I want to buy a tube amplifier with great dynamics, plenty of harmonics and really touch responsive, since I am going to use it for practice at home and I want to develop my playing. I need great cleans when I play at low volumes (similar to the volume of a televisor) and to deliver great 6V6 cranked tone when I can play loud (sometimes at home and when recording in the studio). For this reason I restricted my research to: Victoria 518 Victoria 5112 Fender Champ 57 I would like to know the impression of people who played them, how they would compare these amps. At the moment, I think the best for my need would be the Victoria 518 because it is built better than the Fender and it has a 8 speaker, like the original tweed from 50s, so I expect it to deliver the tone of many songs of Clapton, Richards...
I would like to suggest that you also consider a Tungsten Mosaic w/ a 12" speaker. It sounds so good I don't really know the right words to describe it. However it does meet your requirements....
I found a nice vintage 59 champ for under a thousand and put a weber 8" blue dog in it and it sounds great.
Unfortunately in Europe I can not find Tungsten amps and shipping from US would be too expensive. I can't go vintage, because I live in Europe and I need an amp with 230V transformer.
I'm in the same boat. Getting these kits in Europe is a pain and the savings are not all that much. You learn a lot, but for a price. I'd like to do a kit someday, but for now want to play and actually have the amp hold it's value. Victoria amps are fantastic, but same thing. Getting them in Europe is a pain and selling them is no easier if you needed to. I'm about to pull the trigger on a Fender EC Vibro Champ.
For what you're looking for, you really need to consider either the Swart Atom Jr. or the Swart STR. They are both 6v6 5 watters.
So very very untrue. 8's have their own sound.My eight inch Jensen alnico sounds so good it is ridiculous. A lot recordings are done on 8" speakers Also the Champ is voiced for an 8; another reason it can sound sooooo good. Folks make a huge mistake in screwing up an awesome sounding amp, the PR. It is not voiced for a 12" nor is the cabinet. Does it sound great with a 12? Mine sounds great with a 12 Celestion gold. But the cab has its own sound. People spend too much money and time and its all for nothing. Or less than nothing.
Now imagine a small Champ cab, with NOS tubes, and 10" speaker shaking the sh**t out of the tube more so cause of the speaker size that's inappropriate for the box.
I am waiting for a Vic 518 delivery - I chose not to take the 12inch version, I believe the Champ = 8 incher.. I have a 5E1 champ Weber clone with their 8 Sig.speaker and it sounds better than when I connect ext. boxes - either with 10" Gold or 12" Blue. In fact, the best sounding Champ I´ve heard was a 54 or 55 with SIX inch speaker .. can´t get the sound out of my head
Build one. Never better than with your own hands. BTW, it will NEVER deliver the tones you mentioned because you ain't those people. Just so ya know.
I own a Victoria 5112 and have played my friend's 5F1 Fender Champ many times. No question that the Vic 5112 is the better choice for your needs. It sounds "fuller" and "cleaner" at low volume and cranks up to be a big sounding grinder when you get past 9:00 on the dial. It is a tube swapper's dream also, because changing "glass" makes for big tonal changes. Not to mention that the cost of tubes is relatively cheap since there's only three of 'em. The only reason I would go with a 518 is if weight or size is an issue, or if shipping to Italy is significantly cheaper over a 5112 package. And even then, I'd seriously fight to import a 5112...you will not be disappointed. Barnzy Also....the 5112 loves different speakers...it is truly a fun amp if you like to tinker a bit.
