Ah, this is an interesting one. Champ 12 was the 1st amp of the new Fender after the CBS exit. Money was super tight, therefore cost management was crucial, this also drove the the decision for the red knobs, they were just inexpensive. Sound wise the clean channel is too clean and the gain channel is too gainy (at that time a Boogie was the benchmark), the Effectrode mod will fix this, which makes the Champ 12 a tone monster. It will remain technically sensitive (power supply is undersized, PCB suffers from heat issues, the reverb tank is housed in a cardbox with hair thin wires going in and out). The biggest shortcoming is the channel switching by selective grounding through LDRs which in many cases leads to carry-over effects between the channels. Due to this approach, many red knob amps cannot fully be muted, as residual resistance within the LDR or the pot prevents proper signal grounding. Still, to me an Effectrode-modded Champ 12 is a super flexible amp and the legit Super Champ (as opposed to the overpriced Rivera one). BTW - The stock speaker is great, I swapped it without great improvement, no reason to replace it, the Champ 12 with its small housing will never develop lots of bass. The early American ones seem to be in better shape than the later Mexican one.
Hi, I bought one of these few days ago. The guy who sold me the amp had replaced the first AX7 with an AT7, in order to reduce the amount of gain. Honestly, now the amp sounds pretty good on clean channel, but in my opinion it lacks volume… but if I put a TS808 (max volume, zero overdrive) in front of the Champ I can get more volume and a pretty dynamic clean, just a little bit “dry” to me. Do you suggest to re-put an AX7, instead of AT7? Sorry for my very basic english
@@cormigo1 I don't think that the clean channel sounds much different with a 12AT7 as opposed to a AX7, because it is configured to stay clean anyway, it just reduces output. This change has more impact on the distortion channel because it tames it. Here is what I would do: Apply the "EffectRode" Mod or have someone do it for you (it requires 11 minor changes), pull C14 additionally (preventing treble attenuation in the gain channel), maybe on top of it put a JJ ECC832 (a mixture of AX7 and AT7) in V1. People will drool over your little sucker!
@@Schlumpf.Meister Hi Andreas, unfortunately I absolutely suck about technical/electronical. Where can I find a precise description of the interventions to be done? If I get it I can ask to my friend who is an electrical engineer. Thanks a lot!!!
these were cool little amps, there was a black knob version too with a different grille cloth. Sounds nice, love that reverb too. Thanks for sharing, Johan, great demo
Torres amp service in California used to sell mod kits of this amp that really helped it. From what I remember, the mod was not too complicated, and they also advised swapping out the speaker for something else. My something else is a greenback. It helped ALLOT.
That Eminence Patriot Cannibus Rex spewed new life into mine as well. Great amps. Had zero probs out of it....if Toy Caldwell played it...I rest my case
finally an amp i have ! i put a celestion in mine because i thought the eminence was too percussive when i was playing hard and clean, but it sounds good here. you can also use those little outputs to put reverb on vocals etc,,
In 1994 I had a Fender M-80 100 watt 1x12” solid state combo and the cleans on that amp were the best I’d ever heard. Even the gain channel was pretty good. Only reason I comment on it is that it had the same red knobs. Grey carpet type stuff in place of tolex. This champ sounds great!
I had a kind of rack version of that thing and ran a digitech gsp-21 (and at one point one of those charvel tube pedals) into. It came with a gray carpet shell that was so ugly but it did sound good and two extra rows that I filled with alesis stuff...
I had a chance to pick up one of these a while back at my local Guitar Center but I passed on it because I have a similar one - a Champion 110 and it’s loud as all getout anf sounds great. Maybe I should have grabbed it because you made it sound the balls! Cheers !
Simply one of the best amps for the money on the used market. I had one - preferred my Trace Elliot a bit more so I sold the Red Knob - but wish I had kept it.
One of my favorite amps of all time! That thing is begging for a creamback speaker, although I have a Celestion V-Type and a G12 Century Vintage that might just fit the bill! 🔈🔥✨
I was in a shop early 91 i think buying a pedal, the guy grabbed a Squire strat and one of these to demo the pedal and i was like damn...this is a killer little amp and it sounds awesome without the pedal! Trying to pick one up 2nd hand they go for about $400 cant wait to get one when funds allow it.
