# New Low Priced Fender Amps,... with tubes



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

FYI.......... New Low Priced Fender Amps,... with tubes

New Vibro Champ XD: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-VibroChamp-XD-120V-Guitar-Combo?sku=483069

And the Super Champ XD: http://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN2331100

The sh*t is really flying over these at TGP.


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## bRian (Jul 3, 2006)

What's the TGP??


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

bRian said:


> What's the TGP??


The Gear Page. American centred version of this, but with a lot of international members. Much much bigger too. http://www.thegearpage.net/board/


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

"The sh*t is really flying"


Is that good or bad?

Let me guess, some people think it's great while others (who paid a lot for their Fender amps) are saying that it will hurt the brand's reputation.

At that price, you really have to wonder if they aren't using this as a loss leader.


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## flashPUNK (Feb 16, 2006)

I for one, cant wait to try one of these out.


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

I'm also looking forward to taking one (or both) for a test drive.

Didn't see anything on fender.com on them - but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them when I'm out and about.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

In the US, MF says they are back ordered to Oct. 15th. My guess is early to mid November for Canada.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

NB-SK said:


> Let me guess, some people think it's great while others (who paid a lot for their Fender amps) are saying that it will hurt the brand's reputation.


Apparently the Super Champ uses a SS preamp circuit with a 12AX7 phase inverter and 2 6V6 power tubes. Tube snobs are having a major conniption over it, it seems.


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> Apparently the Super Champ uses a SS preamp circuit with a 12AX7 phase inverter and 2 6V6 power tubes. Tube snobs are having a major conniption over it, it seems.


Well, it is a 250$, so I don't see what the fuss is about. Besides, hasn't Fender been making SS amps for years?


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I believe both amps are a SS front end. The BS meter peaks with the "problems associated with tube preamps" (or something like that)statment in Fender's ad copy. Seriously, give me a break . . .

The amps may sound great, but the ad copy is bad enough to make me highly suspicious.

TG


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

traynor_garnet said:


> I believe both amps are a SS front end. The BS meter peaks with the "problems associated with tube preamps" (or something like that)statment in Fender's ad copy. Seriously, give me a break . . .
> 
> The amps may sound great, but the ad copy is bad enough to make me highly suspicious.
> 
> TG



No, they really made that statement? Well, maybe they should start charging less for their tube amps, then.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I am interested to see how they sound. I wish they didn't have the DSP effects. The cost could likely be cut down even more then.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

NB-SK said:


> No, they really made that statement? Well, maybe they should start charging less for their tube amps, then.


Good news, they both have a 12ax7 in the preamp! A guy on the gearpage stated they were solid state since the super champ claims "The inclusion of solid-state overdrive and distortion eliminates many of the preamp tube problems that plague tube lovers." Still BS, but much better than a SS front end.

TG


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> I wish they didn't have the DSP effects. The cost could likely be cut down even more then.


Yes, and the effects are likley only average at best. I predict one of the first mods to these things will be entirely elimainating the DSP from the circuit.

That super champ looks tempting at $250, but I've never played one. It will be interesting to watch the used Champ market and see how these new amps effect prices (for both super and normal champs).

TG


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## Kapo_Polenton (Jun 20, 2007)

Is it me or is this a smaller versionof what Bogner is doing with Line 6?


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Kapo, from my experiences with Line 6, I would guess the effects and models (the new Fenders have 'voicings') will be a lot better then what's in the Fender. But that is just a guess.

A key difference with the Fenders is they are low wattage. The Super Champ looks pretty tempting as a rehearsal amp. A possible stand in for my Princeton Reverb when I don't want to move it around.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I read that the Super champ has a ss preamp, a 12AX7 phase inverter and 2 6V6 power tubes. I don't know what a phase inverter does - some one mentioned it is part of the power tube circuit and not the preamp circuit.


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

I have heard from reliable sources that Fender stopped US production some time ago and moved it to China. This has caused some problems getting parts for repairs - you can't! Many of their new amps are on a "replace only - do not repair for warranty!" list. This sounds good at first: "Hey man! They just gave me a new amp!" but it hasn't been happening long enough for players to realize that once the warranty is off they won't fix it at all! They expect you to throw it away and get a new one, I guess.

Any tech shop can fix it if it's a standard part you can get anywhere but if it's something custom to the Fender model like slide pots you're beat! NOBODY ever uses standard slide pots a tech can buy at any industrial electronics store! They buy a custom slider from the factory 'cuz they're buying in volume and nothing else will fit or look right. The same could be true of power and output transformers. Lots of people make replacement for the vintage amps but no one will have units for new Fender products. You can usually find standard transformers with similar specs but the problem comes when you go to mount them in the same space as the old one - the mounting "footprint" for such transformers is not a standard and things don't line up. In easy cases you just drill some new holes for the bolts. In PITA cases the damn thing just won't fit!

I'm wondering if this Fender series of cheap amps are anything like the Gibson Epiphone Jr., where you pay $200 for a little amp and then you spend several hundred dollars more on quality parts and another 30 hours of labour to tell yourself "What a deal!".

Can anyone confirm if they are indeed Chinese? At that price I would expect they have to be! And maybe someone could read the warranty card or ask the dealer and get the scoop on how they now handle warranties.

:food-smiley-004:


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

wild bill-
i dont have any real answers to your question, but the fender champions are made in china, id assume that these are too. i did find that the quality of the champion "looks" a lot better than the epiphone valve jr, internally anyway. however it is much more compact in there and although much tidier, more of a pain in the ass to work with.
i have the first version of the valve jr, and turned it into a real player with maybe $20 worth of caps and resistors- a lot of guys bought the upgrade kits, and transformers and speakers etc but all that is really needed is to re-voice the thing to suit your own needs.
im all for stuff like this, but the sad thing is that if a young player (the target customer) got a little 5 watt tube amp, he wouldnt like the sound, unless hes into old school type tones. so they add dsp bullshit so he can sound like the players he is listening to-and still that wont really work so there will be pedals added and geez-
its just like when i was a kid, trying to get hendrix and blackmore sounds out of the crap ss amps they were selling then and not really knowing any better


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

i must have thrown out the warranty card for the champion- but here is the pdf

http://www.fender.com/support/pdfs/FENDER_5_YEAR64CE3.pdf


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

fraser said:


> i must have thrown out the warranty card for the champion- but here is the pdf
> 
> http://www.fender.com/support/pdfs/FENDER_5_YEAR64CE3.pdf


Thanks Fraser! That helps!

I notice that the warranty is still the old wording: "repair or replace" at Fender's discretion. So we can't tell about the "do not fix for warranty - replace only" list.

And you're right on about how when you're a newbie you can buy a lot of crap!:smile: But that's how we all learn. Man, when I think about how much I got burned over the years until I found a good car mechanic, or a computer store, or just about everything!

We gotta pay our dues...:smile:

:food-smiley-004:


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

re: paying our dues...

I hear ya. After years of not touching an electric guitar I went out blind and bought what I thought was the newest and coolest amp - Line6 Spider 112 for $700. I think the salespeople at L&M saw me coming from miles away. I've since sold it and bought a decent tube amp. The Line6 was a fun little toy but I could've done much better for my $700. Live and learn. :rockon:


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