Fender Champion 20 Guitar Amplifier

It does everything well. I rarely use the onboard efx cause it takes pedals so well. If you don’t feel like lugging you’re board, they’re more than just useable. Just make sure you get the correct footswitch. I’m an old school metal head that’s mostly playing Americana country blues now. It does it all very well. I put casters and an upgraded eminence speaker in it. Not a darn thing wrong with the stock speaker though, just a preference. It’s only 17lbs so it’s super light but, my back is broken. It’s loud. Yes, gig loud. Unless your drummer is Bobby Rock, it’ll be more than enough. I wish it had an efx loop but…. After much debate, I’ve decided to get another one to run a stereo rig. I just can’t find anything else comparable in sound, weight, features, price and ... MoreIt does everything well. I rarely use the onboard efx cause it takes pedals so well. If you don’t feel like lugging you’re board, they’re more than just useable. Just make sure you get the correct footswitch. I’m an old school metal head that’s mostly playing Americana country blues now. It does it all very well. I put casters and an upgraded eminence speaker in it. Not a darn thing wrong with the stock speaker though, just a preference. It’s only 17lbs so it’s super light but, my back is broken. It’s loud. Yes, gig loud. Unless your drummer is Bobby Rock, it’ll be more than enough. I wish it had an efx loop but…. After much debate, I’ve decided to get another one to run a stereo rig. I just can’t find anything else comparable in sound, weight, features, price and now, reliability. It’s a GREAT amp!

Best Practice Amp I Have Found Yet

Overall:To be brief, I have a lot of Fender tube amps, two Twin Reverbs, one 1972 model that was owned by Jackson Browne as a stage amp. The other one is a 1981. A Blues Deluxe, Blues Deville 410, Deluxe Reverb, Musicmaster Bass amp, Fender PA100 and a Hot Rod Deluxe, that I am currently refurbishing. I also have an Egnater Tweaker 15.I currently own a Fender Champion 40 and just bought another one from ZzZounds, to run them in stereo with my Zoom multi effects pedals. I like the Champion 40 so much as a practice amp, it's simple, sounds good and it is plenty loud. Set it for a good clean tone and just play it. It saves wear and tear on my spendy amps, allows me to setup my Zoom pedals and also my gig analog pedal board, it really handles the vintage pedals pretty ... MoreOverall:To be brief, I have a lot of Fender tube amps, two Twin Reverbs, one 1972 model that was owned by Jackson Browne as a stage amp. The other one is a 1981. A Blues Deluxe, Blues Deville 410, Deluxe Reverb, Musicmaster Bass amp, Fender PA100 and a Hot Rod Deluxe, that I am currently refurbishing. I also have an Egnater Tweaker 15.I currently own a Fender Champion 40 and just bought another one from ZzZounds, to run them in stereo with my Zoom multi effects pedals. I like the Champion 40 so much as a practice amp, it's simple, sounds good and it is plenty loud. Set it for a good clean tone and just play it. It saves wear and tear on my spendy amps, allows me to setup my Zoom pedals and also my gig analog pedal board, it really handles the vintage pedals pretty well.Sometimes less is more and in this case the Fender Champion 40 fits that bill well. It's light, the stock speaker is fine after it is broken in well. I installed a well broken in Eminence Cannabis Rex in mine, it sounded good, but then I put the stock speaker back in it, it sounds fine also after it was broken in well. I did wire up an extension jack for it, so I can hook it up to speaker cabs, that works really well also.Miked up this thing sounds good in my headphones and I can also run the headphone out into my mixer. When I first played through the amp it had a few rattles at louder volumes, but I tracked them down and just tightened up a few screws, no issues now.I think this is a good starter amp or a good amp for someone that does not feel like having to fire up their big rigs just to do a little song writing or experimenting with pedal settings. Not sure if I would gig with it, but it would probably work fine for some coffee shop gigs or small stage stuff. I play a stereo Twin Reverb setup, or for smaller stuff a stereo rig with the Blues Deluxe and the Deluxe Reverb, so I know a little bit about volume.I almost pulled the trigger on a couple of the large Roland keyboard amps, which cost a heck of a lot more than two of the Champion 40's, but decided what the heck, I am gonna try two of these things first and see how it sounds. I know one of them already sounds really good with all of my Zoom pedals, I have a Zoom G5 with a tube, a Zoom G3Xn, a Zoom G3n and a $3000.00 analog pedal setup I have built through the years. All of those sound pretty damn good with that little Champion 40.The guitars I am playing through it mostly are my custom wired strats with Dimarzio pickups. I also play a 54 Gibson Les Paul and a Gibson ES339. Acoustic electrics sound pretty damn good in it also, so I am thinking having two in stereo is going to sound pretty awesome.BigSkyBluesBand

Everything perfect!!

Really pleased with this Fender Champion 20. It’s ideal for home use or band practice.The sound is really crisp and clear. Lots of different sound effects and settings, everything you want for a beginner’s amp or practice / home amp. You don’t really need any pedals!It looks the business too. Classy looking, with the silver Fender logo.( Just a note…..when you turn the amp off there is a loud popping sound. This is quite normal for a solid state amp).Highly recommend this amp 👍🏻I highly recommend this amp.

Great Little Amp

After playing acoustic guitar for 15+ years and rarely plugging in, I finally decided to make the plunge and try out an electric. I was advised by a buddy to not buy too big, that 15W-20W would be plenty to practice with. So, I found this little Champion at Sam Ash, and so far it's been great! I bought the display model and have had no issues at all with it. Great sound, enough presets and effects to play around with, and sounds great clean too. Having a blast and loving it.