Mine is a 1987. I bought it new. The overdrive sucks, But... i put in a Mercury Magnetics transformer and a Cannabis Rex speaker and it's my go to amp. Clean its just fine and it takes pedals really well to. It's a bit different from a Princeton which I also have but in general if one likes small amps, this is a sleeper and worth getting.
I saw one of these for sale and never seen/heard one before. I googled them and read about 90% hate for this amp so I had to check youtube to get an idea... Johan? With the Champ 12? Didn't expect that... I'm pretty convinced Johan could get good tone out of a Randy Jackson practice amp.... They exist
My brother had one these BITD. I liked it , he hated it. He figured it would be like a classic champ of the 50s/60s. He was into rockabilly players- gene vincent-buddy holly-chuck berry, etc. Needless to say wrong amp for him.
What isn´t widely known = in the 90s Eric Clapton used this amp. Check out the book "Live and Kicking" by Mark Cunningham. Page 68 shows a photo of his guitar tech Lee Dickson, with the plugged in Champ in the background. Old Slowhand always had enough money to buy/play what he wants, and also knows full well what he´s doing, so maybe it´s time to stop putting this amp down.
Brilliant amp. Bought mine late 1980,s. Could do h a check over. Finding a reputable repairman who is not not going to charge the earth is the problem..Not a lot wrong with it really. Just want to be sure its safe to use.
Hi, Johan! So, Fender is good in overdrive. How many watt it was? 25 or 30? I had 15, but that was nif6 the same. And I was playing Vester, and not ESP. Well, I am truly impressed!👍 C.U. Z.
Put a 6V6 in mine and threw all the valves away into the North Sea that came with it, 2 ecc83s and a curly 30ft cable and it transformed into a Passable Champ. They are very well made but the Valves theyvshipped them withbwere garbage. A jensen C12r sounds perfectvin that.
Yeah I had one cause I wanted a tube amp, thought I’d try it. I really tried to like it, but it just sounded too damn boxy. So I sold it, good riddance. Don’t miss it a all. Soon after I bought a Superchamp XD. That has some really good tones.
@@Sigtrygg_Gale. Thanks for taking it in the manner I intended. Hard to have a civil discussion on the web. And as for small Fender amps, the current Pro Junior will cost you about the same as a Champ12 and has better tones and it’s louder. I own both.
the dreaded red knob fender... when these came out people hated them, I really can't figure out why other then being one of the first circuit board fender tube amps. Flash forward 20-30 years and folks are discovering they weren't that bad after all, I have a 210 60w 2x10 combo that is killer... and got it for a pittance lol.
My bandmate had a red knob twin. We didn't like the drive channel, but the clean channel was one of the best cleans ever. Crystal clear, bold lows, bright highs, drippy reverb, and of course loud as fuck
@@frankscassi4960 exactly, the drive channel is garbage on mine but the clean is chimey and LOUD, all the 90's high gain amps have terrible gain channels IMO, but they generally all have a killer clean channel. Park it next to a mesa/orange/marshal/vox combo just on the edge of breakup and push em both with a decent overdrive peddle....
@@northmanlogging2769 I wouldn't consider that twin "high gain"...at least, that one definitely wasn't. There are a few 90's hi gain monsters, though, in my opinion. SLO-100, 5150, Sunn model T Reissue...they all had good drive sounds. They're far from a classic rock kind of crunch, but still great
I had this exact model and didn’t like the tone at all, I ended up selling it for £80 in the early 90’s , big mistake looking back but they weren’t as good as they were made out to be and were forever blowing valves, I have a positive grid spark mini now and it absolutely blinds this.
These red knobs kick. I have a super 60 great clean and great gain. BUT...they're old and not hand wired-a BAD combo you can't service them properly the circut boards fail and thats it party over.Mine has a noise that won't go away. My amp tech begged me to get a new amp. Hand wired doesn't just sound better,it lasts waayyy longer. Pays for itself on the long run. Some one should make a hand wired red knob circuit, I'd buy one
Hej! Ville bara säga de att jag fick din 2010 Gibson Les Paul custom R7 i julklapp av föräldrarna🤩😂 tyckte de var jävligt kul hur jag kollar på dig och mina föräldrar skaffar en gitarr som du använt😂
Wow. Those first couple of notes sounded like Don Felder's live tone from the mid-70s, just "smaller". One of these just came up for sale locally for not much buck. Tempting..
![Flipper ( Bonus Track ) [ Live ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CgdVJf3w7q0/mqdefault.jpg)
Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, the man is larger than the amp!
