Fender Mustang LT25 vs Champion 20 - Battle of the Practice Amps!

[@davidwalker41]

This was refreshing. A review where the reviewer actually has some helpful opinions. Not just "What do you think? Let us know in the comments." Nice job!

[@jazzzman8050]

I’m a trucker, and carry a Champ 20 in the truck for a road practice amp, and I agree, it does basic Fender amp clean tone really well. I turn the gain up just enough to mimic tube breakup, and it sounds pretty good! I wouldn’t record with it, but that’s not what I got it for : )

[@DougMen1]

I've owned the Mustang 1 V2, Mustang GT40, Mustang LT25, and Champion 20. The LT25 is, IMO, the best sounding one of them all. The C20 needs to be louder than the others to prevent it sounding thin and boxy. It also is severely limited as far as effects go, and you can't even save the delay time setting, and have to use the tap button every time you turn it on. Even though the on-board drive pedals on the LT25 are the best drive sounds from all of these amps, they all sound best on a clean amp model with a good overdrive pedal to get really good overdriven tones. The LT25 also has stellar sounding direct recording to your DAW using its USB output. The Yamaha THR10C also excels at that.

[@guitarkis4969]

I bought a used Champion40 and sold it a week later. Cleans were OK, overdiven tones barely passed. I have owned my LT25 for a few years now and never get tired of the endless combination of amps and effects I can tweak. The drive tones are endless, as you can change the gain knob on any of the dozen plus amps, and then add a pedal, like a Rat, or Boss OD or even a Klon. Keeping this amp for a great practice amp.

[@cMaslow]

Are you able to Loop with it? Would love to learn how to do thst

[@Icculu5]

Better hope they don't pull the plug on the software like they've already done.

[@ldemelo]

They had pulled the plug on the Fender G Dec Thirty, I found a download for the software Fuse and can use it as long as I don’t use it with the internet.

[@TheWhiskeyCowboyLife]

I have used a Mustang LT25 for years, and it is a wonderful amp. I didn't like messing with customizing my own presets, so I moved to running it as a pedal platform. I simply run their clean preset with my pedals. And the price is fantastic.

[@danpalmer4820]

I've owned both of these amps. Champion does better cleans, LT did better overdriven tones. Never did the speaker upgrade, though. Eventually, I ended up with a used Mustang GT40. Once I did all the firmware updates, it basically sounds the same as the GTX50. For a lot less money.

[@Hoodrio]

Great feedback, thanks Dan!

[@TMCHL]

GT40 is really amazing after properly set the master EQ best £80 I've ever spent 😊

[@holgate1970]

Thanks for these evaluations, reviews, along with your lessons. I am looking to scale down my amp collection & your reviews have helped a lot!

[@Hoodrio]

Thanks for the kind feedback. If you don’t need reverb and tremolo at the same time, I would recommend the Champion 40. If you do, I think it’s probably worth it to get the LT 50, because then you can use the four button footswitch, and I think it sounds more open and natural than the LT25 with the closed back.

[@44scoots]

Nice video and demo. These smaller amp’s often get overlooked. I have the Champion 40 with a Cannabis Rex speaker upgrade, it’s a monster. 😬

[@Hoodrio]

I can imagine - I ran the C20 into a 12” Emi Red White and Blues for a similar result. Thanks!

[@benallmark9671]

Man that little Champ is impressive for a solid state amp.

[@benallmark9671]

Good review!

[@MAG-li5jo]

@@Hoodrio Did the Champion have the stock speaker in this video?

[@Hoodrio]

@@MAG-li5jo Yes, they both did.

[@j-man9457]

Nice Job man! Definitely the Champion sounds more authentic. The mustang sounds congested, more like what I've always found low cost digital amps sound like. Maybe an upgraded speaker would help?? Cool video love gear reviews!

[@Hoodrio]

Thanks! I did install the Celestion TF0818 in the LT and it sounds great, but especially at lower volumes the Champion definitely sounds more natural (with either speaker).

[@yeoldefoxeh254]

@WokeIsntAwake check the vid again.

[@robrobbins4906]

@@yeoldefoxeh254 Why? One is a closed back and one is an open back.

[@akaboo69]

The Lt25 sounds pretty good its my practice amp and guitar lesson amp

[@petset77]

Fair enough review, and tonal quality is apparent. Thanks. IMO (and what I ended up getting for around the house), is a VOX MiniGo modeling amp. I got the 3 because I didn't need the volume. I'd prefer a little larger speaker, but the modeling of most of the amps is great, including a Twin in clean or overdrive, and Deluxe clean. Amazingly, the VOX AC30 OD is my least favorite model... just kind of boxy sounding. The driven Marshalls are good, as are the higher drive models, not named but likely Soldano and Mesa. There's a "Line" option, just the signal from the guitar. The regular effects are there, with user ability to tweak depth. There are also rhythm tracks including metronome. The only bad is that reverb and delay are on the same knob, so there's no option to use both. Adding a tube preamp for warmth muddies low tones (at least on the 3 with it's 4" speaker, and with a 12AX7 tube- I have a12AU7 on order to experiment with). Overall, for the price, it's a great little amp. I'd guess modeling is the same for the 10 and 50 if you want more volume and a larger speaker. ...I play a Tele, P90, and Humbucker equipped guitars through it, and it shines with all. Anyway, thanks for your video.

