Fender Champion Amplifiers

[dave robinson]

This will possibly come as a surprise to many people who know me and the amplifiers I've been associated with over the past twenty or so years, but I feel the need to share the findings of my experience with the very modestly priced Fender Champion range of combos. They are solid state amps rather than the valve type that we've been brainwashed into believing are the 'only' type worth bothering about, but I decided to investigate and I have completely changed my outlook and I'm now using a Fender Champion 100 2 x 12.
It looks like a Twin Reverb with it's black and silver livery and I have to say it sounds like one too, should you so wish. It also has a second channel that provides models of the Fender Tweed amps, Vox AC30, Marshall and Roland Jazz Chorus. I sold my two expensive Fender Tone Masters' recently for virtually what I payed for them and picked up a 2 x 10 Fender Princeton for £125 and was that impressed with it that when this Fender Champion 100 2 x 12 cropped up for £160 - as new, I took a gamble and bought it.
I found that the Princeton is slightly underpowered at only 25 watts so that's why I looked at the Champion. I was initially of the impression that these were cheap amps that didn't sound good, but I couldn't be more wrong. I was amazed that the very expensive upmarket Tone Masters' sounded exactly as the original Twin Reverb and DeLuxe Reverbs' but these comparatively very cheap Fender models sound just as good.
I realise that there's the Katana out there too - I have one, but the Fender Champion isn't as comprehensive or complicated and does the business for Hank sounds at a fraction of the cost, you pays your money and makes your choice. For me, the Fender looks better on stage and delivers accurate Fender tones and a very close AC30 sound too.
I'm so pleased I took the time to try them and today I set up my Zoom G5n with the Vox AC-30 sound and played through my Shadows repertoire and it sounded exactly like my own AC30. It goes without saying that it sounds amazing with the TVS3 and Atlantis, but I haven't got the Meazzi back yet to try it.
The good news is that the full range of Champion amps down to the 20 watt version have the same tones and the prices are an absolute steal. Recommended !

[artyman]

Is there any danger of hearing a sound file

[dave robinson]

No need for sound files Barry, you either take my word for it or not, I've nothing to prove. It's just intended as good advice that can save people money, the 40 watt version is half the price of a Katana.
My advice would be if it interests you, go and try one, I'm just describing how it works for me.

[Teflon]

A mate of mine has been playing in bands for some 40 years or so and has recently bought one of these amps. His experience reflects yours - he's incredibly impressed with how authentic the amp sounds and reckons it's every bit as good as his original valve version.

Cliff

[dave robinson]

There you go Cliff, I tried these budget Fender amps way back and wasn't at all impressed with the sound, but that was early days and they have got their act together and improved massively. I foolishly discarded them since being disappointed back then, I think it was in the mid eighties.
This particular Fender Champion 100 can sound exactly the same as the Twin Reverb Tone Master and DeLuxe Tone Master plus the Vox AC30, so for me it's a revealation that something so inexpensive will do an excellent job. I do have a real AC30 to compare and I'm not guessing when I say it will repicate a very similar tone, I have compared the two side by side for early Shadows sounds and it does the job. Again I have to say that if someone had made these claims based on my experience from those eighties models I would have laughed it off, but I am massively impressed with these later ones.
Not only that, the effects are very good too and very handy if you don't want to cart a pedal board around.
The age old myth that solid state amplifiers are not as good as valve amps it truly blown apart for me.

[emielvisser]

A few years ago I already let you know how good the Champion 40 sounds.
The only thing I've done is replace the standard speaker with a Jensen Falcon 50, making the sound even more extensive.
Both the price and the weight are a big advantage, in short, a great amplifier.

[dave robinson]

Hi Emeil, I may have missed your comment about the Fender Champion back in April because it was on the Hall & Collins thread which isn't something I read about these days, but I just did a search and found it. I also noted that you used the delay on ghe Fender Champion as the fourth head with the Nux Tape Core which is something I've done on other similar amps - it works well.
Does the Jensen Falcon speaker improve the tone, or make the cabinet any lighter ? I did take one of the speakers out to weigh it and it didn't feel much heavier than the Celestion Vintage Neodymium speakers I was going to fit to make it lighter, but it's only 40lb anyway and as the speakers sound good, I left them in place.

[emielvisser]

Hi Dave, it was indeed on another site.....
The Jensen speaker is indeed a bit heavier, the magnet is a lot bigger but also more sensitive.
I've been using the Champion 40 lately with my Zoom MS 50, easy and versatile.
I am very satisfied with the result.
Good to see you like it too.
Regards,
Emiel

[dave robinson]

Well I bought the Fender Twin Reverb Tone Master two years ago when it was introduced and I loved it, then got hold of the DeLuxe Reverb as well. These are great amps and very, very light.
However as the warranty expired I began to think about expense as nobody is kitted out with the parts to fix these, should they go wrong.
I began to investigate the lower end of the Fender range which is what led me to my decision, allowing me a healthy profit on the Tone Masters as they've gone up in price and I discovered that the Princeton Chorus and Champion 100 could give me a very similar sound at only a slightly heavier weight, but a fraction of the cost. I bought the two for £285 and sold the two Tone Masters for £1325. It isn't rocket science is it ?
I do still have my AC30 in the studio which I use as a bench mark for getting the tone out of other amps and the Vox Tone Lab and Zoom G5n fir when I use the Headrush FRFR.
As a point of interest it's often been said that Hank is an admirer of Fender amps and he has used them from time to time over the years. I used a Twin Reverb for 21 years from 1972 before going over to my Mesa Boogie MK3 in 1992, but the weight was an issue and even though I think it was the best ever, I gravitated back to lighter options to date.

[Uncle Fiesta]

All of which proves the truth of the old adage, it isn't what you've got - it's how you use it!