Hahaha! ;-)
These 90's fenders are amazing, one of the best kept secrets out there
Yeah, lots of tone for the buck
Unique.Dont tell everyone or they might become fashionable and then they will re-issue it for 10 the cost again like all the other amps.
Actually these red knob fenders came out in the 80s.
I have one since the 80s. Modded with a Celestion Alnico Blue and Nos Tubes...now sounds awesome!
Ah, this is an interesting one. Champ 12 was the 1st amp of the new Fender after the CBS exit. Money was super tight, therefore cost management was crucial, this also drove the the decision for the red knobs, they were just inexpensive. Sound wise the clean channel is too clean and the gain channel is too gainy (at that time a Boogie was the benchmark), the Effectrode mod will fix this, which makes the Champ 12 a tone monster. It will remain technically sensitive (power supply is undersized, PCB suffers from heat issues, the reverb tank is housed in a cardbox with hair thin wires going in and out). The biggest shortcoming is the channel switching by selective grounding through LDRs which in many cases leads to carry-over effects between the channels. Due to this approach, many red knob amps cannot fully be muted, as residual resistance within the LDR or the pot prevents proper signal grounding. Still, to me an Effectrode-modded Champ 12 is a super flexible amp and the legit Super Champ (as opposed to the overpriced Rivera one). BTW - The stock speaker is great, I swapped it without great improvement, no reason to replace it, the Champ 12 with its small housing will never develop lots of bass. The early American ones seem to be in better shape than the later Mexican one.
Hi, I bought one of these few days ago. The guy who sold me the amp had replaced the first AX7 with an AT7, in order to reduce the amount of gain. Honestly, now the amp sounds pretty good on clean channel, but in my opinion it lacks volume… but if I put a TS808 (max volume, zero overdrive) in front of the Champ I can get more volume and a pretty dynamic clean, just a little bit “dry” to me. Do you suggest to re-put an AX7, instead of AT7? Sorry for my very basic english
@@cormigo1 I don't think that the clean channel sounds much different with a 12AT7 as opposed to a AX7, because it is configured to stay clean anyway, it just reduces output. This change has more impact on the distortion channel because it tames it. Here is what I would do: Apply the "EffectRode" Mod or have someone do it for you (it requires 11 minor changes), pull C14 additionally (preventing treble attenuation in the gain channel), maybe on top of it put a JJ ECC832 (a mixture of AX7 and AT7) in V1. People will drool over your little sucker!
@@Schlumpf.Meister Hi Andreas, unfortunately I absolutely suck about technical/electronical. Where can I find a precise description of the interventions to be done? If I get it I can ask to my friend who is an electrical engineer. Thanks a lot!!!
@@cormigo1 www.effectrode.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/fender_champ_12_mods1.pdf Good Luck!
I just bought the original PhilTaylor modded amp from Effectrode. Sounds great. I also have an original USA one so will do a comparison video.
these were cool little amps, there was a black knob version too with a different grille cloth. Sounds nice, love that reverb too. Thanks for sharing, Johan, great demo
Thanks man, glad you like it!
Awesome demo!! You really show what that amp can do!! Great playing might be helping a bit!
I like it , I love small amps cranked, they seems on the verge of meltdown!⚡⚡⚡always bass turned completely down to avoid motorboating, cheers Johan!
Cheers Vincenzo!
Love the gain tones with the close mic. Maxing the treble is the trick with these small Fenders. Great video Johan!
Thanks Eddie, I’m glad to hear that!
Torres amp service in California used to sell mod kits of this amp that really helped it. From what I remember, the mod was not too complicated, and they also advised swapping out the speaker for something else. My something else is a greenback. It helped ALLOT.
That Eminence Patriot Cannibus Rex spewed new life into mine as well. Great amps. Had zero probs out of it....if Toy Caldwell played it...I rest my case
Had one in the nineties.At one point it had an over the top JBL speaker in it and it sounded awesome and LOUD!!!It was a wolf in sheep clothes!
finally an amp i have ! i put a celestion in mine because i thought the eminence was too percussive when i was playing hard and clean, but it sounds good here. you can also use those little outputs to put reverb on vocals etc,,
In 1994 I had a Fender M-80 100 watt 1x12” solid state combo and the cleans on that amp were the best I’d ever heard. Even the gain channel was pretty good.