[@TwoWeekCowboy]

The LT25 has a more compressed sound, at least to my ears. The Champion sounds more like I like a Fender amp to sound.

[@ronboff3461]

i agree! ill keep my 20..im a clean kind guy!

[@lawrencegenereux8567]

I have both amps. My LT25 doesn't sound boxy or hollow at all. I suspect something is misadjusted on the LT25. There is a digital 5 band global EQ in the amp, in addition to the 3 band digital EQ in each of the presets, and the 2 band analog EQ on the control panel. I'd suggest taking a look at the settings of the 5 band EQ. Something may be way off. There is an old saying about too many cooks spoiling the broth. With 3 separate overlapping EQs, each with different center points, the possibility of really screwing up the tone abounds. Lastly, thanks for doing a great review. It's nice to see someone taking the time to comparitively review amplifiers in this price range. Beginners need this as much as intermediate players need info on thousand dollar amps. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@Hoodrio]

I have been able to dial-in some pretty great tones, but it is definitely a little more work than on the champion series. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@mr.d.572]

I have a Fender Champion 20 and really like it for practice, but you need some pedals with it to tailor the sound. I run an amp modeler (Sonicake Matribox) and a compressor through it and it sounds terrific. However you mentioned a speaker swap video at the beginning and said you'd link to the video and I do not see a link....

[@Hoodrio]

It pops up on the screen toward the end of the video, at 11:28 to be exact. Thanks!

[@rodolpheponthus2948]

Lt25 much more focused and tight. Better in a mix context

[@danbsilen]

Great demo! It would be nice if the Champion 20 had separate reverb knobs like the Fender Stage 100 DSP, which had 6 reverbs with 16 variations as well as a reverb level knob.

[@johnduckworth474]

The Champ has the basic sound for me, but no reverb with trem is a deal breaker.

[@crazywisdom2]

I own the champ 20. And the cleans are good enough. Could I just run pedals and call it a day ?

[@itschrishicks]

@@crazywisdom2 Yes! I use the Tre-Verb Pedal it's kinda pricey tho

[@Keithphotorama]

Important question. I am a extreme beginner at the very bottom and hearing impaired learning the new Sonic Squire Stratocaster. Would the Mustang LT 25 help me hear the tones better than the Frontman 10g?

[@Hoodrio]

The LT 25 is certainly louder and has much more variety of tones and effects, but in terms of just a basic clean tone at home volumes, I would think they would be pretty similar in terms of clarity of sound. Hope that helps!

[@Ira88881]

The Mustang really sounded bad here.

[@gobeco]

Are any of these near or better than Yamaha thr10 ? (don't count the effects section)

[@Hoodrio]

I have owned two of the Yamaha THR amplifiers and like these Fenders better. The Yamaha amps definitely do heavier tones better, however.

[@gobeco]

@@Hoodrio Thank you so much!!

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

I have the 20 I rewired it so I can plug it in in my 2 x 12 sounds great problem is my family is home so I always end up listening to headphones but I got a 100 W head anyway from boss and Marshall and a vox head and a DV Mark that blew up

[@darkestfugue]

i have an LT50, if you have the know how you can get it to sound great if you built up the patches from the ground up, forget the presets.

[@ce152capt100]

Great video. Do you know if the speakers are identical? The Mustang Micro has “Metal 2000” which is modeling a Peavey 5150. The Champion 20 has “2000 Metal” which sounds inferior. I wonder which amp the Champion is supposed to model here?

[@Hoodrio]

I don’t know if the stock speakers are identical, but I can tell you it does not account for the difference in sound, because I ran the same replacement speaker in both amplifiers and the differences in tone remain. As for which amplifiers they are modeling in my demo, I think I say that the clean is the Fender twin and the dirty is the Fender supersonic.

[@larryhunt1701]

Can the Champion produce fuzz and reverb at the same time?

[@Hoodrio]

Not as an effect - the champion doesn’t have built-in overdrive or distortion or fuzz effects like the mustang. However, you could choose one of the fuzzier distorted amp models on the champion and run the reverb with that. I will say that the vintage fuzz effect on the mustang is surprisingly decent. I think it is based on a fuzz face.

