This is an amazing amp. I have a Vox AC30CC2, Fender Deluxe Reverb RI, Fender Blues Deluxe RI, an AC4 and a Mega Boogie Nomad 55 which I share with my brother as well as a couple solid states. This amp, holds it's own. It's incredible stock!
I had a lot of differrent amps, i still have a Bluese delux, but that’s foor playing at hom not advisable. I bought a used one a few years ago, the guy was a real tech geek, so he upgradded the tubes and he put in a different speaker. Mine is now much crispier and cleaner, and when you crank up the gain it does not get muddy. This is the amp I use daily. The only down side is that they are really wanted so you will have to pay al lot more then other used amps.👍🏻 great video
What an excellent amp review. I wish more reviews on youtube would keep it this simple! Just mic the amp, keep playing, vary the style of playing, and talk as you go. Perfecto!
Bought one of these 3 years ago and love my Sybil! I'm miking her through a nice PA and it can't be better ... Cranked on 10 it bounced around the room. Thanks for the vid!
Yes, it's got some solid state in the pre-amp stage, and an all-tube power stage. This makes it really good in that you get power tube saturation/overdrive/distortion of a clear, defined signal, which is exactly what you want. Most hybrids are buzzy little Pre-amp tube stages into loud, clear solid state power stages that accurately amplify the buzz. Toasty power tubes sing, and this amp's got it!
Got this when it first came out. I emailed Fender & suggested this amp as a head only. They were very polite & nice & wrote me back right away saying they were sorry but they had no plans to release this as a head. About 4 months later I picked it up as head only to go with my Dr. Z 1 x 12. Now that sounds extra good.
This amp has a modeling preamp section. 1/2 of the 12AX7 is used to amplify the models and the other half is a split load inverter to the power tubes. All of the trickery happens in the digital domain.
Used to have one of these Fender Super Champ XD’s. Regretted selling it the second I let it go. Sounds amazing. Tube warmth with a solid number of effects and “voices”. Can sound like a brutish amp, metal amp, acoustic amp, and much more. Hopefully someday I can get another one back in my possession.
Sargon Tabbakh I believe that’s correct. The effects are on a dial. It has 16 different amp modes with a bunch of different voice effects like tremolo, chorus, and more. I’m not sure if it’s digital. There is no digital interface. It’s like most other fender amps I’ve used where it’s just an analog dial for the effects. It’s not like a fender mustang amp that is all digital with a digital interface. This thing is just every warm and full sounding...end extremely loud.
I had this amp. it is digital. i have never liked it. eventually I sold it and remain with vox pathfinder 15r which cost peanuts and sounds way more batter than scxd.
I have the X2 head and run it through a well broken in 12 inch Fender Eminence design speaker. Channels 3 and 11 on the "voice dial" are my go to spots. KILLER hybrid amplifier......
I've had mine for a few year and still love it. I bought a used Princeton SS and used the cab to add a 12 inch speaker to the amp. Much better. No longer just a practice amp with a good Celestion in it. You can download the little manual for it for guidance on the different voices. Voices go in 3's. Like 10 is a Hot Rod Deluxe. 11 Is the same HRDx with some overdrive and 12 again is the same with lots of OD. The amp handles boxes well if you prefer that to the factory determined effects..Can't beat this thing for excellent sound and versatility.
you need to hear each voice respond to the gain&volume knobs.. you can get the tube preamp to the edge of break up, and control it with your guitar volume. I have kept mine for years.
Yes, it gets plenty loud! It also has a line-out so you can connect it directly to the sound system. I played a small room with mine, and I had to keep turning it down.
List of voicings (copied from composelect.com): 1 - Tweed Champ 2 - Tweed Bassman 3 - Tweed Deluxe 4 - Blackface Clean (Twin) 5 - Blackface overdrive 6 - Blackface Deluxe OD (SRV) 7 - Vox AC 8 - Marshall Plexi 9 - Marshall Modern 10 - Hot Rod Blues Junior 11 - Hot Rod Disto Boutique 12 - Hot Rod Sustain 13 - Metal Hi gain 14 - Metal Hi gain sustain 15 - Fender Jazz King 16 - Acoustasonic
VOICE *TWEED* *1* A vintage tone based on early Fender® Tweed Champ® amps. *2* A fat vintage tone based on early Fender® Tweed Bassman® amps. *3* Heavily overdriven Tweed tone. *Blackface ™* *4* A bright vintage tone based on early Fender® Blackface™ amplifiers. *5* A bright, slightly overdriven vintage tone based on early Fender® Blackface™ amplifiers. *6* A bright, heavily overdriven vintage tone based on early Fender® Blackface™ amplifiers. *BRITISH* *7* A bright jangly tone reminiscent of early British combo amplifiers. *8* An overdriven vintage tone based on early high-gain British stack amplifiers. *9* A high-gain distorted tone based on modern British stack amplifiers. *HOT ROD* *10* A high-gain overdriven tone based on the Fender® Hod Rod® series of amplifiers. *11* A high-gain distorted tone based on specialized boutique amplifiers. *12* More gain, more sustain! *METAL* *13* A darker super high-gain scooped metal tone. *14* A sustained super high-gain scooped metal tone based on modern heavy metal amplifiers like the Fender® Metalhead™. *JAZZ* *15* A clean amplifier tone optimized for jazz styles with the character of the Fender® Jazz King™ amplifier. *ACOUSTIC* *16* A super clean amplifier tone with the character of an Acoustasonic™ amplifier good for acoustic finger-picking.
