ShortScale.org

Look what arrived today:



It's a 1978 silverface Vibrochamp. I won it on eBay last week, after a run of getting spangled on them left, right and centre. I'm over the moon with it - paid considerably more for it than I did for my old/James's/mine again/now Reece's one, but it's about the one piece of kit I regret flipping. This all came about because a 74 VC came up for sale locally, and since I turn 40 in September, thought this would be a good significant, birth year bit of kit. That one a) sold for too much money and b) turned out to be a 1980 anyway. I'm happy to have a '78 and lie about my age.

It's the cleanest silverface I've seen in the flesh - some pitting on the top strips, but the fascia and grille is minty. It's the first UK model I've seen with the correct back panels too (the top one's shaped, rather than rectangular). Original, possibly-quite-shit-but-I'm-too-in-love-to-notice Fender speaker, old as fuck Fender-branded tubes, even came with the manual, guarantee and circuit diagram.

It sounds fucking great - VCs give the best trem I've ever heard from any amp or pedal. Wish the Princeton's trem was this good (or could be set this slow, frankly). And while it always seems daft when I see it written down, it's true somehow: the roominess to the way the amp sounds means that the lack of reverb isn't a problem. Really spacious* sounding.

More pics when I open it up and discover a rats' nest of wires inside and a terrifying bulging cap can.


* don't hate me.

Glad you like it! Four years younger now, too.

hooray, i'm glad you got another one. got to spend some quality time with mine for the first time since going back to university last month and it is wonderful.

Saw you were doing your MA - where to, Reece?

MSc actually, at the university of kent. I did think about bringing the champ with me but I don't think they'd appreciate it in university halls.

Awesome! They are climbing in price, it's getting harder to find a deal on them anymore. I too wish princetons had the same trem, the stock one in princetons suck

That's a great way to celebrate the upcoming birthday & getting back a piece of kit you've loved and yearned for. It looks lovely & can't wait to see its guts

Now hook it up to a 2x12". I had a lovely day in a studio once taking the Champ and hooking it up to a 4x12". It made some duggaduggathrashrock men stop and look at it with a very puzzled expression.

Lovely.

Fuck me. I so want one of these lately and am too getting Spangola'd up the wazoo when it comes to eBay listings for them.

paul_ wrote:Fuck me. I so want one of these lately and am too getting Spangola'd up the wazoo when it comes to eBay listings for them.

Gearpage/offset/tdpri classifieds have seemed to be the better spot for reasonable prices

I had the exact same amp for years... Same year, and looks to be same condition. Mine seemed to have a certain magic sparkle. Just traded it to my bandmate as I prepare to move. I'll definitely miss mine... Quite happy you've found another.