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I went to an estate sale this morning, it was open since yesterday so today everything was 25% off. I was surprised that everything I saw in the Facebook ad that I was interested in was still available and very fairly priced. This wasn’t the only thing I grabbed (also got a 1954 Harmony arch top and a Korg Poly61) but this was the best and least broken from the haul. I paid $300 and the only issue is the input 1 jack needs to be cleaned or replaced. It sounds amazing and I can’t believe I slept on these for so long. Best living room amp ever, all the Fender tube cleans you could want at practice volumes (still would probably be “too loud� for many settings. At the price they normally sell for, there’s a lot of solid “all rounder� amps that seem to make more sense, so I’m glad to finally enjoy one for a reasonable price




(What looks like a hole on the right side of the grill cloth is just a speck on my phone camera)

Nice score, Nick!

Great find!

That looks in great condition! Nice find.

Amazing - well done Nick. Love mine.

Julian Lage and Margaret Glaspy gig with Champs. I like how in an interview Maragaret said that her mom has either an old silverface Champ or a Princeton but she refuses to give it to her. Must be a good amp indeed.

Jeez, that’s a good deal.

I enjoyed mine while I owned it - great for little fender cleans but mine didn’t overdrive as pleasingly as others I’d heard (like Tim’s vibrochamp)

I know that’s not really what they’re for though. That’s a great price too

Amazing haul!!

holy bawz, that's a great deal!!

My go to amp since i found one, was similarly priced too....a decade ago 😀

Great find!

So, I actually sold this amp during a gear downsize a while back, maybe a year or so ago. I listed for $700 since it was the cleanest one I'd seen, cleaner than ones selling for as much in the local shops. Problem is, the shops can work trades to make deals and usually have a return window/good faith warranty period - for a private sale on one of these, a vintage 5w tube amp isn't as great a deal as a similarly priced 22w DRRI. I ended up taking $500 for it, which I wasn't happy with, and immediately missed it. I filled the void with a cheap Epi Valve JR and a Pathfinder 15.

Browsing marketplace on Thursday I saw this ad for an estate sale near my house starting yesterday and running the weekend, and the 4th image was a silver panel Champ. I got super hopeful because it wasn't the first image, so it might fly under the radar of anyone searching for the amp. I took two hours off work the next morning, signed the check-in list and waited outside for half an hour, only for the doors to open with no rhyme or reason. By the time I found the amp, someone else had it in his hand but it didn't have a price tag. I mentioned that I was interested if he passed on it once we knew the price - at one point he offered to let me have it for $50 before we knew the price, a gamble I was glad I passed on once they told us the price was $700. I immediately passed, since that's basically full retail. It seemed like the other guy was still interested.

This morning I went back out to a few local yard sales I didn't have time for yesterday, and stopped by the estate sale again. The amp was right by the door with a $500 tag on it. As soon as the worker saw me looking at it, she said it was negotiable. I offered $300 and she countered with $350. Sold. Took it home, cleaned it up - it has been converted to 3 prong at some point, and had a bonus Sunn O))) M200 microphone in the back, which actually works and sounds pretty nice on initial testing (unidirectional mic despite how the grill looks, it seems similar to a 57.

This one is a '76, and is in about as clean of condition as my last one. TBH I think this one actually sounds better too.

dude, you've become the king of cool finds

Karma! Nice win, Nick. Glad it worked out in your favour.

Absolutely lov old Champs and even new ones like my XD.