Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

This '83 Fender Super Champ is selling on eBay. Based on the description and the pricing (including Buy It Now), does it seem like a reasonable deal? Any concerns about the Eminence speaker replacement? Anything else you'd like to add about this amp?

- Keith

 

[uOpt]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

I remember this one from back when it was made. It sounded great and I caught myself looking on ebay for one. However, since it's not really usable for even band practice I wouldn't pay the going price.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

other than the fact that it uses a weird tube ive heard really good things about the amps. the ramrod speaker is pretty cool little speaker and is pretty loud, nothing i would worry about.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

I remember this one from back when it was made. It sounded great and I caught myself looking on ebay for one. However, since it's not really usable for even band practice I wouldn't pay the going price.

What's "not useable" about it? It has a 2x6V6 output stage good for 15 watts. That's plenty for a lot of band practices, and many gigs.

 

[claytonc]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

Those are great amps. It seems a little expensive to not have the original speaker. It could be my old Super Champ! I blew the original speaker in mine back in '91-'92 then sold it.

Should kept it!

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

What did you like about the amp, Clayton?

- Keith

 

[wahwah]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

I remember this one from back when it was made. It sounded great and I caught myself looking on ebay for one. However, since it's not really usable for even band practice I wouldn't pay the going price.

Hehe.....not really usable for band practice! I've been touring with one for the past 6 years. Check it out! The first shot is from a packed 600 seater club, the second one is an outdoor gig playing to 4,000 people!

I love my Super Champs!

They're great amps Keith, the last point to point hand wired Fenders outside of the custom shop. Put some blackplate RCA 6V6's and 12AX7 in it, stock up with a few of the odd 6C10 tubes, and enjoy!


Cheers.........................wahwah

 

[shaka]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

The SuperChamp is kind of a Holy Grail type amp and that's why they are starting to command so much money. You can get a lot more gain out of a SC than a regular Champ and it is a smooth breakup. They are incredibly good recording amps.

For examples of SC tone check out Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers Americano album. Steve Larson uses the SC for most of his leads.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

I was wondering when the south-western hemisphere would join this thread.

I nominate wahwah for "Awesomest Rig on the SDUGF".

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

I love my Super Champs!

They're great amps Keith, the last point to point hand wired Fenders outside of the custom shop. Put some blackplate RCA 6V6's and 12AX7 in it, stock up with a few of the odd 6C10 tubes, and enjoy!

Cheers.........................wahwah

Thanks for the good info and advice, Geoff. What do you think of the speaker the eBay guy replaced it with?

- Keith

 

[claytonc]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

It was just a very versatile inexpensive tube amp. I paid $300 for it in 1990.
I was just learning to play at the time, so unfortunately I couldn't get the most out of the amp. I remember it sounded great when I wasn't screwing up. Sorry, I am not a lot of help. I doubt that you would not like it.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

Thanks, Clayton! That does help. I'm not sure I can afford this amp right now, but I'd like to find a way to finance it. I may have to resort to unloading some other equipment first. But then I get nervous about doing that to purchase something unseen/unheard.

- Keith

 

[wahwah]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

Thanks for the good info and advice, Geoff. What do you think of the speaker the eBay guy replaced it with?

- Keith

Yeah, to be honest, the stock Fender speaker was the only weak link with these amps. There was a deluxe version that had an ElectroVoice in it. The Eminence should be an improvement over the original. My main one has a Celestion and it's sweet. (That's the one I use for the clips) My spare Super Champ still has the original speaker, and it doesn't sound as good. If you don't like the Eminence, Ted Weber will have something that will rock this little gem. That's what I'll eventually be doing with my spare. If you decide to get one of these, I'll happily direct you to the tubes that will turn it into your favorite amp of all time. I'll post a clip tomorrow of the Super Champ's lead channel. Hehe....



Cheers.........................wahwah

 

[wahwah]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

Here's a clip of the clean and lead channels of the Fender Super Champ, recorded with a Beta 57 straight into my Metric Halo firewire interface. No compression or EQ.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=707451&songID=5840310



Cheers........................wahwah

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

is there going to be one amp company that will make a fity watt with one EL34 and one 6L6, ever ? sorry

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

Those are great clips, Geoff. Very full, almost acoustic cleans. Do you remember what settings you used for the clean channel? I like the lead channel, but tone-wise, it doesn't hold a candle to the MI Audio clips you made.

- Keith

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

is there going to be one amp company that will make a fity watt with one EL34 and one 6L6, ever ? sorry

You're OT, but I'll answer - NO.

Such an amp would be too expensive to build for the three people who'd be interested in buying it. Come to think of it, you can't even build a fifty-watt with those tubes. Using one of each means the amp would have to run them in parallel, single ended. Most you'd get out of it is about 30 watts. To get fifty out of two tubes, they need to run in push-pull, class AB, and doing that with mismatched tube types is madness.

Also, single-ended amps are inherently inefficient, and the transformers needed for them are big, heavy, and expensive. Any amp with that kind of iron in it is going to be to expensive to serve any kind of market, other than one-off boutique stuff.

That said, there's a guy called Da Geezer on Doug Hoffman's amp forum who's been building himself 2x and 3x 6L6 single-ended amps lately. It would be easy to modify his design for a 6L6 and an EL34 in parallel.

I now return you to KG's original topic, the super-cool Super Champ.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

I now return you to KG's original topic, the super-cool Super Champ.

The super-cool Super Champ that, sadly, somebody grabbed off eBay yesterday or today (US $800 BIN).

That's okay. It gives me a chance to try them out, save up, etc.

- Keith

 

[wahwah]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

Those are great clips, Geoff. Very full, almost acoustic cleans. Do you remember what settings you used for the clean channel? I like the lead channel, but tone-wise, it doesn't hold a candle to the MI Audio clips you made.

- Keith

Yeah, those are close to my standard settings for the clean channel, although I drive the preamp a little harder and I keep some headroom on the guitar's volume control. The settings are Channel Volume 7, Treble 4 (Mid boost pull pot), Bass 4, Master 4.

It does show just how good the MI Audio pedals are!


Cheers.......................wahwah

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Any Opinions on This Fender Super Champ?

Geoff I can't wait to hear the clip when I get home tonight! By the way, which Celestion do you use G12H30? Oh and what mic is that in the pic?

I really wish I could try one of those suckers.

The problem with most amp manufacturers these days is they simply refuse to put that kind of package together unless it's a 50 or 100w amp. It's like any amp under 30 watts doesn't deserve to be channel switching.

Luke