# Fender Champion 600...



## StratQuebec (Jan 31, 2007)

Will you get one?
What are your impressions?

http://www.gearwire.com/media/fender-champ-600-wnamm.wmv


----------



## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Speaker is just too small for me. I an barely handle an 8" never mind a 6".


----------



## StratQuebec (Jan 31, 2007)

Indeed according to what I hear in the clip, there's an evident lack of "bottom end"...

I wonder how it would sounds on a 1x12 or 4x10 external cabinet...


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

As a practice amp, it might be fun. The price is certainly good, and it looks cool.


----------



## bRian (Jul 3, 2006)

*Got a Champion 600 for Father's Day*

Ok boys and girls I'm resurrecting this thread. I got a Champion 600 for Fathers Day. I think it's a great little practice amp if you like a clean warm sound at household volume. I swapped the power tube for a JJ and the preamp tube for a Phillips. It actually sounded great with the original cheap tubes but since I had these already I made the swap. It is a great compliment to a Telecaster and very quiet, of course I'm using Kinman pickups. Haven't tried a larger speaker yet though. For what I use it for I won't need one. I had a Micro Cube before this and although the micro cube was a neat little amp; the Champion 600 is much more to my liking.


----------



## Gunny (Feb 21, 2006)

Got one used for $160 from a guy on another forum. I knew in advance that there is a little hum. Mine's quite acceptable. It's dead on fun to play and of course easy to transport. Didn't "need" to have it, but the retro look and design simplicity appeal to me. Any small amp sounds huge when connected to a larger cab and that definitely applies to this one. Some people swap tubes and speaker, but I'm happy to leave mine alone.


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

I finally got to try one of these the other day, and it was just okay. I expected it to sound a bit more like a tweed champ, I guess. I love the way it looks, but the sound..I like the pro junior a lot better. It just seems way more useful and it isn't a lot more expensive.


----------



## bRian (Jul 3, 2006)

> I like the pro junior a lot better. It just seems way more useful and it isn't a lot more expensive.


Crap, gear here must be a lot more expensive; I'd have to pay $275 more to get a Pro Jr..


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

Generally $375-390 Can new for a Pro Junior here in Ottawa, the Champion 600 was $275 new(maybe due to high demand), so about 100 difference. Not huge. 

I'll admit the Champion is very cool, and the volume is very controllable.


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

there are lots of amps better than this- a pro junior is of course better for example- however it excells in only one way- and that is its low volume. its an affordable low volume tube amp for those that need a low volume yet affordable tube amp. everyone else will be disappointed. id love to just practice and record in my apartment with an ac30- but even a pro junior can be heard a block away lol
most can achieve more satisfactory results with pedals and/or attenuators. i prefer a more organic sound and setup - so im all for the little buggers

edit- mine cost 225$ in ontario about a month ago or so


----------



## bRian (Jul 3, 2006)

> mine cost 225$ in ontario about a month ago or so


So did mine.


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

$225 does seem a bit more reasonable.


----------



## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

I got one, and with good tubes, and plugged into my G12 H30 Heitage, it flat out rocks. Check out the clip I made.

http://members.soundclick.com/cocotone

CT.


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

hi cocotone- great great sound there- and your a damn fine player
is that clip straight up amp and speaker, no distortion pedal?
and what tubes are you using in it?
thanks man
if anyone has trouble finding the clip from cocotones link- try this one
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=700599


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Or, indeed, this one. :smile:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=700599&songID=5458889

Very very nice Cocotone, great playing. :food-smiley-004:


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Bugger, that was good. I wonder what my Gibson GA-5 would sound like through a 12"?


----------



## StratQuebec (Jan 31, 2007)

Pretty good tone and playing! Congrads!


----------



## StratQuebec (Jan 31, 2007)

In the waiting for it to be available in Trois-Rivieres, I got a Peavey ValveKing 112. Sounds good, versatile and easy to carry. For sure we can't really compare these two amps but all in all I'm very satisfied with the VK... so far


----------



## Yerffej (Feb 7, 2006)

I love the simplicity. Close mic'd they would be usable in the studio, and I think they make for ok furniture. A fine amp on the cheap


----------



## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

Thanks for the kind words guys! I used an MJM London fuzz, with the guita volume rolled off a bit, and a Bad Monkey to kick it up a bit about three quarters of the way in, with just a little echo. Towards the end I kicked in the vibe side on an old CE-1. I think the speaker is the key. Pre tube is a Groove 12AX7M Mullard copy( very very good sounding for new production tube to my ears), and a JJ's power tube.

CT.


----------



## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

Anyone replace the stock speaker in theirs yet? Too bad the box is so small, as a 10" would be perfect for the lil' sucker.

CT.


----------



## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

CocoTone said:


> Anyone replace the stock speaker in theirs yet? Too bad the box is so small, as a 10" would be perfect for the lil' sucker.
> 
> CT.


Can you change the baffle and put an 8" in it? The Weber 8F125 is a pretty big sound 8". A 10" would definately be monster.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Jeff Flowerday said:


> Can you change the baffle and put an 8" in it? The Weber 8F125 is a pretty big sound 8". A 10" would definately be monster.


I'm wondering about the same thing. Anybody who has this amp. (or works in a store where they are sold)....could you please comment if you think it is at all possible (it doesn't have to be easy..just possible). 


Thanks


----------



## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

Probably make more sense just to buy another extension cab, like a single 12", and leave the little box alone. Could be worth big bux in thirty years!!:wave:

CT.


----------



## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

Just got one of these yesterday. Wow. Swapped in a better set of tubes I had kicking around and jammed all night. The perfect volume for apartment use and it plays really well with all my guitars and pedals. 

I think I will try the speaker replacement. I'm seing US sites selling the Jensen 6" speaker for $15 US. So I figure some store in Toronto has to be able to get me one for $20-25 CDN. That's worth the experiment. There seems to be a lot of positive response to this speaker in the fender forum.

After that, no mods. I'm already liking the tone of this with a passable set of tubes greatly. If I can just squeeze a tiny bit more bottom and top end out of this with a new speaker I'm set.

This amp cost me 1/4 of the Victoria 518 I just traded away, and I'd say its got about 90% of the tone of the Victoria at a volume level much more usable in my apartment. That's good math to me.


----------



## Gunny (Feb 21, 2006)

[with credit to Wild Bill] - if you wish to eliminate all traces of hum in the amp, lift the filament resistors from ground and tie them to the output tube cathode, pin 8.
Works like a charm - elevated heater voltage is an old tube amp trick.


----------



## worganc (Jun 2, 2010)

Just picked one up the other day for my 7 year old son. He wanted to start playing guitar and I bought him a mini strat and this amp. IMO it's a awesome little tube amp to start a kid out with. I am starting to use it to practice once the kids are in bed since my HRD is too loud. At $150 is was only a few bucks more than a comparable solid state starter amp, but you can't put a price on tube tone. I love it and my son thinks it's the coolest thing ever.


----------



## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

Weber makes a 6" replacement speaker that fits. Seems like everyone on Youtube with a Champion 600 puts one in.

Some of those guys get a bit silly with the mods to their 600s. Spend $200 on the amp, and dump another $150-$200 of mods into it.

Personally, I think the money would be better spent buying a used Silverface Champ. Many can be had for under $300.


----------



## Jean GODBOUT (Oct 31, 2009)

I think that the Champion 600 is a very cool amp but ... in the same range of amp you can get a Epiphone Valve junior that sound awesome to, with a head version you can drive a bigger speaker. YouTube - Epiphone Valve Junior Mercury Magnetics Mod


----------

