Super Champ X2 report.

[desertbluesman]

Well I have to say that the new Fender Super Champ X2 I just bought, is one of my all time favorite amplifiers. It has the one of the nicest clean channels of any amp that I have ever owned. and the Super Sonic Burn Channel model that I use for channel 2 is the sweetest overdrive of any amp in my long list of amps that I have owned (since 1964 or so). Of course the Eminence Lil Buddy hemp cone speaker I put in and the JJ tubes help in that process as well. I did tweak the modeling with Fender Fuze software. And I found some new settings that I never saw when I had the first one that I sold. The amp has on board effects (of which I use only the reverb) and channel switching with pedal. It is a grab and go item, amp in one hand and guitar in the other. One trip in and one trip out.

 

Amps that I have owned since the beginning of my playing days;

 

1) Fender Black Face Bassman 1960's with 2-12 Cab with stock speakers

2) Fender Black Face Deluxe Reverb 1960's with stock speaker

3) Marshall Hundred Watt Plexi head with Sunn 6-12 Bass cabinet

4) Fender Silver Face Twin Reverb with 2- JBL K 120 Speakers

5) Fender Silver Face Pro Reverb with 2- JBL K 120 Speakers

6) Fender Silver Face Deluxe Reverb with stock speaker

7) Peavey Hundred watt 2-12 hybrid amp (I don't remember the model number)

8) Peavey Fifty watt 2-12 hybrid amp (I don't remember the model number)

9) Peavey two Hundred watt hybrid amp head (I don't remember the model number or speaker combination)

10) Music Man Hundred watt hybrid Combo with stock speakers (I don't remember the model number)

11) Music Man fifty watt hybrid Combo with stock speakers (I don't remember the model number)

12) Fender 30 one twelve combo (Rivera Era) With stock speaker. (This is one of my all time favorites)

13) Seymour Duncan hundred watt head Model unknown with the preamp modules that could be changed

14) Mesa Boogie Mark II C+ 80 watt head which was a Mark II B, then C, Then C+ With a 1-12 cab with an EVM 12L in it.

15) Mesa Boogie Quad Preamp with Strategy 400 Power amp with 4 -1-12 cabs with EVM 12L's in them

16) Mesa Boogie Mark IV 80 watt combo (with the OEM EVM 12L speaker from the Mark II C+ that I still have but did not sell with the amp).

17) Gallien Kruegar Micro Lead ML250

18) Galilien Kruegar later model Micro Lead (Model unknown)

19) 2 Fender Frontman 15 Gs with a modeler pedalboard in front for stereo practice.1

20) Fender Hot Rod Deluxe combo with an Eminence Cannabis Rex 12" speaker. Was my time favorite 40 watt combo amp with a pedalboard in front of it)(Just sold a few months back)

21) Bogner Alchemist 50 watt tube 1-12 combo, (did not like it, sent it back)

22) Mesa Boogie Hundred watt Lone Star Classic head. (did not like it, sent it back)

23) Fender Super Champ X2 15 watt combo with Eminence Lil Buddy 10" speaker (Sold it and regret selling it)

24) Ibanez TS 15 Head (did not like it, sent it back)

25) Egnater Tweaker 15 Watt Head. into an EVM 12 L 1-12 speaker cab (It is my second all time favorite amp with a pedalboard in front of it) (into 2 EVM 12L 1-12 speaker cabs)

26) Epiphone 5 watt Valve Junior Head which I sent to my kiddo as a gift.

27) Fender Super Champ X2 # 2 15 watt combo with Eminence Lil Buddy 10" speaker.

 

I sold or traded or gave away all of the amps I mentioned above except for the Tweaker 15 watt head, and the second Fender Super Champ X2.

[Larryz]

DBM, sounds like you're a very happy camper...now have some major fun with the new amp. Glad your speaker and tube mods did a great job for you along with the Fuze tweaks!

