Fender Super Champ X2

[goshawk]

Looking for a new amp. I've tried a few solid state, find myself coming back to Fender tubes.

I got a chance to try a Super Champ X2 today: 1x10, a pair of 6V6s, digital effects. Plugged in to the clean channel, and thought it sounded really good... but I was playing in a Guitar Center, so a little hard to tell.

Anyone have long-term experience using this for jazz?

[monkmiles]

The Super Champ XD and X2 are both very good. The clean channel alone is worth the price if you like blackface style clean tones. I rarely touch any of the voices but the X2 has some cool voices that you can tweak the hell out of if you hook it up to your computer and their Fuse software. The X2 has a jazzmaster voice too for those flatter, darker jazz tones.

I use mine all the time at home for quiet practice and as a grab & go for small jams since its nice and portable/light. Yet has just enough power for band playing (depending on band size of course).

I used to have a XD that I did a lot of jazz trio gigs with. Now I have a blonde X2 that I prefer a little.

I love 6v6 (and 6l6 for that matter) Fender clean tones and the Super Champs are surprisingly good sounding. The hybrid modeling and tube power amp work well together.

[nosoyninja]

Why do you own both the princeton and the X2? I would think the princeton gets you all you could possibly want for jazz, no?

[monkmiles]

I own the scx2 mainly because of its portability and Fender clean tone combination. It's 24lbs, so almost 10lbs less than my Princeton Reverb Reissue. I can more easily bring it back and forth to the jam sessions I do every couple weeks. Right now I also have my Princeton set up with a 12" speaker, so the Princeton ends up a slightly bigger and louder amp than the scx2.

If you're asking which I prefer, I do prefer the Princeton by a good amount. I also have a old silverface Fender Bandmaster 2x10 combo. The Bandmaster covers gigs where the Princeton can't keep up. The 3 amps cover small to medium to large playing situations for me.

[cosmic gumbo]

I've got an XD and if the X2 is as good or better, you won't be disappointed, as long as you understand the sonic limits of a 10" open back cab driven by 15 tube watts. Classic blackface clean sounds on channel 1 and I've found that some of the channel 2 sounds are just as nice with the gain dialed down. Very usable effects. Just loud enough for me to hang in a 17 piece big band or jazz combo.

I got it as a light grab and go amp instead of hauling my deluxe reverb all over town, but it's working out beyond my expectations at this point. For the money, it's hard to beat the value.

[newsense]

With apologies to Goshawk for potentially hijacking his thread, I also have an interest in views on the Superchamp X2. For a long time now I have been seeking an amp for practice, home-recording and (very) occasional gigs. My ideal spec has been:

• 15 Watt head
• 6V6 all-tube powered
• 3 band EQ
• FX loop
• great clean and good OD from its own gain or from pedals
• power soak or low power option
• record or line out

The Superchamp is way off my spec, other than it is a 15 Watt head with a couple of 6V6s and some recording possibilities, but nevertheless, as it is also in the right price range and I seem to have exhausted all other possibilities*, I am very tempted.

I really have 4 questions:
Can I make-do with the minimal EQ, or will it need something else in front ?
Can I compromise on the lack of FX loop (usually I run a Boss chorus, a TC HOF reverb and a Boss delay in the loop) ?
Despite its hybrid design, does it still have a good analogue feel ?
Does channel 1 respond well to overdrive pedals ?

*For reference, the other possibilities I have exhausted were:
VHT Special 6 Ultra - the clean sound lacked both depth and sparkle
VHT Special 12/20 - very noisy - too much hum for home recording, which the retailer denied but still gave a refund
Ampeg GVT 15 - very noisy FX loop, which the retailer failed to fix, despite a manufacturer's Tech Bulletin on the issue.

Now looking to test an Egnater Tweaker 15, which fits my spec, but are out of stock in the UK.

Buying amps in the UK is a b*ll-ache due to lack of dealers; for each of the above I had to use Thomann in Germany, who try their best, but it is a rather long supply line back to US manufacturers. Hence the Superchamp has the added advantage of being widely available locally.

Should I give up on what I think I want and admit that the Fender will do everything I actually need ?

[Frank67]

IMHO It is a nice little amp that is well worth the money (I have an Xd, never tried a X2). It has a nice blackface sound on the clean channel and many of the modelling voices are good too. It ain't no Princeton but it 'feels' much better than most modellers I have tried. It is not loud enough to play with a serious drummer but plenty loud for the living room. Due to its construction it can sound a bit boxy - the head plus a '12 cab probably fixes that. The eq, despite being minimal, was enough for me to dial out harsh highs or boomy lows. Best jazz tone is with treble nearly fully down IMHO. It takes overdrive pedals very poorly and I hated the results. Some of the modelled overdriven sounds are fine though. The effects sound pretty good, in particular the reverb. Their combined use is a bit limited and clumsy.

Hope that helps a bit,
Cheers
Frank

[monkmiles]

The EQ is controllable enough for me but I'm used to the two knob eq style. I find great jazz tones with the treble around 3 and the bass around 4-5...keeping them down some makes the mids stand out more.

But with the x2, you can tweak the hell out of it if you hook it up via USB to your computer and their free Fuse software. In Fuse you get 3 band eq (treble, mids, bass) and also more advanced settings like tube sag and bias. It all gets saved to the amp. So if you're OK with doing it that way, you get lots of control.

