Fender Champ 12

This amp was given to me by a friend who didnt use it any more. The Fender Champ 12 was made from 1987 to 1992 and had either red or black knobs. This is a great little tube amp that even came with a 12 inch Fender blue label speaker. It is light weight, and can be used for practice, small gigs and is especially good for recording. It has a cardbord reverb box,and features,two inputs, treble/mid boost, bass, volume, gain, drive, and reverb. There is also an over drive foot switch. It has 10-12 watts, 2 12AX7 tubes and a 6L6 GC. I immediately changed the 12AX7C tubes to new Groove Tubes and got a Tung Sol 6L6 power tube. I also ordered a Celestion Rocket 50, 12" inch guitar speaker for that Celestion sound.
When I first used it it had a bad input and the same problems others have described with the overdrive pots. It sounded pretty nice but I went ahead and did some of the Torres modifications including the pots, inputs and the RED KNOB HOT Kit that changes the "bias point" of two of the tube stages so the stage has higher gain and a more Classic Fender tone. This greatly improved the tone and power. It is cleaner and has more top and bottom end. It is noy my every day gigging amp but it serves its purpose well.

I play Classic Rock, Blues and some Country Rock and it is a Fender so it sounds great with all styles.
I like the overdrive/distortion now that Ive done the mods and it sounds amazing. I used it to record with my Les Paul Standard and you would sware it is a Marshall Stack. My American Strat sounds great through it also and it cranks with or without stomp boxes. The clean channel is nice for jazz and begins to break up at just the sweetest spot for blues. There is a slight hum when the OD is on and the volume is up but nothing too annoying.

I own 3 guitar amps including a 1972 Twin Reverb, a 2008 Blues Deluxe Reissue with the extension cabinet and now the Champ 12. I have never had a problem with any of them. I have changed speakers and done tube and cap changes, but all these amps are just indestructable. The mods I did on the Champ 12 were pretty easy although time consuming (4 hrs). Torres had some decent directions and hopefully the mods will hold up well given the circuit board soldering that had to be done.

Never needed to deal dirctly with Fender Customer Support.

Been playing guitar foe over 40 years and own more gear than I can list. I love the Champ 12 for several reasons. Try buying a new low wattage tube amp with a 12 inch Celestion and see what you pay. This one sounds really great so the others who bad mouth it have no idea what they are talking about and just dont know how to set up correctly. I play and record professionally and have done so for a long time. Yes it was a circuit board amp from a cost cutting production line but with the modifications it is real nice and is worth much more. I will keep it forever and use it with most recording sessions. An amazing little piece.

As an addition to my review below I have changed the speaker firstly to a Webber alcino, too bright, and now to a Celestion G12H 30W which is just great with much more projection than the stock speaker and just better in every respect. All of you out there with one of these Champs this is a great Mod.

I did the Torres bias mod and you have to be careful which tubes you use the KT66 works great but I thought I would try a KT77 which is like an EL34 but with a base that fits.

It worked for a short while and then went dead. The Transformer had got REALY hot and an internal fuse had blown which took a lot of finding eventually by an amp tech. Something to do with the current draw at the valve plate or something, if the transformer had gone that would have been it dead amp so be careful I spoke to Torres and they just said that as the transformers get older they are less capable.

Don't know what year the amp was made. Late-80s/early 90s.

I always liked the clean channel and now with a couple of Torres mods installed I like the OD channel too. One feature, the foot pedal, is now useable because of the mods. I like the line out jack which sometimes is less dicey than micing the amp live. Also the mid-range boost is a nice feature.

The reverb sucks.

I play mostly in bars, community festivals, house parties. It's got plenty of power because I'm either micing or running directly into via the line out.

Pre-mods, I'd give this a 5 or 6, but now I'm happy with most features, except the cheesy reverb.