[@HeavyLiftGang19]

I have both of these amps and I like the clean scrip sound of the Champ 20 I also enjoy having the vast options that the Mustang lt25 has to offer. I noticed a huge difference between each amp right off the get go and actually felt the Mustang lt25 was a bit to muddy for my liking. I appreciate that you took the back off to see if there was a difference. I’m thinking of using a Valeton go-100 multi effects with the Mustang lt25 and I’m wondering is these multi effects can be used with the lt25. I’m receiving it tomorrow and I’m hoping I am able to use it on the Mustang, if not then Ill just use it on the Champion 20 instead. Have you used multi-effects on your Mustang lt25 yet?

[@Hoodrio]

Yes, you can use the multi effect pedal with any amplifier. For the LT 25, you would obviously just want to turn off any of the built-in effects that you have running, unless you’re looking to double them. And yes, I have run my effects board into the LT 25 and it sounds great. Thanks for your comment!

[@Pfeiffer-fp2se]

Just bought the 40th anniversary vintage stratocaster as my first guitar, what amp would you recommend for someone whos only going to play at their house? Mainly going to use some bose headphones while playing but it would be nice to have a great sounding amp for when I'm not using headphones. Looking for the best bang for my buck for under $150.

[@Hoodrio]

They both have headphone jacks, so it really comes down to the variables that I discuss in the video. LT if you want more features, Champion if you want a slightly better clean tone and slightly less digital sounding response.

[@garlandreese950]

What did the stock speaker sound like in the lt25, compared to the Champ with the replacement speaker?

[@Hoodrio]

@@garlandreese950 both amplifiers sound fine stock, but both were taken to a whole new level with the Celestion TF0818 replacement speaker.

[@edgarkhachikyan5823]

hey, to you think the lt25 is better than champ 40? i mainly want to get more to john mayers tone)) and also which one is better for having some performances lets say in the street or a small stage?

[@Hoodrio]

I would get the C40 or LT50.

[@ptrisonic]

Champion 20. Sounds much better and more human oriented. Pete. PS I have both...

[@squirelova1815]

You have an unusual knowledge base for the background history of the digital effects chips carryover from tubed Champ XD's and SS Champion effects indeed. Would you please tell your fellow O.C.D. Champ "geeks" here where we can read up on that straightforward but very intriguing fact? Maybe? Please? Just asking for, ehr, a Friend of course. I still dearly Love the highly useful utilitarian simplicity of my own Vibro Champ XD as well as its depth and sweetness of sounds plus pretty good effects too. Sam Ash was giving these $300 Vibro Champ XD amps away as a "clearance" deal when I snagged a good one for only $150, right before they were discontinued, that still works perfectly to this day, plus, with only ONE 6V6 power tube it is the lowest maintenance you could ask for with tubes. Thank You for the "low down" on the Champ XD and Champion's digital lineage.

[@Hoodrio]

I’ve read that on various gear forums over the years, and logically it just makes sense because the XD and Champion amps offered the exact same amplifier models and effects, with the main difference being the presence of tubes in the XD’s. Fender has also commented on the evolution of their digital modeling amplifiers from the first Cyber Twin and Champ to the XDs and Champions to the Mustangs. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@squirelova1815]

@@Hoodrio The Pleasure is all mine, Thank YOU!

[@ToacheRaul]

Which of these amps is better for someone looking for Gilmour tones? I have seen a lot of suggestions about tube amps but I simply cannot afford one of those.

[@Hoodrio]

The LT25 has way more variation available for overdrive, fuzz, and delay, which is what you would need for Pink Floyd.

[@RadicalSharkRS]

Well I got close to his clean tone for time

[@AntonStratocaster]

Do you think the Champion 20 is better than the Yamaha THR?

[@Hoodrio]

For me, yes. They both sound great at low volumes but the fenders can do way more. If you are into more heavily overdriven or distorted stuff, you may prefer the Yamaha, but for clean it’s the fenders all the way.

[@iancurrie8844]

I recently picked up the LT25 after owning the GT100, GTX50, and mustang micro. I was very impressed with those three but I'm totally bummed out by the LT25! It sounds like I'm listing to someone playing in a different room with the door closed. It's muffled, closed, suppressed and distant. I don't understand how this is part of the same series as the other three I own. This one is trash in my opinion. It's worthless! (It's going back!)

[@Lfrm-420]

This is why im on this video. My buddy has a champ and i have a lt. His screams at u when the lt screams with hands over its mouth so to speak. Champ 20 or crush20? I gotta effects processor to build patches. Leaning toward crush20

[@iancurrie8844]

@@Lfrm-420 Neither. Both are poor. Save you sheckles and buy something good. The Katana 50 is VERY good by comparison. The K100 is even better still.

[@kaptkrunchfpv]

Mustang does sound muffled. Clean and muffled at the same time. kinda weird.

[@positivelynegative9149]

👍

[@kaybhee6]

mustang is muffled