Fender Champ 600 Tube + Stimer S51?

Passacaglia

Hey all -

Totally inexperienced with amping. I have a Stimer S51, and have found a Fender 600 tube amp locally, at a good price. The amp was used very little and looks to be in great shape. Checking it out in person later, but asking for some experience points in most gigging sessions (e.g., loud ambiant sounds, smaller space).

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Paul

ps: I also have an MXL 603S pencil condenser...have yet to find a sweet spot/setup, formerly had a Bluetube pre-amp.

Steveareno

I reckon, any small Fender tube amp will sound good with a Stimer, provided it's not too hot or high gain. I had a Blues Jr for 5 minutes and sent it back because it buzzed like a swarm of bees. Plenty loud, but way too noisey. The lower gain amps, like Champs and Princetons sound much better and have warmer tone, with more natural harmonic distortion. I also like small Polytone and Evans amps: solid state, but very warm and fat with no buzzing or hiss. The Champion 600 is probably loud enough for small gigs, provided you don't have to deal with a drummer. Plus they're not too expensive and look cool. You could always mic it, if you needed more volume or coverage.
Swang on,

Passacaglia

Stevareno, thanks very much, very helpful.

I'm seeing this described as a "bedroom" amp, "great for dorm room or jamming, though not for gigs..."...not that I expect to be playing Carnegie, but wonder, just a tad wonder mind you, whether this might be a bit small. We have no drummer, just a classic quintette lineup (with the odd mando and clarinet tossed in ), but will be playing in pretty noisy environments. I've an MXL 603S, as I mentioned, but don't know how well that would work, piped into a PA from the front of the amp.

Jim Kaznosky

Paul, I used to use a Pro Jr. as my original amp on my gigs and that thing was barely turned up. It sounded good enough, but eventually switched it out for a Roland Street Cube, just for a bit of a cleaner sound. Thats rated at about 5 W and we barely go to 1/2 volume at loud restaurant volumes and a hair more than that for bars.
I think you have enough power for small gigs. You should try it out to see if it is giving you the sound you want, though.

Passacaglia

Thanks Jim. I actually decided against it, unless the guy wants to let it go for lower, which I wouldn't expect. My thinking was that I would rather wait and get a slightly larger amp, than acquire this one, and another one for larger venues.

After reading your post, I probably should have gotten it.

Steveareno

Used silver faced Fender Champs or Princetons from the 70's may be a better choice and they hold (or increase) their value well. Princetons can get quite loud. Champs are quiter but are also a lot smaller, lighter and cheaper. A speaker upgrade can increase the volume, but the stock speakers are nice. You may be able to score one for $200-$300. The recent Princeton blackface reissue is supposed to be pretty good. Used ones are popping up for about $500 (maybe less).
Swang on,

Passacaglia

Steveareno wrote:

Used silver faced Fender Champs or Princetons from the 70's may be a better choice and they hold (or increase) their value well. Princetons can get quite loud. Champs are quiter but are also a lot smaller, lighter and cheaper. A speaker upgrade can increase the volume, but the stock speakers are nice. You may be able to score one for $200-$300. The recent Princeton blackface reissue is supposed to be pretty good. Used ones are popping up for about $500 (maybe less).
Swang on,

Thanks, Steveareno. A used Princeton Reverb is actually what I'm looking out for. Though for $150, I still wonder if I should have just gone ahead with the 5W champ. It's not like we're being asked to play Shea Stadium.