I play fingerstyle guitar and slide on electric-acoustic guitars, mostly swing, folk, blues and some pop/rock covers. Guitars are a Seagull Artist Cameo CW with onboard Quantum II electronics kept in standard tuning and drop-D and a Simon & Patrick parlor guitar with a DiMarzio single-wound soundhole pickup that's kept in either open D or G. The amp makes my live sound warmer and fuller, and for rock tunes gives me some distortion.

Like others I'd given up on the OD channel. I used a Boss Blues Driver through the clean channel for slide or lead. But after doing the original Torres mod for tube staging both channels are a little richer & warmer, and another mod, which recalibrated the pots on the 2nd channel, I now have control over the OD's volume and gain. I paid a tech to install the mods; I have zero talent in this area.

For live sound I like this sequence: Guitar>>Blues Driver>>Fishman ProEQII with Brilliance maxed>>Champ 12.

The clean channel even with the mods doesn't break up. This works fine for me for a more acoustic sound. For slide or lead I hit the foot switch for a bit more volume and modest crunch. Am very happy with the OD channel now.

I can always skip the amp and go straight into the board, so break down is not a concern.

This amp has never broken down.

N/A

I played from the age of 12 - 24, quit for 20-some years, and then started playing again in my late-40s, so about 20 years. I own a bunch of other instruments and a sound system I've cobbled together over the years. If my Champ 12 were lost or stolen I'd probably buy another amp with fewer challenges, upgrade a bit.

I was looking for a cheap tube amp when I bought this one 7 years ago at a pawn shop, dusty but clearly never used.

It's hard to believe that Fender made this amp for 5 or so years and never fixed the OD channel.

The only thing unique here is the ugly red knobs. Has everything I need, an on switch and some tone controls.

Ok, I don't know what you guys are using this amp for, but, this amp is perfect for pedals. I have owned lots of amps, and, I borrowed this little ugly amp from my friend (who owns a guitar store) when my Blues Junior was in the shop. This thing sounded so smooth and full with my setup, it was so inspiring I tried to buy it off of him. He said NO WAY, so I got one on ebay instead. What I like most about this little guy is that I can use it in church and it gets its best tone right before it is about to break up, and it just loves it when you use a compressor. Just mike it up and listen to it soar!

Here is my setup:

PRS Tremonti > Dunlop Wah > CS3 Mod Compressor > TS 9 Keeley Mod > ProCo Rat > Jekyl & Hyde > Boss Tremolo > MXR Phase 90 > Boss Chorus > Line6 DL4 > Champ 12

It is a fairly cheap build, but, mine is 20 years old, second hand, and, still cranking tone. What does that say about Fender?

If you are looking for an amp for heavy rock, seriously, why would you use this thing? Country, Blues, or Classic Rock this thing can more than handle. This amp really has one good purpose, low wattage clean tone that is great with pedals. Use it for this and you will be inspired, and, it will also save your back and bank.

Here's an update for my 03/01/2007 review.

I did finally 3 mods to te amp.

1) a Torres Engeneering hot kit mod.
2) a Jensen P12Q alnico speaker
3) a Telefunken ECC83 (12AX7) in V2 . WOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

This is it . It sounds amazing now with the Telefunken. BELIEVE ME !!

With the 3 mods GREAT !!!

One high one low input usual tone with mid boost and gain chanel etc. i fitted all 4 Torres Mods a few months ago with a new Tung Sol KT66 tube. It was a 6 before the mods.

Prior to the mods I thought the sound was OK but a little mushy and the gain chanel was very sensitive and I tried loads of pedals to improve things. After the mods its transformed the input jacks are all metal and secure with a nice clunk, the gain issues are all resolved and its much smoother and useable but the big difference is the ability to adjust the bias and fit the Tung Sol tube. It just sounds amazing now with all the things that they rave about on much more expensive amps like dynamics and response to your picking, clarity, definition, for blues this is a great little thing now, it's all there. For $175 I have a new killer amp I play Gibbos and Fender types, G&L and Nash, through this and they all sound really good, clear, full of tone what more can you say, oh yes the reverb is crap so get a Holy Grail Plus now your smoking.

