The Champ

Beauty in simplicity and just a great sound

Some examples of the Champ and it slightly bigger brother the Tweed Princeton. The Tweed Princeton added a tone control to a very similar circuit.

Both amps are noted for their small size and friendly power for the player who needs to be sensitive to family and neighbors. One power tube, one preamp tube and one rectifier- no tone controls to steal gain. Hugely popular and cabable of driving a small 8" speaker or a big cabinet.

I like to build these with the classic cloth covered wire, eyelet board construction and the big pilot light. I also do a great small organ amp conversion to the Champ circuit.

 

Here are some pictures of a champ amp. You can see the classic eyelet board- I usually build these myself- and the cloth covered wire. You can also see the twisted wires that is the heater wiring for the tubes. In this amp I ran them high over the tube sockets to avoid hum induced by the current. Little details mean a lot in how the amp will sound and how much background noise will be present in the amp.

I also like to use good vintage tubes in my builds when I can get them. They are not the cheapest, but they sound great and last a long time. Remember, a preamp tube can last years in an amp, so don't skimp!