Vintage fender amp questions

scottish

scottish

WeirdScienceologist
Im out of my depth when it comes to most things amps. Anyways, i have a few local deal offers that im interested in.

1. 1967 fender blackface vibro champ, all original, only the electrolytic caps have been replaced, no footswitch. Price is $650

2. 1970 fender twin reverb. Power tubes have been replaced with JJs, original speakers reconed, plug changed to 3 prong and caps replaced, original footswitch included. Price is $800


Now, i know i love the sounds of both these amps. I dont know what a decent price for them today is, thats mainly where im looking for some help.


Thanks in advance.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

im leaning more towards the twin because it takes pedals so damn well...

ugh, i dont know. both such awesome amps.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

Hard to be precise without pics/links but IMO, the Vibro Champ is VERY overpriced unless it is in immaculate mint condition with vintage tubes in it. Those amps typically top out at about $500 in EXC condition.

The Twin is a good deal if those speakers are JBLs and the amp is clean and in good working order. If no JBLs and average condition I'd go no higher than maybe $650.

I know it seems weird that a little 6 watt amp is only a few hundred or less than a 100 watter, but the market for Twins is not great. Too loud for most places anymore and they made a boatload of those things so super easy to find them cheap all day every day.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

FWIW I have a 1965 VibroChamp and while a great little amp for home noodling, you won't come close to keeping up with a drummer with that thing. So if that is a factor, skip it. You can clean that amp up significantly so that it takes pedals well - a more efficient speaker, 5751 preamp tube in v1, and a JJ 6V6 will make it sound like a mini Twin.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

Yeah i know what you are saying minus pics/links, but like i said, its from a friend who knows the sellers.

The vibro is ALL original (minus caps) and in top notch condition. The twin has the original JBLs. Both amps are clean and work fully (supposedly, obviously im not forking over cash till i go check them out in person).

The thing i love about the twins is that they still sound so great at low (relatively speaking) volumes. My fave thing is amps with volume and tons of headroom. I havent actually played a lot of the vibro champs, but the ones i have i definitely dug them.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

Well like I said, that VC is stupid high priced at $650 - my '65 is as clean as they come and I'd be hard pressed to get $650 for it.

65VibroChamp.jpg
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

Damn Erskin, that is BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Blackface Vibro Champs have been selling over $500 for the better part of a few years. I don't think anyone can buy a blackface Vibro Champ for $400 anymore.

So, it's maybe $100-150 over a good deal but the market on Blackfaces has not waned much even in this economy. I personally love the Blackface era and would pay a premium over a Silverface.

Vibro Champs are beautiful tone machines... Twins just suck... I can't stand em'.

For $650, a lack of a footswitch sort of sucks... hell I'd even expect a cover for that price.

The deal right now in Blackface collecting is the Super Reverb... for some odd reason, they have been fetching lower than expected prices across the board.

One can easily get a decent Blackface Super Reverb for $1500. Now THAT is an amp!
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

Hm, a blackface Princeton reverb from 67 I have seen much higher than $650 and it is not much bigger than a Vibro champ. Why are Princetons so much more? Or have I been overestimating the value of mine all these years?

I used to have a 70s era silverface vibro champ and I LOVED it. Probably pawned it for beer money in college.... such a dumba$$.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

hydro said:
Hm, a blackface Princeton reverb from 67 I have seen much higher than $650 and it is not much bigger than a Vibro champ. Why are Princetons so much more? Or have I been overestimating the value of mine all these years?

I used to have a 70s era silverface vibro champ and I LOVED it. Probably pawned it for beer money in college.... such a dumba$$.
Click to expand...

BF/early SF drip edge Princeton Reverbs are completely different animals price-wise than Vibro Champs. They are extremely sought after and prices are friggin' crazy for those amps in even mediocre condition. Most BFPRs in decent condition can fetch $1200 easily and way more if they're minty. One of the hottest vintage Fenders to own for sure.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

I think the Twin is the way to go. They are powerhouses and sound great.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

Bigger Fenders just don't command a ton of money unless they're early '60s white tolex models or VERY clean BF/early SF models.

We just got this stupid clean '68 Dual Showman Reverb with two 15" JBLs and the original vinyl covers (!!!) for less than $1500:

Showman_zps665fbed0.jpg
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

I think im actually going to pass on both. As it turns out the speakers are the Oxford 12T6s, not the JBLs. And from talking to people and checking out prices it seems i can get a silverface vibro champ for significantly cheaper and they basically sound the same.

Oh well, all excited for nothing, lol.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

If you pay more than $375 for a '70s VC you definitely paid too much.

I think you're making the wise choice passing on both.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

erksin said:
If you pay more than $375 for a '70s VC you definitely paid too much.

I think you're making the wise choice passing on both.
Click to expand...

Was i just talking to you via email last night about catalinbread pedals? I initially inquired about whether you took custom orders, looking to find a silver kiss?
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

The Vibro Champ; if I am not mistaken is only 15W and that means its hard to play with a band. Not enough headroom. A great recording amp for sure but playing live I think its a bit too small. $650 isn't necessarily a bad price but its not great(I think the $ vary depending on condition & location). I have been looking for a Princeton Reverb(preferably a 68) but they are very close to $1500 & I am having a bit of an issue justifying a 15W amp for that amount of cash....

A 1970 Twin on the other hand is a great amp as long as you can deal with the weight & the volume. They are very clean and very loud. Any silver face Fender over 50W will be reasonable The most important thing to consider is as long as it does not have a Master volume you should be good. The MV series of silvers were a significant step down from the non masters. Twins are 80W and so freaking loud they are almost unusable in many of the places I play. In order to get them to sound decent you have to bring the volume up to about 4 to 6 depending on the amp & that is ear splitting volume for a Twin. As you stated they do take pedals very well so you could use a dirt box to kick it in. I personally prefer a Deluxe Reverb amp. 22W big enough to use in most clubs yet the volume is manageable.

Buying an older amp today it is pretty common to hear that the speakers have been re-coned & the amp has new caps. Caps only have a life expectancy of so long depending on how loud you play and how the amp has been used. I wouldn't worry about that affecting value. The amp has to be able to be played. I have both a 67/68 Super Reverb and Deluxe. Both have been retubed, recapped and both have new speakers. If the amp can't be used then whats the point in owning a vintage amp! Fendeer Twins of the SF era can be had as low as $500, smaller amps command more $ because they are more manageable.
 
Re: Vintage fender amp questions

Vibro Champs are 6 watts. Definitely need to mic it if you're planning on using one with a band.
 
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