Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Thank you so much!

A few amps are great!

1) Vintage 70s amp.
Fender Champ or Vibro Champ
Volume, Treble, Bass

2) Fender 80's Champ 12
Very simple! Volume, Treble, Bass
This amp has a reverb

3) Fender Blues Jr or Fender Princeton Reverb (New amp)

Those are great!

Great plan! Love it!
So happy to hear that.
Thank you.

Tomo

Thank you, Sir!
So helpful!
Love these amplifiers!
*Smile*

Yes, So cool!
*Smile*

You're very welcome!

No. I highly recommend to spend more $$$ to good amp!
Because that amp will serve you next 10, 20 more years!
So not too expensive to think about your guitar education and amazing skill!

Thank you.

Tomo

Hey Richard! Just checking in to see how you like the reissue amp?

I am liking it.
It is VERY clean.
Volume is all the way up and it does not break up.
I like a little ‘dirt’ so I put an MXR ‘Timmy’ overdrive pedal in front of it and I really am digging the tone.
For the most part I just play through it clean and bright though in order to practice like Tomo says so I can hear my sloppy playing. 😝

Sounds awesome Rich! So because it's a reissue, does that mean this is a tube amp, or a modeled amp?

This coming Saturday there's a 'World Guitar Show' in the Bay Area. It comes to town every January.

Dangerous place for me because there's so much gear!

I may be on the hunt for a vintage Fender amp so I appreciate the feedback!

HI, Ken and Rich !
In three days I will receive a Fender Vibro champ amplifier from 1977 .
Maybe I can give you some feedback on how this amp 's work feeling!
Haha , that's a long time to wait ! It is said that this amplifier is still the original horn of the year , Well protected by a user from Japan:)

What a great amp!

Fender didn't change that much on those Vibro Champ & Champ.
So 1977,1978... Those are really really good!

Thanks for sharing!

Tomo

So nice to hear this amp 李jiayang! That’s the Fender sound, clean and pure.

About the humming, when practicing with the treble turned all the way up and a higher volume, this may be normal.

What is it like when the treble is at around six and the bass is around four with the volume turned up to six? If it’s quieter, then maybe it’s okay.

You mentioned a transformer. Is it a three prong type plug? If so, then there’s not much you can do at the outlet. But if it’s a two prong plug, are you able to reverse it, meaning flip it 180° and plug it in that way? Sometimes, the ground wire in an older amp can cause humming if it isn’t properly connected to the ground side of the wall outlet.

So maybe in Japan the outlets are configured differently than in China and that could be the problem. But if reducing the treble and dialing the bass and volume as suggested quiets the app down, then welcome to the world of tube amps! Meaning the amp is probably working properly, so when you’re practicing, you’ll set the amp the way you did in the video, and when performing songs you’ll set the tone differently.

Of course, Tomo may have some valuable input here. I hope you enjoy the new amp for many years to come!

Depends on place... a little hum.

Maybe away from amp a little. Change angle go guitar.

Volume around 4-5 is pretty loud. Maybe set around volume 5.

Treble all the way is most effective way.
Bass is 0 is so good!

Maybe set treble 7-8.
Bass at 2-3 ...for performance.

Brighter and less bass is great for improving techniques.
No reverb!

When I teach at Berklee, I suggest my students to believe that there is no reverb!
Think as if we were before 1963! No reverb.

So until mid semester. No reverb. Most people who has bad habits (picking & dynamics)
Those guys are just using computer / modeling amp / no amp.
So I highly suggest to practice amp.Dry tone.

After mid semester, I bring my One Control Beth Reverb and I teach them how to use reverb effectively and I teach them how to play notes inside of reverb! (Using dynamics so soft that you can not hear any reverb even though reverb effect is on.

Thank you.

Tomo

Thanks for the video 李jiayang. I'm thinking to buy this one. I have a Boss katana and is overwhelming how to learn about the app, patches and many other features it has. It's a good amp but for a beginner like me a simple amp (with good sound) is much better because I can focuse myself in what is really important: practising. Anyway, is this one the equivalent of yours?
https://www.thomann.de/es/fender_68_custom_vibro_champ.htm

Very Thank you ,Ken! It's some really great idea!

Yes , It's two prong plug , Coppery yellow plug , the handle part is red.

💡Playing the tune of a song is not the same as practicing the tune 💡

Yes , I've never felt a sound like that , compaction, make me feel warm , feel more connection to the amplifier !

