Modified Fender Champion 600 with Stratocaster

[agoldin]

I WANT YOUR ELECTAR

sell it to me, maybe? :)

anyway great video, and THANKS for playing the same notes when comparing tones, very few people do that!

[alnicomagnet]

Sorry, Electar sold many moons ago. Thanks for your comments, cheers, Nigel

[gorblimey61]

Is that 5E1 mod good for harp?

[alnicomagnet]

I do a dedicated kit for blues harp, check out my ebay shop.

[rickstien]

Is that a Bolton accent I hear??

[alnicomagnet]

close

[21radiocast]

one 0:35 / 2:04 , two 1:03 / 2:37 , three 1:34 / 3:13 << wwwwwwwwwwwwooooooooowwwwwwwww­wwwww

[21radiocast]

one 0:35 / 2:04 , two 1:03 / 2:37 , three 1:34 / 3:13 asdawrfeffffffffffffffffffff

[21radiocast]

0:35

[yukmizzee]

Good demo/ comparison

[novanine9]

I like the noise suppressor mod...how much and where can I get the mods? Thanks

[alnicomagnet]

check out my eBay shop on ebay.co.uk username alnicomagnet, cheers

[alnicomagnet]

Nope, 12

[rockerdude29]

how hard would it be to put an attenuator on one of these?cause they sound great,just they arent loud enough at low volumes but theyre to broken up full blast for that fender sparkley clean you know?

[alnicomagnet]

If you get a plug in attenuator, it's dead easy, however, you'd get a better sound by getting an amp tech to fit a power scaling or VVR module. Cheers, Nigel

[threecheerer]

i'm thinking of using this amp as an acoustic guitar amp. good idea or bad idea?

[alnicomagnet]

It would be OK playing at low volume in the home, but for anything else, get a proper acoustic amp.

[threecheerer]

i'm thinking of using this amp as an acoustic guitar amp. good idea or bad idea?

[Leonard5555]

the second one is best at letting you hear that fender's position 2 and 4 qualities. That nice chimey fender sound comes out the best imo

[koolami268]

Hey nigel,

What mod did you do to the middle amp? Is it something I could do myself, or would i need an amp tech?

Thanks.

[indra561]

If you an amp tech could you tell me is vox pathfinder 10 watts good or bad and what kinds of can, i play on vox pathfinder 10 w like punk,rock,pop etc?

[alnicomagnet]

Don't know never heard one. I only use and play valve amps. Try one out in your nearest music shop.

[samswank]

You sound just fine! Very musical when you play, which is more than I can say for a LOT of players on youtube.

[aclamadas]

wow your really good! im sure you could make any amp sound good!

[alnicomagnet]

Nah, I'm not that good, I'm really an amp tech. Thanks anyway! Cheers Nigel

[aclamadas]

The way you play on those amps makes it sound really nice. sounds good with the fender too!

Keep on rockin!

[BigBlackPug]

PRS Custom 22, Digtech Brian May & two of these beauties. Wonderful wee home setup.

[strabbs1]

i find mine a bit bright, great dirty tones however

[relicsun]

Hello where do I buy the kit and how much?

[Yoooder]

Perhaps a silly question: are your kits compatible for US-models of the amp (120v power)?

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, not a silly question at all, thanks for asking. All my kits are suitable for all mains voltages and all territories. I've already sold hundreds to the States. Cheers, Nigel

[DaanOnderwater]

what is he playing at 2:02?

[alnicomagnet]

Am, G, F, G, Am

[epitaph664]

same chords to Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower"

[alnicomagnet]

correct

[elmington]

Mate so what modifications did you actually do with the middle one

[alnicomagnet]

fitted my AA764 mod kit

[alnicomagnet]

Could be a duff pot

[alnicomagnet]

Cheers

[29396]

i like the 5e1 modded one, i like the more gainy sounds

[Strat0Blues]

Where can I buy one of these mod kits, how much are they and could I get my local shop to install it? Cheers.

[JVStratocasters]

love that amp!

[guitarshredda2]

how did you mod it to 5e1 specs?

did you get a kit?

[alnicomagnet]

with one of my kits!

[palmster56]

Why buy three? lol

[alnicomagnet]

So I could make a comparison video! I've since sold them all.

[RoryGodowsky]

how well does the stock champ breakup? and when does it? would it be good for cleaner blues and SLIGHTLY over driven blues and blues-rock? if not the stock could you please reccomend which mod. Thank You.