Not broken yet

If you have one of these get the Torres mods, a new tube, a Holy Grail Plus and smile I think I would have to pay a whole lot to get what I have now.

All of this little amp is already said before.

I did only the "Hot Kit" Torres modification and now it sounds beautifull!! A little distorted clean. It comes way close to a tweed champ!
I Don't use the overdrive which is not so great. Only a little reverb.

It works every day till now on.

Never dealt with them

I have been playing for 4 decades.
I bought a second Champ 12 this week for my Fender Jazzbass guitar.
Will replace the speaker for a 12" bass speaker soon and do no further modifications. I played my bass on my first Champ 12 when it was all original and not modified. It sounded warm and great. Ofcourse only usefull for studio or homepractising because of the low power.

I wrote a review a year or so ago about this little amp and how I did all the Torres Mods and put in a Jensen. All good stuff and glad I did. After a year of constant us, I have finally figured it out. The push pull tone knob (mid boost is a great feature. It helps dial back in when switching between single coils and humbuckers. The reverb is rinky dink and seldom used. The hi low input jacks are useful to either deal with pickups with lower/higher outout or plug a high output into the low input to take the little bugger to the finges of its capabilities.

As many have stated, the gain channel has a very narrow range of usable settings. I usually tweak it in and leave it. Typically around 1.679475 The low gain setting allows the tone to come through, and has plenty crunch. I have fiddled with tube substitution and found the Champ 12 to have excellent tone, particularly from the clean channel. The key is to use a higher gain preamp tube in V1 and a higher quality balance tone tube in V2. The V1 tube affects the most dramatic tone changes. I have settled on a Sylvania NOS 12AX7 in V1, GT 7025 in V2 and JJ 6L6. I turn both channels all the way up, dial in the tone and the Champ puts out great tone at a reasonable volume. Much lower sound pressure than my Pro Jr. An Ei 12AX7 worked very well in V1 also, but went microphonic is a couple weeks. The JJ ECC83 also works well in V1. Using a bright tube in V2 makes the gain channel too bright and sort of solid state. A dark tube in V2 can induce amp flatulance, The GT 7025 and TAD 7025 high grade both seem to strike a nice balance for tone. The Champ will let you optimize the tone, sustain, and gain charactaristics to your taste or whim by changing the tubes.

I am strictly a home player and the Champ sits in one spot. Tube access is easy and tube life is longer than I can hold out with the same tubes. Otherwise, it just does what it is supposed to do.

Never dealt with Fender.

This is a great little amp. The clean channel turned all the way up yields the superb tone of running a power tube near its saturation point. It is more versatile and produces better tone a a lower volume than the Pro Jr. It does not have the kick of the Pro Jr or other higher wattage tube amps, but is perfect for great tone while other members of the household watch TV, ...

i bought this thing new in 87 i cant even remember what i paid for it i think maybe like 220 bones or so. anyway i bought it to compete with my bros M80 when i first started playing the guitar, i also picked up a purple b c rich rave at the same time... lol hehe it was a total poison lookin guitar btw i was only 13. i wasnt serious at all about playing guitar and i thought the amp totally sucked becuz the crunch channel was so balless so the i stopped playing and put the amp in the closet for about 4 years.
when i turned 17 or 18 i started playing again and i took it really serious i ditched the rave and started buying les pauls and strats and eventually paul reed smith guitars i also went through a dozen or so amps like marshalls and mesas and other more powerful fenders like the deville 4 10.
one day in like 1993 i dusted off the champ 12 that was sitting in the closet and plugged my pedal board which consisted of a dual overdrive, metal zone, compression, chorus, flanger and a bunch of other crap that i used at the time, hehehe the thing sounded awesome my band would play cover songs from pantera and all that grunge shit like soundgarden and stp, pearl jam, nirvana and rage u know all the crap that was on the radio back then. anyway just for laughs i used to take this lil amp to gigs and mic it up through the PA all my band mates would get pissed at me but i didnt care becuz it was pure entertainment to use that thing in the clubs and with my pedals and it being mic'd up it sounded awesome.
i ended up selling that lil thing for about fifty bucks after i used and abused it at gigs lol i miss it becuz it was so light and small really easy on the back compared to a jcm 900 head and the 4 12 cab to match, now i use a line 6 flextone 2 but i really miss that lil bastard it was a gud amp when i get some extra money i will look to buy another one on ebay

