You don't need an expensive amp to get good tone.

aja

This sounds great to my ears. Trick is that the fender champ doesn't like mid heavy guitars IMO, gets too fuzzy/farty.

=

Sean

Yeah, I like it too. Stick a mic in front of it and play any stadium in the world. Sorted ?

aja

Sean wrote: Yeah, I like it too. Stick a mic in front of it and play any stadium in the world. Sorted ?

And interestingly the champ reissue does everything wrong according to the tube snobs -- undersized transformers, farty speaker, rubbish grill cloth, PCB electronics, made in China, rubbish stock tubes and so on...

Yet it still sounds ok!

Codex7

Apparently the Orange Micro Terror is fantastic - looking at most reviews.

It also comes optionally with a 8" cab for a really tiny stack that packs a punch:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MicroTerrorBun/

Any locals using the Micro Terror? Looks like a great option - but adding 12" cab to the head will probably make this option a bit more expensive than a nice valve combo like the Laney CUB12R

AlanRatcliffe

That's the beauty of valve amp circuits - the simpler ones tend to sound pretty good regardless. In fact the more complex they get, the more difficult it becomes to keep them sounding good. Still, upgraded circuit components (and especially speakers) can and do make a difference - particularly with the simple circuits. I do think that transformer size is a choice - bigger isn't always better for all tastes.

The stock Champion 600 does one thing, but does it well, mods mostly expand the flexibility, voice and touch sensitivity - done right, it becomes a much more flexible amp, able to handle higher output and more mid centred guitars and drive without getting too farty or coarse. Then again, some folk like the coarseness...

I have to say though, that I'm not a fan of the tweedy, mid pushed circuits like the champ - I'm more of a blackface "scooped" kind of a guy. But once again, that's very much personal taste.

Max

The other interesting fact is that the Danelectro guitar is made out of Masonite ?. Sometimes we place so much emphasis on the the woods used and top end instruments that we forget the essence of Guitar Playing ?.