Does size matter? Fender Champion 100 a detailed review

[@ClydeClinton-n9f]

Hi from The Emerald Isle Steve , lovely playing love you sound and style just subscribed to your channel looking forward to more of your videos Clyde

[@stevegroves]

Thanks very much Clyde! Really appreciate the comments and for the subscription!

[@brianlegg6009]

I too am just a (semi-)retired guy with a passion for music but never really learned guitar when I should have either. I didn't have any guitars or equipment. So in February this year (2023) I bought a couple guitars and started learning and hopefully I'll also keep improving. What's interesting is I bought an Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60's in Bourbon Burst that looks very similar to yours, and the first amp I bought was a Fender Champion 40! I wanted to learn about the myriad of on-board effects without having to spend a bunch of money on pedals and other stuff I may or may not even like or use. But what I find the most interesting is I first watched this video today (and subscribed!) and just yesterday I took delivery of a brand new Fender Champion 100! Apparently us older guys tend to think alike! Great video, Steve! Thanks from Georgia USA!

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! I love Epiphones these days, they pair well with the Fender amps. The Champion 100 is certainly a beast but delivers great sound even at lower volumes thats what I really love about it. Good luck with the guitar playing and no doubt what will become a guitar addiction! No one said us older guys cant have guitar fun too :)

[@brianlegg6009]

@@stevegroves My Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60's sounds and plays 90% as well as the Gibson which costs 5 or 6 times more. Since I'm only ever going to play 10% as well as Jimmy Page it's much more cost effective for me and I'll enjoy it just as much as he does! Stay safe over there.

[@stevegroves]

They do sound and play great! I love my 59 Ltd Epiphone LP it even has Gibson pick ups in it. My Gibson is also awesome but often grab the 59 first,@@brianlegg6009

[@DerpRulesAll]

Great review, sir! I wasn't sold on it until you played an acoustic guitar with a Piezo through it, though. Now I'm thinking about getting the 20, or the 40. The 100 is _NOICE,_ but it's a bit much for an apartment dweller like me. Keep on rockin' in the Free World!

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! The 20 and the 40 are both great amps too, have tried both out in a shop environment and they were superb especially for what they are sold at. Good luck and have fun!

[@videotowatch2000]

Awesome amp! I've had mine for about a year now and love it. It's just lacking a little in the high gain but I gain stage it on the dirty channel with hm-2 pedal and it chugs just like the best of them! The clean channel and sound are amazing for this amp. It can do it all as it takes pedal very well.

[@stevegroves]

Cool! Thanks for commenting! Yep they are fab amps great value for what you get. I got mine for that clean channel sound, takes pedals so well. The voicings are pretty damn good too.

[@gregorioh7034]

Thanks Steve for a great run thru. Cheers

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! Appreciate the feedback :)

[@DanBackingTracks]

Thanks for the good video, Steve. Keep it up. Cheers from Brazil

[@stevegroves]

Thank you very much! Appreciate the feedback cheers from Scotland!

[@stingray4780]

Thank you sir for this great video! Very good showcasing of the Fender Champion 100! Thanks again. I am now a subscriber.

[@stevegroves]

Thank you for your kind comment and for subscribing! Much appreciated :)

[@SavageJaceClark]

I put a set of Jensen Vintage C12N16 in mine. Still cant get over how great this amp is and the new speakers just open it for those sparkly sounds

[@stevegroves]

Thanks for watching and the comment. Yep I have heard of some folks swapping in better speakers including some Celestion ones that apparently really make it come alive. Standard ones are not bad but am tempted! It really is a great all rounder amp. Will look up the ones you got cheers.

[@danbsilen]

Nice demo! The part at 7:11 sounded great.

[@stevegroves]

Thank you very much! I am still learning so really appreciate the comment and feed back :)

[@PaulWESLEY-d4p]

Great review - helping me decide on my next amp.

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! Believe me this amp is the biz! :)

[@rossco289]

Great review Steve, I've been down this holy grail road of amplifiers since the early 60's, seriously considered the 2x12 tonemasters, warranty of 2 years, then what? think I'll back peddle and get a Champion 2x12, running a tube Custom Concert at moe, to b......y heavy. Thanks again for a practical no flowered up review.