[alnicomagnet]

You can hear how well the stock amp breaks up. When depends on the guitar you're using, pickups, and the volume setting. Cleaner blues use the AA764 kit. Over driven blues use the 5E1 kit.

[alnicomagnet]

No, not really, it's too clean. A modded Blackheart or modded Valve Junior would be better. Cheers, Nigel

[Vinniemelodyssey]

Hey guys... I just uploaded a vid with the fender champion 600 powering a 4x12 mesa cab. I notice a few people where asking how this would effect the sound I thought I would give you a demo. Enjoy.....

[alnicomagnet]

Nice one

[alnicomagnet]

Check out Watford Valves or Hot Rox

[nedgey]

Where is the cheapest place to get the gain valves? Can't really find on ebay..

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, if you want more gain, mod it to 5E1 spec. I recommend JJ Electronic valves. If you want it louder/more bass, use a 4 ohm 12" cabinet. Cheers, Nigel

[brunoliamat]

Hi mate! I've got one of these and I'm thinking of an upgrade. I'd like a little more gain, just a trifle more.... I think the stock valves are too muddy..... What do you suggest I do? Which valves? Any other mod? Thanks from Brazil!

[alnicomagnet]

it could be, but I'd recommend plugging it into a 12" cabinet, as the stock 6" might fart too much

[horsecoollover19]

is this a good amp if you want the sound of jimmy pages stairway to heaven song like the solo??

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, thanks, no it's not really loud enough, but, if you plug it into an efficient 12" or 2 x 12" cab of 4 ohm impedance, then it would be loud enough for blues. If you wanted a clean sound, loud enough with a drummer, then a Pro Junior or Blues Junior would be a better option. Cheers, Nigel

[tommygeraghty]

hi, cool video :) is this amp loud enough to be heard over an average drummer?

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, these amps love pedals.

[k0staZ]

can this amp go well with a metal muff?

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, they make great practise amps, but are still pretty loud for their size. They love stomp boxes. Cheers, Nigel

[gyarugo86]

Really nice demo! I'm glad to se those little busters on YT and the fact that sb. made such a great demo really makes my day ;]

What do you think about them as practice amps like if you live in a block of flats? Is the noise bearable?

I got bored with my Roland Cube x20 and thought about a tiny tube amp to have fun with / modify.

How does it behave with stompboxes?

[alnicomagnet]

High gain, sounds much better with single coil pickups.

[PooPoo2U]

you using the low or high gain inputs?

[alnicomagnet]

Thanks, but it's the pilot lamps that are causing the warm glow. Cheers, Nigel

[jiggawoo]

can see the tube glow on the wall, quite cool, 3rd ones tubes look quite a bit hotter, very nice demo :)

[alnicomagnet]

It's a Highway 1 Strat with a set of 2002 USA Series (Standard) Strat pickups. It also has the Delta Tone circuit. It also has a steel trem block/bridge and saddles from a USA '57 Vintage Re-issue Strat. It resonates really well, which is a combination of bridge, light weight body, and non glossy thin finish. It's a killer guitar. Cheers, Nigel

[ScentedSoap338]

Hey, great sounds. Was wondering what pickups are in that strat?

[AMitrovic1]

Hi, great demo! I'm looking into buying this amp and was just wondering if you were using any type of pedal to get the distortion on the original amp.

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, thanks. The guitar is plugged straight in to each amp in turn, no effects, no sound processing. It's purely the sound of the Strat and the amps. Cheers, Nigel

[gadjox]

Hi, thank you for demoing the mods.

I'd like to know what exactly the middle one is modded to. I'm looking for a nice clean sound with less hum/noise. I don't really care for higher gain at the moment.

[alnicomagnet]

The middle one keeps the stock preamp. I change a couple of components around the output valve to improve the sound, and carry out the necessary mods to reduce the hum and noise. You need my AA764 kit. Cheers, Nigel

[gungoe]

I think you will loose the hum by using a deluxe version of the strat or something with humbuckers. But great amp there, I'm thinking of buying one for practicing :-). Looking good

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, using humbuckers or noiseless strat pickups will reduce any noise from the guitar, but they won't reduce the hum and noise from the amp, as it is the amp itself which generates the noise, cheers, Nigel

[gungoe]

oh ok :-). well I'm going to check it out :-). I love the sound of it. Nice playing too :-)

cheers

[Nelsonmondeo]

hey just wondering what mods you can do on an epiphone valve special? cheers jn

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, nothing lined up at present, I've been busy with the Blackheart BH5H and the Killer Ant head amps. Cheers, Nigel

[polishpirate123]

sound sooooo good

[alnicomagnet]

thaaaanks!