Very thank you , Sir !

I think I'll try to practice away from the amplifier!

And use dry tone to practice ! :)

Thank you , Jeffrey ! :)

Thank you , Jeffrey ! :)

Thank you for sharing, Sergio !
Whoa! Studio , So cool! That's so great!

Whoa 1967 looks new. That’s a real beauty you’re going to have fun with that amp. Sounds really great. Trying to get my strumming a little wider and in time like you are doing here. Nice. Awesome guitar love that one remember it from the walking bass video. Thanks for sharing with us must have been a great and memorable weekend too!

I am so happy! Thank you so much for your decision!
So clever!

This is the TONE! I can hear everything! With these amps, basically you can not hide anything!
Without these vintage amps... I could not improve my technique!
I have learned so much from vintage Fender amps! Now you know why I don't need too many pedals!

That tone!
You can hear everything!

Now you can improve more and more!
I am so happy for you!

Thanks for sharing!
PS, You should practice more simple Bb Blues!
Especially 6th string root... your need bring your thumb down!

Tomo

Thanks Tomo for sharing your enthusiasm and joy over this vintage amp!

I was so happy when I got to the show and saw all this gear! It was just what I was looking for, so lucky.

It takes some getting used to "hearing everything". When strumming R37 I have to strum really, really light to make it sound decent, not easy. So I can see how this amp will force me to play very carefully indeed. I really want to practice picking technique now because I have a new amp and a new hand!

Since I'm kind of starting fresh with my hand, I want to start fresh with my picking. There are some definite mysteries to be solved in this department for me. I've been reviewing the picking videos you made for us. I think I need to go super slow, especially because I have an amp that won't lie!

About the Bb Blues, I thought the thumb was okay when it's needed on the 6th string to mute.

When you say more simple Bb Blues, do you mean without the minor 2-5 to Eb7 and the Eb7 to the E diminished triad?

I've never had a teacher so focused on technique, this is really, really great for me!

Thank You!

Thanks Jeffrey!

I will admit that it takes time to get used to the amp with zero bass/reverb, max treble and on the bridge pick up only, as it really does reveal everything. I'm surprised my wife hasn't complained!

I'm fond of that guitar too, a '98 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III. The set up on it came out well, and it's one of my guitars that has round wound strings, so suitable for practice with this amp.

The "reveal" of the amp says loud and clear: "I've got my work cut out for me!"

It was a fun weekend, you would not believe all the guitars n gear at this show, where 90% of the merch is vintage. They encourage attendees to bring any gear they want to sell. Some people show up with cart loads of stuff to sell/trade. I took a hair cut on a Vox pedal, and a couple of pickups, but it was worth it. They were sitting around just gathering dust and taking up room in my studio. Felt good to unload it!

Total score on the '67 fender Amp Ken! Glad your hand is healing strong. I was just trying to learn that same groove. :) The Eb dim 7 sounds great on that Amp along in the Bb swing jazz blues, a new fav to practice. Still doing finger picking on this one for me. Keep on the practice mend in good time! -johno

You are amazing 李jiayang! So supportive. Thank you! So like Tomo said, we are starting the 'Vintage Fender Club' together! You started it, and I followed you!

It is great to see how you are embracing Tomo's Guitar Wisdom including the amplifier! You are all in!

Let's see where GW takes us in 2025!

Thank you!

Thank you Ken , I 'm so happy that I don't know say what , Because our community has this club!
Today is Chineses Spring Festival , Like Chinese version of Christmas , Hope you health and happiness in the New year;)

Happy Chinese Spring Festival 李jiayang! I'm getting lost in these threads ,they are difficult to keep track of and I'm missing a lot, and trying to keep up! Thank you for your wishes in the New Year! May all your dreams come true!

Great message Kurt. Yes, as we age simplicity is the way to go for sure. Love how you've got modern and vintage going...I mean a Boss Katana into a Victory 12" Celestian Vintage 30?! Awesome.

With a Deluxe Reverb & Tweed Blues Jr in the wings? Nice line-up Kurt.

Yes, the hand is the best news of all. Like I told my physical therapist today: "I had a break through....I broke through some scar tissue yesterday and have more movement!" It really is encouraging even though I've only just begun. It'll be a 3 month ordeal to see how much motion I can get back, but I'm going after it. Thanks for the encouragement Kurt! All the best!