[@stevegroves]

Thank you for your comments! Much appreciated! Its informed and experienced folk like you that help people when they read through the comments. This is why I do you tube vids :)

[@bassplayer8815]

got mine years ago and has worked really well. I always use the clean 60s British with a Wah between the guitar and the amp with treble at 6 or 7, mids and bass at 3 and plenty of gain with a Les Paul. I haven't played mine much in large live but it was loud enough for a gymnasium of 400 people

[@stevegroves]

Thanks for the comment, always good to hear how folks use theirs! These really are superb amps, I need to play around more with the amp models as they are really good.

[@Kayro098]

Great review! Still surprised over how cheap this amp is knowing everything that it can do

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! Yep this amp is crazy good for the money, damn heavy too! I am still blown away by just how good the clean sound is, and how well it takes pedals. Just about any guitar sounds great through it too.

[@Tonneback]

I really enjoy your channel.

[@stevegroves]

Thank you very much! Appreciate your kind comments. I enjoy making vids and hoped that some people would enjoy the content.. :)

[@petarzutic1165]

Great tones right there 🤘

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! Its a great amp definitely a keeper!

[@markmazzy5667]

Thank you for this review very informative I am soon to buy one these.

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! You will not be disappointed the amp is great! Have fun with it

[@davidandmarinaoorloff434]

Great amp clear and clean sound!

[@stevegroves]

Thank you, yep its the clean channel sound that sold it to me. The FX and amp styles are great but other than reverb I just use either no FX or just FX on my pedals through the clean channel.

[@GRBAquatics]

Very Cool, Thankyou. Amp and Playing is awesome. Would love a Fender Champion Amp one day. Still using my 1984 Fender Sidekick15 lol. Awesome little amp. Cheers

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! Fender amps are pretty damn good in my view even the small ones are really well made and designed.

[@theblytonian3906]

I read the first comment, and it echoed my initial thought which doesn't ordinarily lend itself to hackneyed phrases. Although accurate in this case, what such a cliche fails to adequately do is descriptively differentiate this amp from all the other "awesome amp"/s out there. I bought mine in mid 2018, and have two other "awesome" 2 x 12" combos to compare it with. One is digital full modelling with a SHARC processor, and the other a 6L6 valve amp. In terms of bang for the buck, the Champion 100 is impressive against all comers. In terms of overall performance similarly, with two of of its strengths its relative simplicity and end user friendliness whilst being packed with loads of simple to select features sufficient to be all that a majority of users might ever need. It's pedal friendliness in the particuar takes care of any of those which aren't met by its intrinsic voicings.

[@stevegroves]

Cheers for the comment, yep this amp is great value and delivers really good sound. I issed out on an old Kustom cobo amp that had twin 12s in it. Sounded great and was only £80 kicking myself but at least still have the Champion 100!

[@ben6569]

great video, it was very helpful. but does this work well on low volume setting? i live in apartment and dont know if i should buy this great amp

[@stevegroves]

Hi yep i reckon it does work really well at lower volumes. Still seem to get a full dynamic range even at lower volumes. Its a heavy amp though! Thanks for the comments and for watching much appreciated.

[@Billy-h7b]

Just waiting for mine to be delivered from PMT, tomorrow 😊

[@stevegroves]

Cool! You will not be disappointed! For one PMT are pretty good and mostly this amp is awesome! TBH I rarely use the voicings and onboard FX even though they are great I just plug my pedal board straight in on the clean channel. Thanks for watching and the comment, hope you have fun with yours! :)

[@Billy-h7b]

What settings for a mick Ralph’s bad company sound

[@stevegroves]

Was quite a fan of them! Not sure what would best match the sound. Will have a listen and see if I can get close using maybe the British or Tweed setting with a bit of overdrive.@@Billy-h7b

[@Max2000.]

Great video

[@stevegroves]

Thank you! :)

[@joshuagarland1369]

Just got mine today i was visited by law enforcement

[@stevegroves]

That made me laugh! :) Yep man these bad boys can go loud with awesome clarity. Lucky for you they sound great at lower volumes too :) Enjoy your new amp, great bit of kit.

