Fender
’68 CUSTOM VIBRO CHAMP REVERB-AMP
TESTED BY ART THOMPSON
INTRODUCED IN 1964, the tremoloequipped blackface Vibro Champ was a distant cousin of Fender’s Champion 800 and 600 models from the late 1940s, which evolved into the Champ-series amps in their various incarnations during the 1950s. These popular tweed models — which Duane Allman and Eric Clapton famously used on records such as (respectively) Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and 461 Ocean Boulevard — were produced until 1964 and had the distinction of being the last of Fender’s original tweed amplifiers.
In fall 1964, Fender introduced the blackface Champ and Vibro Champ models. Both retained the single 6V6 power tube running in single-ended Class A but added bass and treble controls and a three-knob tone stack, as well as a “vibrato” circuit with speed and intensity controls on the Vibro Champ. Equipped with an eight-inch speaker, the new Champs were favored for their warm, clear tones and mild overdrive when cranked.