Differences between all the ST models? (Stratocaster style)

[LeoThunder]

Nov 9, 2019 15:06:11 GMT sportyspice said:

Nov 9, 2019 2:42:12 GMT LeoThunder said:

If I had to buy an amp now, I would probably go for the Fender Champion 20 which is much simpler but retains the necessary modelling capabilities with a sufficient set of effects and requires no computer connection.

Any reason to get champion over the new LT25?
Not much difference in price, and I get a lot more options to experiment with different sounds.

The straightforward user interface would be the reason. After playing around with the Mustang I V2, I find the "lot more options" is nice but not essential. The Champ has a good subset of them and the advantage of having everything on simple knobs without clicking and scrolling through menus displayed on a tiny rectangle.

Now, I would most likely have gone for the LT25 at first, because more options are what I would always want but I find myself using only a few and the Champ  has them, except one or two (listed here - from the Champ 50 but I think they're the same).

Another aspect is the memory system. The Champ has one memory spot: the knobs stay where you put them and you see what they say. The LT has at least two dozens presets (probably more), all pre-thought by some clever product manager and if you want to keep the sound you've dialled, you need to explicitly go through some save operation and replace one of those "clever pre-defined" things (you'll have to think hard which one to sacrifice first). Because if you don't, the next time you power it up, it will be back on your last selected preset, regardless of where you left the other knobs except the master volume. This abundance of riches brings the necessity to manage them. Then you need to remember for yourself what you have in slot 1, 2, 3 and all 24, 32 or 99 of them (or more).

The LT has computer connectivity with the possibility to make back-ups, download presets from "the Fender Community" or share your own.
The Champ has none of this, but it has a dozen amp models (6 Fender, Vox, Marshall and various metal things) and a dozen effects (reverb, chorus, delay, tremolo…) so it's not like you're getting just a straight amp, it has all the basic advantages of a modelling thing without the "database" hassle.