Cactus Music
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New Super Champ X2
http://www.fender.com/en-CA/products/search.php?partno=2223000000 My 1968? ( not sure ) Fender Princeton is dieing a slow death. It was hot rodded 20 years ago and now needs another go round. I'm looking at $300 just to have the right person look at it. Spotted an add for this in Canadian Musician. $499 list. ( good) It's all tube ( excellent ) Channel Switching ( good) Light wieght ( good) Built in EFX ( Hmm ) USB port ( Hmm ) The built in EFX and Amp sim normally I would avoid this. Most times they are not really up to snuff and kill the tone etc. It also sports a USB jack which is another feature I would not normally get excited about, but it's not just for recording. Fender supplys you with "Fuse" software for real time control over all the amps paremeters!! Any one tried this Fuse Software yet??? Comments?? 
post edited by Cactus Music - 2012/03/31 23:09:12
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depepat
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/03/31 23:16:33
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I use the Fuse software with my Mustang III amp. The software is good looking and fun to use - allows deeper control over a whole heap of parameters that can't be accessed on the amp itself. Fuse works great with the Mustang, can't speak for the X2, although the concept of applying digitally derived modelling functions and amp sims via a tube amp on the face of it seems a little odd.
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 09:04:31
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Cactus Music
http://www.fender.com/en-CA/products/search.php?partno=2223000000
My 1968? ( not sure ) Fender Princeton is dieing a slow death. It was hot rodded 20 years ago and now needs another go round. I'm looking at $300 just to have the right person look at it.
Spotted an add for this in Canadian Musician.
$499 list. ( good)
It's all tube ( excellent )
Channel Switching ( good)
Light wieght ( good)
Built in EFX ( Hmm )
USB port ( Hmm )
The built in EFX and Amp sim normally I would avoid this. Most times they are not really up to snuff and kill the tone etc. It also sports a USB jack which is another feature I would not normally get excited about, but it's not just for recording. Fender supplys you with "Fuse" software for real time control over all the amps paremeters!!
Any one tried this Fuse Software yet??? Comments??
Why not ask John, a.k.a. "ampfixer" to fix your amp? You really have to work hard to spend $300 keeping a Princeton alive. Even if you have melted a transformer. I know you have been in music for decades, so it seems, to me, as if you may also be hanging out with the top dollar amp techs if $300 is the ball park you have in mind. I'm probably coming off as critical, but I really just want to encourage you to get the Princeton running 100%. all the best, mike
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M@ B
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 10:07:48
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Look at the Fender Blues Jr. They sound great.
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Cactus Music
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 11:49:25
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Thanks Mike, The guy who originally re built the Princeton is very good, we are lucky to have him close by as Amps are not cheap to ship off to somewhere. He is also worth every penny he charges. http://www.daviesaudio.com/build.html but. I do have a plan for it. My Son is a electrical technician, he will take it on as a project. Main problem will be Cory modified the crap out of it so no schematics. It is a priceless gem. 25 watts ( now ) and I put a Celestion Vintage 10". That's my biggest concern is the 15 watts as I will get tone , but probably no punch. The Princeton had a good punch to it, that is what has diminished over time.
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Dave Modisette
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 12:16:37
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 It depends on what tone you are looking for. I have a Fender Pro Jr. and I all but dismissed it as an "also ran" quality amp. First of all, the tubes would shake at certain frequencies and that made me nuts. So, I pulled the amplifier guts completely out of the cabinet and designed a plexiglas cabinet and had my lead fabricator build it and I installed the amp in that. Then I bought a Barb EQ to act as a tone stack for it. However, it never sounded good to me until I put up a Cascade Fathead ribbon mic on it and turned it up wide open. It sounds huge. The boxy little 10" speaker EQs itself for you. I really like it. And when I blend it in along with another amp it is a surprisingly good sound. Just in case anyone wants to see the cabinet ...
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Cactus Music
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 13:09:23
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Thanks Dave ( depepat) for the feedback on the Fuse software. It looks like it would be like having Guitar Rig interface but via actual hardware producing the sound which I like the idea of. It's hard to tell from the specs if the amp is 100% tube, it seems to have the correct combo of 2x 6V6 and 12aux7 in there. But I would assume the preamp is electronic ( digital?) as per the EFX (loop?) and USB output.
