Plug into the Fender Champion 600, designed after the 1950 "two-tone" and delight in its overdriven tone. It features a leather strap handle for easy carrying.
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A fun and affordable tribute to a rare and historic Fender amp. The new Champion 600 is a 5-watt tube amp with a 6 in. speaker and 1950 "two-tone" looks. Fender added a higher-gain preamp circuit to let the overdriven tone exceed that of the original, and they also added a choice of high- or low-gain inputs. Internal speaker jack enables use of a larger speaker cabinet.
Features:
Tube Preamp and Tube Power Amp (1 x 12AX7 tube; 1 x 6V6 tube)
5 watts into a 6 in. Special Design speaker
High-gain and low-gain inputs; hotter preamp circuit than the 1950 original for warm natural overdrive when turned up
Single volume control
External speaker output
Brown and blonde vinyl covering; vintage-correct 1950 "two-tone" cosmetics
Leather strap handle
Red jewel pilot light
zZounds is an authorized dealer of
Fender products.
Model Name: Champion 600
Model Number: 2330100000 120V USA
Series: Vintage Modified
Type: Tube Amplifier
Output: 5 watts
Ohms: 4 ohms
Speakers: One 6 in., 4-ohm Special Design driver with ceramic magnet (0073904000)
Channels: 2 (Instrument and Microphone)
Controls: Volume
Covering: Brown and blonde vinyl covering; vintage-correct 1950 "two-tone" cosmetics.
Weight: 15 lbs. (7 kg)
Dimensions: Height: 11 in. (28 cm) Width: 12 in. (31 cm) Depth: 7.5 in. (19 cm)
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"I purchase from zZounds regularly. I like the ease of the purchase and all of the fantastically helpful reviews." - customer on April 22nd, 2012
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
"A simple goal: make a Champ 600 reissue that looks and sounds like the classic. Mission accomplished!"
Sound:
10/10 in this context is really easy to give it because it's an incredibly simple circuit put together in a way that I believe will last. You can build a Champ yourself for less money, but putting one in an enclosure and covering it to match would probably cost you more than buying this little guy. It sounds like a Fender Champ 600! They were originally made as practice amps, then got famous thanks to their great, squawking overdrive sound and simplicity. Miking up a Champ 600 couldn't be easier, and they take overdrive and fuzz pedals really well, too. You won't really get convincing BRUTAL DISTORTION out of one, but come on, it's a 5W tube amp. If you run a high-gain pedal through it, turn the bass down or you're likely to flub out the bottom end. And, also, you're doing it wrong. :)
Feature:
It recreates what was good about the later runs of the Fender Champs back when they were first made. This is the later model of the circuit, and it includes a new somewhat boosted "High" input now (in addition to the regular input) to make it easier to get that rippin' crunch that it can do when you really push it, but it's a more or less faithful recreation of the 12AX7 preamp based Champ 600. There were other preamp tube based Champs, some say they sounded better. Most of those tubes are only available as NOS these days, hardly amenable to mass production, so it makes sense for them to have gone with the 12AX7 type instead. The original didn't have tone controls or anything really fancy, and it would be silly for this to have them. You're not buying this because you want a super duper sophisticated tone machine. The farther it gets from the original, the lower a score it would have here, as far as I'm concerned.
Ease of Use:
It has two inputs, one that has a boost. It has an on switch. It has a volume knob. Heck, most PEDALS have more control than this. If you can't figure out how a Fender Champ works, you're probably not ever going to be in a position to read this review.
Just plug and play - and enjoy, because it sounds lovely.
Quality:
Well, it is mass produced in China, but I don't know if that's necessarily a mark against it. The outward construction is good, and its innards are also well put together. It's so simple, I don't think there's a lot of room to screw it up, really. This is my second Champ 600 Reissue, and the other one lasted through a lot of moving around. Never gave me the slightest bit of trouble. I expect the same from this... But, I can't say with certainty that it'll last as long as the most robustly constructed amps. Frankly, though, you're not paying as much as you would have to pay to afford that kind of quality. So I'm going to compromise and give this amp an 8/10 on the quality scale, due to good experiences with one I had for a few years but with the knowledge that it is made in a factory where they're mostly concerned with cranking them out as quickly as possible to satisfy demand and sometimes corners get cut.
