Fender Vibro-Champ XD, the Ultimate Bedroom Amp?

Fender Vibro-Champ XD, the Ultimate Bedroom Amp?

Hi-diddly-ho fair blogeriffic frinds.  I’m an amp guy, I don’t try to hide it.  I’d rather play an average guitar through a fantastic Amp than the other way around.  Can I get an "amen" from anybody out there?  The problem is that syrupy, smooth, warm tube-tone usually only comes once an amp is at a fairly high volume.  Even my smallest of tube amps, a silver-face Fender Champ, needs to get fairly loud before it finds its voice.

My little Vox Pathfinder 15Rsounds decent at low volume, but it is kind of a one-trick-pony, and even it sounds pretty uninspiring at very, very low volume levels.  So, what do you do when it’s two o’clock in the morning ... the baby (or wife, neighbor, etc) is sleeping right overhead or in the next room, and you seriously need to do a little therapeutic noodling while watching the History Channel?  For me, it usually meant light nylon-sting strumming, or maybe an unplugged electric when even the nylon string thing was too loud.  Of course there’s headphones, but, I mean, well ... ugg!

For me, friends and neighbors, ultra low volume salvation has came in the form of  a cute little sprite of a Fender Combo.  Even at less-than-acoustic guitar levels, the little Vibro-Champ XD sounds very rewarding.  From Clapton-esque tweed Champ tones to SRV to big, warm jazz box, to metal, to over-processed pop tones ... it’s all there, and it all sounds good (or at least acceptable) even at VERY low volume levels.

Tell ya what, how about I present exhibit 1: this here lil ol video:

Next time around I’m going to be talking about hard-core speaker upgrading.  Ya all come back now!

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