[Caevan O’Shite]

What? No fender Quad 4x12 combo or Super Six 6x10 combo?

[KuruPrionz]

Now I want to try one!!!!

I am a HUGE fan of better speakers, most amps come with terrible sounding speakers. Tubes can make a difference, I have quite a stash of vintage tubes.

Organs sell at thrift stores for stupid prices because nobody wants them. Some of them are FULL of tubes.

 

I will spare you all my list of amps I've owned, I would forget quite a few of them anyway. Let's just say there were a LOT of them and even now I have 8 amps here!!!!

 

I'd love to get down to 2 or so...

[Caevan O’Shite]

I highly, HIGHLY recommend that you also try a Tung-Sol "Reissue" 12AX7 in V1, the first preamp-tube socket...

 

I have a Russian-made Tung-Sol "Reissue" 12AX7 in V1 of a Fuchs Lucky 7, also a 3-tube amp (2 12AX7's and 1 EL34- yes, 1 EL34)- that I believe was the original, stock tube that came with the amp as V1- that seems gainy in a very good way, and that gives up the most BEAUTIFUL blooming harmonic-overtones and musical, harmonic feedback when the amp is cranked, and generally warm, fat, rich clean tones. The few other tubes that I've tried in that socket on that amp- including several NOS tubes, and a particularly low-noise, excellent and warm sounding Ruby 12AX7AC5 HG+ ("High Grade Plus")- all sounded great, but lacked the "bonus" ringing overtones and extra-rich feedback that this particular Russian Tung-Sol RI serves up. So, I put it back in and kept it there! I am unsure if it is a matter of gain factor or balanced/matched internal triodes or what, but that Tung-Sol RI is SWEET. It's lasted perfectly fine for many years, too. It's my "magic preamp tube" and I need to get back-ups!

[desertbluesman]

What? No fender Quad 4x12 combo or Super Six 6x10 combo?

 

 

Nothing that weighs more than 30 pounds for this old goat amigo.

[desertbluesman]

Now I want to try one!!!!

 

I'd love to get down to 2 or so...

 

That is where I am, of course if I win the lotto. I will need a large room for all of my new gear.

[KuruPrionz]

I highly, HIGHLY recommend that you also try a Tung-Sol "Reissue" 12AX7 in V1, the first preamp-tube socket...

 

I have a Russian-made Tung-Sol "Reissue" 12AX7 in V1 of a Fuchs Lucky 7, also a 3-tube amp (2 12AX7's and 1 EL34- yes, 1 EL34)- that I believe was the original, stock tube that came with the amp as V1- that seems gainy in a very good way, and that gives up the most BEAUTIFUL blooming harmonic-overtones and musical, harmonic feedback when the amp is cranked, and generally warm, fat, rich clean tones. The few other tubes that I've tried in that socket on that amp- including several NOS tubes, and a particularly low-noise, excellent and warm sounding Ruby 12AX7AC5 HG+ ("High Grade Plus")- all sounded great, but lacked the "bonus" ringing overtones and extra-rich feedback that this particular Russian Tung-Sol RI serves up. So, I put it back in and kept it there! I am unsure if it is a matter of gain factor or balanced/matched internal triodes or what, but that Tung-Sol RI is SWEET. It's lasted perfectly fine for many years, too. It's my "magic preamp tube" and I need to get back-ups!

 

When you try an Amperex Bugle Boy ECC83 from the early 60's, you will still love your Tung-Sol but you will love your Bugle Boy more. I found a Norelco stereo tape recorder at a thrift shop for $30, it had all the original Amperex Bugle Boy tubes still in it. Score!!!!!

[desertbluesman]

I highly, HIGHLY recommend that you also try a Tung-Sol "Reissue" 12AX7 in V1, the first preamp-tube socket...

