Fender Champion 100 Guitar Amplifier Review -2021 Deep Dive
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Are you looking for a simple, easy to use amp that also has a powerful sound? Look no further because Fender Champion 100 Guitar Amplifier is not only well-priced but also provides value for money.
A Deep Dive Into The Fender Champion 100
Fender Musical Instruments started producing guitar amplifiers in 1946 and quickly became the standard that all other makers sought to emulate. The Fender Champion 100 has the look and sound of a classic ‘blackface’ transformer in the 1960s but weighs just 40 pounds. This provides Fender’s 5-year transferable warranty. The included 2-button footswitch helps you to switch channels and control the built-in effects.
One of the finest and reasonably priced amps under $500 is the Fender Champion, a legend in the field of solid-state stage-worthy amplifiers. It’s not as swish or complicated as some of the newer design amps like Fender’s Mustang Set. But when we look at it in-depth, this classic combo amp is one of the most common because it keeps things basic.
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Who’s It For?
This amplifier is great for any guitar player. You’ll find it difficult to look for a singer who wouldn’t enjoy the tones and flexibility that this amp is capable of. If you’re just beginning to play guitar, a recording studio musician, or you need a solid lead guitar amp for the show, the Fender Champion 100 will cover all your bases.
It’s strong enough, but still compact enough to blend comfortably into a rehearsal space for beginners. For newcomers, it’s going to be nice to have the amount of flexibility available so that you can experiment with a wide range of music genres.
What We Like About Fender Champion 100
If you don’t have an imaginative tonal spectrum you can try the Fender Champion 100 which is a no-nonsense amp, plug, and play. However, along with the excellent tones of a solid-state amplifier, the impressive cleanness of this model shows warmth and responsiveness.
The included amps of the other Fender models are fine, and for this reason, this is a great sound amp for various genres.
You can’t get a more stage-worthy amp with tons of power and great speakers for the cost of Fender Champion 100.
It’s got everything you need, from a variety of effects, flexible features, and an impressive sound. It’s strong enough to be taken off the road and bear jolts or shocks. The sound’s accuracy is more than suited to be used in the studio giving your tracks the professional sound you’re after. Beginners will be able to learn and play along with any style of music with the level of tone differentiation that is available with this amp.
Effects loop and preamp jacks allow you to customize the sound you want. With 100 watts of power, you’re going to have enough to keep up with even the loudest bands in town.
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What We Don’t Like About Fender Champion 100
Champion 100 is a twin-speaker, so it ensures a big projection, but it’s not a small one in size. It is, however, lighter than the equivalent size of the valve amp. Fender creates champion amps at 20-watt and 40-watt, in addition to 100-watt.
The low-watt champions are single-speaker – smaller and lighter than the 100 – but if you need an amp with enough punch and headroom to be heard in a loud indie band, then this amp is not as loud as the other amps with the same wattage. The Champion 100 doesn’t have the richness of the sound you hear from a valve device.
PROS
- High on versatility
- Independent effects
- Highly durable
- Variety of solid tones
CONS
- Bulky
- Not aesthetic
What’s Included?
This amplifier comes with a 2-Button Footswitch in the box. Unfortunately, you will not find a connecting cable included.
Overview Of Features
Its typical Champion look is nothing remarkable as it is the familiar and elegant fashion, with a black vinyl case and a silver grille cover. With two 12 “Fender Special Design speakers, the Champion 100 delivers an enormous 100 watts of power that is capable of filling most small to medium-sized venues, although it also features a jack for quiet practice.
Controls
There’s a stunning amount of rotary control knobs on the first glance, although there’s nothing here that isn’t needed. Working from left to right, this amp offers clean channel controls (volume, treble, and bass, as well as FX select and FX level control) as well as drive channel controls (switchable via a button in the middle of the amp).
These drive functions include power, pitch, treble, middle and bass, as well as amp voice and FX selection/tone functions. It can also be operated via the footswitch included, which is a nice addition at this size.
Performance
It’s obviously not as experimental-friendly as compared to many more mainstream speakers, but it’s not as daunting. If you’re playing colorless or with your own dialed-in sound, the tone is awesome for a solid-state amp. While the fluidity of the tube amp may be lacking in places, the cleansers are warm and responsive. Some of the amp beams on the drive channel are excellent – Blackface is perfect for vintage blues, while Metal is obviously great for modern metal and heavy rock. The Metal beam may not be eye-meltingly heavy enough to please the most dedicated metalhead.
Effects
The Champion 100 has a wide range of built-in digital effects. Each channel has a rotary switch to choose from 16 combinations of different results. You can click the right footswitch button to turn the effects on or off. Available Champion 100 Effects include reverb (room, hall or spring), auto-wah, long or blowback delay, flange, chorus, vibratone, and tremolo. Some switch settings select combinations of two effects: reverb + delay, chorus + delay, and chorus + reverb.
You can sync the delay time or modulation rate to the time of play by pressing the appropriate Tap Tempo button next to the FX Select button a few times. The pace of the effect can be set individually for each channel.
Unfortunately, you can’t use the foot turn included for changing the tempo. The FX Level control adjusts the dry and processed signal mix.
You should also use your own pedals, either between the guitar and the amp input, or the effect loop of the Champion 100.
Speakers
The Fender Champion 100 is equipped with two 12-inch, 16-ohm, heavy-duty speakers. They are labeled as “Musical Instrument Loudspeaker specially designed for Fender.” Some say they are an Eminence model, but there is no indication on the speaker. The magnets seem to be heavy enough, and the sound is good.
Of course, if you want, you can always upgrade speakers. What you can’t do is plug it in an external speaker cabinet, as no Speaker output is provided.
Input and Output
With the Champion 100, you get a number of important input and output options. It’s all conveniently located on the front panel.
The influence loop, called Pre Out and Pwr In, is of prime interest to most guitarists. You can attach your favorite pedals here, after the stage win preamp. The Pre Out also doubles as a direct output connection to connect to your DAW interface or other destination.
The 1/8-inch Aux interface allows you to play with your music player or other external audio sources. And with a 1/8-inch headphone output, you can play in silence.
Review Summary
No matter who you are, if you enjoy true, round sounds, the Fender Champion 100 guitar amp would be perfect for you. It’s particularly useful for people who love to play with a range of instruments, such as pub band guitarists and music lovers. If you’re looking for an amp that is superior in quality and where you don’t need to replace it, maybe ever, the Fender Champion 100 is a very good option.
Fender also makes the 100XL Champion edition. It’s essentially the same design, but with a few improvements and a slightly higher price tag. Perhaps the most important change is the 100XL’s “Special Voice” Celestion Midnight 60 speakers instead of the silent Fender Custom Design versions.
The Fender Champion 100 achieves as close as possible the tone of the classic Fender tube amp as you can get. As a bonus, you don’t have to deal with the weight, power consumption, and reliability problems of the original, let alone the ever-increasing costs.
You get a few British amps and metal sounds with an array of fantastic effects with the Fender Champion 100. Also, you’re going to save enough money on an equivalent tube amp so you can afford another instrument!
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