*I have a Super Champ X2 Limited Edition in Sonic Blue, that I've gigged with for 6 years now.* *It has the Eminence Ragin Cajun speaker upgrade from the factory.* *In terms of sound you could split hairs over which sounds better.* *In terms of versatility the Super Champ X2 is the clear winner.*
The Super Champ X2 is voiced a lot darker than many traditional Fender tube amps. I just made a video comparing an X2 with a Crate v32 and a Fender Twin.
Use the champ on many gigs just miked up, and comments were all good, but most of all works very well with my tele don't want to muck around with settings just plug and play.
I bought a Super champ and threw the speaker away and replaced it with a Jensen P10r and now it competes with a Princeton at a 3rd of the cost. Great for studio.
I have two X2s I run in stereo. For the price they are great and with tweaks even better. Not sure they are durable enough to tour with, but I use them often for local gigs. Stock speaker in the combo is the weakness, either buy the head and run it into a decent cab or upgrade the stock combo speaker with a WGS G10C or Weber 10F150T (vintage vibe) or Eminence Rajin Cajun (modern vibe). Also use the Fender Fuse software to tweak the settings (especially the mid control which is set to max by default from the factory).
@@JPhi Yeah, that would probably sound good. Never tried the CR personally, but from the times I have heard it is modern yet mellow vibe, with maybe a hint of spice :-)
I'm not seeing a completely fair comparison between the 2 amps when running Fuzz. At 3:43, the Princeton's Bass control is set to 1. Then at 3:51, you can see that the Super Champ's bass is set to 5. Might explain a bit why the SCx2 sounds farty with the pedal in front of it. I'm sure the smaller speaker and cabinet don't do it any favors either.
I was thinking the same thing. I've been thinking about getting the super champ x2 head to use as a nice fender clean pedal platform amp and this fuzz take doesn't sway me towards it however I also think its because of the dumb 10" speaker they use in the combos. No offense to anyone that likes 10" speakers its just gotta be 12" speakers for me cuz of reasons like seen in this video.
Good catch. I was surprised at how close the little guy was until that moment. Goes to show why you really can't know until you put your hands on something.
Superchamp x2 sounds great clean, but only has output tubes so they probably react differently when trying to push the front end. Great home master vol amp.
Great comparison. About what I expected, until the fuzz pedal. Wow! Makes a compelling argument that the price difference is worth it to get the Princeton.
@@wilsonguitars2724 Hmmm. I do agree for the fuzz pedal. But 1) You could/should compare the Princeton Fuzz pedal to the Fuxx voices on the Chgamp. With the Princeton you need the pedal, in the Champ it's already there for free. Bettering the pric ratio score even more. And 2) If you do not need Fuzz the price point/value ballparks seem to shift definitely towards the Champ. Which is rather amazing for a 200 USD / 300 USD new amp, instead of a 1.000 USD or so Princetong price point? There is money to be made from guitar tech dreams and snobism, I guess... :-) :-) ;-)
Just got a super champ x2 Cabernet Red with Greenback speaker plug in to mad professor super black and HOF reverb it sounds like a Princeton wonderful rich sound nice surprise at how good it is through ch 1 on the x2.
In this test the Princeton wins hands down, *but* I would be interested to hear what you could make the Champ sound like by changing the tone settings and also how it would sound in the context of a mix with EQ on it.
Joel Marksbury Horses for courses, today $500 bucks doesn't buy you much. What I have found is you can't cheap out on sound. On a side note, I have been unable to replicate the sound of an old valve/tube radio that belonged to my grandparents. It was only 5 watts output, I would plug in to the line in and switch to auxiliary and that old thing was unbelievable when miked up to my PA.
Both great amps. Is the Princeton $500 more better or is the super champ $500 less better. With a mic in front of it you can’t go wrong either way...how deep is you wallet...that’s the big question rock people, rock on!!!
Right! Why did they set it at max from the factory? Mid settings are important, right!? I really like mine, though I play only clean with modulation, delays and reverb.
