Fender Super Champ XD- Opinions, Please

[stevieb]

Auditioned a Super Champ XD briefly today.
http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=2331100000

Not bad- 15 amps, two power tubes, so quiet operation (compared to the Vibro Champ, with it's single power tube, and resultant hum.) No hum from SC dimed, only a bit of hiss, which I had to get pretty close to hear. I thought I'd like the Princeton Recording, but it did not impress me at the price, whereas the SC didn't overwhelm me, but I did like it quite a bit. I was not blown away by the tremolo, but at least it does have three speeds and variable depth. Not happy I can't get tremolo and reverb at the same time- where I play indoors most often, reverb is NOT needed, whereas outdoors I find some 'verb gets my tone standing out among all the guitars in my group, and when recording, I suppose it would be best to record dry and add verb later as needed (goes double as verb on the amp is DSP, not tank0- and If I feel the need for tank verb and tremolo at once, I am certainly keeping the vintage Deluxe Reverb.

One of the biggest failings of the Vibro Champ XD seems to be the 8" speaker- the SC XD has a 10-incher, so that should be a little better.

And the $300 street price is attractive- I have about given up on finding a Princeton Reverb for under $400, and vintage Champs seem to be too noisy for my taste. I do wonder, tho- is the 15-watt SC XD just too close to the 18-watt vintage Deluxe Reverb? Or, even if it is, the SC IS lighter, and presumably less prone to damage (and has a 5-year warranty.)

So, who else has some time with these?

SOUND OFF!

 

[Bob's Mods]

I've owned many of the lower cost modlers and have found this one gives the best authentic tone for distortion effects to my ears. Its got a number of different voices for variety and the line out is good too for direct recording. Its a great all around bedroom/recording amp that covers alot of tone bases reasonably. You can either mic it or record the line out or do both. You can also plug the speaker output into another cab if you wish too. It is a versatile amp.

 

[elenore19]

I love it. Can't say any more.

I play mostly with some distortion. Like blues rock distortion...not metal. This amp is perfect. At first I found one setting that I was just like "wow, amazing!" and I used that forever without even really experimenting...Then the other day I experimented, and I seriously don't think I can find a better tone for my needs. It is THE perfect tone for me. Plain and simple.

I love this amp. Although I'll mention that this is my first tube amp, and the amp I had before it was a Line 6 Spider II, which SUCKED!

The clean is also amazing in my opinion. I just use the channel 1 clean. It has fantastic attack, and I couldn't be more pleased with that either.

There's also the footswitch (now available trough Musiciansfriend) that switches channels and effects on and off. Mine should be here tomorrow, so I'm pretty stoked for that.

Overall, I'd give this amp 9.8/10. The price is amazing. But I'm sure there are better amps out there, so that's why I didn't say 10/10.

 

[Gear_Junky]

I love mine. I posted detailed reviews around here and other forums and at Harmony Central.

I usually don't waste time sharing my opinions on gear, unless I really like it. I do go out of my way to recommend the SCXD. It has quite a following by now.

And you don't have to pay the $299 - just wait or search for a coupon at M123 or MF or some such. Plus you get the free S&H. Beats any local offering on the amp. Mine was a "blem" for $229 shipped. Nothing wrong.

They should also be reliable - people who opened them have said that they're built "better/stronger than they need to be" (electrically).