I've had the x2 for 6 months now, and I haven't even plugged it into a pc to utilize the fender fuse, because I honestly haven't felt the NEED to, the best hybrid amp I've ever heard, i even have a vox hybrid, and it blows the vox away, my ONLY complaint is there is no mid setting, however, I've compensated for that with pedals, and I could use the fender fuse if I wanted to get mids, but I just love this amps organic sound, even though the effects are digital, it sounds all tube, I haven't had the opportunity to try out the XD, so other than this video, I have no basis for comparison, but video doesn't give you the true sound
1 I think is tweed.2 is tweed slight gain,3 is tweed with more gain.4 is blackface 5 with slight gain,6 with more gain...then it goes to british and other high gain settings...ending with 16 an acoustic setting
I have the head version if you read the Instruction manual it tells you what amp each setting is modeling, if not directly but by inference.. I use it set clean mostly and add my own effects pedals like the Fender Reverb Pedal and Boss Blues Driver a Dan Electro Echo pedal at times but love the Leslie or Rotary Effect selection.also the Tremelo..I come out of a well built cabinet solid back with a Jensen Vintage design Ceramic speaker. This is part of a Stereo Rig the other side is my Fender 65 Princeton Reverb reissue also 15 watts with Reverb on 3, sometimes as much as 5 and the Vibrato Control both set on 5 Speed and Intensity..using a Morley AB Box..
This amp is the best amp for 200 dollars ever built. Btw it is warmer than most "all"tube amps that cost a whole lot more. This amp saved my bands ass in a crunch. Thank you Fender...
I have six amps at the moment( Dr Z Carmen Ghia, a Trace Velocette, a champ 500, super Champ, Laney and a Lab Series L3). The Fender is the one that gets played the most. I really like voice 16 on channel 2.
I Have a Vibro Champ XD - the 5 watt one channel version and love it. I decided to try it for a club gig this weekend, using the line out to the PA. It does not cut off the speaker and it sounded killer. And I thought my heavily modded Blues Jr was "grab & go"!
@Rick Delair Exactly. People get terribly confused, the SS preamp (Op Amps) are of course analogue not digital. However, one input to the Op amps is from a DSP chip that brings in the effects and voices. Although there is digital element feeding the analogue SS preamp, it sounds great.
Yeah, I think even Fender site said it's a hybrid (not any more because they don't make these any more). At least they don't say it's ALL tube. It's a tube amp, yes, but not all tube.
@playmoregtr I think it has a 12ax7 driver tube and I know for sure it has TWO 6V6s output tubes because I saw the amp in the flesh in a music shop the other day(O'Ma states this at 1:30-1:41). Technically not a pure tube amp, depends if you want the digi-effects or not.
@satinwhip you must admit that while this doesn't have a tube rectifier, the fact that they have integrated a 12ax7 anywhere in the preamp section and at least a 6v6 in the output section means that all in all, that is much cooler and much more "tube" than a traditional "solid state" amp.
The 12AX7 is a tube. And of course the preamp is solid state. How do you think the voicing and effects are processed? Just because it has operational amplifiers, doesn't make it any less of a tube amp. As a matter-of-fact, a vacuum tube IS an operational amplifier. If you are taking a voltage coming in that is less, and amplifying it to hundreds, if not thousands of times more than your input, it is essentially an operational amplifier. Any guitar or bass amp is an operational amplifier.
Thanks for the review. Its nice to see someone show you the basic tones of an amp without reverb. It always amazes me how people demo an amps tone and expect you to get a true idea of what they sound like and never turn off the reverb. I have a vintage Super Champ(stock and I covet it) and would love to see a comparison video.? Does this amp have good clean headroom when cranked?Loud enough to Play next to a drumset without breaking up?