@@attentionaddicts It has a usb to connect into a computer/laptop/phone so you can change the presets and EQ from a 50s Fender a vox a Marshall and pair them up with various speaker configurations. Once you get the sounds you like they can be stored in the amp. Great idea but all it needs is a decent speaker.
Hûh? I only just see it now. Am I mistaken: on the Princeton the Volume is set to 0 - but I hear it - and the Speed and Intensity is set to 4 and 6 on the Tremolo - and you don't hear that. The Fuzz pedal used isn't being visible. Are we looking at the wrong photo's? Even the same amp?
@@m3xdjc635 I think it’s truly subjective. I find that the Bjr takes pedals way better and is able to attain iconic sounds. But the cleans in the XD are very nice. It takes pedal very well too, but the Bjr has a slight edge. Also, you have a bit more control on the EQ on the Bjr vs the XD’s bass and treble. And honestly, the thought of having to spend about $80 to replace all the tubes if they over go bad in the Bjr is a bit of a strain compared to the XD. I haven’t tried the X2s to compare, but I’m sure they’re made very well. The cost is a huge factor too. Try to find either of them used.
Until the fuzz pedal, I was surprised at how close the SC was keeping it to be less than half the cost. Great sounding little amp, though, before that. I'd definitely rather have the 65 PRRI, but I'd sure as h@#l pay 400 for the SC before I'd lay down a grand for the 68.
Pls read my other comments. When leading the fuzz through the Blackface voices, the results would have been so so much better.. The Champ on it s clean voice is a Basemann style amp. As weel as any tube Bassman, it does n t take fuzz pedals well, for it combines the muffled Bassmann overdrive with the Fuzz muffled overdrive. Giving you muffled? The cleaner Blackface as fuzz pedal platform takes a fuzz well. He is comparing the Blackface type Princeton with a Bassmann styl Vhamp voice: it Apples and Pears and it shows most when hooking up a Fuzz. Believe me. I know. I tried. Set the Champ to any Blackface clean style and it compares to rhe Princeton. Also having the Fuzz.
@@wilsonguitars2724 what voice numbers do you like best on super champ x2? Just got one trying to decide if I messed up & shoulda went with blues jr. or new mustang gtx 50 n hope it’s as good as tone master deluxe reverb that is little outta my price range & prob too loud anyway for me at home. Do you have a review on your channel using channel 2 & the voicings?
@@AuntAlnico4 thank you! I am going to spend some time messing around with channel 4 tomorrow now! Do you have preferred effects & levels on channel , that I could use as like a starting point
@@wilsonguitars2724 Hey but Mr Wilson. Than you made the wrong comparison!! The channel 1 is the all-tibe, no compression Tweed base channel the Fender XD. You shouldt have compated it to the Voice 4, 5 or 6. Being the Blackface voices (at least on the Champ XD, do not know for the X2). Princenton clean should have been compared to Voice 4, Princeton pushed against Voice 5. And the up the Treble a little on the Champ and you re in Princeton arena. Now you re comparing Blackface vs Tweed ... No wonder the Fuzz is eating the Champ alive. As a Fuzz also has a driven Tweed for breakfast ...
This is stupid. Why is the bass rolled all the way off the Princeton, and not the Super Champ? The SC doesn't sound as bright... duh... with the Princeton's bass rolled off.
I heard the difference right away. There is a "staleness" to all solid state amps vs tubes. If you can pick it up over a video, it is even more pronounced when live where you feel it.
Fender just doesn't understand Overdrive. They need to hire somebody. Ever since Mesa Boogie came out in about 1975 fenders been playing catch-up with the overdrive. 45 years.
@@guitarocd9984 There are some Fender amps that I don't care for the overdrive. But you have to admit they are not all bad. Fender has sold a ton of Hotrod Deluxe amps to people who love the overdrive. I think they're alright. Personally I really like the Super Sonic 22. They do great crunch tones and high gain rock tones. Many popular classic recordings have overdriven Princetons, Deluxe reverbs , Bassmans, and various tweeds. Most Fender amps are also very pedal friendly so you can shape your tone anyway you want. I think it comes down to taste and the type of music you play. People who play classic rock, blues, and jazz styles can make good use of Fender amps. There's not a lot there for people who play heavier hard rock, prog, or metal styles.
