DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Jul 31, 2016 11:58:18 GMT
Woohoo. I just won a Fender Champ 25SE for £50 on ebay AND it's just down the road in Cardiff. These things never happen to me so I'm over the veritable moon. From what I can make out this amp has everything I want: 25 watts, tubes (actually a hybrid with solid state front end, but that ain't going to bother me), some interesting sound contouring, a foot switch, a Fender 12" speaker from Eminence, a reverb pan, an effects loop, line out and a beautiful clean channel (plus a largely decried drive one but I'm unlikely to use that unless I mod it. I'm very much pedals into clean. If it's good enough for Gilmour I'm not going to kick it into the grass). So it's a bit lacking in the beauty stakes...so it won't show me up. But I might have a go at covering it to make it more mine. I'm off to get it this afternoon...it better bloody work. Anyone used one or have any thoughts on this one? Like, 'you shouldn't have bought it.'
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2016 13:17:45 GMT
Would love that box! Nice find my man! Give us an update once you give it a ride!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2016 16:08:20 GMT
Damn it defjef, you got me browsing for second amps and I think I just might strecth my broken economy to 700 danish crowns and get a Fender FM212R with a broken reverb. Not sure if Im to go for that or a Peavey Valveking Royal 8 (5 watt all tube). There is also a Roland Cube 30x for the same money. Hm ... what to go for; the solid state, tube or modeling? There is also a cheap Peavey Envoy transtube 75Watt with a 10" speaker.
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3,968 posts
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Post by salteedog on Jul 31, 2016 18:52:50 GMT
Nice one. I'd have bought it for that price too - even though I don't really need it.
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Jul 31, 2016 22:03:17 GMT
Damn it defjef, you got me browsing for second amps and I think I just might strecth my broken economy to 700 danish crowns and get a Fender FM212R with a broken reverb. Not sure if Im to go for that or a Peavey Valveking Royal 8 (5 watt all tube). There is also a Roland Cube 30x for the same money. Hm ... what to go for; the solid state, tube or modeling? There is also a cheap Peavey Envoy transtube 75Watt with a 10" speaker. The 212r is big and very loud but I can see why twin speakers might tempt you. You know you want 12"speakers though don't you. The Envoy might not suit in that case. I don't think the others that you mention would really fit your bill either. Yes the Peavey Valve King is all valve but it seems a bit limited in the eq department. I'd keep browsing for just the right thing. I know it's a total nightmare but it gets easier if you narrow down what you will and what you won't accept. Then comes the wait to get lucky. Wishing you all the luck in the world.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2016 5:47:09 GMT
There was a "developing" last night. Will start a new thread. Will need help deciding because I'm about to pull the trigger.
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Aug 1, 2016 10:45:02 GMT
There was a "developing" last night. Will start a new thread. Will need help deciding because I'm about to pull the trigger. I woke up this morning with a kind of, "oh, it's morning" blinky feeling and then realised I hadn't been dreaming all night, there was an actual Fender amp plugged in downstairs. I haven't rocketed out of bed that fast since Christmas morning circa 1975. Oh I love it What I also loved was reading a forum where a guy had bought one and said, "I have mine running in stereo with my Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue - and the speaker sounds bigger and fuller on the 25SE ... I love it - awesome underpriced amp with great sound.
I got mine at a hellofa steal at a garage sale for a ridiculous $50 but would have gladly paid $250-300 for it.
It's what sold me on Fender amps after experimenting with several of the newer stuff (Bugera, Blackstar, Blackheart) - they don't touch it."I know there's a lot of guff about everything online and plenty of hyperbole as well as senseless detractors but so far I have no reason to doubt him. He clearly likes to hear what I like to hear: big, clean, reverby beauty. Now to dig out that Chinese alnico strat.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2016 12:01:43 GMT
There was a "developing" last night. Will start a new thread. Will need help deciding because I'm about to pull the trigger.
It's what sold me on Fender amps after experimenting with several of the newer stuff (Bugera, Blackstar, Blackheart) - they don't touch it."I know there's a lot of guff about everything online and plenty of hyperbole as well as senseless detractors but so far I have no reason to doubt him. He clearly likes to hear what I like to hear: big, clean, reverby beauty. Now to dig out that Chinese alnico strat. So maybe I should go for the FAME Sweet Baby after all which is according to some a VERY GOOD Fender clone.
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Aug 1, 2016 12:36:36 GMT
So maybe I should go for the FAME Sweet Baby after all which is according to some a VERY GOOD Fender clone. I think I've heard of the Sweet Baby as a bit of an early tweed champ clone so there's always this: Tweed clone After all, who needs a volume knob? Mind you, wasn't there something on this forum recently about potential nasty electrical problems on the Sweet Baby? Or has my mind gone?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2016 15:38:21 GMT
Nope, only good reviews on this and the french forums as far as I know. And the Joyo Sweet Baby also got good reviews (same amp, just rebranded).
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Aug 3, 2016 0:13:19 GMT
Fender have been very good to me and, despite their making nothing out of me purchasing a second hand amp for 50 quid they have already sent me a pdf of the original manual from 1992. The one eye opening feature seems to be that although both the clean and drive channels have volume controls the Master section has a 'LOUDNESS' control rather than a master volume. This appears to act more like that mystery loudness button on your HiFi: at lower levels it boosts the trebles and basses a bit. I'm still not certain whether the volume controls on the clean and drive channels are both driving the tubes or it's just the clean channel doing that. I presume that both must and the drive is added from the solid state part of the amp (it's pretty raucous as you said over on the NAD thread salteedog ). If this is the case I can report that it's very hard to make 6L6 tubes break up. The clean headroom is massive. No wonder I'm reading that these amps sound like half of a Custom Twin Reverb. I'm finding that I don't use the drive channel at all and just add drive and gain with pedals into the clean side. My ancient Sound City distortion pedal which has been out of favour with me for about twenty years has just found a new lease of life and, for the moment, the American Sound pedal is out of my chain. Might have a fiddle with this mod eventually though:
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Post by john on Aug 4, 2016 11:38:28 GMT
Great find DefJef, I love it when people get what they want and it just seems to fall into place. That's a very nice amp mate, classic.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2016 12:50:40 GMT
If defjef didnt find this amp of his I would most definitely not have this Bugera of mine today Thanks to him sharing it here on the forum made my GAS explode through the roof and see what happens
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