Only reason I comment on it is that it had the same red knobs. Grey carpet type stuff in place of tolex.
This champ sounds great!
I had a kind of rack version of that thing and ran a digitech gsp-21 (and at one point one of those charvel tube pedals) into. It came with a gray carpet shell that was so ugly but it did sound good and two extra rows that I filled with alesis stuff...
Have the bass m-80 head. Bought it for the chorus. Unlike any chorus pedal on the market.
I have the 2x12 M80 Chrous and I’m using it as a stereo wet for a wet dry wet rig. Someday I’ll try to record a video.
I had a chance to pick up one of these a while back at my local Guitar Center but I passed on it because I have a similar one - a Champion 110 and it’s loud as all getout anf sounds great. Maybe I should have grabbed it because you made it sound the balls! Cheers !
Thanks Mike, they have great tone but the dynamic range is a bit limited. Cheers!
I traded a chibson for one of these and a 100 bucks in cash! Nice little box.
Simply one of the best amps for the money on the used market. I had one - preferred my Trace Elliot a bit more so I sold the Red Knob - but wish I had kept it.
One of my favorite amps of all time! That thing is begging for a creamback speaker, although I have a Celestion V-Type and a G12 Century Vintage that might just fit the bill! 🔈🔥✨
I've got a greenback celestion in mine and it kicks so much ass
Nice when somebody who can play does one of these. Thx good job
The single note lines sounded good, but when you hit those chords at 25 seconds in my ears definitely perked up.
I see red knobs, I buy red knobs.
Yall can have your black and silver unicorns
Honestly it sounds great, pure rock. Good job showing it off!
I was in a shop early 91 i think buying a pedal, the guy grabbed a Squire strat and one of these to demo the pedal and i was like damn...this is a killer little amp and it sounds awesome without the pedal! Trying to pick one up 2nd hand they go for about $400 cant wait to get one when funds allow it.
that cranked clean breakup is really great, shame it doesn't have a true master volume or at least an FX loop
Well now i know what Dr love was recorded with..i totally hear it in that tone
Thanks Mike!
Your gain channel sounds good . I don't use mine at all but I do love this amp.
Great stuff Johan. I love the Lo-Fi Mad Scientist approach!!
Thanks Dan! :-)
So awesome Johan---that amp is begging for a tele or a strat too!!
Mine is a 1987. I bought it new. The overdrive sucks, But... i put in a Mercury Magnetics transformer and a Cannabis Rex speaker and it's my go to amp. Clean its just fine and it takes pedals really well to. It's a bit different from a Princeton which I also have but in general if one likes small amps, this is a sleeper and worth getting.
I saw one of these for sale and never seen/heard one before. I googled them and read about 90% hate for this amp so I had to check youtube to get an idea... Johan? With the Champ 12? Didn't expect that... I'm pretty convinced Johan could get good tone out of a Randy Jackson practice amp.... They exist
I've Fender RK m80 96w, bought for 50€.
Incredibile clean ch.
I have one of these, you can really get it to sound good Johan.
That's a great little amp!
My brother had one these BITD. I liked it , he hated it. He figured it would be like a classic champ of the 50s/60s. He was into rockabilly players- gene vincent-buddy holly-chuck berry, etc. Needless to say wrong amp for him.
Yeah, the name is a bit misguided
The drive channel is surprisingly good for doom and sludge metal
What isn´t widely known = in the 90s Eric Clapton used this amp. Check out the book "Live and Kicking" by Mark Cunningham. Page 68 shows a photo of his guitar tech Lee Dickson, with the plugged in Champ in the background.
Old Slowhand always had enough money to buy/play what he wants, and also knows full well what he´s doing, so maybe it´s time to stop putting this amp down.
PS: I have a "Made in USA" version of this amp and I love it!
Brilliant amp. Bought mine late 1980,s. Could do h a check over. Finding a reputable repairman who is not not going to charge the earth is the problem..Not a lot wrong with it really. Just want to be sure its safe to use.
Awesome always
Thanks Joshua!
Damn you're sitting quite close for those volumes....
Meows like the coolest of the fat cats. PuRrRrRrRrRfect vintage tone.
Love Champs!
Sounds damn good!
Sounds amazing! M160 mic?
Thanks, yeah it’s late 1960s M160
Hi, Johan!
