Renamed: boasting about my vibrochamp

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:01 pm

Ah sheeit - I put temptation into my own way, and I need your help/affirmation/money. There's a weird little local guitar shop near me that I pop into roughly annually, and they've got a 70's Fender vibrochamp that's always tucked away in the corner looking unloved. Well today I played it - holy moly. It's lovely: only a diddy little 8" speaker, but it handles guitar, and even a baritone tuned to A, really well. It's by no means loud, but if I'm honest most of my playing is done at home: if I need loud, I can always borrow a friend's Marshall SS combo.
It's by no means perfect: the tolex is pretty tatty, and they've replaced the stock (and shot) speaker with a generic celestion (no massive worry - I'd replace with a Weber or a Jensen anyhow), the power switch has been replaced, and obviously I'd replace the caps if I got it. But, I fucking loved it. The trem is just to die for, and it's just so responsive: I can turn it right up to ten, play softly and it's lovely, then dig in and it fair barks at me.
So... looks like I'll be selling my TT (I'll take my spam elsewhere, obviously), unless one of you screams "No! All vibrochamps are cursed!". Thought, comments, criticisms? Anyone? Bueller?

Post by **Mike** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:04 pm

The Vibrochamp is a classic design. if the circuitry all looks original I would go for it, dependent on price of course. I believe going rate on ebay is definitely above Â£400.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:06 pm

Ahem...

Â£230.

Post by **Mike** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:06 pm

Well do it then, but keep the TT also.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:13 pm

Sadly, that's just not an option: my wife would murder me. It has to be one or the other; my current thinking is flog the TT but keep the 1x12 cab for when I want to pretend I'm in Deadmeadow, but I think both need to go to fund this purchase. Bottom line is 1) we're skint, 2) don't have any room for the amp I've got, let alone another, and 3) it's a hobby for me first and foremost, so I can't justify different amp flavours.

My only tiny nagging doubt is, if the TT had vintagemojo(TM) and was point-to-point wired etc. would I feel the same way? I fend this off by telling myself I could always get another TT...

Appreciate your input, too. Anyone else care to weigh in?

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:13 pm

that does seem like a good price for uk folk. the tiny terror is easily replaced if you ever decide you need one again. i'd say go for it.
did you read filtercap's vibro champ thread? there's some gold in there.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:19 pm

Been staring at it for some time now mouthing words like "capacitor" and "resistance" while frowning and drooling on myself. Plan to start aggrivating with PMs soon...

rrrob9 · Post by **rrrob9** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:33 am

get it man! sounds like a good deal
money's no use to you in the bank eh

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:52 am

This is a no-brainer. You need to think outside the box and buy the Vibrochamp moving forward.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:08 am

Hupdate - after an evening of pleading and abandoning all dignity, Mrs Benecol has agreed to lending me the money (from the holiday kitty) for a little while. TT very much for sale, now (see spam thread).

rrrob9 · Post by **rrrob9** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:02 pm

Nice one mate

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:52 pm

Well, I've gone and done it: a tatty but lovely 1979 Vibrochamp is now mine! (Have some pics):

Tatty, isn't it? Here's its behind, featuring the "why-the-fuck-did-you-throw-away-the-original-speaker-you-dicks?" Celestion the geniuses in the shop put in a few weeks ago:

I'll take pics of the innards when I pop it open, but for tonight, I plan to get the kids to bed, and then just play the thing! Takes fuzz very nicely, and the trem is just the most fantastic throb. Weirdly, for an open backed amp with an 8" speaker, it's bassy as fuck: I plan to buy another baritone soon, and was able to play one through it in the shop; it handled it with aplomb! Go figure. Future plans are to change the electrolytic caps, and replace the speaker, but for now, it's just bunty.

shae · Post by **shae** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:03 pm

Fucking beautiful mate. I've wanted one of those for SOOOO long and currently tossing between either an Ampeg J-20 (early Fender Princeton type circuit) and a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI (which I'll have to swap out the transformers because I'll be buying from the states, in which case should make it sound better than stock (not that I have an option to keep it stock, lol)).

Enjoy it and make a demo if you have the resources available!

James · Post by **James** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:06 pm

Great deal. Does this shop carry much else worthwhile? I'm over that way from time to time.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:48 pm

I was going to post an informative and enriching "What I played in the shop today" post in the Diary thread, funnily enough. It's a funny little shop - about 1/3 acoustics, which I can tell you nothing about because they bore me rigid. They stock shitloads of Fretking, Italia and Vintage stuff (basically, anything to do with Trev Wilkinson - it starts to wear thin after a bit; every bit of kit has a Wilkinson connection, it seems; "Oh yeah, Trev hand-selected all these plectrums for us"... "Trev Wilkinson likes the little white patch cables the best too"... "That's Trev's seat, don't sit there"). Roach would love it - they've got all the Italia basses, which look pretty fun, and a really good selection of Italia guitars (12 string Rick copy, couple of those semi-hollow fibreglass LP things etc.). The Vintage stuff is pretty neat too - a 3xP90 strat, and teles of every p'up combination. Fret King is cool too: they've got a couple of firebird and explorer looking things, and an Esquire that was handmade for Jeff Beck (he didn't like the tiny frets - neither did I). Also there's a weird baritone with a "thumbs-up" headstock (forget the brand) which sounded nice but looked fugly. All this plus a few MIK Tokais. Oh, and a Sound City 120 head.And the full range of Marshall pedals, and some multi effects. Sadly, it suffers from Guitar Shop Pricing Syndrome, but he's not adverse to offers, and is a nice bloke.
Things I learned during my visit? P100s are shite pickups, and Jeff Beck and I have the same taste in frets.

James · Post by **James** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:55 pm

benecol wrote:...Oh, and a Sound City 120 head...

Is that 120 watts? Or just a model number?

Catch the price at all?

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:59 pm

I think that's the model - I know they're loud as bombs though - thought I'd mentioned it here before? They're amps our American cousins go all gooey over. On at Â£250 I think, but I know he's just had a big VAT bill so is taking all sorts of offers (hence my nice price on the VC). Let me know if you're interested and I'll PM you my secret identity so you can stroll in and say "Aug sent me" fuck.

Hupdate - yep, 120 watts, I think. Bassman beater?

James · Post by **James** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:05 pm

I didn't see anything concrete but it looks like it's 120 watts which is too much for me (and my cab). If it was 60 or less I'd be tempted.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:08 pm

Aye, the site's not all that. Worth calling them: I know it has all manner of controls on the back - maybe it can be choked down, or you can take a valve out? Worth calling them, anyhow.

James · Post by **James** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:18 pm

Got a link anyway?