Just got the Princeton a couple of weeks ago and absolutely love it, the speaker has broken in beautifully. It SPARKLES.
using the same speaker for the test would be an added extra useful information
*I have a Super Champ X2 Limited Edition in Sonic Blue, that I've gigged with for 6 years now.*
*It has the Eminence Ragin Cajun speaker upgrade from the factory.*
*In terms of sound you could split hairs over which sounds better.*
*In terms of versatility the Super Champ X2 is the clear winner.*
The Super Champ X2 is voiced a lot darker than many traditional Fender tube amps. I just made a video comparing an X2 with a Crate v32 and a Fender Twin.
agree
It’s a nice little gig amp! The Super Champ is cheap, lite, sounds good and is small! More versatile than a Blues Junior and much cheaper!
Can it be gigged with?
@@davevann2925
Yep, ether mic'd up or using the line out - the latter may require cab sim/IR
@@davevann2925 I did a small bar gig with it once . Had to mic up .. but over all it really did get the job done and the crowd was feeling it*
Use the champ on many gigs just miked up, and comments were all good, but most of all works very well with my tele don't want to muck around with settings just plug and play.
I bought a Super champ and threw the speaker away and replaced it with a Jensen P10r and now it competes with a Princeton at a 3rd of the cost. Great for studio.
I have two X2s I run in stereo. For the price they are great and with tweaks even better. Not sure they are durable enough to tour with, but I use them often for local gigs. Stock speaker in the combo is the weakness, either buy the head and run it into a decent cab or upgrade the stock combo speaker with a WGS G10C or Weber 10F150T (vintage vibe) or Eminence Rajin Cajun (modern vibe). Also use the Fender Fuse software to tweak the settings (especially the mid control which is set to max by default from the factory).
thanks for the mids tips. picked up an sc x2 head and cab recently.
I put a Cannabis Rex in mine as well as sylvania tubes, it is perfect for my small jazz gigs.
@@JPhi Yeah, that would probably sound good. Never tried the CR personally, but from the times I have heard it is modern yet mellow vibe, with maybe a hint of spice :-)
Both amps sounded great. Depending on your budget but either amps will do.
I'm not seeing a completely fair comparison between the 2 amps when running Fuzz. At 3:43, the Princeton's Bass control is set to 1. Then at 3:51, you can see that the Super Champ's bass is set to 5. Might explain a bit why the SCx2 sounds farty with the pedal in front of it. I'm sure the smaller speaker and cabinet don't do it any favors either.
I was thinking the same thing. I've been thinking about getting the super champ x2 head to use as a nice fender clean pedal platform amp and this fuzz take doesn't sway me towards it however I also think its because of the dumb 10" speaker they use in the combos. No offense to anyone that likes 10" speakers its just gotta be 12" speakers for me cuz of reasons like seen in this video.
The SCX2 has a lot of base, you’re probably right.
Good catch. I was surprised at how close the little guy was until that moment. Goes to show why you really can't know until you put your hands on something.
and also making a comparison using a 10' speaker aganist a 12' isn't that fair...
Superchamp x2 sounds great clean, but only has output tubes so they probably react differently when trying to push the front end. Great home master vol amp.
Great comparison. About what I expected, until the fuzz pedal. Wow! Makes a compelling argument that the price difference is worth it to get the Princeton.
Yeah the champ really struggled with fuzz. That's with the volume on 4 too.
It's a nice amp. But it's the Princeton all day for us!
@@wilsonguitars2724 Hmmm. I do agree for the fuzz pedal.
But 1) You could/should compare the Princeton Fuzz pedal to the Fuxx voices on the Chgamp. With the Princeton you need the pedal, in the Champ it's already there for free. Bettering the pric ratio score even more.
And 2) If you do not need Fuzz the price point/value ballparks seem to shift definitely towards the Champ.
Which is rather amazing for a 200 USD / 300 USD new amp, instead of a 1.000 USD or so Princetong price point?
