Mods for the Fender 57’ Tweed Champ Re-issue and Eric Clapton Vibro Champ

Carl's Custom Amps is now offering mods for Fender's 57' Tweed Champ Re-issue and Eric Clapton Vibro Champ that bring them closer to quality and tone of an original 5F1 and our renowned Classic Tweed Champ. The Fender re-issue sounds thin out of the box and missing the growl, punch and grit one expects from a Tweed Champ. It sounds nothing like the real thing. To top it off it has a considerable amount of hum that is annoying to play and record with. A modern amp should never be noisy! With 70 years of hindsight to build upon all new amps should have as little floor noise as possible and sound great!

When your amp is sent in, we change some the tubes to give the amp the oomph of the original. We also remove some parts that have been added to the amp that detract from the tone. Our patented tweaks give the amp the feel and sound it needs. We can change the speaker over to a vintage series Weber or a vintage re-coned speaker which have smoother breakup and is very similar to the Oxford EV speaker found in most late 50's Tweed Champs. A pre-filter is added that eliminates reduces the idle hum. Additionally, we change the output transformer to one of better quality for more clarity in all the frequencies.

The result is an amp that growls, has great touch sensitivity and has low floor noise. Send your 57' Champ in today and upgrade your tone. We also offer NOS tube sets, a clean mod for those looking for cleaner Tweed Champ adds a push pull pot that switches between a stock Champ and clean Champ modes. A Harp mod is available for those using the amp with harmonica that increases feedback resistance and fattens the tone for harp.

Mods start at $285 the trade in of your old speaker and tubes that you’ll no long use. A clean mod with push pull pot adds $20 to the cost. A bright mod can be added to give the amp a brighter tweed tone. Harp mods run $215 since we keep the old speaker in there. Use the contact form to get the process started.

P.S I have had a number of players ask for the mods without the speaker change. The speaker change is critical to getting the sound right.

Note: I’ve had to remove some of the details about the mod since I receive emails weekly from techs or players saying they’ve made some of the changes or plan on modding the amp themselves but need me to tell how to really do the mods. Not cool. People who do good work (no matter what the field) deserve proper compensation. Send in the amp—-you won’t be disappointed in the results!

Customer Comments:

“Hi Carl!

I've had a chance to play the Champ for a few hours with your mods and true to your word - big improvement!

Best way I can describe it is that a blanket has been taken off the tone - more clean chime and sparkle & more/better dirty growl and bark.

The loud idle hum at low volume was such a bummer - it's gone now, and that's greatly appreciated.

And as an added bonus, whether it's the mods or just you taking the amp apart and reassembling it more tightly, you seem to have cured it of the intermittent "combo rattle" it had at medium volumes.

Thanks again, and I'm sure I'll be in touch in future (as in when I have the $s to spec a '61 Brown Deluxe Clone build!).

All Best,

David”

“Carl, immediately plugged in and it’s not even remotely the same amp! Unreal work man! This sounds amazing and I am a DeadHead so the bright/clean mod is just perfect, it sounds so good. How Fender can just put this crap out as is just baffles me, it’s like there’s no pride in the game. But wonderful doing business with you, excellent work, fast turnaround, shipped with care. A++ all around couldn’t be happier.”

Thomas H.

“Howdy Carl,

 I received my 57' Champ back from you on Saturday and was able to spend some time with it over the weekend. In our first message I had told you how, as long as I've owned my 57' Custom Champ I wanted to love it but I just didn't and I was hoping  you could make me feel differently about it. 

Wow, did you deliver! It's now quiet with no floor noise and when you start to play it, it has the most soulful tones I've ever heard out of it, the cleans are absolutely clear and clean and the grit is down and dirty!! 

This summer I will be sending you my 64' Custom hand wired DRRI and let you throw some more of your MOJO on it...

Thank you again for making me love this little amp!

Kirk M.”

“Hey Carl,

Been playing the amp for a few days and it really sounds great! Dead quiet at idle and the amp now has a growl that wasn’t there before. It baffles me that Fender wouldn’t offer these improvements straight from the factory? Glad to have found your website and to have “taken the plunge” by sending the amp in for the upgrades. Thanks again!

Best regards,

Miles C.”

“Carl, a quick note…. the amp is spectacular, it sounds better than any Champ I’ve owned…the tones I can get are amazing….orchestral chime, snarly grind, whistling feedback, its all there. It truly runs the full spectrum! Nice work man…thanks a lot.”

