Fender Champion 20 (Modified) Guitar Modelling Amp

[@ptwamps3682]

Thank you!

[@nicolamontoro]

Great video. I have this amp and replacing the baffle is first up. Thanks!

[@jltrem]

That's a really nice look with the brown tolex.

[@southernpride2003]

My grandpa has a degree in electronics and also woodworking me and him decided to buy one of these and we turned it into a classic 50s style tube amp we also switched the switch for a toggle we took out the gain knob I have a RCA 12AU7 tube in the preamp and a 6V6 like all my tube amps have

[@ptwamps3682]

Nice! Those types of conversions are a lot of fun.

[@denisturcotte]

Hi, a while back I changed the speaker for a Jensen C8R 25W 8"/8 Ohms Guitar Speaker (50$can), and doing so that baffle got mess up with one stuck fastener. I knew I had some left over Baltic birch ply and finally. Cut the peace and painted black yesterday and today put back everything together final weight 12lb 5oz. Very happy with the sound and the baffle really does a difference. Will put it back on my bench and do that small speaker jack mod. Thanks for your video, have a nice day.

[@ptwamps3682]

Thanks to you as well. Glad the new baffle worked out. It really is the key to a better sounding amp.

[@theverseshed]

A really excellent little amp - vrsatile and not over-compliocated but with enough options to keep anyone happy if they want to experiment. The idea of replacing the soundboard for the speaker sound like an interesting thing to try.

[@houstonharwood7197]

What I'll add as someone who has and loves this amp, is that for the budget, it produces great clean tones. I too think the Deluxe is my favorite model on the amp. I use a Tele with this amp, and the Princeton model also sounds great if I use the bridge pickup and dial down the Tele tone nob. Really, all the Fender amp models are decent. The british models I skip on... I mainly play clean tones and I've noticed most low end modeling amps cater toward players that just want to crank the gain up to 10 and "shred.." but the amp models sound like crap if you play with low gain. Not on this amp. Fender is known for their clean tones and this amp shows that (and for the budget, it shows that really really well). One note on the Tweed models: If you set the gain at say, 4, you actually get quite a bit of versatility in tone, similar to a tube amp. If you play softly, it sounds almost clean - and then if you pick a bit harder, the sound breaks up and begins to distort. I was really impressed with this. I compared it directly with the blues jr at my local shop and the dynamic is *Very* similar, albeit you aren't using the volume knob on the amp to dial in breakup.

[@ptwamps3682]

Definitely agree, Walter. I own a good number of tube amps, including a couple of desirable vintage ones, but the Champion 20 holds its own whenever I want portable good tones at low volume. I've also tried a lot of modellers and find the simplicity and of the Champion series preferable to ones where you have to dial through too many presets or hit a lot of buttons.

[@matthewisaias9906]

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[@ramonmajor334]

@Matthew Isaias Instablaster :)

[@matthewisaias9906]

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[@matthewisaias9906]

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[@HALO-JONES]

Love the fizzing harmonics that comes out of that ✌

[@MrRossleb]

Great review. I've got one of these, unmodified just for home practice. I believe any guitarist even with great amps would love this little amp. I mean I've got a Fender Machete (full tube) and a Vox (valvetronix), and imaging I practice with this one. not that its better, but it is that good.

[@DerpRulesAll]

You've done a bang-up 'Frankenstein' job on this amp. But, unlike the good doctor, what you made is actually more beautiful! 😂 I seem to be obsessed with this device, because it both is, and is not, a modeling amp (the 'little brother' to this amp, the Frontman 20g, can make every sound this one does, minus the effects.) The way it's flying off the shelves, it seems that Fender really hit onto something.

[@ptwamps3682]

Thank you!

[@robertclarkguitar]

Really cool!!

[@yonickfrias8799]

have you ever covered anything similar to this is tweed? If so, how hard would it be?

[@VelvetWeekend]

Nice, sounds good!

[@ptwamps3682]

Thank you!

[@baerster]

I have a Champion 20, and want to do a similar same mod. I have a question - there is a plastic plug in the chassis where the speaker wires come out. I would like to remove that plug and replace it with the jack. However, I am having trouble removing it without damaging the speaker wire, which I want to preserve. Do you know how to un-clip that plug?

[@ptwamps3682]

Those little plugs (called a strain relief) can be very stubborn. They normally have tabs on the inside that squeeze inwards to fit through the hole. If you clamp down on those tabs with some pliers it will normally jiggle out. If very stubborn, applying some heat (I use a heat gun on low setting but a hair dryer can work) will soften the plastic enough to get it moving. BTW: Don't worry too much about preserving original speaker cable, which is kind of cheap stock in those amps. Any electronics store can sell you a little role of speaker cable, and once you are already soldering to install the jack and plug, it is a small matter to re-solder the speaker connection as well.

