Fender 57 Custom Champ: One Year Review!
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Welcome to this in depth one year review of the Fender 57 Custom Champ! Phrases like One Trick Pony get thrown around with this amp – well, here’s what I think! Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Originally posted by UCEQ_Z17PBn1zm9oEXORwg1g at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l0ydA58jz8
My goodness what was that AMAZING intro song? I want to download it, and then send the artist the finest meats and cheeses in all the land! https://jackfossett.bandcamp.com/track/glass-ballerina-2
Less “you’re going to hear” and more playing it.
I have the fender and have built a few diy for friends- great amp. I use mine along with a 5e3 with a ABY pedal- with the champ dimed for leads, and 5e3 at highest vol at edge of breakup so i can clean it up with vol on guitar.
I'm by NO means real good. "Comfortable Intermediate" is how I describe chops…..and I hate spending lots of $$$. I bought a Bugera V5, ehhh it's fun and $300 bucks. There's a dude 2 towns away that has a little shop in his garage. I took it to him and said "can this sound better?" He said yes. It'll cost about 200 bucks. Without hesitation he just said YES. Soo, he changed the ummm circuitry??? To a Champ type thingy, caps and 5f or something circuitry???
I play squier Classic Vibe guitars because, well, I'm not gonna spend 2000$ on a guitar, I have a wife that loves knives! And she loves me, buuuut she scares me, and my daughter is 13 and is already being recruited by d1 colleges to play soccer. This Dad sacrifices everything his girls.
ANYWAY, I got this home and plugged in my used 50s Tele Squier, and BOOOOOOM!!!! Daddy is a Rockstar! The controlls are sooo responsive, volume at 5 is different than 6, tone at 4 is different than 5 (responsiveness isn't great on "cheap" gear).
The clean tones are bellike, then you hit this PERFECT edge of breakup, roll the volume down on guitar, clean, turn it up and your in jimi land.
Short story long, if you like budget gear like me??? The bugera v5 with some circuit tweaking (different tubes), same speaker. It's reallllly great.
Dude YOU could fart on the strings and make it sound good. ME??? ummm no.
My other amp's are a Pig Nose and a home built 2 watt.
I'm firmly in the small is beautiful camp.
I'm also a pretty lousy guitarist, so it limits the damage.
How about $700 used?? Seems worth it, eh?
Haha. Who reads the manual? Especially if there’s only one knob!
I love a Champ! Paid 999. When I plugged it in I was in awe. Still in awe. Played Fender for years (Super R., Blues J….) I'm in love w/12AY7 – so much so I prefer them in V1 positions. I built another using a Celetion 10" Gold. (Output is 4 or 8 ohm) Very interesting sound. I've tried 12AX7 and ceramic Spkr. Pretty versatile little amp. I think the combo w/tele or Strat,
a 12AY7 and alnico is the magic and is what Leo intended – sounds best from the working side of the guitar. Was talking w/Lindy Fralin (I'm a customer) and he thinks they're over priced but I've never regretted my purchase. You're right Jack…there's no substitute for the Champ's sound (if that's what you want)! Good show – love your fender guitar choices.
I have this on Amplitube.. Planning to make a video on it soon..
Get an old vibro champ
hi,
If I wanted to play pedal( Overdrive, Fuzz), what would I choose? 57champ or 65 deluxe?
thanks
At 13:30 when you mention a "princeton" – are you referring to a Blackface Princeton Reverb or the 5F2A? I was under the impression the latter was basically the Champ (5F1) with a tone knob
I find the best range for the best tone between 6 and 10. I don't hear it coming alive at all at 3 and know no one else who thinks that.
Build a kit for half the cost. For $600 I had a great time building I worked slowly over the weekend with many breaks. Sounds great and I love that I built it.
I've always wanted one of these because of 70s ZZ Top.
Another like from me! Acoustic guitar with a little reverb and an EQ pedal. Amazing!