There is money to be made from guitar tech dreams and snobism, I guess... :-) :-) ;-)
Just got a super champ x2 Cabernet Red with Greenback speaker plug in to mad professor super black and HOF reverb it sounds like a Princeton wonderful rich sound nice surprise at how good it is through ch 1 on the x2.
In this test the Princeton wins hands down, *but* I would be interested to hear what you could make the Champ sound like by changing the tone settings and also how it would sound in the context of a mix with EQ on it.
Upgrading tubes and speaker?
@@santiplaying5825 Just the speaker did it 4 me, Jensen P10R.
I have both and won’t be getting rid of either. Excellent amps
I have a super champ xd I use it through a Marshall 212 cab with celestions. Sounds great. And very loud for 15watts
Daaaammmnnnnnn, that Princeton sounds good. Good job.
1965 Princeton reissue is cleaner and sweeter sounding amp hands down.
But, if you're sitting at home just messing around and don't have the extra $500, you won't go wrong with the Super Champ.
Joel Marksbury Horses for courses, today $500 bucks doesn't buy you much. What I have found is you can't cheap out on sound. On a side note, I have been unable to replicate the sound of an old valve/tube radio that belonged to my grandparents. It was only 5 watts output, I would plug in to the line in and switch to auxiliary and that old thing was unbelievable when miked up to my PA.
it better be!!!
at 4 times the price
@@soofitnsexy Spend the money, you only live once may as well have fun whilst we’re here as you can’t take anything with you when we leave. Peace ✌️
Get the X2 head and run it through a 12 inch speaker. Sounds great. I normally run it through a Fane speaker from an old Vox AC30.
why is the superchamps bass at 5 for this whole thing but the princetons bass is at 1?
He says he tried to make them sound as similar as possible.
You can improve sound in the XD with better Tung Sol tubes and C10R speaker.
Did you use clean channel or voice channel on super champ?
Will both amps gig ( 50's 60's rock) with no micing through a sound system
Both great amps. Is the Princeton $500 more better or is the super champ $500 less better. With a mic in front of it you can’t go wrong either way...how deep is you wallet...that’s the big question
rock people, rock on!!!
Good comparison, thanks.
If you plug in the SCX2 you’ll see it’s mids are set to 10 making it spiky and...boxy sounding. Turn that down to 7 and it’s a very different amp
Plug into what?
@@attentionaddicts A PC I think he meant.
Right! Why did they set it at max from the factory? Mid settings are important, right!?
I really like mine, though I play only clean with modulation, delays and reverb.
@@attentionaddicts It has a usb to connect into a computer/laptop/phone so you can change the presets and EQ from a 50s Fender a vox a Marshall and pair them up with various speaker configurations. Once you get the sounds you like they can be stored in the amp. Great idea but all it needs is a decent speaker.
What volume on princeton with fuzz?
Very interesting. Very close in comparison.
How are you recording ? One sm57 into an audio interface?
Sounds you were kinda gun shy on the super champ x2
Hûh? I only just see it now. Am I mistaken: on the Princeton the Volume is set to 0 - but I hear it - and the Speed and Intensity is set to 4 and 6 on the Tremolo - and you don't hear that. The Fuzz pedal used isn't being visible. Are we looking at the wrong photo's? Even the same amp?
but does it feel like a princeton/any of the other amps its trying to model
Loved my super champ xd. Low key regretting I sold it to keep my blues jr.
which do you think is better?
@@m3xdjc635 I think it’s truly subjective. I find that the Bjr takes pedals way better and is able to attain iconic sounds. But the cleans in the XD are very nice. It takes pedal very well too, but the Bjr has a slight edge. Also, you have a bit more control on the EQ on the Bjr vs the XD’s bass and treble. And honestly, the thought of having to spend about $80 to replace all the tubes if they over go bad in the Bjr is a bit of a strain compared to the XD. I haven’t tried the X2s to compare, but I’m sure they’re made very well. The cost is a huge factor too. Try to find either of them used.
Until the fuzz pedal, I was surprised at how close the SC was keeping it to be less than half the cost. Great sounding little amp, though, before that. I'd definitely rather have the 65 PRRI, but I'd sure as h@#l pay 400 for the SC before I'd lay down a grand for the 68.
