benadrian wrote:I have never once been unhappy with my silverface Champ.BenApologies for quoting a ten year old comment! But since this thread is live... Does the champ still hold up given how many great small valve amps are available now? I can pick up a silverface champ but it's now a more expensive option than small Vox/Blackstar/Laney/etc valve combo options. I'm currently using a Laney LC15 or a Traynor YGM with an attenuator but love the idea of a small, grab and go, good quality home amp.

Thanks Ben!I've been searching for a simple, durable practice and home recording amp for a while but it feels like that's harder to find than I had thought. There's a silverface champ available for 600 (they are much less common in Scotland!) or I can pay close to 1,000 for a small, boutique job. Obviously there's a million second hand blues juniors, I just had my heart set on something a bit more (for lack of a better word) 'classic'.I don't mind using pedals for drive cos I play clean 90% of the time but the problem I have with the Traynor is it has so much headroom that an overdrive pedal doesn't seem to make the front end 'work' at all, which feels hard to play. Can you boost the champ into drive at low levels or does it entirely rely on clipping in the pedal itself?

benadrian wrote:DvdWr wrote:Thanks Ben!I don't mind using pedals for drive cos I play clean 90% of the time but the problem I have with the Traynor is it has so much headroom that an overdrive pedal doesn't seem to make the front end 'work' at all, which feels hard to play. Can you boost the champ into drive at low levels or does it entirely rely on clipping in the pedal itself?I say it's more the latter. You could use a dirty boost pretty well. A straight up clean boost probably wouldn't add too much dirt if the amp volume was left low.Thanks again, I'll mull it over and see if it's still available on pay day...

Peavey Nano Valve if you can find one. 5 watts all toob. A little rare, but usually pretty cheap.

I know this sounds nuts, but the Vox solid state amps discussed here have a ridiculously good sounding breakup - have a listen on Youtube or try in person, if you can. The Pathfinder 15R even has an actual spring reverb.

VaticanShotglass wrote:Vox Pathfinder. It seems like the 15 and 15r have become quite the desirable item. You catch them at decent prices sometimes, but they sure have gone up. Are the Pathfinder 10 models any good?Some people swear by them. Me, I picked up a 15R for $50 a few weeks back and I am still reeling from how good it is.

Vox Pathfinder 10

I'll probably keep an eye out for a reasonably priced Vox Pathfinder. If it takes pedals well, I think it should hit all the marks.As for SF Champs. That is my main amp that I'm trying to spare from living in a tool box 40% or rotten old garage of the time. I love the thing. A Princeton is probably the more flexible choice as neither are going to break up at low volume and both will take pedals well. With the price creep, I'd have a hard time affording a replacement without spending a bit more on a Princeton or a little Ampeg combo. When I got mine, it was the only option of that quality I could afford. It's been over 10 years now and it still works great. The clean sound is great, so you don't always need to crank it but it rocks when you do. I love the thing.

Ten year bump:The playing field for tiny amps has changed a little, maybe. I'm curious about current thoughts on small, portable, decent sounding amps under $200. I'm particularly looking to not have to drag my much loved Silverface Champ around to get beat up or stolen as I bounce around staying here and there. I'd like to throw a Rat or fuzz front of it and get good sounds. Otherwise I'd like it clean-ish.First thoughts:Vox Pathfinder. It seems like the 15 and 15r have become quite the desirable item. You catch them at decent prices sometimes, but they sure have gone up. Are the Pathfinder 10 models any good? Traynor TS-10 and similar. These have also crept up in price. I like how small the 10 is, and I love the sound I've heard from recordings. It would be nice as something rather different from my Champ. I kinda have a hankering for something like this.Monoprice 5w Champ thing. I've heard good things said about these guys. The price can be around $100, which is nice. It is a little close to just having another, likely lesser, Champ. Maybe it is more tweed voiced? If it sounds good, then whatever, though. Baby Peavey/Fender whatever amp. These vary quite a bit and I can't say what ones I like or not. I started on generic Peavey Solid State amps and I'm not excited to pick up another, even if they are pretty good at what they do.Super baby-sized novelty plastic amps. They look like big amps. I've never played one but it would be neat to keep in the garage if I'm testing a circuit. Probably not what I'm looking for.I don't know, I'm drawing a blank. I was going to be cute and make a DIY thing, but I just don't have the time and focus to go and come up with something cool.

I have the Vox Ac4 12" and it's awesome... Great for fuzz pedals. I got a Lead 12, and I prefer the vox.I've just bought a Fender Champion 600, and it's also very cool... I also have a Tiny Terror. Not so good for bedroom levels.