Bob D

Hi Carl,

Finally getting a chance to spend some time with this amp today. It does indeed sound great! I remember when i was a kid in Austin and i wish i remembered the name of the music store but i recall plugging into a vintage Champ one day. Back then I didn't even know what it was, just a little amp with only 1 knob in a ratty old cabinet. I just loved it so much. At the time I didn't think it would be loud enough to warrant pursuing it but I'd always remembered loving it so much. Fast forward 25 years and I have been on the hunt for a good little practice amp and have tried a few products on the market but not really satisfied with any of them. My mind flashed back to that time at that music store.. Fender Champ!!!

I looked into it and found out they made a hand wired reissue. The GC in my town listed one in stock and I balked at the price for a week or so but didn't want to miss out again so I got it. Was so excited when i got it home and plugged it in and it sounded like complete garbage. Very disappointing to say the very least.. I was about to return it when i found your website about mods and thought well, I'm already in it for 4X the cost of your mod so hung in there with it and sent it in. Then, the wait......... :) 

Sorry to be long winded, but I'm so happy to have this amp now! The tone and feel is just spectacular. It is very balanced and every note resonates in a very satisfying musical way. You can do very nice and warm cleans all the way to ZZTop gain where the notes smear together and blend nicely.. Just awesome for such a small box and at a volume that doesn't torch the eardrums. 

Thank you so much. I will keep you in mind for future needs. I'm thinking of staying with the tweed line for the next amp. Maybe like a Deluxe Tweed for playing when a drummer is involved...

Take care and best regards,

Casey

“Words cannot express how grateful I am for Carl and his custom mods. I purchased a Stock Fender ’57 Custom Champ (5watt) and had him do a clean mod. We spent a good half hour on the phone before I decided on what to do and he asked me so many questions about my guitars and pickups and helped perfectly describe what the mod can do. I primarily play worship music, so I need a bunch of different sounds and tonal capability. I’ve never been happier with an amp and I’ve owned many of the big names: Friedman, Mesa, Marshall, Orange and I would take this amp over any of them due to Carl’s work. I can't believe the range of sounds I get with a small amp and the amount of dynamic control I get with my playing. I’m also looking at one of his custom amps because of his great knowledge and superior craftsmanship. I highly recommend Carl’s custom amps and truly enjoy his work!”

Doug

Hendersonville, TN

Stellar job, Carl!

The Champ sounds wonderful (and such a joy to play). You clearly know your stuff. Just curious, what tubes are in this guy now? They're clearly not the same. Absolute wizardry, man.

Thanks so much!

David S.

“Hi Carl,

I got my amp back today, and wow, it sounds incredible!  Nothing like it did before.

I originally purchased the amp because of Julian Lage’s work with the Champ and was very disappointed with the sound and quality of the amp.  I was close to selling it before finding your website, and I’m happy I did.  The hum is completely gone, and the responsiveness is like nothing else I’ve heard. 

Thanks again for all of your work.  I can tell you already that I’ve started browsing your other services and the original amps you offer.

Take care.

Steven T. “

“HI Carl,

The amp sounds wonderful!

Thank You! I am sorry I am just now responding. I received the amp back - fast - and I appreciate the care you took with it and even better, I love the sounds it now makes.

It was exactly what I was looking for. It can get sounds just like Derek and the Domino's, "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" album and "Exile on Main Street."

Let's talk soon, I would love for you to do something similar with my Fender Pro-Junior.

Thanks again,

-Taylor”

“Carl,

I just want you to know that my ’57 Champ Reissue sounds a thousand times better that it did.  Your improvements made a huge difference! It really does sound like a different amp and I am very happy with it.

Many thanks,

Tom H.”

“Hi Carl, I got the amp back today. Now that is how a Champ should sound!! The tone sparkles at low volume and I haven’t even cranked it up yet, thank you so much. Regards and continued success.”

Joe

“Hi Carl,

So - it’s been three months since I got the Champ amp back and I just had to drop you a line.

I am totally happy with what you did. I practically never turn on any other amp and I’m on this thing almost every day.

And, mind you, I had the original version for 6 months and loved it before I decided it was just too noisy not to attend to the problem. 

Very happy I ended up with the full treatment (i.e. with the speaker replacement).  I have to say, the whole “Carl treatment” is better 

than I would have believed possible and much more than just a simple de-noise and tune-up. 

Again, thank you for doing such a great job (at such a reasonable rate) - 

All the best,

Christopher M”

Carl,

Picked up my amp today, wow what a difference!!!

Thanks for taking care of everything!!

-Chris A.

“Thanks so much for doing the work on my Fender Champ. It is now a completely different amp and I love it. I wish I had been smart enough to buy your version originally. "

-John O.

“Carl just completed a modification to my Fender ‘57 Custom Champ. He took the buzz out and gave it a much (hmm, what do I call it?) throatier sound for harp playing. It really sounds great!
Thanks Carl..!”

Pat D.