A question for you, does the Mustang show as a device in Sonar? or do you have to use the Fuse Software exclusivly?
I like small amps as they work fine in the studio and I play Solo gigs. I do play in a cleaner style ( Tele/ Blues) so small amps are usually just a little to overdriven. I need clean punch with just that sustaianed edge you can only get with overdriven tubes. OK I know there are $$$$ stomp boxes too. But one EFX I have never managed to intergrate properly is delay. I will settle for nothing less than a Memory Man $$$$$$. So I've gotten by using the same delay on my voice and guitar at live gigs, and plug ins for recording. The big appeal of this amp is it looks like the efxs would actualy be usefull for a change.
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Gaffpro
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 15:19:39
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I have the Fender Super Champ X2 in Blonde...they have a newer model with Delay built in.........the Super Champ is a great sounding little amp and the emulations are great (one is a cranked Tweed Bassman)
If I were you however, I would fix your Princeton. I'm assuming it's a silverface?
Dell Studio XPS intel i7860, 8 gigs dual ram, Sonar X2 (x64), Windows 7 RME UCX Yamaha NS10, Equator D5, JBL LSR 2325 monitors Vintech X73i, Great River ME-1NV, Joe Meek VC3Q preamps RNC 1773, DBX 163x, Joe Meek VC3Q compressors DBX 263x deesser Neumann U87, TLM 103, AKG 214, CAD E100s Peluso 2247SE AT4050 and 4051 Shure KSM27, SM7, SM57, and UnidyneIII (from the 60's) Other assorted mikes
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Gaffpro
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 15:21:45
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Speaking of amps, I also picked up a Tweed Blues Deluxe Reissue and it's awesome, A Bugera 22 combo (nice for $299) and a Blackstar Club 40 which is the way Marshall's should sound....the clean side only has 1 tone control, but it works!
Dell Studio XPS intel i7860, 8 gigs dual ram, Sonar X2 (x64), Windows 7 RME UCX Yamaha NS10, Equator D5, JBL LSR 2325 monitors Vintech X73i, Great River ME-1NV, Joe Meek VC3Q preamps RNC 1773, DBX 163x, Joe Meek VC3Q compressors DBX 263x deesser Neumann U87, TLM 103, AKG 214, CAD E100s Peluso 2247SE AT4050 and 4051 Shure KSM27, SM7, SM57, and UnidyneIII (from the 60's) Other assorted mikes
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Cactus Music
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 16:37:05
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 My amps - Got this for $75 from an old dude. All I did was ground it and we checked the tubes. I just love the Tremelo. It has a lot of personality and is loud enough for band rehersals on 10. The speaker is original so in bad shape so for now I swapped speakers with the Princeton as I have been giging with this one until the Princeton is fixed. ( or I purcase a replacement)
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Cactus Music
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 16:42:05
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The faceplate is changed as Cory removed the Tremelo and added a pre amp gain stage. So it has a Pre Amp gain and a Master Gain. Also he added Midrange. 
post edited by Cactus Music - 2012/04/01 16:55:24
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Cactus Music
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 16:57:57
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Was looking in the back and I just noticed it has a 71 below the Made in USA logo? I guess it's a 68 modle but made in 1971 right? Notice the Line out Cory added. This is after the pre amp stage and I often used it live into the FOH mixer with excellent results 
post edited by Cactus Music - 2012/04/01 17:00:29
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depepat
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/01 23:15:39
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Hi, Johnny The Mustang amp can be recognised as an audio interface in Sonar for recording, but the Fuse software is NOT a VST and can't be used on its own as such, unlike Guitar Rig. The beauty of the Mustang III amp(and the IV and V models)for me is that, unlike the smaller Mustang I and II, it has a very readable LCD screen that lets you dial in pretty much all of the possible amp and effect options on-amp without needing Fuse at all. I don't think the X2 has any kind of on amp screen, so you would have to use Fuse for tweaking presets etc. Dave
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Cactus Music
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Re:New Super Champ X2
2012/04/05 20:37:49
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Well you can see by the above picture that it has very little control without the software. Glad to hear that Sonar will work. Seems that all you need to do then is open the Fuse software and run in the background while you record with Sonar. Probably still use a mike anyways 'cause it always worked better for me. There has to be some air involved or it usaully sounds lifeless to me.
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