Super Champ XD Arrived Today! *No pics or sound clips, sorry :(*

[GuitarToneFreak]

After months of researching different amps, I found a used Super Champ XD on Musiciansfriend that I couldn't pass up. It got here today and man, IT'S LOUD!! Even with the volume half way up it's plenty loud for the bedroom, I don't know if it could keep up with a live drummer but it's got some balls to it! I have always thought that Fender amps look real classy and this amp is no exception. Nice shiny Fender logo, sparkly grill cloth, just a great looking amp.

For those that don't know here are the settings for the amp


Tweed

1. A vintage tone based on early Fender Tweed Champ amps

2. A fat vintage tone based on early Fender Tweed Bassman amps

3. Heavily overdriven Tweed tone

Blackface

4. A bright vintage tone based on early Fender Blackface amplifiers

5. A bright, slightly overdriven vintage tone based on early Fender Blackface amplifiers

6. A bright, heavily overdriven vintage tone based on early Fender Blackface amplifiers

British

7. A bright jangly tone reminscent of early British combo amplifiers

8. An overdriven vintage tone based on early high-gain British stack amplifiers

9. A high-gain distorted tone based on modern British stack amplifiers

Hot Rod

10. A high-gain overdriven tone based on the Fender Hot Rod series of amplifiers

11. A high-gain distorted tone based on specialized boutique amplifiers

12. More gain, more sustain!

Metal

13. A darker super high-gain scooped metal tone

14. A sustained super high-gain scooped metal tone based on modern heavy metal amplifiers like the Fender Metalhead

Jazz

15. A clean amplifier tone optimized for jazz styles with the character of the Fender Jazz King amplifier

Acoustic

16. A super clean amplifier tone with the character of an Acoustasonic amplifier good for acoustic finger-picking

I'm really digging all of the tones save for the Hot Rod settings, they're just too muddy and undefined for me. The metal channels (especially Voice 14) are ridiculous, if you want a relentless metal amp that'll do it for ya!

When they say for the Blackface tones "bright" they mean it Voice 4 is the brightest tone I've ever heard from an amp (although I'm not too experienced with amps ) and the overdriven variants have a good 70's crunch to them. Same for the Tweed overdriven tones, not a JCM800 by any stretch, but very good if you just want some dirt on it.

The Jazz and Acoustic settings won't get too much use out of me, but they are great pre-sets as well. The acoustic resembles the sounds of a Piezo pickup to me, nice and full sound that resembles an acoustic as best as it can.

The Marshall settings are by far my favorite, it pretty much does your Plexi crunch to your JCM800 distortion. Voice 9 has gotten the most use out of me, and when you screw around with the knobs it REALLY makes a difference. There is no "Mid" knob on this amp, but with the "Gain", "Bass" and "Treble" you can still find your own tone.

I haven't messed with the FX too much, but the reverbs are very authentic sounding.

So in comparing this amp to my last one (Spider IV) the Super Champ XD wins hands down. The 10" speaker handles the bass much better than the 8", so you don't get that annoying "WHOMP!" when the 8 inch gets to bassy. The only thing is when this amp gets to bassy it rattles

So if you're considering this amp I can't recommend it enough. Great tube tone (this is my first tube amp and it's awesome seeing the tube glow orange ) with any type of amp you could possibly want. Great looking, great sounding, VERY glad that I chose this amp

 

[napsak]

Hey tonefreak.Those are fun amps.The reverb should be killer.

 

[thinkgreen]

happy NAD. you don't realize how digital the spider amp sounds untill you try a valve amp.

 

[GuitarToneFreak]

happy NAD. you don't realize how digital the spider amp sounds untill you try a valve amp.

You said it! Even on the real distorted settings like the Metal ones, it has a warmness and openness to it. The Spider sounded real compressed (which could probably have something to do with the 8" speaker), this one sounds nice and open, and just sounds real

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I don't own a modeling amp, but the SCXD is the only one of three or four I've played through with a good robust tone to my ears. For what it is, it has a very natural tone.

 

[Drew224]

They're nice... I haven't fired mine up in a few weeks though.

 

[SexyGibson]

Congrats and welcome to the SCXD club ! Man, your review could have been written by myself; we must have very similiar tastes.
I too like most of the settings but play on #9 the vast makority of the time. The Hot Rod settings were very disappointing to me. I owned a Hot Rod and it sounded 1000 times better than the settings. The rest are very useable though.
I too don't use effects often but keep the reverb on all the time. This model has a GREAT reverb.
Now, to one of your concerns; I can tell you from experience that this amp WILL keep up with a drummer. I took mine to rehearsal and was running the volume at about 6 and my bass player, who was right beside me, asked me to turn down a bit ! It was peeling his ears back !
All in all, its not the BEST amp I've ever owned, but probably the best for the money spent. I mean, where else can you get Fender cleans and Marshall gain in one amp ?
Congrats again and enjoy !

 

[rdsmith3]

I have the Vibro Champ XD. My favorite is voice #8. I also like the cleans of #4.

I have compared it to a Line 6 Spider and a Peavey Vyper, and IMO the Fender is a much better modeling amp.

 

[GuitarToneFreak]

Congrats and welcome to the SCXD club ! Man, your review could have been written by myself; we must have very similiar tastes.
I too like most of the settings but play on #9 the vast makority of the time. The Hot Rod settings were very disappointing to me. I owned a Hot Rod and it sounded 1000 times better than the settings. The rest are very useable though.
I too don't use effects often but keep the reverb on all the time. This model has a GREAT reverb.
Now, to one of your concerns; I can tell you from experience that this amp WILL keep up with a drummer. I took mine to rehearsal and was running the volume at about 6 and my bass player, who was right beside me, asked me to turn down a bit ! It was peeling his ears back !
All in all, its not the BEST amp I've ever owned, but probably the best for the money spent. I mean, where else can you get Fender cleans and Marshall gain in one amp ?
Congrats again and enjoy !

Absolutely! I got a chance to really crank the amp today and Channel 9 sounds great when you have it loud enough so it can breathe

That's good that it can keep up with a drummer, every now and then me and my bro will jam so that's awesome

 

[Standard 64]

I really liked mine when I had it,really good blackface clean tone,but I have one of those fender amps allready.Nice amp for the money though.