Value:
You can build a Fender Champ 600 circuit for around $60, give or take... But getting a speaker, getting a box to put it in, covering the box in an attractive material (let alone pretty good and visually "period correct" material), you can easily run higher than the purchase price of the amp. Of course, if you especially value your own hand-wiring over a PCB construction amp imported from China, then your idea of its value might be different, but the fact that they are selling them for less than you can make one even though it's a very simple amp speaks well of its value to me.
Manufacturer Support:
No experience with Fender beyond buying their products. I guess that's a mark toward reliability in itself, but it does mean I don't have any clue about their support.
The Wow Factor:
How many reviews have to mention the stupidity of asking about the, and I quote, "'sex appeal' of the product" before Zzounds re-words this criteria? Sigh.
To the point, though, it is a good looking little amp, very vintage vibe and sound. It's simple, easy to use, fun to use. I don't know if, uh, amp fetishists rank it against other amps in terms of how much it excites them, as the question seems to imply, but from an ordinary perspective I think it looks great!
Overall:
Glowing reviews are rarely warranted and too often and easily given. However, this sets out to do something simple - recreate the classic Champ 600 - and accomplishes it perfectly. If you're an aficionado who demands hand-craftsmanship then I suppose this isn't for you, since it's built on PCB, but for those of us who don't care what path the electrons take (and, for that matter, the electrons themselves, who don't care whether they're zooming down a conductor on a printed circuit board or on the surface of a traditional wire); for those of us who know exactly what we're looking for in this amp, it's a 10/10.
Style of Music: Various
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"Fender Champion 600"
Sound:
I'm a big fan of one-knob amps, with the tone clean at lower volumes and progressively "dirtying" up with stronger signal. In the middle where it's on the verge of breakup, this gives tremendous dynamic control over the tone. This one does it perfectly, and while some people think it's a one-trick pony, good just for playing at full volume and distortion, that's not so! I love its sound over the whole range from quiet and clean to wide open and crunchy! It also has two inputs, a "Normal" and a "bright" one, for even greater sonic versatility. This amp actually has a version of the common three knob Fender tone stack in its circuit, just implemented with fixed resistors where the Fender amp experts thought the most people would like it. In my opinion they got it right. It has a very pleasing, somewhat "scooped" tone, with overall a remarkably bassy, mellow tone for such a little box with a 6" speaker. It sounds like a much bigger amp! You absolutely can't beat this sweet little amp for entertaining yourself at home without getting the cops called (in an apartment, you might), for recording, and it would even do for certain kinds of gigs where huge volume isn't needed.
Feature:
It's got exactly the features I want, no more, no less. It's true to the spirit of the original, though its circuitry is modernized a bit.
Ease of Use:
As I've already said, it sounds good at every volume. You can't go wrong. I suggest turning the volume all the way up, or as high as you'd ever want it, and then control it from your guitar with the volume and tone knobs.
Quality:
I was very pleasantly surprised by how nice it looks! And I didn't expect the nice smell of leather from its carrying strap. Gives the illusion that the cabinet is upholstered in leather. (It's vinyl.) It feels sturdy. It uses only two tubes, a 12AX7 and a 6V6-GT, both common, inexpensive and widely available. The voltages on the 6V6 aren't too high. Even the Russian ones with a reputation for electrical fragility should last reasonably well. You don't need a tech to change them, and there's no biasing to worry about.
Value:
I don't think there's a better deal anywhere for a small practice amp. Might not be the first choice of a metal player, but it's good for about anything else, and it responds very well to stompboxes of all sorts.
Manufacturer Support:
Fender has a good reputation for standing behind their products.
The Wow Factor:
I am a sucker for old-fashioned gear. It's got the looks and character of a little 1950 amp, just brand new with all-modern parts and a warranty! :-D
Overall:
Zzounds has absolutely the best price on the market for this amp! And they very quickly shipped it at no extra charge. I highly recommend Zzounds.
Style of Music: I play slide guitar and lap steel, mainly blues and similar styles. I mostly play at home for my own enjoyment. Sometimes play a
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We'll beat any price
Really. It's not a problem for us. In fact, we'll thank you
for the chance to live up to our lowest price guarantee!
It's fast and easy
Just tell us where you saw the lower price - another
website, an email offer, your local store - and we'll send
you our lowest price offer in a matter of hours.
Simply click the Seen it for less? link
Next to the item you want, or give us a
call at 800-zZounds (800-996-8637).
A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.