Smooth tones, easy to use, worry free construction

As a very happy owner of the smaller Champions 20 and 40 I wanted to get this largest variant, too.This 100 Watt model adds separate effects adjustments for both channels, Jazz amp type plus an effects loop. It comes with the pedal.These Champion amps are all straightforward to use and the tones you get are very satisfying.No computer games with this amp. Regular pots on the front panel. You see what you get at a glance.The price is nice and being solid state they are practically maintenance free.I have several tube amps but still use these different size Champions for impromptu playing sessions.I play at home as a hobby.

Suits my needs perfectly.

I purchased the Fender Champion 20 for home practice. I typically play an acoustic, resonator, Telecaster, and lap steel guitars. I also use a looper and blend two guitars to experiment with arrangements. My other practice amp has only one input channel so I had to switch cables when switching guitars. The Champion allows me to have both guitars plugged in to amps and both ready to play. I do not use many external effects or tricks (except the looper) so I am not accustomed to messing with equipment settings while playing (and don't want to start). The Champion 20 is simple use with self-evident controls and features with common effects built-in, headphone jack, aux. input, and amp modeling.

Ten out of Ten for the Fender champion 20

Excellent amp great sound and a great range of effects.This amp encouraged me to pick up my electric guitar and play after a long period of time, have concentrated on my accoustic guitars until my Fender amp arrived.I'm in possession of two other amps within the price range of the Fender amp however they are not in the same league.Would highly recommend for general practice at home and would also think they would be adequate at smaller gig venues.

The amp I should of bought first and not fourth

I have had many amps over the years, mostly Fender and mostly tube. In the past my experience with solid state was always negative (except the Orange RT35 which I regret selling). I'm not gonna gigging anymore and don't need the 70 watts Fender Baseman tube amp I chose and actually downgraded to the Fender Champion 20 because I needed something small, and quiet enough for home use at night with young kids. It still gets loud enough to play with a bass player or other guitarists over video chat. I thought about the Fender Mustang line but as an IT professional I've see tech obsolescence daily. I didn't want anything that needed firmware updates or won't connect with whatever cell phone I may own 10 years from now.No one can beat Fender at clean amp sounds. I traded ... MoreI have had many amps over the years, mostly Fender and mostly tube. In the past my experience with solid state was always negative (except the Orange RT35 which I regret selling). I'm not gonna gigging anymore and don't need the 70 watts Fender Baseman tube amp I chose and actually downgraded to the Fender Champion 20 because I needed something small, and quiet enough for home use at night with young kids. It still gets loud enough to play with a bass player or other guitarists over video chat. I thought about the Fender Mustang line but as an IT professional I've see tech obsolescence daily. I didn't want anything that needed firmware updates or won't connect with whatever cell phone I may own 10 years from now.No one can beat Fender at clean amp sounds. I traded in a Supro Blues King 8 at my local guitar store and came home with this amp. Although there's many amp voices and special fx, I find myself using Fender Champ for some dirt and 65 Deluxe for clean. I switch between Spring Reverb and Slap Delay effects. For the type of music I play (oldies, rockabilly, and Johnny Cash style country) I don't need to switch between clean/gain or turn fx on/off mid song.I like how the power cable us removable and the same three prong cable as a computer. If you need a longer one they are online. I also like how the fx are built in. Living in a 100 year old house, with LED bulbs in every light, and dinner switches in every room as well as playing a hollow body guitar always resulted in noise in my signal chain making me go insane. This amp is quiet and I would record with it.Only complaints are minor: makes a pop sound training off which is notoriously common with solid state amps either on, off, or both... And no built in tuner like the competition.Verdict this entry level amp is a hidden gem in the Fender line. If you prefer traditional amp interface go with this over a Fender Mustang.

Vintage tones

For the price this is pretty amazing, it has a range of nice vintage tones and it’s super quick and easy to adjust the effects to get a great sound (instead of spending hours messing about on an app).It’s not perfect however, a couple of minor gripes:• the starting volume of each of the amp voicings is different• the lowest volume on a couple of the amp voices is not low enough if you want to play super quiet at home• when you turn off the amp it makes a loud pop sound (Googling it, they all do this)But it’s still a 5 out of 5 or close enough.Perhaps if you’re looking for less classic or vintage sounds, and something more modern or metal this might not be for you.

very good amp, but watch the POP!

It is a great amp. Very good sound and options for the price. It is not heavy which is a big deal to someone who has had back surgery. I gave it a 5 in spite of one big complaint. When you turn it off you hear a loud "POP!" Wow, is that loud is what I thought the first time I heard it. I read about it online and there is a simple fix. Find an old set of ear phones or ear buds that you would use on a cassette player or a Sony Walkman. (Yes, these are ancient electronic relics from the past for you younger people. You might ask your parents if they have a cassette player and borrow the ear plugs.) Just plug that earphone jack into the "PHONES" input BEFORE you turn it off. THEN you only hear a little blip when you turn it off. THEN just pull the jack out of the ... MoreIt is a great amp. Very good sound and options for the price. It is not heavy which is a big deal to someone who has had back surgery. I gave it a 5 in spite of one big complaint. When you turn it off you hear a loud "POP!" Wow, is that loud is what I thought the first time I heard it. I read about it online and there is a simple fix. Find an old set of ear phones or ear buds that you would use on a cassette player or a Sony Walkman. (Yes, these are ancient electronic relics from the past for you younger people. You might ask your parents if they have a cassette player and borrow the ear plugs.) Just plug that earphone jack into the "PHONES" input BEFORE you turn it off. THEN you only hear a little blip when you turn it off. THEN just pull the jack out of the "PHONES" input before you start it next time.