Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: Shrapnel on July 26, 2011, 09:59:03 pm

Title: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: Shrapnel on July 26, 2011, 09:59:03 pm

See it here: http://fortsmith.craigslist.org/msg/2514030308.html (http://fortsmith.craigslist.org/msg/2514030308.html)

Thing is, with a new power cord, two new caps, and "darkened" tweed (excuse of when it was done included in listing)... Is this person's expectations even realistic, or is he trying to cash in on the old-fender craze a few people have?

Title: Re: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: Fresh_Start on July 26, 2011, 11:13:46 pm

I'd pay $500 for it if the speaker is original, the insides are un-touched except for a couple of capacitors plus a 3-prong cord, and it sounds right.  But I'm not a collector or a dealer.

Chip

Title: Re: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: Iannone on July 26, 2011, 11:36:05 pm

With the '57 Champ reissue selling for a grand (gasp!), the price doesn't seem too weird or outrageous.

Title: Re: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: Shrapnel on July 27, 2011, 12:40:56 am

Quote from: Iannone on July 26, 2011, 11:36:05 pm

With the '57 Champ reissue selling for a grand (gasp!), the price doesn't seem too weird or outrageous.

YIKES! OooooooooooooooKaaay, I guess if anyone is cashing in on and raping wallets for a very simple design, it's Fender themselves.

Title: Re: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: bigsbybender on July 27, 2011, 01:50:21 am

I've seen Tweed Champs fetch $1500 before in very clean condition. I showed some eBay auction results to an old timer that has worked ~50 years at a local music shop. His quote: "I couldn't give those away when they were new. They sounded terrible, all distorted." Myself and another guy at the shop just looked at each other in disbelief thinking "this sounds bad?" While he was handing over his 59' Champ for me to work on.



j.

Title: Re: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: tubeswell on July 27, 2011, 05:13:13 am

Tweed Champ vs BF Champ A/B

Clean Vintage Fender Champ's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8MzmN0YNuI#)

Title: Re: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: Fresh_Start on July 27, 2011, 09:22:35 am

That comparison of clean tones was nice, but I'd really like to hear the difference in the overdriven tones and touch response between clean & dirty.

Cheers,

Chip

Title: Re: '61 Tweed Champ
Post by: HotBluePlates on July 27, 2011, 05:11:37 pm

If the speaker is good, it's worth the money.

More than a decade ago, I bought a '54 Princeton with some very ratty tweed (I mean very ratty) for $450 and got more than that for it when I sold it.

It might be a toss-up how much the painted tweed, or recovering with new tweed, would drop the collector value.

Play it and see if it sounds good to you. If it does, the price is decent.