I just bought traded my Vox VT 20+ for this amp $200 used but new. Trying to develop MY sound. I'm sure this will help me get there as I progress. Thanks!!
No. That is bad information. The XD, and X2, both use a DSP for voicing, effects, etc. The X2 differs by being USB connectable to a computer to use Fender's FUSE software. They are both DIGITAL pre, and Tube output. They both play, and feel like a tube amp. I think this is where folks get confused.
Super Turd XD. Mine had problems from the get go. After it warms up it starts clicking and the channel light blinks on and off and the sound goes off and on with it. Then the channel light and sound wont work nor the controls. The power light stays on. Shut it off for awhile and it does the same thing. Sounds good until its warmed up and cuts out. Have to drive 1.5 hours to get it serviced. Tube change didnt help. And speaker tested good.
I own one. It's a wonderful recording amp, given its versatility, especially for comping. By accident I discovered that voicing setting #6 is absolutely ideal for single-note jazz melody work. Voicing #10 is kickazz with my Fender standard strat. And for jazz comping, my favorites are setting 1, 15 and 16. I wish Fender would offer...say...a 50-80-watt version with a 12" Eminience speaker or the like. That would truly be an awesome amp...oh, downside: no combination effects, just single.
@CyanideV ....I don't think that's true. The modeling stuff is digital but the output still goes through the tube output stage. The clean channel bypasses the modeling DSP.
Yes you can gig with it. The direct out is perfect for most PA set ups or throw a mic on it. The key is having a monitor set up...with that you can gig with any amp. If you are battling with bass, drums, other guitarist and not monitor set up....not so much. But agin I am a firm believer of not battling with stage volume. Let the PA do its job.
You are not right - its clean channel is identical as in Blues Junior. (I compared both schematics). All tube, from input till speaker if switched to clean position. Digital are only effects which is not a problem, since most delay or mod pedals nowdays are digital anyway. Modeling is ANALOG and it is only available at the second channel. Great little amp, at affordable price, too pity is no longer produced. The new ones are pure digital modeling amps.
...no, I am talking about channel 1 which is pure all tube... not voice 1! but both channels involve the tube! channel 2 with an additional modelling circuit..
I going nutz here...I'm trying to find an amp I like the sound of and have it serve 2 purposes of being able to practice in an apartment and record and maybe ....the tiny terror sounds amazing but I don't know if it's reasonable for an apartment....this one seems to be just right and it almost sounds like a tiny terror....any input from you guys and gals...please :)
@minotaur949 nice man i dno if your familiar with waltons but thats tha only place ive seen it and there chargin 368 quid for it, where is this shop, dublin?, :)
@fattyJNL Maybe they should have read the manual before doing the review? As I recall 1-3 are supposed to be Tweed sounds, 4-6 are BF sounds. 7 is supposed to be a overdriven Vox. After that you get into Hot Rod and Marshall sounds. The last 2 are very clean; one for an acoustic sound (don't remember which is which). Also, the preamp is SS with a 12AX7 for the phase inverter.
It kind of depends on how good your pickups are for the warmth factor. It has to be miked for sure. It's ok for small clubs and small studios. Im going to sell it on Ebay(if your interested) to get a Fender Bassman vintage 50 head because they are much warmer and louder. For the money you cant beat it.
You might of looked at the manual before looking at the channels. They are organized based upon Silverface, Blackface, British, Metal, Jazz, and Acoustic....
@minotaur949 well man it depends where ur from, i live in ireland and its a round 360 euro, if ur in america it bee around 200 dollars, and around 300 if ur in the uk, anyways hoped this helped:)
The rectifier tube does add sag on a push-pull configuration. However, this is a single-ended tube amp with only one 6V6 power tube. The rectifier, whether diode or tube 5Y3 makes no difference in terms of sag in this circuit. Craigslist is littered with these amps for under $175. It just proves that a sterile sounding tube amp with fancy electronics is no match for the real thing. Plug in a vintage vibrochamp (blackface or silver) and you will know what real tone is all about. -Dave
i have this and love it.....to get it for band playing loud i run the line out into the fx in on my fender concert 60 watter you get same tones just super loud (because using the fx in you are running through the concerts power amp only)..just dont run the line out into the guitar input on another amp..WAY TOO MUCH VOLTAGE..so it will blow up the input section of the second amp..I wish this guy read the manual and told what each voice was...
hi if you play all kinds of guitar music like clean to metal to rock to jazz to bleus is it good for metal without pedal or should i just take a metal pedal in front of the amp without voice i mean the all tube clean? does it takes pedals perfectly? cuz the tone without voice is all tube right?