[3Deity]

Thanks for the video, it explains what a thousand words do not. I have one of these amps and have been playing with it, the 300guitars mods are very interesting but I was thinking of turning it into the world's cheapest single ended valve monoblock! :o)

[fidus00]

hi, whats the difference in sound between the 5E1 and the 5F1 preamp or is it the same mod?

[fidus00]

hi, whats the difference in sound between the 5E1 and the 5F1 or is the same preamp mod?

[alnicomagnet]

Cheers!

[zvexfuzzfactory]

sounds fantastic!

[crazyboycarlos]

why do you needs three of these micro amps ? -surely you woild be better off with one amp such as a bassman or at least a blues junior.

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, I don't need three amps. I've since sold them all. I just shot the video as a comparison to show what a few simple basic mods can do.

[fditube]

Hi, can you give details of the pickups please? You say they are American Standard pickups and I can't find neither their DC resistance nor their inductance. And like to know also if in that guitar, the mid pu is RP/RW or not. It will help to figure out the gain structure of what we see on the video and better know the instrument that is plugged. Many thanks in advance, Fernando.

[3Deity]

I used to work for a top valve hifi manufacturer and we would get customers asking questions like these. It often transpired that they knew next to nothing and certainly enjoyed music far less than anyone else. Your answers will come from looking at the amp schematic and referencing tube data sheets. Now, please, enjoy music!

[raindogred]

Its all a bit a bit beige:) good demo

[mazzooonni]

lol. things we do when we have too much time and money on our hands eh? just kidding mate :) lovely demo. just got me three of those too ;)

[EDWARDTAY55]

great mods on the champ!!

[synodofdort]

I like this amp I have one and I may upgrade the speaker.

[stymye]

I like the middle amp

[Hepnotic]

the 6" speaker really sabotaged this amp from being kick ass. blackeart little giant, epi valve jr, or super champ xd are better options.

[mcdookus]

Could you recommend any mods to voice this amp for harp?

[vintagejazzbass]

id pick the champion over the epiphone

[alnicomagnet]

They both have their good and not so good points.

[d00derson]

personaly i think that the epi v.j. combo sounds terrible. the head on the other hand sounds fantastic (through a decent cab atleast). great demo by the way. i plan on getting a champ 600.

[joey629629]

darn..i'm a super noob on tone n sound, but i can tell you that this amp really is something!thanks for the vids. gonna start saving to own one.

[teofaouaz]

What are the mods you did in the middle one? Cheers!

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, just the 3 hum mods and a couple of component changes around the 6V6GT. See my ebay listings for more details. Cheers

[davidwilson8]

davidwilson8 Hello alnicomagnet could you tell me how to get mods for the middle located champ 600. Also would it sound better just getting a small cabinet and put a 8"-10" speaker in it

[justin1287]

could you tell me what mods you did on the amps from left to right. i personally like the sound of all of them (especially the middle one). great demo and playing. i'm not a big fan of the clean tone on my vox ad30vt. i guess i think that i need the dynamics of a tube amp. thanks.

fender thinline tc-90...p-90 pickups

[HelloImJonesy1]

I have the same guitar, and feel the same about Vox's clean XD

[Nothernlight47]

Hey thank you for the vid.

What's up with your upgrade kit ? I'm very interested...

Thx

[brookswashere]

My Champ 600 rattles when I play certain notes. I've isolated the problem to the spring the covers one of the tubes. Is there a way to remove the metal cover and spring? Thanks

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, loosen off the screws on the side of the amp, and the 2 screws holding the control face. Remove the 4 screws holding the rear cover in place. Remove rear cover. Unscrew and remove the 6V6GT tube cage. Re-assemble. Cheers, Nigel

[brookswashere]

Thanks for the tip. It worked but made me realize the rattle is actually coming from one of the tubes itself. Have you had this problem? Any suggestions for a good replacement tube that won't rattle? Thanks again!

[brookswashere]

To clarify, the tube that rattles is the smaller of the two - the one on the left side of the amp (looking at it from behind). I'm pretty sure this is the output tube, not the pre-amp tube.

[alnicomagnet]

Hi, it's the 12AX7 preamp tube. Replace with JJ or any tested N.O.S. USA tube, RCA Sylvania, GE etc or a Mullard ECC83. Cheers, Nigel

[noopook]

Cool sound.

