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iamqman « Classic Fender tone »
Published on 04/27/11 at 15:33This is about as basic as it gets. Fender sought out to build a small compact combo practice amp that could be played along to recordings that you could crank with one control volume knob and gets a sweet rich tone.
This amp only comes at 5 watts which mean you can crank this thing all day long and not offend too many people with loud noise complaints.
Fender '57 Champ Single-channel Tube Amplifier Features:
* Output: Five watts
* Speaker: One 8" Weber Special Design with Alnico magnet
* Channels: One with Two inputs: Input 1 - full sensitivity for most guitars, Input 2 - lower sensitivity (-6dB) to provide higher output guitars with cleaner response.
* Hand-wired 5F1 circuit
* On/Off switch, volume goes to 12
* Finger-joined solid pine cabinet resonates with a warm, woody tone
* Genuine lacquered tweed covering with vintage brown/gold grille cloth
* Leather strap handle
* Cover included
UTILIZATION
Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 1
Power 5W
Speakers 1 x 8" Weber Special Design
No Effects
No Reverb
No EQ
No Amp Modeling
Number of Models 0
Number of Tubes 3
Preamp Tubes 1 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 1 x 6V6, 1 x 5Y3 (Rectifier)
Inputs 2 x Instrument
Outputs No Outputs
No Footswitch I/O
No Effects Loop
Height 13.5"
Width 12.5"
Depth 7.8"
Weight 16.5 lbs.
SOUNDS
I'll be honest I don't think it sounds like the vintage '57 amps that I have heard or played. It sounds like a thin solid state practice amp. I really don't think it has much tone or warmth that the originals had.
I have heard this amp with a Fender Stratocaster and telecaster and neither one made any difference on my opinion about the amp. They both sounded like good guitars going into a poor sounding amplifier. I'm not a fan of this tone at all.
OVERALL OPINION
I have to say it...this is a waste of money. I know that it will cost you a few thousand dollars to get an original, but if you are dying to have that tone then it might be worth it to you to pass on this one. The tone is coming from an 8 inch speaker but it just sounds bad!. There is nothing I can really say about it other than what my ears are telling me.
At new these amps come in at around $1000, which is about $950 overpriced. I think a Pignose would actually sound better than this amp. I do not recommend this amp to anyone. There are better amps that can give you the small speaker tube tone.
This amp only comes at 5 watts which mean you can crank this thing all day long and not offend too many people with loud noise complaints.
Fender '57 Champ Single-channel Tube Amplifier Features:
* Output: Five watts
* Speaker: One 8" Weber Special Design with Alnico magnet
* Channels: One with Two inputs: Input 1 - full sensitivity for most guitars, Input 2 - lower sensitivity (-6dB) to provide higher output guitars with cleaner response.
* Hand-wired 5F1 circuit
* On/Off switch, volume goes to 12
* Finger-joined solid pine cabinet resonates with a warm, woody tone
* Genuine lacquered tweed covering with vintage brown/gold grille cloth
* Leather strap handle
* Cover included
UTILIZATION
Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 1
Power 5W
Speakers 1 x 8" Weber Special Design
No Effects
No Reverb
No EQ
No Amp Modeling
Number of Models 0
Number of Tubes 3
Preamp Tubes 1 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 1 x 6V6, 1 x 5Y3 (Rectifier)
Inputs 2 x Instrument
Outputs No Outputs
No Footswitch I/O
No Effects Loop
Height 13.5"
Width 12.5"
Depth 7.8"
Weight 16.5 lbs.
SOUNDS
I'll be honest I don't think it sounds like the vintage '57 amps that I have heard or played. It sounds like a thin solid state practice amp. I really don't think it has much tone or warmth that the originals had.
I have heard this amp with a Fender Stratocaster and telecaster and neither one made any difference on my opinion about the amp. They both sounded like good guitars going into a poor sounding amplifier. I'm not a fan of this tone at all.
OVERALL OPINION
I have to say it...this is a waste of money. I know that it will cost you a few thousand dollars to get an original, but if you are dying to have that tone then it might be worth it to you to pass on this one. The tone is coming from an 8 inch speaker but it just sounds bad!. There is nothing I can really say about it other than what my ears are telling me.
At new these amps come in at around $1000, which is about $950 overpriced. I think a Pignose would actually sound better than this amp. I do not recommend this amp to anyone. There are better amps that can give you the small speaker tube tone.