I have two and run them in stereo!! I replaced the stock speakers with a Rajun Cajun in one and a Jensen c10q in the other, love them!! (once they are broken in). I used my looper pedal to break them in. Tubes. mobile. diverse. "Fender" sound. Getcha pull.
I am looking for an amp for my son to run his pedals out of, he is going to college in the fall to become a worship leader would this be a nice combo for that use. With it being a 10in does that affect the sound quality when it's loud.
+1thess523 it will do the job just fine for that! I play at a mega church and occasionally with some college praise teams. Most of the time they will have a mic to put in front of the amp to go through the house so he will not likely have to crank it too much
I used it in a very loud band in TN and AR for 29 gigs over 8 months and the Line Out on the back works as well or better than miking it for FOH, while saving your ears on stage with it in the back line. Try it, you'll be surprised how good the Line Out sounds going FOH.
I've got Line Out going into a Ashdown Engineering Bass amp with 100W and a 15in Blue-Line speaker. Check it out. The combination with the Superchamp clean channel and Volume on 5 is roofshaking clean and warm in the attic studio.
I dunno, ive been on the hunt for compact all valve (the marshall 1/2 stacks are getting too heavy now) and with all the little amps ive tried like this, all i hear is 10" speakers struggling
thanks for your advice, i'm considering to buy a superchamp x2 because i have a DS-2 boss (turbo distortion) and a VOX tonelbab wich has a electro harmonix valve inside it, would you recommend me a superchamp x2 to exploit my pedals? in case no wich amp would you recommend to us? thank u
I know this video is a few years old ... any chance you could tell what the settings are at? Gain? EQ? Effect Intensity? Effect? Any help would be great. Thanks, John
Hello Leo Moom. Thank you for your reply. I still would like to know what the Mic is connected to, per it may change the soound. So, do you think viewers are hearing the true sound in this Demo?
Hmmmm. "I'm not sure whether these sounds are organized in any way". Heard of RTFM? When you do: 1..3 - Fender Tweed tones 4..6 - Fender BlackFace tones 7..9 - British Combo / Stack tones (I hear Marshalls in there) 10..12 - Fender HotRods (OK, you can hear an Orange in there somehow ... :-)) 13..14 - Mesa(13) and Fender(14) Metal on on top speed 15 - A Fender Jazz King (Indeed .. Jazz) 16 - A Fender Acoustic (indeed .. grab a acoustic!) So: sometimes they do make sense, these manuals ... :-)
If I got this I would find a nice cleanish voice crank it till it was just a bit fuzzy and use rotating speaker or vibrato once in a while. But that's just me!
This is an amazing amp. I have a Vox AC30CC2, Fender Deluxe Reverb RI, Fender Blues Deluxe RI, an AC4 and a Mega Boogie Nomad 55 which I share with my brother as well as a couple solid states. This amp, holds it's own. It's incredible stock!
I had a lot of differrent amps, i still have a Bluese delux, but that’s foor playing at hom not advisable. I bought a used one a few years ago, the guy was a real tech geek, so he upgradded the tubes and he put in a different speaker. Mine is now much crispier and cleaner, and when you crank up the gain it does not get muddy. This is the amp I use daily. The only down side is that they are really wanted so you will have to pay al lot more then other used amps.👍🏻 great video
What an excellent amp review. I wish more reviews on youtube would keep it this simple! Just mic the amp, keep playing, vary the style of playing, and talk as you go. Perfecto!
Bought one of these 3 years ago and love my Sybil! I'm miking her through a nice PA and it can't be better ... Cranked on 10 it bounced around the room. Thanks for the vid!
Yes, it's got some solid state in the pre-amp stage, and an all-tube power stage. This makes it really good in that you get power tube saturation/overdrive/distortion of a clear, defined signal, which is exactly what you want. Most hybrids are buzzy little Pre-amp tube stages into loud, clear solid state power stages that accurately amplify the buzz. Toasty power tubes sing, and this amp's got it!
Got this when it first came out. I emailed Fender & suggested this amp as a head only. They were very polite & nice & wrote me back right away saying they were sorry but they had no plans to release this as a head. About 4 months later I picked it up as head only to go with my Dr. Z 1 x 12. Now that sounds extra good.
This amp has a modeling preamp section. 1/2 of the 12AX7 is used to amplify the models and the other half is a split load inverter to the power tubes. All of the trickery happens in the digital domain.
After listening to a ton of videos on Fender amps, finally, one that showcases the actual amp itself instead of showing off guitar skills. Good job!
Lol... Translation: bro has no guitar skills.