What strings used?

[alnicomagnet]

They are Thomann's Harley Benton strings. 10 to 46. Less than a quid a set.

[Jmc398]

how about a clip of that electra 10?

[alnicomagnet]

Too late, I sold it a while back on ebay. It too was heavily modified using a Hammond 125ESE output tranny with a host of other mods to improve it.

[rjshama]

really nice demo! I like being able to compare the stock against the mods. How hard are these mods for a semi-newbie to do?

Thanks for posting this.

[alnicomagnet]

The mods are a little fiddly, probably a day's work for a newbie. I've written the instructions for beginners and most people can understand the procedures. Cheers, Nigel

[fabbola]

The middle 600 cranked sounds incredible. I have a 600 and a MIM classic but I gotta tell you that particular strat and the middle Fender on 12 are magic. I would mike it up and play live anywhere. Fender really did right by these amps and you mods do them even better. By the way...which do you prefer...the 600, epiphone or GA5?

[alnicomagnet]

I prefer the 600 for home/bedroom practise. The GA5/EJV are louder due to the bigger speaker and bigger cabinet, so are better suited to unmiked band practise. All 3 can be miked up for gigging. I prefer a 6V6GT valve for a "Fender" sound as this has a sweetest distortion. All three amps need modding to make them useable.

[realszarre]

Nice video alnicomagnet!

Am I the first to notice the red light of the most distorted one is brightest?!

[alnicomagnet]

Yes you are! and the reason is the 2 modded ones have DC filaments, while the stock amp has an AC filament supply. The pilot lamp is an LED instead of a bulb. With AC the led flickers at mains frequency (50hz in the UK). With DC it's on all the time (no flicker).

[fabbola]

The reason the light is brighter on the far amp is because it's in shadow. The natural white light filtering in from a window on the left is blending with the red light on the wall, therefore, making it only appear dimmer.

[alnicomagnet]

You are correct to an extent but the modded heater supply produces a constant glow from the led. The stock AC heater supply runs through a diode so only half the AC cycle goes through the led.

[fabbola]

I see.

[sonofdrcross]

Hey Buddy

I've looking for a bit of advice, I have a Champion 600 on the way and I'm wondering is it possible to plug in into an 8ohm cabinet? Its the cab from a little Roland 405 combo amp.. Any ideas?

[alnicomagnet]

Using an 8ohm cab will produce an impedance mismatch. It will work but the amp will distort earlier, (less clean headroom). You could fit an output transformer from an Epiphone Valve junior. This has the correct 7K5 primary impedance for a 6V6GT running at 360volts or so.

[studiobuddy]

which mod would be best if im going to be doing straight up jazz through an archtop?

[alnicomagnet]

I'm no jazzer so I'm not sure. The AA764 kit keeps the clean pre-amp. The 5E1/5F1 has more gain, is mellower, and will distort earlier.

[61LPSG]

Thanks for posting this alnicomagnet.I've been trying to decide which 5-8 amp combo to buy, now I think it will be the Champ. Definately need your mod.

[alnicomagnet]

Yeah thanks, as you can hear for yourself, the mods make the amps more useable. Cheers, Nigel

[Ramu911]

Wow great job mate. The two modded ones are respectivly spot on and better than Hendrixes tone on the recording imo:D maybe ill concider bying a kit from you..

either way it was great, great job and great tone!

[alnicomagnet]

Yeah thanks man! I've tried to show the differences between the amps so people can make up their own minds, Cheers Nigel

[powerbookstudio]

I bought the 5E1 mod kit (like the amp on the far right)from you and it is a massive improvement on the stock amp. Before the mod it was no good for recxording because of the hum, but now that's cured and the 5E1 circuit is much more to my liking. It's as close to an original as you can get for the total money spent.

[alnicomagnet]

Thanks for your comments and confidence in what is essentially a new product. Cheers, Nigel

[McVib]

Great job. I'll be ordering my mod. I like the middle one best.

[anexiole]

these amps are great. I got mine last month and damn, it has character. Thank you for putting this video up.

[alnicomagnet]

Yeah they're really good, although I find the hum here in the UK too loud. That's why I mod these amps and sell mod kits on ebay. Cheers, Nigel

[alanstrainor]

Great showcase of those fine amps, i'm going to be buying one in the next couple of weeks, and was wondering about possible upgrades, Your vid really helped, thanks

[alnicomagnet]

Thanks, I'll soon be selling mod kits on e-bay dot co dot uk. My user name is alnicomagnet