Emprize Amplification?

JezWynd

Been considering getting a tweed Champ style combo and Emprize cropped up. I’ve never heard of them before. They market their Tweed 5w at 750.00 which is quite a saving over Fender’s version. Still a lot of cash for a very simple circuit and no name recognition if it came to selling on. Anyone with experience of their kit?
https://www.emprizeamps.com/

Modulus_Amps

He has been building amps for a number of years, the ones on the website look to be mostly clones. If you are nearby I would go check them out.

If not, ask for some internal photo's etc.

The cabinets look nice enough

Not CE marked on the website

RiftAmps

Knowing the cost of components and cabinets etc, he's not making much money charging £750 for a 5F1. Sounds like a bargain to be had if built to minimum safety regs/reqs.

JezWynd

Modulus_Amps said:

Not CE marked on the website

Thanks, hadn't noticed that. He's listed one on eBay atm with a slight reduction. Listing states he doesn't accept returns, which doesn't matter as it's a new item but it makes me wary. It looks to be a good product; could just be a case of not being business oriented. There are some good reviews on the website but I might wait for a 5f1 to pop up locally so I can try it out first.

Modulus_Amps

Have you played a champ before?

JezWynd

Modulus_Amps said:

Have you played a champ before?

No. I currently have a Laney Cub 10 which I'm told is similar but I'm thinking of repurposing that as my bass practise amp and installing a bass speaker. Hence looking around for something small and simple for home play. I do have a WEM Westminster Mk9 but that's slightly too loud for playing at home. I'm thinking either get an attenuator for the WEM or get a Champ (and then probably get an attenuator anyway!).

Modulus_Amps

Bare in mind I have no idea how you play, but my preference would be to go for a tweed princeton type amp, or at least make sure you try out a champ first

JezWynd

Modulus_Amps said:

Bare in mind I have no idea how you play, but my preference would be to go for a tweed princeton type amp, or at least make sure you try out a champ first

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out.

EmprizeAmps

Hi, I’ve been building amps for a number of years but just really broken into the market with regards to website and marketing.  I have kept the prices low to attract attention but as Rift has stated (based on the components I am using), the profit margins are minimal at the moment ... i’m using all RoHS / CE compliant parts but not currently marking CE compliance for builds (not sure if i can self certify or send examples out for testing - costly).  I build the amps myself and strict on safety - I’m following LVD and EMC directives.  I’ve got a number of designs I want to implement but want to get a steady flow of sales before I try and sell my own designs.

eBay is good enough place to sell but as you know you get whacked for 10% on sale and then there is the additional PayPal fees .. I’ll be bust before I even get started 

JezWynd

Thank you for your reply @EmprizeAmps and good luck with your expanding business. I note your comments about pricing, echoing what Rift had mentioned previously and I completely agree. It's easy to get caught up by cheap product from the far east, where labour costs are low and build quality is secondary to component pricing, and I'm afraid I did just that. The pricing on your amps is extremely fair as you attempt to break into a wider market.

I'm still mulling over whether to go for a Champ type combo; i think it might be a bit too gritty for me so I'm waiting until I get a chance to get hands on with one before deciding.

Thanks again for your response and I hope you'll stick around, share your experience and maybe pick up some customers.

EmprizeAmps

Thanks @JezWynd . Yes, my intention is to keep going at this and hopefully get some of my own designs out there.  It makes things so much harder when you see cheap Far East builds going for peanuts and a few of the buyers don’t realise that the quality and quality/safety isn’t on par to the likes of Rift and Modulus... you get what you pay for.  I know I am going into a market where its difficult to break through.  Unfortunately or Fortunately, I got the bug years ago and can’t shake it !

I forgot to mention ... my eBay entry on returns policy has now changed (thanks for mentioning).  This was down to me being absent minded and not putting it in.

The champ’s I build are pretty well on original spec and have 360V B+ and no cathode bypass at preamp ... giving a little more headroom. 

Champ’s are basic and the OD is to some people’s taste and not too others.  

If you change your mind I can let you have a champ for £700.  From a trying out perspective i think you live down on the south coast ..... i could consider sending down for a try before you buy ... but you may have to cover half the price of postage.  

JezWynd

@EmprizeAmps, thanks, that's a very kind offer, I'll have a think about it. I'm passing through London in a few weeks time and will probably be able to test one out then but if my plans change then I may take up your offer.

Might I ask: Is the overdrive sound inherent in the Champ design or if I send it out to a larger speaker, say a 15", would that increase the headroom?

EmprizeAmps

Hi @JezWynd.  The champ circuit has a fair amount of gain in the first place i.e. first stage will overdrive the second stage and then that stage overdrive the output.  If you through in a speaker which is lower wattage / lower efficiency you will get speaker distortion ... some speakers sound better than others.  If you do use something like a 10, 12 or even 15 inch speaker cabinet you wont get the speaker distortion.  You’ll tend to be able to go to a higher volume level and get more cleans, a bit of headroom and louder (if the speaker is efficient).  It’s quite important to get the right speaker in the first place.  I use WGS or Jensen 8 inch speakers ... you could also go for something like Eminence.  They all sound pretty good with the Champ.  The champ does push a fair amount of bass tone in the amp circuit ... when you get fairly high gain that bass can tend to go a bit flubby/farty.  This is why Champs tend to sound a bit better with smaller speakers

JezWynd

EmprizeAmps said:

Hi @JezWynd.  The champ circuit has a fair amount of gain in the first place i.e. first stage will overdrive the second stage and then that stage overdrive the output.  If you through in a speaker which is lower wattage / lower efficiency you will get speaker distortion ... some speakers sound better than others.  If you do use something like a 10, 12 or even 15 inch speaker cabinet you wont get the speaker distortion.  You’ll tend to be able to go to a higher volume level and get more cleans, a bit of headroom and louder (if the speaker is efficient).  It’s quite important to get the right speaker in the first place.  I use WGS or Jensen 8 inch speakers ... you could also go for something like Eminence.  They all sound pretty good with the Champ.  The champ does push a fair amount of bass tone in the amp circuit ... when you get fairly high gain that bass can tend to go a bit flubby/farty.  This is why Champs tend to sound a bit better with smaller speakers

Thanks for an easily understandable explanation, it's very helpful.