Fender Super Champ XD rules!!!!

[Milliken]

I just have to post that I bought a new Fender Super Champ XD for $279 from Guitar Center just to use as a practice amp in my family room.

I'm absolutely thrilled with the sound for the price. I have owned a 70's twin, 65 RI twin, Hotrod deluxe, AC30CC, Marshall...etc

The clean tone is a very usable twin blackface and even has a decent reverb emulation. Way less noise than my twins had. You can also dial in some good old tweed crunch ala Bassman, blackface and old champ mode. Haven't recorded with it yet but very impressed for the price.

I'll go ahead and beat you all to the punch and say I would rather have a handwired vintage super champ, princeton reverb etc. Can you get one for less than $300......I don't think so.

[buscemi]

I've heard many folks rave about this and you can mod it to give you the ability to completely bypass the digital section if you so desire. Nice for a pretty cheap amp!

[Jonboy79]

Originally Posted by buscemi

I've heard many folks rave about this and you can mod it to give you the ability to completely bypass the digital section if you so desire. Nice for a pretty cheap amp!

I'd be very interested in this amp if this bypass mod is for real.

[Jonboy79]

I don't know if this means the mod isn't real or what but it doesn't look too promising. This is quoted from another forum by a guy who seems to really know his amps.

"All of the controls are digital. There's no tone stack or even a real analog volume control--all of the knob settings are translated into instructions for the DSP chip to look up the appropriate response for the chosen voice."

[gregory]

yeah I am not a modeling fan at all, but I had one of these for awhile and it's quite useable

[Milliken]

Originally Posted by gregory

yeah I am not a modeling fan at all, but I had one of these for awhile and it's quite useable

Exactly. I wouldn't pick up a line6 pod if I saw it laying on the sidewalk (I would do the world a favor and kick it into traffic), the vox valvetronix with a single tube sounds ok, and the fender really impressed me.

[buscemi]

Originally Posted by Jonboy79

I don't know if this means the mod isn't real or what but it doesn't look too promising. This is quoted from another forum by a guy who seems to really know his amps.

"All of the controls are digital. There's no tone stack or even a real analog volume control--all of the knob settings are translated into instructions for the DSP chip to look up the appropriate response for the chosen voice."

Yes it looks like controls are digital but you can bypass the DSP somehow though unless I've gone completely crazy. I'll have to find the mod. I love BillM and his Blues Junior mods and he does indeed know what he's doing. He just seems to have wanted a 100% divide between the analog and digital parts of the amp and I do agree with that

Ah I see now... the modder wanted to have a line in to bypass the digital effects in the SCXD and use another modeler in front of it! Still pretty cool and advised by BillM who was mentioned above, so probably a very viable mod for slightly different purpose and result than I had thought. Getting old, synapses not firing quite the same any more .

Here's the Line In mod: Agile Guitar Forum - - Fender Super Champ XD

Bill Machrone (the Blues Junior mods guru) suggested that I could add a Line In jack and just connect it to pin 7 of the 12AX7 via a 15k ohm resistor and a .1 uF cap, no need to even disconnect the internal digital stuff because it is muted without a guitar cord plugged into the jack on the front.

Here's a Line Out mod too, for fun (same person did it): Agile Guitar Forum - - Fender Super Champ XD mods, part 2

[Mike9]

I recently bought one of these Super Champ XD's and did the upgrades that I used on a friends. RCA 12ax7, pair of black plate 6V6GT's, rebias at 40Mv, install Emi 'Lil Buddy hemp cone speaker. These are good sounding amps to begin with considering the price point and features, but with these simple upgrades they turn into a real tone monster.

Now David Allen has spec'd a new OT being made by Heyboer that he says will put these over the top. It has a "fat stack" core and extra windings @ 8 ohm. It's the TO20 with extra length leads and is $49.

Considering this used pre-owned amp and foot switch was $210 shipped, the Lil Buddy was $60 shipped, I figure $60 for tubes and $60 for a new OT it will come in under $400 for a serious studio, or grab and go amp.

[henge]

I use the Vibro Champ XD and couldn't be happier. Great sound out of a small box. Very usable.