Fender Vibro Champ and Eric Johnson Stratocaster Demo

[UKToneKing]

The VibroChamps are great for that classic fender clean tone at home volume's, u have to push a deluxe reverb or princeton reverb a bit harder to get that nice clean & at home that can be a problem for your house guests lol, the VC is just perfect for sparkle clean tones at home, I get mine on around 4 when people r in the house & on 4 it really shines, the sweet spot is around 4 on mine, & between 4-6 it stays clean, 6-10 is the brakeup stage which is great too, imput 2 on 6 is like 4 in imput1

[UKToneKing]

Hey what is the SONG you are playing in this DEMO ? been trying to remember as I want to learn it, please let me know asap cheers mate

[Jahnli]

@UKToneKing it's something I put together myself, kind of a cross between Blackbird and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

[redsquier375]

Nice tone, and fantastic little instrumental. Good job.

[DemoColorScheme]

This thing sounds fantastic clean! I'm wondering how it sounds pushed, though. All the drive videos I've seen of it are rather .. horrible.

[joelbyrne]

yo dude do you listen to Mark Kozelek? Ur style is very similar??

[Jahnli]

@joelbyrne ashamed to say I never have - I'm correcting that as we speak! Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon, all great stuff.

[fredericiscool]

@Jahnli Hey I see you swapped the Eric Johnson Pickups for Dimarzio Noiseless Pickups. Would you say that there was an improvement in tone?

Thanks, any help will be appreciated. :)

[Jahnli]

@fredericiscool honestly, single coils at my place hum so badly that i can't even really hear nuances in tone. But the Dimarzio Areas kill off that hum, and it sounds like a strat to me!

[sminchk67]

Love that sound, cool song too!

[BluesRocker52]

I really enjoy your playing. Thanks for sharing your talent!

[adlibmusic]

Very nice playing and nice chimey tone.

[Dr9000]

sweet .. such good sounds from the eric J .. I have a video of the EJ Strat posted too ... you play real well .. nice work

[RyuBlade1980]

Beautiful! Great tone!

[Jahnli]

You should see me with a narrow les paul, even worse.

[ArielCaboob]

You still play with that posture? Any lower pack pain yet? It's hard not to do it but if you are aware of it you try to get it right.

[UKToneKing]

@ArielCaboob I think you are spot on about that posture as I do it and I am getting back pain every time I am playing my guitar for more than 2 hours, I never used to get it up untill I started back on my guitar, now I am 33 instead of 23, so I am noticing it more now as well, I am trying to play upright as the back pain is horrible

[GuillermoSmyser]

Wow, great sound! I was starting to loose faith in the area pickups. But your sound is great and I'm surely going to get a set of areas for my strat! Thanks for uploading!

[blahman178]

dude get a fuzz. wail on some hendrix.

[Guiogo]

NIIICEE!! This bright tone is from the vibro champ or from ej's strat? have u already played this strat on a solid stade amp?

[Jahnli]

A combo of both - a solid state amp won't give you the same chime.

[hendrix184]

do these break up with high distortion

[Jahnli]

If you dime it, you'll hear a nice tube driven overdrive, but you'll need a distortion pedal to really push it - take a look at my 1965 Vibro Champ demo for an example of this.

[chooseyourblues]

@Jahnli

I did, and you have no shoes either. What's going on here? Are you only allowed to play a champ barefoot?

[chooseyourblues]

@Jahnli

Ah just realised you're the same dude. It's been four years since you posted this. Hopefully you have some shoes now.

[asatplayer]

Ive been looking for vids to give me an idea on the vibra champ as i want to build this amp. After hearing this, im definitely building it! Very sweet.

[KolodziejczykKuba]

really nice!

[theGodSeat]

nice playing. great tone.

[sebowebo]

hey where did you get your amp

my friend has one of those, but his dad bought it back in the 70's

i love how they sound, cuz its just a good clean sound, so i was looking into getting one and i'm trying to find one in good shape.

[Jahnli]

These days it's ebay, craigslist, guitar forums or guitar shops!

[jdrizd2]

I just got a 1972 Vibrochamp.  It cost $375... Still has original RCA tubes in it and works perfect. Very warm and smooth tone. Nice playing BTW!!!

[0258jtj7]

Just goes to prove it's worth going without shoes to have a good Fender amp!

[Jahnli]

Just something I put together myself, thanks!

[artienda12]

how much is your e.guitar? and the amp?... i wish my dad will buy me e.guitar this summer bcoz i will play guitar in church every mass... ^^

[Jahnli]

Guitar Center just blew out the maple necked EJ Strats for under a grand to make way for the new models. And you can find a silverface VibroChamp for around $300 if you look around!