Used to have one of these Fender Super Champ XD’s. Regretted selling it the second I let it go. Sounds amazing. Tube warmth with a solid number of effects and “voices”. Can sound like a brutish amp, metal amp, acoustic amp, and much more. Hopefully someday I can get another one back in my possession.
Hey Mike. So this guy’s clean channel is all natural tube right? But distortion, overdrive and other effects are all digital?
Sargon Tabbakh I believe that’s correct. The effects are on a dial. It has 16 different amp modes with a bunch of different voice effects like tremolo, chorus, and more. I’m not sure if it’s digital. There is no digital interface. It’s like most other fender amps I’ve used where it’s just an analog dial for the effects. It’s not like a fender mustang amp that is all digital with a digital interface. This thing is just every warm and full sounding...end extremely loud.
I had this amp. it is digital. i have never liked it. eventually I sold it and remain with vox pathfinder 15r which cost peanuts and sounds way more batter than scxd.
the footswitch will change from the clean channel to the modeling channel with one button, and will turn the effects on or off with another button.
I have the X2 head and run it through a well broken in 12 inch Fender Eminence design speaker. Channels 3 and 11 on the "voice dial" are my go to spots. KILLER hybrid amplifier......
I've had mine for a few year and still love it. I bought a used Princeton SS and used the cab to add a 12 inch speaker to the amp. Much better. No longer just a practice amp with a good Celestion in it. You can download the little manual for it for guidance on the different voices. Voices go in 3's. Like 10 is a Hot Rod Deluxe. 11 Is the same HRDx with some overdrive and 12 again is the same with lots of OD.
The amp handles boxes well if you prefer that to the factory determined effects..Can't beat this thing for excellent sound and versatility.
And a single knockout punch delivered to the left-winged noob. Well played sir.
Now back to that wonderfully small and versatile sybilian amp.
Have had one for a number of years. Great versatility of sounds.
you need to hear each voice respond to the gain&volume knobs..
you can get the tube preamp to the edge of break up, and control it with your guitar volume. I have kept mine for years.
i Can't believe it a Gearwire review I actually liked. I like this guys review of this great amp.
A single coil strat would have been nice to hear through a fender amp
Great demo. Love the knives out riff at the end.
Yes, it gets plenty loud! It also has a line-out so you can connect it directly to the sound system. I played a small room with mine, and I had to keep turning it down.
List of voicings (copied from composelect.com):
1 - Tweed Champ
2 - Tweed Bassman
3 - Tweed Deluxe
4 - Blackface Clean (Twin)
5 - Blackface overdrive
6 - Blackface Deluxe OD (SRV)
7 - Vox AC
8 - Marshall Plexi
9 - Marshall Modern
10 - Hot Rod Blues Junior
11 - Hot Rod Disto Boutique
12 - Hot Rod Sustain
13 - Metal Hi gain
14 - Metal Hi gain sustain
15 - Fender Jazz King
16 - Acoustasonic
This dude does a very good demo.
i got this amp yesterday it is absolutely brilliant.
oh my days. this is amazing. I cannot describe how hard I want one
VOICE
*TWEED*
*1* A vintage tone based on early Fender® Tweed Champ® amps.
*2* A fat vintage tone based on early Fender® Tweed Bassman® amps.
*3* Heavily overdriven Tweed tone.
*Blackface ™*
*4* A bright vintage tone based on early Fender® Blackface™ amplifiers.
*5* A bright, slightly overdriven vintage tone based on early Fender® Blackface™ amplifiers.
*6* A bright, heavily overdriven vintage tone based on early Fender® Blackface™ amplifiers.
*BRITISH*
*7* A bright jangly tone reminiscent of early British combo amplifiers.
*8* An overdriven vintage tone based on early high-gain British stack amplifiers.
*9* A high-gain distorted tone based on modern British stack amplifiers.
*HOT ROD*
*10* A high-gain overdriven tone based on the Fender® Hod Rod® series of amplifiers.
*11* A high-gain distorted tone based on specialized boutique amplifiers.
*12* More gain, more sustain!
*METAL*
*13* A darker super high-gain scooped metal tone.
*14* A sustained super high-gain scooped metal tone based on modern heavy metal amplifiers like the Fender® Metalhead™.
*JAZZ*
*15* A clean amplifier tone optimized for jazz styles with the character of the Fender® Jazz King™ amplifier.
*ACOUSTIC*
*16* A super clean amplifier tone with the character of an Acoustasonic™ amplifier good for acoustic finger-picking.