Pls read my other comments.
When leading the fuzz through the Blackface voices, the results would have been so so much better..
The Champ on it s clean voice is a Basemann style amp. As weel as any tube Bassman, it does n t take fuzz pedals well, for it combines the muffled Bassmann overdrive with the Fuzz muffled overdrive. Giving you muffled?
The cleaner Blackface as fuzz pedal platform takes a fuzz well.
He is comparing the Blackface type Princeton with a Bassmann styl Vhamp voice: it Apples and Pears and it shows most when hooking up a Fuzz.
Believe me. I know. I tried.
Set the Champ to any Blackface clean style and it compares to rhe Princeton. Also having the Fuzz.
I think the princeton sounds more open and alive....I own a xd.
I own a vintage 1964 Princeton and I think it sounds better to
what channel or voice were you using on the X2?
Hey Pedro. This was on the main channel, no voice.
@@wilsonguitars2724 what voice numbers do you like best on super champ x2? Just got one trying to decide if I messed up & shoulda went with blues jr. or new mustang gtx 50 n hope it’s as good as tone master deluxe reverb that is little outta my price range & prob too loud anyway for me at home.
Do you have a review on your channel using channel 2 & the voicings?
@@brucek8934 the super champ x2 ch.4 is the tweed Bassman sound l love.
@@AuntAlnico4 thank you! I am going to spend some time messing around with channel 4 tomorrow now! Do you have preferred effects & levels on channel , that I could use as like a starting point
@@wilsonguitars2724 Hey but Mr Wilson.
Than you made the wrong comparison!!
The channel 1 is the all-tibe, no compression Tweed base channel the Fender XD. You shouldt have compated it to the Voice 4, 5 or 6. Being the Blackface voices (at least on the Champ XD, do not know for the X2).
Princenton clean should have been compared to Voice 4, Princeton pushed against Voice 5.
And the up the Treble a little on the Champ and you re in Princeton arena.
Now you re comparing Blackface vs Tweed ...
No wonder the Fuzz is eating the Champ alive.
As a Fuzz also has a driven Tweed for breakfast ...
Budget Super Champ X2 does pretty good, easier on the ear
Super Champ sounds more massive..
lol ill send my shipping address for the Princeton
This is stupid. Why is the bass rolled all the way off the Princeton, and not the Super Champ? The SC doesn't sound as bright... duh... with the Princeton's bass rolled off.
its a fake
both sound icepicky thin... at least in this vid
Super champ too light on the mid range. …but I also don’t have 1k to spend on an amp
In Overdrive the champ sounded pretty nasty.. just saying...
Not even close, sorry
I heard the difference right away. There is a "staleness" to all solid state amps vs tubes. If you can pick it up over a video, it is even more pronounced when live where you feel it.
They are both tube amps
Fender just doesn't understand Overdrive. They need to hire somebody. Ever since Mesa Boogie came out in about 1975 fenders been playing catch-up with the overdrive. 45 years.
Apparently Fender didn't get your memo. They have been attempting to make decent Distortion for 40 years and have failed. I don't get your point.
@@guitarocd9984 There are some Fender amps that I don't care for the overdrive. But you have to admit they are not all bad. Fender has sold a ton of Hotrod Deluxe amps to people who love the overdrive. I think they're alright. Personally I really like the Super Sonic 22. They do great crunch tones and high gain rock tones. Many popular classic recordings have overdriven Princetons, Deluxe reverbs , Bassmans, and various tweeds. Most Fender amps are also very pedal friendly so you can shape your tone anyway you want. I think it comes down to taste and the type of music you play. People who play classic rock, blues, and jazz styles can make good use of Fender amps. There's not a lot there for people who play heavier hard rock, prog, or metal styles.
You'll notice above that he said he was using the main channel, so the overdrive was a pedal, not Fender.
Go to 2 25 in this video and then reconsider. th-cam.com/video/Krqic3DFlKo/w-d-xo.html
Go check out the bassbreaker 15 head. Fender bought EVH and they finally got it right.