Looking for my first amp and mic. For home lone use and also to jam with my son who plays electric guitar so looking for low volume but still Chicago bawlsy sound without annoying the rest of the household but can then wind it up a bit more for jamming. Anyone had both these amps? I gather that the VHT is ok out of the box but the Champ need modding to make it good. So, will the Champ after mods and the extra cost be a much better amp than the VHT will ever be? Also, suggestions please for a mic to get that old Chicago sound.
The short answer is no. The VHT Special 6 is a much, much more superior amp to the Fender Champion 600. It has a bigger speaker, bigger cabinet, a better tone and it's point to point wired which makes working on it far easier. Out of the box the VHT is a very good amp for harp. If you can solder and spend a little bit of cash (less than £3 in my case). You can do the Jim Rossen mods which turn the VHT into a killer harp amp. The only other changes I made was to put in a JJ Tesla 6V6 power valve (tube) and a 5751 preamp valve.
As for mics. The Shure 545SD (set to Hi-Z) is a great mic to use with the VHT. I use either that or my JT30 with CM99A86 element in it. So basically any bullet mic with a good element in it or any decent Hi-Z stick mic should be fine.
Last Edited by on Mar 03, 2012 12:56 AM
I would go with the VHT for the reasons Kingley mentioned. I have a champ amp (clone) and a VHT. I like them both. THe VHT I have is unmodified but still a great amp. It has more bass and has a tone control to cut back on the highs.
@Kingley, I am thinking about the mods. you mentioned for my VHT. Did you do all of them. And did the amp have better break-up.?
blueswannabe - I added the line out and also changed R9, R10, R12, R15 using the values on the Jim Rossen site and removed one leg of C11. The amp now is slightly louder and has much better bass response, less treble, has a much better break up and generally sounds a lot browner. It doesn't sound as boxy now either. I run it with a 5751 as I found that gives a far better tone and more headroom than a 12AX7. When I've used it via the line out to a PA. The resulting sound is pretty close to the speaker sound to my ear. If I get a chance I'll try and do a video of it.
Here's a link to Jim Rossens mods. VHT Mods
Last Edited by on Mar 03, 2012 6:06 AM
No I didn't change the coupling cap. Would that make a big difference? Here's a quick and dirty video. The amp sounds way better than this video portrays it. There is a big difference in tone and volume between the two clips, which doesn't come across in the video. I guess it's down to the laptop mic compressing the sound. It'll give you a rough idea of what it sounds like though. If I get the chance I'll make a better video or maybe try and get some live footage at one of the local jam sessions.
I picked up one of these a while back (CraigsList $125.) and have been extremely impressed. I was going to mod it but haven't gotten around to it. You should know it is a very good small harp amp just as it is. No mods are necassary. They would likely make what's already a good thing better - but it is already a VERY good small harp amp.
I play with a guy who's in management at AVID/PROTOOLS. He gave me the backstory on VHT. The Chinese OEM manufacturer for VHT (and other US amp brands) ended up buying VHT when the founder got in financial straits. You are getting an amp at close to what the original manufacturer was having to pay for them. A whole level of mark up has been taken out of the chain in other words.
I can't imagine a better bargain in a small tube amp. ----------
Kingley. Thanks for that video. I really liked your tone and the sound of the modified VHT. I don't know if in this instance the coupling caps would make a difference. However, I will do the "R9, R10, R12, R15 using the values on the Jim Rossen site and removed one leg of C11" you mentioned above.
Kingsley - You recommend a 5751 tube swap, Watford Valves say that this valve is if you want a clean sound - http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1784 Please excuse my ignorance but I thought for harmonica you'd want an over-driven valve sound?
I have a VHT Special 6 and have played thru a friends Champ 600, and I still prefer the "Epiphone" Valve Junior. Just comes down to personal taste and the style of sound you want to get. Steve :)
@Gazza19 - The Watford Valves reviews are not written from a harp player's perspective, you are better off asking advice here, or at the Weber & Lone Wolf forums.
Harp mics tend to hit the amp with much bigger signal voltages than a guitar pick up, so you will still get an overdriven sound with a 5751 in the VHT, it will be smoother, rounder & less spanky than a 12AX7. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'll order the VHT and valves next week and have a look at doing the other mods later.
Last Edited by on Mar 04, 2012 9:58 AM
Sidenote...it's been a while since this was brought up, but if and when the new "Kalamazoo" amps hit the market, they could very well become another contender in this small class-A tube amp race that keeps cropping up: Champ 600, VHT Special 6, Epi Valve Jr., Gretsch 5222, the vintage 'Zoos, and now the new ones.
Well, the new K'zoos are more likely to be competing with Harpgear, Marsh, Vintage 47, Victoria etc..."handmade in the US" doesn't happen for ~$150...more like 4-6 times that!