[@tezfestival4009]

Duly warned 👮‍♂️😎

[@squirelova1815]

Cops probably Love these things. It's usually an easier call than a robbery or bloody murder, that's for sure.

[@wouterlongtallearnie8323]

No amp. anymore 😯😊 I hope not.

[@rockhardrockmetalpop]

Can you connect a separate cabinet to it.. eg; 2 X 12" speakers or maybe 4 x 12" cab ? Thanks very much.

[@stevegroves]

Hi, I have checked the manual and there doesm't appear to be an option for this on the unit. You could possibly mod the speaker wiring via jack sockets to isolate the onboard speakers so that the amp drives a separate cab, The load would have to match the existing speakers though to avoid overloading the amp. Probably nothing to gain here though.

[@rockhardrockmetalpop]

@@stevegroves Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

[@Michel-r6m]

Nice amp. Solid state can sound pretty nice! Regarding the price (€355 with fx per channel) it is a bargain. Just how does it do with low volumes (appartment kinda) ? Do not need 100Watts 2x12 but the sound and features are great as comes with a pedal. Got my DSL for sale a contemplating one of these.

[@stevegroves]

Thanks for the comments! A main reason I went for this amp was for its sound quality at lower volumes, as its still got lovely bass and mids as well as higher end at low volume. Many smaller amps with small speakers tend to go tinny at low volume where this one seems to work great. I think its due to the efficiency of the 12" speakers its fitted with.

[@seanunsworthwigan4640]

Can u play a semi acoustic guitar through one ofvthese

[@stevegroves]

I can't see why not as even my acoustic sounds OK through it as in the video. The amp seems to have a really good frequency response across the range. If in doubt it maybe worth trying one out, as not sure which make or model guitar you are referring to.

[@seanunsworthwigan4640]

@@stevegroves al ask my dad wat make and model his guitar is mate he’s the one who’s unsure wether it’s compatible so thought I would try find out for him thanks for the reply buddy

[@stevegroves]

No probs happy to help if I can. @@seanunsworthwigan4640

[@hernice3470]

What s the prizes

[@johnnyelvis]

Where are these made?

[@stevegroves]

As with all the cheaper Fender amps these are made to spec in China.

[@johnnyelvis]

@@stevegroves thanks for the info

[@stevegroves]

@@johnnyelvis No problem :)

[@jeffthevideoguy23]

Doesn't matter with this one. Great amp.

[@goniseukurac5911]

Is it loud enough to jam with drummer ?

[@ntxp3]

i also want to know this

[@stevegroves]

Sorry only just seen this comment come up. Yep I reckon its loud enough to jam with a drummer no probs.

[@Music-oi2nf]

I’ve been in a rehearsal room with one guitarist out of two playing through one of these, as well as a hard-hitting drummer and loud bass player. The Champion 100 had no problem whatsoever being heard loud and clear.

[@goniseukurac5911]

Thx ,then Iam buying this to jam with my father. We both play drums, I will buy an elec guitar, .Is Epiphone Les Paul classic overkill for the beginner ?

[@Music-oi2nf]

@@goniseukurac5911 no I think beginners should always get a good guitar like an Epi LP Classic - if a beginner gets a really cheap guitar it’s likely to be horrible to play and will probably stop them from progressing and will put them off continuing. If you can afford an Epi LP Classic you should go for it.

[@marccarter1350]

For home playing, forget it. These things are loud

[@stevegroves]

Use mine at home, part of the reason I bought it was because it still sounds great with lots of clarity at lower volumes. But yep probably overkill as a practice bedroom amp :)

[@marccarter1350]

@@stevegroves Yeah, there like a solid state 65 twin. Great sound, but over kill. I went for the Roland JC-40 after my Blues Jr Died. The Roland does everything, and in stereo if you wish!

[@stevegroves]

@@marccarter1350 Only tried a couple of Rolands and was very impressed with them, they make superb amps at all levels

[@macman3175]

Duh- you could first tune your paul