 

I use JJ tubes from Eurotubes always, and have been super satisfied with both the tubes and Eurotubes. I did put in a gold pin preamp 12AX7 (ECC33S or whatever JJ calls the preamp tube) it is their branding of the 12 AX7 tube (there is only one 12AX7 in the amp), and a couple of the cleanest 6V6 power tubes.

 

The SCX2 has a programmable modeling side with 15 or 16 different models for channel 2 I use the Super Sonic Burn model tweaked to my specs for my overdrive. Channel 1 is a Twin reverb model all you can do with that one in Fuze is tweak the middle tone control, and add effects. All I use is the Large Hall reverb on both channels. The second channel has more tweaks in Fuze than the first does. Fender discontinued the amp and the Fuze software. I just happened to get the amp from Guitar Center, and it might have been a floor model but regardless, I wanted one so I just accepted it. I checked locally for a used one, no luck so I paid the price for a new one. I saved a copy of the fuze software and the manuals etc from the first one I owned about 5 years ago or so.

[desertbluesman]

One more thing, when I owned the first amp, I never set the BIAS, which I did on the new one. I never thought the first one was loud enough to play out, that is why I sold it. Even so, I bought the new one just for traveling or jamming out of the house.

 

Once I set the BIAS on the new one (without electrocuting myself ), it cleaned up quite a bunch, and now I have to keep it turned down a bunch. It is certainly loud enough to keep up with a not too loud drummer.

[Larryz]

DBM, glad to hear you are keeping the weight and the loudness of the amp and loud drummers in mind! If you can preview modeling amps on Fuze, check out a 65 Deluxe Reverb with spring reverb. You may have already tried it and like what you have but it would be fun to compare it with the Twin.

[desertbluesman]

DBM, glad to hear you are keeping the weight and the loudness of the amp and loud drummers in mind! If you can preview modeling amps on Fuze, check out a 65 Deluxe Reverb with spring reverb. You may have already tried it and like what you have but it would be fun to compare it with the Twin.

 

I just use channel 2 for overdrive. There is only one option for channel 1 and that is voiced for Fender Blackface clean tone.. For channel 2 it is a pain in the butt to switch back and forth between models, so I just keep it on the Super Sonic Burn. I use a foot switch to turn effects on and off which is reverb, and one channel switching option which is the super sonic model. I have tried all of the models on my original, channel 2 has all the other options, and the only one I use the the Super Sonic Burn. The clean Fender models sound so similar that I never had a need to use any of the others. I like to keep it simple, clean and overdrive, and the pedal only does one model on channel 2, and the reverb on and off. If the pedal would switch between different models on Channel 2, I would probably use a few of the others. Below is a list of the others (none of which I liked enough to use except the Super Sonic Burn).

 

1 Tweed Champ®

2 Tweed Deluxe⢠clean

3 Tweed Deluxe⢠dirty/compressed

4 Tweed Bassman®

5 65 Princeton® clean

6 65 Princeton® dirty/compressed

7 65 Deluxeâ¢

8 65 Twin Ampâ¢

9 60s British clean

10 60s British dirty/compressed

11 70s British

12 80s British

13 Super-Sonicâ¢

14 90s Metal

15 2000 Metal

16 Jazzmaster

[Larryz]

You just have to go with what sounds best to you DBM. A lot depends on your style of playing and what you have always been imagining as your sound. Sometimes the titles on modeling amp choices do not do justice to the originals. I would have to compare different patches as well. The 1st sound that would draw my attention on this latest list would be the 65 Deluxe. On my Fender Floor pedal which also used the Fuze software I got stuck on the Deluxe and never changed it. It was not quite a true comparison with the real amp. Then Fender came out with my 65 Deluxe Fender Tonemaster modeling lightweight SS amp with low to high tube wattage choices. I knew it was the amp for me. I'm glad you found your dream sound!