I bought mine used on Reverb for $825 + $50 shipping. It was advertised as being in excellent condition, and it was….appearance-wise. Had a buzzing noise that turned out to be a torn speaker cone. Still ahead of the game compared to buying one new, so I went ahead and kept it. I put an 8" Eminence Patriot 820H in it for $110. Not sure what the original speaker would've sounded like but I'm happy with the way it sounds now. And I'm still "only" out $985 after paying for the amp, the speaker swap, and shipping, which was better than paying $1,300 new. Is a Fender 57 Custom Champ worth $1,300? What one is willing to pay is a personal choice. For me, after playing it a while, I'm glad I didn't pay $1,300 for one. But for $985, I'm okay with it.
I love the champ circuit. I think the cabinet does no favors to the little amp…same amp, but In an 1×12 and a different speaker, it sounds much more amazing
I bought the 5 W tone king gremlin, sold it within a few weeks. I thought my blues Junior sounded much better. That experience makes me reluctant to get the 57 champ.
ummmm I've seen some of your videos and in Super Reverb I saw that you had the Eminence De Alejandro mounted (I have it in the Delta King 10") …and now the Jupiter in this one, I have the Jupiter in a Supersonic 60W, and the The change is impressive once the stock Celestion V30 is removed and installedJupiter, …good video…thank you!!
as for your question, Jack; I just got an OAH-05, and found your channel looking for speaker options, ( thanks for all the Jupiter demos )
but I am very happy with the amp, and glad I have the extra funds to put a studio tube rig together, that I wouldn't have otherwise.
EDIT: quick question, is that the 10SA-P ?, or no, that would be an 8
personally, I think the Champ needs some serious help in the tone stack department.
bass, middle, treble might be a bit much, but how about two tone mod 3 way switches? …for 1200 bucks, comon fender.
Would love to see you review the vicy verb.
I hear Fleetwood mac vibes big time in this demo, man is this beautiful tone, ive been eyeing this comb .
What color is the les paul? Is that a 50s std or a 59 reissue?
As a practise amp or a recording tool it is flawless…………………plug in ANY guitar, twiddle a few knobs and it ALWAYS sounds good.
Drop in a 5751 or a 12Ax7 in the pre-amp, and you got a 57 champ.
Your NOT going to gig with it, your NOT going to keep up with a band without being mic'd through front of house.
This amp is priced on the high end because it is a high-end fender product.
A base squire strat does 80% of what a custom shop fender does……………..but if you want that 20%, you gotta pay.
This champ is hand wired like the originals, and sounds just as good if not better than the originals.
Great vid my man. Btw, did you hit the lottery ? How do you afford all the fantastic gear???
Not compared to other amps, but just looking at what it is – a very simple circuit, with very few components – i would say it is overpriced.
Keytone offers an amp in Champ size with a 8" speaker, but having the Tweed Princeton (5F2) circuit, which is basically a Champ with a Tone control,
handwired in China, for €260,-.
Of course the components aren`t the best, but I can tell you it sounds really good and is a great platform for mods and upgrades.
Even with better components (this amp doesn`t have a lot in it, doesn`t take long to handwire them together) there is no reason it should cost more than say maybe $ 800,-,
I guess.
One trick pony is a term used for non creative players. It's not just in the hands. Learn to use your brain. It can even tell you to put strings on your guitar. And ?
Bought one that had been in a closet since new . Great clean and a beast on full gain .
I had a blues junior but always thought too loud just for at home but sounded amazing is this a good alternative
That’s a gorgeous Les Paul!!! BTW ????
Yes. I want it. That tone. Thanks for the video Jack!
Hello! This Little amp is terrific! I like it`s clean tone! As to my mind – it`s a great choice for fender vintage RI guitars. How does it sound with 12au7 preamp tube? or 12ay7 can provide enough clean tone at 2d input.
Hablemos claro: le falta cuerpo, es solo un bello juguete.
Carr Raleigh is a much better home practice / recording amp than the Fender champ for most people. Better built, more versatile, more reliable.