So, Fender is good in overdrive. How many watt it was? 25 or 30? I had 15, but that was nif6 the same. And I was playing Vester, and not ESP. Well, I am truly impressed!👍 C.U.
Z.
12w
Thanks Zigfrid!
@@JohanSegeborn 10. 12 is the speaker....
Put a 6V6 in mine and threw all the valves away into the North Sea that came with it, 2 ecc83s and a curly 30ft cable and it transformed into a Passable Champ. They are very well made but the Valves theyvshipped them withbwere garbage. A jensen C12r sounds perfectvin that.
What would be the current price for buying or selling one of these?
låter riktigt bra!
Tackar så mycket!
Yeah I had one cause I wanted a tube amp, thought I’d try it. I really tried to like it, but it just sounded too damn boxy. So I sold it, good riddance. Don’t miss it a all. Soon after I bought a Superchamp XD. That has some really good tones.
Pretty sure this model Amplifier was used on the song Creep by Radiohead
Interesting!
The Deluxe 85 is the conventional wisdom on Jonny Greenwood’s “Creep” amp. And the Champ 12 can’t keep up with a three guitar band.
Cheers for the information 👍
@@Sigtrygg_Gale. Thanks for taking it in the manner I intended. Hard to have a civil discussion on the web. And as for small Fender amps, the current Pro Junior will cost you about the same as a Champ12 and has better tones and it’s louder. I own both.
Nice one, and yeah I know exactly what you mean with Internet discussions....have a great weekend and turn that Amplifier up 😉
CRUNCHEH! \m/
the dreaded red knob fender... when these came out people hated them, I really can't figure out why other then being one of the first circuit board fender tube amps.
Flash forward 20-30 years and folks are discovering they weren't that bad after all, I have a 210 60w 2x10 combo that is killer... and got it for a pittance lol.
My bandmate had a red knob twin. We didn't like the drive channel, but the clean channel was one of the best cleans ever. Crystal clear, bold lows, bright highs, drippy reverb, and of course loud as fuck
@@frankscassi4960 exactly, the drive channel is garbage on mine but the clean is chimey and LOUD, all the 90's high gain amps have terrible gain channels IMO, but they generally all have a killer clean channel. Park it next to a mesa/orange/marshal/vox combo just on the edge of breakup and push em both with a decent overdrive peddle....
Hi! I think the pots are mounted directly on the circuit board so it’s tricky to service. They sound great though!
@@northmanlogging2769 I wouldn't consider that twin "high gain"...at least, that one definitely wasn't. There are a few 90's hi gain monsters, though, in my opinion. SLO-100, 5150, Sunn model T Reissue...they all had good drive sounds. They're far from a classic rock kind of crunch, but still great
Cool i have updated for sale with a Hardcase forsale that’s have snakeskin cover
Let's go!
I had this exact model and didn’t like the tone at all, I ended up selling it for £80 in the early 90’s , big mistake looking back but they weren’t as good as they were made out to be and were forever blowing valves, I have a positive grid spark mini now and it absolutely blinds this.
These red knobs kick. I have a super 60 great clean and great gain. BUT...they're old and not hand wired-a BAD combo you can't service them properly the circut boards fail and thats it party over.Mine has a noise that won't go away. My amp tech begged me to get a new amp. Hand wired doesn't just sound better,it lasts waayyy longer. Pays for itself on the long run. Some one should make a hand wired red knob circuit, I'd buy one
Hej! Ville bara säga de att jag fick din 2010 Gibson Les Paul custom R7 i julklapp av föräldrarna🤩😂 tyckte de var jävligt kul hur jag kollar på dig och mina föräldrar skaffar en gitarr som du använt😂
Fan vad gott att höra! Jag har säkert spelat in 200 videor med den. Grym gitarr!
The secret is out and the prices are 😢
1x12" speaker or 1x10" speaker Johan ? I'm able to get one for 300.-€ .
12"
Joe Walsh specialty
Wow. Those first couple of notes sounded like Don Felder's live tone from the mid-70s, just "smaller".
One of these just came up for sale locally for not much buck. Tempting..
does this have spring reverb ?
Yes, good sounding amp, but reverb it's a bit naff though.
@@chrisamadeus4647 dang that's a bummer. i love reverb, thought it would be good since this is a Fender!
Reminds me of ace’s tone a bit
i sold mine long time ago 😥
Plugs in amp, sounds like Johan
Every amp I own sounds better than that amp. Sorry to say.