I've had the x2 for 6 months now, and I haven't even plugged it into a pc to utilize the fender fuse, because I honestly haven't felt the NEED to, the best hybrid amp I've ever heard, i even have a vox hybrid, and it blows the vox away, my ONLY complaint is there is no mid setting, however, I've compensated for that with pedals, and I could use the fender fuse if I wanted to get mids, but I just love this amps organic sound, even though the effects are digital, it sounds all tube, I haven't had the opportunity to try out the XD, so other than this video, I have no basis for comparison, but video doesn't give you the true sound
Pretty cool little amp.
Owen, you are awesome. If I need an amp I'll surely check out this one if possible.
Nice demo!
1 I think is tweed.2 is tweed slight gain,3 is tweed with more gain.4 is blackface 5 with slight gain,6 with more gain...then it goes to british and other high gain settings...ending with 16 an acoustic setting
I have the head version if you read the Instruction manual it tells you what amp each setting is modeling, if not directly but by inference.. I use it set clean mostly and add my own effects pedals like the Fender Reverb Pedal and Boss Blues Driver a Dan Electro Echo pedal at times but love the Leslie or Rotary Effect selection.also the Tremelo..I come out of a well built cabinet solid back with a Jensen Vintage design Ceramic speaker. This is part of a Stereo Rig the other side is my Fender 65 Princeton Reverb reissue also 15 watts with Reverb on 3, sometimes as much as 5 and the Vibrato Control both set on 5 Speed and Intensity..using a Morley AB Box..
This amp is the best amp for 200 dollars ever built. Btw it is warmer than most "all"tube amps that cost a whole lot more. This amp saved my bands ass in a crunch. Thank you Fender...
I have six amps at the moment( Dr Z Carmen Ghia, a Trace Velocette, a champ 500, super Champ, Laney and a Lab Series L3). The Fender is the one that gets played the most. I really like voice 16 on channel 2.
I have the X2..love it! good job with the review.
I Have a Vibro Champ XD - the 5 watt one channel version and love it. I decided to try it for a club gig this weekend, using the line out to the PA. It does not cut off the speaker and it sounded killer. And I thought my heavily modded Blues Jr was "grab & go"!
Nice job breaking it all down...it is a great little amp indeed...!
Has two 6V6s in the output and one 12ax7 phase inverter tube..SS preamp(Hybrid)..
@Rick Delair Exactly. People get terribly confused, the SS preamp (Op Amps) are of course analogue not digital. However, one input to the Op amps is from a DSP chip that brings in the effects and voices. Although there is digital element feeding the analogue SS preamp, it sounds great.
Great job. Yes, 15 for jazz. It even sounds good on my Strat. Thank you.
Yeah, I think even Fender site said it's a hybrid (not any more because they don't make these any more). At least they don't say it's ALL tube. It's a tube amp, yes, but not all tube.
I put a Jensen and new JJ pre-amp tube in. Unbelievable! I run with a H&K Red box into the board for larger gigs.
Killer...
@playmoregtr I think it has a 12ax7 driver tube and I know for sure it has TWO 6V6s output tubes because I saw the amp in the flesh in a music shop the other day(O'Ma states this at 1:30-1:41). Technically not a pure tube amp, depends if you want the digi-effects or not.
Yes they do. The rectifier tube adds much desired sag for guitarists that know something.
@satinwhip you must admit that while this doesn't have a tube rectifier, the fact that they have integrated a 12ax7 anywhere in the preamp section and at least a 6v6 in the output section means that all in all, that is much cooler and much more "tube" than a traditional "solid state" amp.
The 12AX7 is a tube. And of course the preamp is solid state. How do you think the voicing and effects are processed? Just because it has operational amplifiers, doesn't make it any less of a tube amp. As a matter-of-fact, a vacuum tube IS an operational amplifier. If you are taking a voltage coming in that is less, and amplifying it to hundreds, if not thousands of times more than your input, it is essentially an operational amplifier. Any guitar or bass amp is an operational amplifier.
Thanks for the review. Its nice to see someone show you the basic tones of an amp without reverb. It always amazes me how people demo an amps tone and expect you to get a true idea of what they sound like and never turn off the reverb. I have a vintage Super Champ(stock and I covet it) and would love to see a comparison video.? Does this amp have good clean headroom when cranked?Loud enough to Play next to a drumset without breaking up?
doesn't matter, it still sounds like an all tube amp!
This is how you do a review. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Nice review, thank you.
I just bought traded my Vox VT 20+ for this amp $200 used but new. Trying to develop MY sound. I'm sure this will help me get there as I progress. Thanks!!