[desertbluesman]

Yep @Larryz, tone is personal, what sounds great to some may sound awful to others. I was never a big fan of the classic Fenders, although I had many of them. I loved my Fender 30 which was a Rivera design when he worked at Fender, I gave that to my kiddo when I bought my first Mesa Boogie Mark II, I did also like that Silver face Pro Reverb. It was the first classic Fender that I bought that had a master volume control, so I could get that overdrive sound at any volume. I liked it so much, I bought a Twin Reverb with the same features but it did not have the great tone of the Pro (in my humble opinion).

 

I also had a bunch of pedals over time and some Guitar to MIDI synth stuff, which I loved because I could get any sound that I could imagine. I had the Roland GM70 hooked to 4 synthesizers and the sounds I could get from that gear was simply amazing to me. I had 3 digital synths hooked to the GM70 and one analog Roland synth which had the most amazing strings sound. I learned how to program and tweak all of the synth sounds in my arsenal. But after a bit I just wanted a clean and overdrive sound with reverb, and I have been there ever since.

 

I also once had 30 synths and samplers for my recording setup, and I could also program all of them to my taste.

 

Here is one thing I did that I shot into a C-Cassette direct from the synths which feature 2 Roland D 550's for the leads and a Yamaha TX 802 which does the basses I had the Yamaha set to cycle through a bunch of bass patches, although I can't tell the difference in the bass tones now. https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=2022996

[Larryz]

Cool Android DBM! I liked the flute sound reminding me of Ride Across the River by Mark Knopfler. My analog Roland Juno 60 got some great warm strings and brass and organ. I didn't know Fender had a Twin with a master volume and a volume? Like the Hot Rods...but I too liked being able to get that over driven sound. Here's Dire Straits doing the tune:

 

 

[desertbluesman]

Cool Android DBM! I liked the flute sound reminding me of Ride Across the River by Mark Knopfler. My analog Roland Juno 60 got some great warm strings and brass and organ. I didn't know Fender had a Twin with a master volume and a volume? Like the Hot Rods...but I too liked being able to get that over driven sound. Here's Dire Straits doing the tune:

 

The Twin and Pro Reverb was a 2 channel amp and the master worked on both channels but the Pro and Twin I had were just like the non master volume Twins with the addition of the master volume control. But they were not like the HRD which had a different sound for both channels. I never used the overdrive channel on the HRD. I just put an overdrive pedal in front of the HRD amp. Different animal altogether. I bought the Pro from some guy for 300 bucks back in the day, and I was amazed at the sound of that one.

 

Thanks for the compliment on the Android. I was picturing a movie like Star Wars and trying to make it sound like a robot band. I did it for the Guitar Player Mag sound page competition in the guitar synth category, but I never heard a thing about it until I saw the winner on that category and it was not me, that was disappointing.

[Larryz]

@ DBM, I too didn't care for using the volume and master volume on the HRD's to send it into overdrive on the gain channels. I didn't care for the send/return loop either. I ran a Boss Blues Driver with other pedals in front of the amp if I wanted OD, Distortion, Comp, Verb, etc.

 

I think you did a great job on Android and wish you would have won. I think being in the contest was well worth your time and you obviously got a lot out of it...

[desertbluesman]

@ DBM, I too didn't care for using the volume and master volume on the HRD's to send it into overdrive on the gain channels. I didn't care for the send/return loop either. I ran a Boss Blues Driver with other pedals in front of the amp if I wanted OD, Distortion, Comp, Verb, etc.

 

I think you did a great job on Android and wish you would have won. I think being in the contest was well worth your time and you obviously got a lot out of it...

 

Thanks amigo. I still like the way Android turned out. I did it in a very short time probably one afternoon I was without my analog studio after moving from the house I had the tape stuff in.

 

I was using a Mac II and Mark Of The Unicorns Performer 3 MIDI only sequencer in front of several synths. I shot it into a C-Cassette, no multi track recording of that effort exists. I did have the MIDI file on a floppy but no computer to read the floppy, so it is history. I also had a 3d drawing of an Android I did on the Mac II, but God only knows where that is. It was pretty neat looking however.