How "valve" are the Superchamp XD/X2? Just a Mustang with Valve power amp?

thecolourbox · October 2014

I've been wondering whether the Fender Superchamp XD or X2 amps are really as "toob" as Fender insist. When I've heard them they've sounded quite nice, though I've only really heard the clean sound. I've never played one, I tried last week but the one in the shop was faulty.

I'm not being a snob (I like using Valvetronix and Zoom stuff as well as playing tube amps), I just prefer to know the scoop and not to be bulled! There seems to be some debate around as to how much the tubes actually contribute to the voices/tones, or indeed whether they are in fact more like posh Mustangs with a tube power amp?

I'm talking in terms of sounds (eg to the player, or to a general listener) and in terms of how they play, the "feel" if you will, and whether they take pedals like they should.

Oh and at 15 watts, does the volume compare to Blues/Pro Juniors? Can they do the bedroom "acoustic guitar volume" thing at all?

Interested in the fretboard's views of these

monquixote · October 2014

They use one as their standard demo amp in my local GAS emporium and I was really surprised to find out it was valve.

It sounded OKish, but like an inexpensive SS amp to my ears.

ICBM · October 2014

I agree with monquixote, to me they really don't sound enough like valve amps to be worth it - frankly I think you're better just getting a Mustang, since I've also seen several dead ones with failures in the valve section (not just valves).

They are basically a Mustang with a valve power amp, yes. The preamp is all solid-state/digital - the clean channel may be analogue, I'm not sure (I haven't bothered to get into that degree of investigation). The valves really don't contribute much if anything to the sound. I haven't tried one at high volume so I'm not sure if they 'feel' or project better than a typical solid-state amp.

I don't think it's snobbery to not like them, in fact I honestly think the Mustangs (the bigger ones particularly) sound better!

thecolourbox · October 2014

How very interesting, ive heard a nice (albeit very quiet) clean sound from one a couple of times, though only somebody else playing in a shop. But i don't often play clean, I'd love to but lack the technique...so tend to blur it out playing more driven and fuzz. So i think that would seem good reason to rule this one out

By way of background im trying to move on my current amp haul of two small valve amps (proving difficult) then use the funds from that (and the Marshall preamp i have on ebay that is fetching more than anticipated) to get a nice suitable amp rather than flipping from one to the other hopelessly. Pie in the sky i imagine

EricTheWeary · October 2014

As I understood it they have a valve clean channel and then a Mustang like multi preamp so unless you use only the clean then it won't be very valvey. One of those amps that seem a bit under powered for gigging and a bit much for home use.

Alnico · October 2014

I owned the Vibro Champ XD (5w) for about 6 months and it was awful. The speaker was rubbish too, proven by the guy who bought it off me who replaced it and marginally improved the overall sound.

The 'Voicing' dial has roughly 2 useable sounds out of 16. The reverb had a hair trigger where a tiny amount too much was way too much and the gain control seemed to constantly fight with the amount of gain in the selected 'Voice'. Once you found n ok setting it was OK-ish but couple that with the fact that it was too loud for home and not loud enough to gig and i hated it.

I didn't ever try the 15w Super Champ but i think it's the same layout just more power and after hating the Vibrochamp so much, i never bothered again.

I have tried the Vox VT40+ and it's a great amp that made much more sense to me. I don't usually like modelling amps at all but i found myself liking this one a lot. Something about it sounded much more appealing and the way the settings operate seemed to just make sense.

I believe the VT20+ is roughly the same price as a Fender Super Champ and has almost, if not all of the features that the VT40+ has.

Hope that helps.

thecolourbox · October 2014

Well that was sort of my point, the Mustangs and Valvetronix type amps are half the price of a Super Champ at around £320 according to Google...sort of thought I might have been missing something - apparently not haha

I used to like the Dumble sounds on the Valvetronix - not because they sounded like one but they sounded good despite that

meltedbuzzbox · October 2014

thecolourbox said:

Well that was sort of my point, the Mustangs and Valvetronix type amps are half the price of a Super Champ at around £320 according to Google...sort of thought I might have been missing something - apparently not haha
I used to like the Dumble sounds on the Valvetronix - not because they sounded like one but they sounded good despite that

£320 is hot rod deluxe/Twin money!!

I know what I would rather have

thecolourbox · October 2014

meltedbuzzbox said:

£320 is hot rod deluxe/Twin money!!

Well yes, second hand whereas the Superchamp is new price, but the point does still stand I think!

ICBM · October 2014

EricTheWeary said:

As I understood it they have a valve clean channel and then a Mustang like multi preamp so unless you use only the clean then it won't be very valvey.

The clean channel is at best solid-state analogue, not valve. It's difficult to tell from the schematic if it bypasses the modelling or just goes through a clean patch - but the 'preamp' valve is not in the preamp at all, it's the phase inverter and a driver stage in the Super Champ XD, and just the driver (the other half being unused) in the Vibro Champ XD.

dindude · October 2014

Well for balance I think they're great for what they are. I had a Superchamp XD when they first came out and it was responsible for me developing an ongoing lust for Fender style 6V6 amps that led me all the way to Carr ownership.

A few years later and I had the 5watt Vibro champ XD, loved that little amp, for Fender clean and breakup tones at bedroom volume it's one of the most fun I've had. So in short, voices 1-6 are pretty toneful, but yes the higher gain and non-Fender voiced ones are pretty scratchy and horrible, depends what you want it for I guess.

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How "valve" are the Superchamp XD/X2? Just a Mustang with Valve power amp?

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