No. That is bad information. The XD, and X2, both use a DSP for voicing, effects, etc. The X2 differs by being USB connectable to a computer to use Fender's FUSE software. They are both DIGITAL pre, and Tube output. They both play, and feel like a tube amp. I think this is where folks get confused.
Super Turd XD. Mine had problems from the get go. After it warms up it starts clicking and the channel light blinks on and off and the sound goes off and on with it. Then the channel light and sound wont work nor the controls. The power light stays on. Shut it off for awhile and it does the same thing. Sounds good until its warmed up and cuts out. Have to drive 1.5 hours to get it serviced. Tube change didnt help. And speaker tested good.
I own one. It's a wonderful recording amp, given its versatility, especially for comping. By accident I discovered that voicing setting #6 is absolutely ideal for single-note jazz melody work. Voicing #10 is kickazz with my Fender standard strat. And for jazz comping, my favorites are setting 1, 15 and 16. I wish Fender would offer...say...a 50-80-watt version with a 12" Eminience speaker or the like. That would truly be an awesome amp...oh, downside: no combination effects, just single.
@CyanideV ....I don't think that's true. The modeling stuff is digital but the output still goes through the tube output stage. The clean channel bypasses the modeling DSP.
Yes you can gig with it. The direct out is perfect for most PA set ups or throw a mic on it. The key is having a monitor set up...with that you can gig with any amp. If you are battling with bass, drums, other guitarist and not monitor set up....not so much. But agin I am a firm believer of not battling with stage volume. Let the PA do its job.
You are not right - its clean channel is identical as in Blues Junior. (I compared both schematics). All tube, from input till speaker if switched to clean position. Digital are only effects which is not a problem, since most delay or mod pedals nowdays are digital anyway. Modeling is ANALOG and it is only available at the second channel. Great little amp, at affordable price, too pity is no longer produced. The new ones are pure digital modeling amps.
No more tweakers. I bought a Princeton Reverb today to go with my pedal board. 15% off this weekend at Musicians Friend and Guitar Center.
Almost all the settings sound good. Hmmm
...no, I am talking about channel 1 which is pure all tube... not voice 1!
but both channels involve the tube! channel 2 with an additional modelling circuit..
I going nutz here...I'm trying to find an amp I like the sound of and have it serve 2 purposes of being able to practice in an apartment and record and maybe ....the tiny terror sounds amazing but I don't know if it's reasonable for an apartment....this one seems to be just right and it almost sounds like a tiny terror....any input from you guys and gals...please :)
@minotaur949 nice man i dno if your familiar with waltons but thats tha only place ive seen it and there chargin 368 quid for it, where is this shop, dublin?, :)
@fattyJNL Maybe they should have read the manual before doing the review? As I recall 1-3 are supposed to be Tweed sounds, 4-6 are BF sounds. 7 is supposed to be a overdriven Vox. After that you get into Hot Rod and Marshall sounds. The last 2 are very clean; one for an acoustic sound (don't remember which is which).
Also, the preamp is SS with a 12AX7 for the phase inverter.
should i get the peavey valveking, the vox valvetronix 100 watt, the fender frontman 212r, vypyr tube or fender super champ XD
It kind of depends on how good your pickups are for the warmth factor. It has to be miked for sure. It's ok for small clubs and small studios. Im going to sell it on Ebay(if your interested) to get a Fender Bassman vintage 50 head because they are much warmer and louder. For the money you cant beat it.
You might of looked at the manual before looking at the channels. They are organized based upon Silverface, Blackface, British, Metal, Jazz, and Acoustic....
@minotaur949 well man it depends where ur from, i live in ireland and its a round 360 euro, if ur in america it bee around 200 dollars, and around 300 if ur in the uk, anyways hoped this helped:)
Thanks for the review- very helpful. It would have been even more helpful if you reviewed what the settings were for Gain, Bass, Treble, etc.
Way to sneak in that Radiohead riff near the end. Love it!
what he never said is that each effect has different settings aside from the effect volume knob
"more personalities than Sybil"
Reference game on point.
The rectifier tube does add sag on a push-pull configuration. However, this is a single-ended tube amp with only one 6V6 power tube. The rectifier, whether diode or tube 5Y3 makes no difference in terms of sag in this circuit. Craigslist is littered with these amps for under $175. It just proves that a sterile sounding tube amp with fancy electronics is no match for the real thing. Plug in a vintage vibrochamp (blackface or silver) and you will know what real tone is all about. -Dave
i have this and love it.....to get it for band playing loud i run the line out into the fx in on my fender concert 60 watter you get same tones just super loud (because using the fx in you are running through the concerts power amp only)..just dont run the line out into the guitar input on another amp..WAY TOO MUCH VOLTAGE..so it will blow up the input section of the second amp..I wish this guy read the manual and told what each voice was...
