Fender Super Champ XD or Vibro Champ XD?

[waterboy452]

Hi to everyone. I'll soon be picking up my new 2009 Sunburst MIM Tele (on layaway, but almost paid for), and want to get a new Fender amp to go with it. Debating between the Vibro Champ XD or the Super Champ XD. I'm leaning towards the Vibro Champ XD right now, but would like to hear from owners of both. I've been playing about 8 months now, and currently use an OLP MM1 with a Washburn BD40R solid state amp. Really too much amp for home use, but I had the bigger is better thing in my head when I bought it. It does sound really good when cranked up, but the wife doesn't seem to think so(especially when I mess around in drop d with distortion). My current amp doesn't have any fx other than reverb. Anyhow, I'm looking to upgrade to a smaller amp with fx to go with the new Tele. It will be played quite a bit at home. However, when I get good enough, I may be playing some at church. I was wondering if the Vibro Champ would be enough amp for that, wattage and volume-wise? Our church will seat at max 150 people. It has really good acoustics too. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[rolijen]

Originally Posted by waterboy452

...I was wondering if the Vibro Champ would be enough amp for that, wattage and volume-wise? Our church will seat at max 150 people. It has really good acoustics too. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

It can't hurt to have a little power in reserve. You'd be amazed at how much sound is absorbed in a room full of people. To be heard over any sort of drums, even the 15watts of the Super Champ XD will be a stretch. If you plan to gig at all, you need some wattage to spare. I know both these amps are great but my vote is solidly for the Super Champ XD.

Rolijen

[oldpkr]

greetings and welcome to the site.
i own a Super Champ XD and love it, great sounds and some of the effects are pretty nice (i'm not one for very much distortion, so the marshally settings are wasted on me).
for what you say you will be doing with it (home/maybe church) either one would probably be good for you. haven't played the vibro so i don't know how quickly it starts to break up as you turn it up. The super will definately give enough clean volume for church.
Ultimately, you should try to play both and see which you prefer.

[boomboomba]

I have both (well my son has the Vibro XD, I have the Super XD). The Super sounds better with its 10" speaker. If you can afford the Super I'd go with it. However, you could always use a 12" cab with either amp if you need more volume. You also get line out with the Super (not present on the Vibro) that you can use with your church's pa.

[red57strat]

I like the channel switching and 10" speaker of the SCXD. I was never a huge fan of 5 watt SE Champs. Besides, I bought my SCXD on sale for less than a VCXD!

[VerySlowHand]

Originally Posted by boomboomba

However, you could always use a 12" cab with either amp if you need more volume.

Surely a bigger speaker/cab will not increase VOLUME. You'll get a 'bigger' sound (for want of a better way to describe the outcome), but not more volume. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[boomboomba]

Good question. I used my 12" cab and it definitely is louder, but not having any testing gear I can't prove it. I know that every speaker has a dB rating, and for example a 97dB rated speaker is twice as loud as a 94dB. Many Super Champ owners replace their stock speaker with an Emininence Ragin Cajun, and report that it is significantly louder (but still 10") so in that case is must be a difference in the dB ratings.

[Little Timmy]

I have 2 SCXD's (one for my son when he eventually leaves the nest). Great little grab and go amps. I tried out the VCXD, and just think the SCXD is more versatile. Channel 1 is very "Blackfacy" Many of the amp models are very good. In fact, there are only 4 out of the 16 that I don't think are any value, and 3 of those are because I'm not into high gain. the power difference isn't a big deal at bedroom level, but if you end up practicing with it, the 15w SCXD has plenty of umph.

Speaking of volume... Sensitivity rating of the speaker is what translates into volume. A 12" speaker will add more presence, but not necessarily volume. That being said, the stock speaker is less than stellar. I still have them in my cabs, but has plans in the works to build 12" combo cabs with better speakers. Great little amp with the right speakers.

[Brendo]

I am a little torn on this one. I think the 10 inch Super will sound better, and be more versatile given the number of unknowns in the future. But I think the Vibro will be better now, given that is a 5 watt job. I'd look to build a 10 or 12 inch cabinet for it, so eventually it will be more outlay. It's a tricky one....

[Hiker]

These two are very close in cabinet size, however, the 10 inch speaker, channel switching, and rehearsal 'session' potential of the SCXD 15w make it the winner!

[klast]

Have you tried the VXCD or SXCD? You may also want to try the Vox VT30 or VT15. The latter two may sound a bit less tube like, but have more tweakable effects and more amp simps than the Fenders.

Klas

[studio1087]

Originally Posted by VerySlowHand

Surely a bigger speaker/cab will not increase VOLUME. You'll get a 'bigger' sound (for want of a better way to describe the outcome), but not more volume. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Bigger cabs can produce a lot more bass and the listener percieves more volume. When the sound starts to move your pants that sound seems louder. I think that a larger cab can increase volume.

I've played both and I would buy the larger amp. 5 watts is not going to produce a very loud clean tone. If you turn a 5 watt amp up to 5 the speaker is going to break up. I've owned plenty of 5 watt tube or tube hybrid amps and you can't crank them and stay clean. You crank them and they break up. Sometimes this is a great thing like when you're recording a rock song.

More power, bigger speaker = more possibilities. I have a 15 watt Princeton and I love it. I used to have a 15 watt Blues Junior and I loved it. I have two Vox Pathfinder 15R's and I love them. 15 is just right.