pretty crappy by itself

hey i used at some pretty big gigs in buffalo NY it lasted through brawls and beers

i had fun ahhhhh to be that young again

I own two of these. I think they are both from late 80s or so. The amp is good for what I use it for. I play rock mostly. It has a clean channel and an overdrive channe. There is a headphone jack, but no effects loop. I use the amp in my apartment and at small jams with frineds. This amp has plenty of power. It uses a 6L6GC or a 5881 output tube and two preamp tubes. This amp suits me fine, and I am shocked at the people that put this amp down. I suspect the main problem with these people is that they don't know how to play a guitar and don't know how to dial in the sounds they desire out of an amp.

I play mostly classic rock. I use several guitars through this amp: a '58 Les Paul Reissue and a couple of American-made Stratocasters. The amp hums a bit, but if you turn off televisions, computers, etc. in the room then it is DEAD QUIET. I can get a nice clean through the clean channel, the reverb sounds okay (not terrible as some of these "experts" have claimed), and the dirty channel gets very crunchy depending on how much gain you dial in. My biggest complaint with the sound, is that the master volume knob is VERY touchy. I have heard that a capacitor or resistor can be replaced to fix this. The amp goes from being sort of a whisper, to blaring loud at just a small bump of the master volume knob.

I have not tried to distort the clean channel at high volume. I would assume it would not get too crunchy since the output tube is a 6L6/5881 (known for headroom). The distortion can be a little brutal, but the key is to turn down the gain and instead use an overdrive pedal to get gain or distortion. This makes this little amp sound God-like.

For Zeppelin/Jimmy Page tones: Les Paul + Boss Super Overdrive + Fender Champ 12 on dirty channel with Gain knob turned below "1".

For Hendrix tones: Fender Strat + Thomas Organ Vox Wah + Overdrive or Fuzz pedal + Fender Champ 12 on dirty channel with Gain knob turned below "1".

*Note: Without the use of effects, the amp still sounds great, by dialing in a little bit of gain, but not too much. The clean channel is nice also. I believe Strats/Teles sound best through the amp when played without effects.

Yes, the amp is reliable. I have two of them and neither one have EVER broken down on me. I would probably use a backup at a gig, but that is true for ANY amp.

Never had to deal with Fender support.

I have been playing for 25 years. I own Gibson Les Pauls, SGs, Fender Strats, and Fender Telecasters. I own four or five vintage Marshall Super Leads ( a couple of plexis), a Marshall Major, a 1965 Fender Blackface Bassman, a Soldano Hot Rod 50, a Marshall 1959SLP reissue (1993).

If either of these amps were stolen, I would try to get another one (or two). These are great little amps that can fit in the trunk with a guitar and a couple of effects and not take up much space. I love this amp because it is small and easy to tote as well as being quick to set up (compared to heads and speaker cabinets).

I have been playing rock 'n roll for a LONG time. I laugh at these people that give this amp below an "8". My feeling is they just don't know how to operate a guitar and amplifier.

Of course, this amp is NOT perfect, but what amp is?. It takes some dialing in and some adjustments to the volume and tone knobs of the guitar to dial in the right sound. But this is true for ALL amplifiers and guitars. I own some of the finest amps ever made and this amp sounds just as good as any amp I own if dialed in correctly. Buy one of these if you can. This amp makes an excellent and affordable tube amp for the beginning guitarist, the professional guitarist, and all guitarists in between.