[timjatomnee]

Nice stuff u got dude and nice playing! Although the sound in the video is crap to bad...is it much warmer in real life? In a demo like this it is impossible to hear quality gear.

[Jahnli]

Yep, old demo, this used a point and shoot camera onboard mic, sucked out all the bass and mids and you hear hiss that isn't there. I upgraded to an Apogee Duet and Studio Projects C1 mic, much better!

[timjatomnee]

That should be a lot better yeah ^^ I am always like I want to hear how it sounds, but I am always dissapointed when its a cam mic ;)

[LarryRickenbacker]

You sound great. My '68 Vibro Champ is my favorite amp; can do almost anything.

[tiddlywinks98712]

is it all tube?

[Jahnli]

Yes all tube - in fact, the silverface Vibro Champs are identical to the blackface Vibro Champs, so there's a deal there for you!

[pipesstratman]

I have an Amer. Std. Strat with the Dimarzio Area pickups also. Sounds like you found the sweet spot as far as the height of the pickups go! Would you mind sharing the height of the pickups from the polepiece to the bottom of the string, fretted at the last fret?

[Jahnli]

it's about 1/16th of an inch, the Areas definitely respond greatly to string height so dial them in accordingly!

[binsou]

Is it the original speaker?

[Jahnli]

yes, the original speaker, alnicos by weber also sound good in a vibrochamp.

[ArtDonna84]

Very nice demo, short but sweet. Thanks

[snotmale]

..sadly I made the wrong decision... I bought some shoes instead of an EJ !!

[YaySteaks]

shove it.

thats the way we asians roll.

u can track mud into your house all you want.

[ehurtig006]

I have a EJ Strat as well.. I dont think there is too much hum, especially not in the hum-canceling mode?

[Jahnli]

That's right, in positions 2 and 4 you won't hear hum. But for positions 1,3 and 5 the 60hz hum is horrible in a place with dirty power.

[coronet67]

You have to put an alligator clip to ground on your ears.

Actually, the hum doesnt bother me. I've always played single coil strats.

[101Guitars]

You are right. In fact, the FIRST THING EJ does when he goes to do a show, is look for clean power! Romex is notorious for noise.

Cool tone

[strabbs1]

sounds realy nice geez, nice chords

[jlt4926]

Nice chords

[hackdog69]

I wish I had an eric Johnson strat, it would prove that the guitar has nothing to do with it and I just suck

[joesl8]

Do you think one of those Monster Cable power cleaners might help the hum? I know how it is, different places cause different problems. I hear lighting etc could cause severe hum. I used to get radio freq transmissions in one apartment a few years back.

[Jahnli]

Unfortunately all the hum starts with the pickups of the guitar and goes from there - even if you get an ebtech hum eliminator that gets rid of everything from the other side of the amp, that 60 cycle hum is going to come through and the hum eliminator is going to alter the tone in ways we don't know - at least the hum eliminating pickups alter the tone in a designed way.

[joesl8]

Hey Jahnli, do you have any vids or sound bytes of the amp overdriven? With pedals, OD, Wahs or Delays? Sounds great clean, I'm a strat guy as well and have pondered building one...or a Princeton Reverb (for the reverb mainly). The sound level is what's pointing me in the VC direction. Oh, and I rather like the sound of "slight" hum from single coils...but that's just me.

[Jahnli]

Not this particular Vibro Champ, but look for the 1965 Vibro Champ clips I did for those kinds of demos. If the single coil hum was slight I'd love it, but I live near a power station...

[Jahnli]

More clean and shimmery, the EJs have a fatter tone, but still chime.

[dkijc]

sounds nice =D

Quick question, though... Why would you buy an eric johnson and change the pickups?? Isn't the whole point of getting EJ's to get his customized tone with the pickups?? (Besides the lovely body and the neck.. keke)

[Jahnli]

Only after getting it did I find out that I had disastrously dirty power so single coils buzzed horribly.  Had to put in noiseless pickups.

[snotmale]

nice harmonics - but could have been an accoustic and sounded the same...

[Marcoshary]

Hi, how are u satisfied with the Dimarzios Area 58 and 61? I´m considering them. Thanks

[Jahnli]

Being hum free is the biggest thing. It helps that they still sound like good strat pickups.

[andrewjeff]

but this has not reverb??

[Jahnli]

No reverb, that's right.

[secendale]

Like the guitar style!