[waterboy452]

Update: I'm also considering a Tweed Limited Edition Blues Jr. Not the NOS, but Tweed with the standard Eminence Fender speaker. Looks really nice, and sounded good too me. Of course, with my limited playing experience and skills, that doesn't really mean much. Also, I've been reading a whole lot about various mods for the Blues Jr. BillM mods, bias adjustment, etc. My guitar teacher also has a Blues Jr that I play on at class. He says that the bias is set too high on his amp, and it needs adjustment. Should I be concerned about all of this, or just use a Blues Jr stock as is? Should I buy the Super Champ XD instead? These two amps are the ones I have narrowed my search down to. What say ye? Yea or Nay? Thanks again for your help.

[boomboomba]

Super Champ XD sounds great out of the box, and improves as the speaker breaks in. All the SCXD's seem to be biased cold, it is a 2 minute adjustment to warm it up if you have a voltmeter.

Seems many people who buy a BJr find the need to mod it. I'd rather use my gear than tinker with it. My vote's for the SCXD.

[waterboy452]

I'm the same way boomboomba. I'd rather not "have to" mod my new amp to get it to suit me. Not saying I wouldn't be willing to with some helpful guidance, but I'd rather buy something I'll be happy with right out of the box.

[patrickhowell]

I think the SCXD is your best bet, if only because you'd like the ability to play in church.
The SCXD will have better clean headroom, and be able to fill the room better. The VCXD would be great for practicing at home, but the SCXD will cover both home and church playing a little better.

[strat a various]

SCXD or Blues Jr. You may still have to mic them, not so much for more volume, but to spread the sound into the room. Super Champ isn't as loud as the Blues Jr. but it sounds better. Vibro Champ won't cut it, even with a bigger cab.

[VerySlowHand]

I bought a SCXD last week and I set it up to go through a 1x12 Hot Rod enclosure... to my ears, at low volume, it sounds better through its internal speaker. More definition and no less depth.

The tweed BJ, to my mind, is all cosmetics – and a waste of money if it has an Eminence speaker in it... you can get them (used) with a Jensen as standard. I've had both and the Jensen one won by a mile.

The clean channel on the SXCD is excellent, as is the acoustic voice (setting 16). Most of the rest of it is okay, but it's worth buying just for those two 'channels' alone.

[waterboy452]

This particular tweed Blues Jr. is the same price as a new regular black tolex one, $499. I am very fond of the vintage look and that pretty much sold me on it. Just came back from guitar class a little while ago. I'm pretty sure I'm going with the tweed Blues Jr, after talking things over with my instructor. As far as the speaker is concerned, I may address that later if I find the stock one doesn't suit me. I personally thought it sounded quite nice as is. Evidently, this is a brand new release from Fender. My local shop had just gotten it in a few hours before I saw it. Sweetwater has them listed on their website. Thanks again for all your help.

[Hiker]

Same price for the Tweed? Try it again, and let us know...

[Joe-Bob]

I just was at the store and played both amps. The Super Champ with 3x the power is the one I bought. The other was almost a toy in comparison. I think it will be more versatile and apply to a bunch more rehearsal/jam situations.

[waterboy452]

Hey Hiker. What exactly do you mean "try it again"? It's $499 + tax. I actually put it on layaway last Saturday. I just was wanting to make sure I wasn't making a mistake, buying the tweed blues jr instead of the super champ xd, considering the $200 price difference. I have a few days to change my layaway to something else(if I want to), hence the questions. If you go to Sweetwater.com, you'll find the tweed blues jr I'm talking about. It's $499 there too.

[Hiker]

Waterboy, Congrats on your new amp! Was suggesting that you demo the Tweed, again-if you were still making comparisons. Enjoy!

Joe-Bob, I was on the same page when comparing the Vibro XD to the Super XD, and chose it as well.

Originally Posted by waterboy452

Hey Hiker. What exactly do you mean "try it again"? It's $499 + tax. I actually put it on layaway last Saturday.

[waterboy452]

Hey Hiker. Sorry, I misunderstood your posting. My bad. I somehow thought you were doubting the price I quoted. It had been a very busy week, and I was a bit "short", I guess. Anyhow, I'm still debating this over. I love the tweed blues jr's look, vintage vibe and all. The tone is really nice too. I also love the fact it is all tube, but the versatility of the super champ xd has me wondering if I should choose it instead. All of the different voicings and the built-in effects have my interest. I will be playing quite a bit at home for now, and my wife is not very fond of me really cranking things up. I also keep reading how good the clean channel is on the super champ xd. I'm assuming it would be better for church use(than the blues jr), once I'm playing good enough for that. Still undecided and open to suggestions. Thanks again.

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by waterboy452

I will be playing quite a bit at home for now, and my wife is not very fond of me really cranking things up. I also keep reading how good the clean channel is on the super champ xd. I'm assuming it would be better for church use(than the blues jr), once I'm playing good enough for that. Still undecided and open to suggestions. Thanks again.

Women are messed up that way; get used to it.

I'm using mine at church, too. Mainly because of the ability to get different useable sounds easily.

[waterboy452]

Finally made up my mind, going with the tweed blues jr for sure. I just really like this amp. Thanks for all the suggestions.