Champ XD or a more expensive fender all tube amp?
Is it worth the money value?
Does anyone know what amp has a similair clean as the 16. super clean?
@ollyworld What does that have to do with the gear review?
hi if you play all kinds of guitar music like clean to metal to rock to jazz to bleus
is it good for metal without pedal or should i just take a metal pedal in front of the amp without voice i mean the all tube clean?
does it takes pedals perfectly?
cuz the tone without voice is all tube right?
@TheLateBloomers1990 Pedals work best on the clean channel, not the amp voices. The clean channel is all tube. The amp voices are solid state.
I have two and run them in stereo!! I replaced the stock speakers with a Rajun Cajun in one and a Jensen c10q in the other, love them!! (once they are broken in). I used my looper pedal to break them in. Tubes. mobile. diverse. "Fender" sound. Getcha pull.
Cristo Lumsden
How many hours does it take to break in the speakers?
I am looking for an amp for my son to run his pedals out of, he is going to college in the fall to become a worship leader would this be a nice combo for that use. With it being a 10in does that affect the sound quality when it's loud.
+1thess523 it will do the job just fine for that! I play at a mega church and occasionally with some college praise teams. Most of the time they will have a mic to put in front of the amp to go through the house so he will not likely have to crank it too much
I used it in a very loud band in TN and AR for 29 gigs over 8 months and the Line Out on the back works as well or better than miking it for FOH, while saving your ears on stage with it in the back line. Try it, you'll be surprised how good the Line Out sounds going FOH.
I've got Line Out going into a Ashdown Engineering Bass amp with 100W and a 15in Blue-Line speaker. Check it out. The combination with the Superchamp clean channel and Volume on 5 is roofshaking clean and warm in the attic studio.
i have this amp. cool little practice amp sounds nice
I dunno, ive been on the hunt for compact all valve (the marshall 1/2 stacks are getting too heavy now) and with all the little amps ive tried like this, all i hear is 10" speakers struggling
I recently put an Eminence Legend into mine, big improvement.
thanks for your advice, i'm considering to buy a superchamp x2 because i have a DS-2 boss (turbo distortion) and a VOX tonelbab wich has a electro harmonix valve inside it, would you recommend me a superchamp x2 to exploit my pedals? in case no wich amp would you recommend to us? thank u
@Metallideth94 Hagstrom? kind of a hagstrom headstock.
Channel 1 is just all tube. Insert pedals here!
I think this is great. Am i not a being a purist for wanting to get this amp? Will it sound 'processed' because of the digital stuff?
I own this amp...but I only use voice 14, and I put gain all 10, with, the treble. I feel like I don't use all it's potential.
If the amp is on channel one and the digital effects are footswitched off is the circuit all tube then?
that's a radiohead song called "knives out"
I know this video is a few years old ... any chance you could tell what the settings are at? Gain? EQ? Effect Intensity? Effect? Any help would be great. Thanks, John
I have Fender Champion 30. Is this amp much better sound wise?
Hello Leo Moom. Thank you for your reply. I still would like to know what the Mic is connected to, per it may change the soound. So, do you think viewers are hearing the true sound in this Demo?
voice 7 & 8, 10 & 11 then 16 yes! thanks for the sounds!
I love the fact its XD
is this proper for an epiphone casino
Hmmmm. "I'm not sure whether these sounds are organized in any way".
Heard of RTFM?
When you do:
1..3 - Fender Tweed tones
4..6 - Fender BlackFace tones
7..9 - British Combo / Stack tones (I hear Marshalls in there)
10..12 - Fender HotRods (OK, you can hear an Orange in there somehow ... :-))
13..14 - Mesa(13) and Fender(14) Metal on on top speed
15 - A Fender Jazz King (Indeed .. Jazz)
16 - A Fender Acoustic (indeed .. grab a acoustic!)
So: sometimes they do make sense, these manuals ... :-)
I have one - i end up using channel 16 the majority of the time for some reason.
If I got this I would find a nice cleanish voice crank it till it was just a bit fuzzy and use rotating speaker or vibrato once in a while. But that's just me!
men do you think than this ampli is really good for play in concert, concert with few people?
@mitchpsychedelic it looks like an esp xtone
@stevoe1000 i own this amp. and i also own an orange dual terror amp. and this one stands its ground. im in love with it at the momment.
Great Reveiw ! Great amp, but I beleive the new Fender Mustang amps have now superceded this great little tube amp.
The amp sounds really digital! BUT - what is that cool guitar you are playing - looks nice - please tell us what it is.