Up for sale, a 1965 Fender Vibro Champ in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This Vibro Champ has the model's introductory features including the Pre-CBS-era "Fender Electric Instrument Co" faceplate and no-logo grill.

This Black Panel-era Fender wonder delivers five watts of pure Class A tube tone. A surprisingly loud amp via the original Oxford alnico magnet 8" speaker, the Vibro Champ offers warm, dynamic cleans before pushing into smooth, lightly compressed tube overdrive as you turn up the Volume dial. Responsive to picking dynamics, and absolutely huge sounding with a microphone in front of it, it's hard to beat the Vibro Champ for pure simplicity and great tone. And of course, Fender's lush-sounding tremolo circuit has a strong pulse and wide range of speeds, perfect for subtle shifts in volume or machine gun chop.

The circuit has been recently given a check-up by our techs here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar to ensure optimal functionality. The Schumacher-made transformers date to the 13th week of '65 (output) and 8th week of 1965 (power), and visible codes on the original suite of Stackpole pots date to the 2nd week of '65. A number of the smaller components in the preamp have been substituted for high quality modern equivalents to ensure the amp is functioning within factory spec. The amp features new smaller electrolytic caps in the preamp, a modern multi-section can cap in the power supply, and a modern three-prong power cable.

The tube chart is partially intact with the same Pre-CBS "Fender Electric Instrument Co" text that matches the faceplate. The tube complement includes a vintage USA-made RCA 5Y3 rectifier and 6V6 power tube, with one vintage and one modern valve in the preamp (both Mullards). The original alnico magnet Oxford-made 8" speaker is intact, and the speaker has a viable cone, modest surface rust on the frame, and Fender-foil sticker. The edge of the frame also retains its 1965 date stamp.

The original smooth black tolex and silver sparkle grillcloth is intact, and both are notably tidy, with some darkening of the early no-logo grill. The faceplate is very well-kept, save for some minor wear around the knobs and input jacks, complete with all of the original witch hat knobs. Hardware includes the stock handle caps, sphinx glides (feet), raised Fender logo, and chassis straps. This Vibro Champ is an ideal example of Black Panel tone that's sure to delight both discerning collectors and serious players.