[@baerster]

@@ptwamps3682 Thank you!

[@brianoregan4477]

I just got mine.

[@todoclaro929]

hi, did you check if a 10' speaker would fit in it?

[@ptwamps3682]

Yes, I did. A 10" won't fit.

[@todoclaro929]

@@ptwamps3682 thanks, a pity

[@loupascarelli]

THANKS..

[@troyvan6952]

Great presentation, I have one of these amps and would love to change the baffle. How difficult/ involved is it? Thanks

[@infinitemileage]

Thanks. To make a baffle like this, you basically need a small piece of Baltic birch plywood (high grade/ voidless plywood). Normally, home building centres stock this. A jigsaw to do the cutting will work. You need some flat black paint, 4 T-nuts to hold the speaker bolts (ideally countersunk using a Forstner bit, but you can get away without that), and a staple gun with 5/16" staples (Arrow JT-21 work well) to remount the speaker cloth.

[@chrisvdv5608]

Well done Sir. Just what i want to do with my Marshall code 100 combo. I want to make a speaker connection on the back, same as you did. That way i can use the Marshall as a 212 speaker cab and i want to connect a Fender champion 40 to it. This way i have a Marshall with real Fender sound. Could it work you think ? Thanks a lot to show what i had in mind.

[@ptwamps3682]

That should work, as long as you can find a discrete place on the Code 100 chassis to mount the jack. All you need is a 3/8 hole to mount a Switchcraft-type jack and a 1/4" mono plug to connect to the speaker leads. Just be careful of potentially dangerous high voltage before doing any work inside an amp chassis -- if you have not done amp mods before. Thanks for your comment!

[@alexandre8014]

crazy man

[@pmd7914]

G'day. I've been considering this amp, like the intuitive settings. One thing that I would like to change is to add the on/off switch to the front panel. Would this be possible or not enough room?

[@ptwamps3682]

Finding room would be one problem, unless you were to sacrifice one of the jacks (aux or headphones). The bigger problem is that with a PCB constructed amp, getting the switch itself re-routed would entail some rewiring, which is always a bit risky on these cheaper amps that were not built as sturdily as older hand-wired amps.

[@spit1500fire]

Hello. Do you think it's possible to fit a 10" speaker?

[@ptwamps3682]

Unfortunately, no. The cab is slightly too small. The similarly designed Champion 40 comes with a bigger speaker.

[@spit1500fire]

@@ptwamps3682 Thank you. Yep, that was my impression. What makes me worry it's the "boxy" sound every small amp has. I owned a G5 Gibson amp and however it sounded good, it had a kinda boxy sound due the size. I know the Champion 40 comes with a 12" speaker, but it's too big for home. A 20 watt with a little bigger cab and a 10" or 12" would be perfect.

[@ptwamps3682]

@@spit1500fire You could always put a 10 or 12 cab under the Champion 20 and just use the amp as a head. My little trick of adding the speaker jack to the ba k panel makes it possible.

[@spit1500fire]

@@ptwamps3682 I did that with my ex old Fender Champion 5watts. But if I have to get this combo to put an additional cab, I go for any of the tiny valve head. I'll see if with a better speaker it can sound not too boxy.

[@danabiondo9243]

@@ptwamps3682 Can you Modify mine ?

[@danabiondo9243]

Do you these Mods for others?

[@danabiondo9243]

Got it ! Can the Soeaker be Up Graded? Thank you for your reply, Video!

[@danabiondo9243]

What do you think about the Fender, Indonesia , China Amps ? ?

[@danabiondo9243]

Which State do you live?

[@ptwamps3682]

Hi Dana, I live in Quebec, Canada, so the shipping costs alone would make it too pricey for me to do these mods for you. You would be better to find an amp tech in your region, who can do the mods if they have basic electronics and cabinet building know-how.

[@danabiondo9243]

@@ptwamps3682 Nice I have friends in Canada love the sense of Humor !

[@danabiondo9243]

@@ptwamps3682 Have you Seen Ayla Tesla on youtube From Canada. Great Instructor.

[@brianoregan4477]

Ya now have 89 subs

[@MindDezign]

No one asked the thickness of the birch plywood you used

[@ptwamps3682]

I used the regular 7/16" birch ply panels sold in Home Depot.

[@TheStrataminor]

Because it doesn't really matter...