and didn’t use the trem. I did love the simplicity and the tone though.
Which brings me onto my new amp day. It’s an amateur build off of eBay of a 5F1 tweed champ in a deluxe size mojotone cab and an Eminence Legend 1258 speaker.
Only had an hour with it tonight but it’s ticking lots of boxes. Nothing to tweak and no need to either. I can get plenty of different tones from the guitar and the circuit doesn’t feel dry at all so not missing the reverb. Beautiful bell-like cleans and a perfect low gain overdrive.
Volume wise it’s perfect for home and recording and would just about keep up with a drummer when cranked.
The 12” speaker is definitely an improvement on the 8” in the Vibro Champ making the amp much more satisfying to play.
Lovely cabinet, my only gripe is that there is a gap between the back panel and the chasis. Would welcome any comments about the wiring too.
Pics here...
https://imgur.com/gallery/rgR1TIf I still feel the same way after the honeymoon period is over I may have to track down a Victoria 5112 to compare.
Good trades/sales with: Pluckbuddy, JDE, xXBADGERXx, Brize, alanchanxd, NigelP, Loobs, BusterCrabb, jimkehoe
Comments
Ive been ogling tweed champs lately, in a moment of madness thought of selling my silverface fenders for a swart tweed.
May build my own clone sometime this year if I have time. Bet this sounds really good with that 12”. My vibro champ sounds lovely when I run it through my Princeton Reverb cab which has a 12” WGS ET65 in it. Just wish it broke up a bit earlier, hence my tweed curiosity!
www.rexterguitars.co.uk
To fix the gap you just need to loosen the bolts holding the chassis to the cabinet and slide the chassis back a bit - the holes in the chassis have some play in them to allow for adjustment. You'll need to do it with the back off so make sure the amp is unplugged . It's usually best to undo the nuts rather than the bolts or you tend to chew the bolt heads up.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
nice package in the oversized cab for sure
@Modulus_Amps Yep, the seller mentioned that it was one of your kits. Quality stuff!
I have an attenuator in mine.
https://i.imgur.com/va1tvHU.jpg
www.rexterguitars.co.uk
You need a transformer with a proper 8-ohm tap.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
TBH what I’d really like for the champ is a super inefficient alnico speaker that breaks up early and still sounds good.
www.rexterguitars.co.uk
Going to save up for a @Modulus_Amps Princeton next!