[medblues]

With apologies to Goshawk for potentially hijacking his thread, I also have an interest in views on the Superchamp X2. For a long time now I have been seeking an amp for practice, home-recording and (very) occasional gigs. My ideal spec has been:

• 15 Watt head
• 6V6 all-tube powered
• 3 band EQ
• FX loop
• great clean and good OD from its own gain or from pedals
• power soak or low power option
• record or line out

The Superchamp is way off my spec, other than it is a 15 Watt head with a couple of 6V6s and some recording possibilities, but nevertheless, as it is also in the right price range and I seem to have exhausted all other possibilities*, I am very tempted.

I really have 4 questions:
Can I make-do with the minimal EQ, or will it need something else in front ?
Can I compromise on the lack of FX loop (usually I run a Boss chorus, a TC HOF reverb and a Boss delay in the loop) ?
Despite its hybrid design, does it still have a good analogue feel ?
Does channel 1 respond well to overdrive pedals ?

*For reference, the other possibilities I have exhausted were:
VHT Special 6 Ultra - the clean sound lacked both depth and sparkle
VHT Special 12/20 - very noisy - too much hum for home recording, which the retailer denied but still gave a refund
Ampeg GVT 15 - very noisy FX loop, which the retailer failed to fix, despite a manufacturer's Tech Bulletin on the issue.

Now looking to test an Egnater Tweaker 15, which fits my spec, but are out of stock in the UK.

Buying amps in the UK is a b*ll-ache due to lack of dealers; for each of the above I had to use Thomann in Germany, who try their best, but it is a rather long supply line back to US manufacturers. Hence the Superchamp has the added advantage of being widely available locally.

Should I give up on what I think I want and admit that the Fender will do everything I actually need ?

Egnater Rebel 30 Head (with the 6V6 only 20 W) ?

[goshawk]

Thanks, everyone.

I do find I prefer the Fender 6V6-driven sound. My first choice is the Deluxe Reverb, the Princeton next. But since I'm playing at home, rather than gigging, the price/performance ration of the SCX2 is very attractive. Glad to hear that you guys are finding it does so well for exactly the kind of playing I'm thinking about.

[ruiner54]

I just picked up a used Super Champ X2 - I was actually looking for a Blues Junior and saw this sitting in the corner, so I demoed it back to back with a Blues Jr III and a Vox AC15c1. I was impressed how well it sounded considering the price. Voice 1 (clean channel) gives a nice basic Fender Blackface tone and then I was delighted to see that the last voice is Jazzmaster simulation (ironic to have a tube amp simulating a SS), so this amp can provide everything from a Ted Greene sparkle to a tight solid state tone and plenty in between.

I HIGHLY recommend the Super Champ line

[Longways to Go]

Thanks, everyone.

I do find I prefer the Fender 6V6-driven sound. My first choice is the Deluxe Reverb, the Princeton next. But since I'm playing at home, rather than gigging, the price/performance ration of the SCX2 is very attractive. Glad to hear that you guys are finding it does so well for exactly the kind of playing I'm thinking about.

Have you tried a Princeton? For an at home amp, it is awfully hard to beat for a quintessential Fender tube tones.

Superchamps are great too. I had the XD for a couple of years. It is very flexible & portable, but not quite as rich & subtle as the Princeton. I'm not knocking it, but they are on a different level.

[AlsoRan]

When you good folks mention the specs, don't forget to mention that it has a 12AX7 tube also. It can confuse poor souls such as myself who hear the info and then lock it in their understanding/memory.

So for the inexperienced or easily confused, note that the amp has three tubes.

I found this out the hard way messing with my Vibrochamp XD.



https://www.amazon.com/Complement-Fe...ube+complement

[AKDave]

I love my SCX2 for home and at church. When I bought it, I was looking for something more portable for jazz band gigging, but found its overall volume capability not quite up to the task when trying to cut through in a full size jazz band setting. But for home and church, it is incredible how much bang for the buck, and size, this little amp provides. I'm still looking for the perfect amp for the jazz band. I tried my Kustom "The Defender" and it starts to break up at the volumes I need. Would love some input on this from anybody.

[lammie200]

I have an SCX2 and really like it. There is a Jazzmaster setting on the modeling channel that I really like. I am contemplating changing the speaker, however. I also have a Pro Jr. with a Jensen ceramic in it and it out performs the SCX2 in terms of open sounding. I may go with an Alnico on the SC though, but that project is down the line a bit. Putting together a Tele at the moment.

P.S. I have not messed with the FUSE software except to download it. I would like to see how much more custom it can get. Another project!!!

BTW, I think that I paid $280 for the SCX2 new at GC. I really couldn't pass on it.

[AKDave]

$280 is a great price. The GC near me wanted $350, so I went to my local shop and bought one for the same price. I played around with the FUSE software a bit but have not downloaded anything to the amp. It's fun to tinker with.

[roegtr]

Nice to see so much praise for this amp since I just found a used one for a good price that is heading my way right now
I did get to try one out in a local store a while back and I was real impressed by the first channel. Especially considering its low price.
For anyone looking at getting some more juice out of this thing, there is a custom cabinet builder by the name Newell amps that builds a cab for it that holds a 12" speaker. Priced at $209.
CABINETS