[GoAheadAmuseMe]

Ernie Ball strings I assume

[Jahnli]

They are DR Pure-Blues Medium (10-46 gauge)

[GoAheadAmuseMe]

Thanks, believe I will pick up a pack

[PepeStrat]

Very nice composition and playing. The amp sounds nice too. You really ought to give your Autoharp (& player) some credit though. Or...wait...you wouldn't be trying to conceal the fact that your nice chime comes from an....Autoharp....now would you?

[Jahnli]

Autoharp, now that's a great way to put it! Nothing sproingier than a floating tremolo on a Strat, for sure.

[teofaouaz]

Great tone and playing! There is another alternative. I have an 65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI. It has only 22W, but the tone is huge. It also has reverb and vibrato. It is a great option.

[DukeDe]

What's the clean channel like? Is that all tube?

..Because the overdrive is solid state, I think? So that's probably quite nasty..?

[skatoharto]

as far as i kno its all tube. it has two 6v6 tubes in the power amp and 1 12ax7 in the pre amp

[vitruviancat]

One 6v6 power amp. It's a very low wttage amp.

[Jahnli]

It's all tube, the same schematic as the 60's Blackface Vibro Champ, no solid state and no additional gain stage - just crank it up for some overdrive!

[DukeDe]

Ah- I re-read the comment, this is a 1971 one. The new editions, the XD or something- they have a solid state drive, I think...

Nice video.

[Jahnli]

Be my guest and if you post it up on youtube let me know, I'd love to check it out!

[fernandoferraz79]

Hey man love your song !!!

I´m looking for a fender champ for myself.

Just wonder if you could put a video on youtube teaching this beatiful song.

Thanks

and regards from Brazil

[Jahnli]

Thanks! I tried a tutorial but ended up making no sense, I said things like "use this kind of shape up here" ugh.

[Relayer1968]

wow - I think you made the right choice my friend! Im looking to own a champ myself

[ukesivousplait]

Extremely nice composition. Tasteful and well executed. Keep it up. Guitar and amp are perfect partners. Thanks.

[Jahnli]

It's...orange. Heh, but other than that I like it, nice and beefy!

[Jahnli]

Actually it's thin because of the onboard mic on my point and shoot sucking out the bass and mids.

[anterix1999]

Hello!

What music are you playing? Very pleasant.

[Jahnli]

Thank you, it is something I made up while practicing.

[wpaone]

If you're looking for great bedroom amp, consider the Two Rock Jet Combo. you'll never put your EJ down again.

[AssassinSteven]

I have that amp, i hate it, im selling it

[FlyinV67]

Love the sound...did you have to change anything else on your strat (500K pots) to accomodate the Dimarzos? Thinking about changing my American Standard to Area 58, Area 61 and Vintage Solo...

[Jahnli]

No other changes needed, the pots are stock!

[Papilindo11]

the middle pickup usually has a more glassy tone while the bridge has a thinner tone and the neck has a warmer tone

[jma128]

I'd say the bridge has a twang, the neck sounds hollow, and the middle has a strange combination of the two.

[Jahnli]

Good call, it's indeed the middle pickup!

[peanutavalon]

Hey, I thinking of getting this guitar.Are the high and low e inset so that they don't slip off the fretboard..my last strat was terrible like that..

[Jahnli]

I didn't have any problems with slippage but I'm not certain if that meant that they were inset.

[Jahnli]

Yep, I just happen to live near the dirtiest power in all of the city it seems. All single coils spell death by hum at my place, regardless of make or model.

[Slayerman256]

Why do you change the eric johnson's pu's ?

[Jahnli]

Dimmer lights in the house, dirty power, single coils hum like crazy. These pickups = poof, no noise, plenty of tone!

[myfavoritevideoclip]

Very nice - 5 stars!

[dennyh86]

im very intersted in the dimarzio area 58 and 61..... im sure its a yes, but just making sure (cause i will order them online), do your stock fender pickup COVERS fit the dimarzio ones? cause i want the pickup covers to have the same colour as my pickguard... cheers buddy

[flukather]

No they don't stacked singles are a little thicker than a regular single, not by much, but you need to use the Dimarzio covers.

[Jahnli]

Good news tho is that the Areas come in white, black and aged white covers so you'll find something to match your current pickguard.

[spareflair]

I just got a EJ strat myself with a little Fender G-Dec for the bedroom, of course the amp doesn't do justice to the guitar - curious, what is that song that you are you playing?

[Jahnli]

That's a good question. It was some noodling to be honest, but listening to it now it's kind of a cross between Blackbird and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Go Figure.

[23L]

Jahn, nice sounding Champ.

And nice playing as well.

Steelpickin' former LTG bber.

aka 23L