Fender Champion 20 and 40

[pingu]

Going through a bunch of amps looking for something simple for in-bedroom practice has really taught me that certain amps play better in certain rooms than others. I think the closed back 10" of the BlockDock was too much for my little room. Could never really get enough volume and it was either always too bassy or too thin. This little amp is just right. I think the open back allows some of the bass frequencies to spill out rather than shoot at and bounce around my walls (with a closed). I don't know much about acoustics so not sure if I'm just spouting out nonsense

No I believe you're right acoustically ....
Ie open back cabs spread the sound
around the room a bit more
(which can be nice in a small room)

[ewall]

Need some advice here re a broken Fender Champion 20. Mine (bought used about 3 months ago) just developed a real problem. It was working just fine until yesterday. A few days before this, I did leave the amp on overnight and turned it off the next morning when I discovered that. Yesterday, when I turned it on, the volume knob doesn't work much if at all and after a few minutes, the amp makes a weird screechy sound. Lights all are on. Playing a bass note on my tele starts a buzzing from the amp which triggers an increasing higher pitched sound from the amp. And now when I turn it off, there is no "pop" when there was before. I've read elsewhere that it may be a resistor problem. I know nothing about fixing electronic equipment of any sort. Do I toss it? Where do I look to get it fixed if not? Anything suggestions would be really appreciated. I didn't spend much for the amp but I do/did like it. Advice I've gotten so far is to get rid of it.

[buduranus2]

Need some advice here re a broken Fender Champion 20. Mine (bought used about 3 months ago) just developed a real problem. It was working just fine until yesterday. A few days before this, I did leave the amp on overnight and turned it off the next morning when I discovered that. Yesterday, when I turned it on, the volume knob doesn't work much if at all and after a few minutes, the amp makes a weird screechy sound. Lights all are on. Playing a bass note on my tele starts a buzzing from the amp which triggers an increasing higher pitched sound from the amp. And now when I turn it off, there is no "pop" when there was before. I've read elsewhere that it may be a resistor problem. I know nothing about fixing electronic equipment of any sort. Do I toss it? Where do I look to get it fixed if not? Anything suggestions would be really appreciated. I didn't spend much for the amp but I do/did like it. Advice I've gotten so far is to get rid of it.

Sell it for what you can get for it and buy a new one for $130: Fender Champion 20 Guitar Combo Amp Black | Musician's Friend

[John A.]

Need some advice here re a broken Fender Champion 20. Mine (bought used about 3 months ago) just developed a real problem. It was working just fine until yesterday. A few days before this, I did leave the amp on overnight and turned it off the next morning when I discovered that. Yesterday, when I turned it on, the volume knob doesn't work much if at all and after a few minutes, the amp makes a weird screechy sound. Lights all are on. Playing a bass note on my tele starts a buzzing from the amp which triggers an increasing higher pitched sound from the amp. And now when I turn it off, there is no "pop" when there was before. I've read elsewhere that it may be a resistor problem. I know nothing about fixing electronic equipment of any sort. Do I toss it? Where do I look to get it fixed if not? Anything suggestions would be really appreciated. I didn't spend much for the amp but I do/did like it. Advice I've gotten so far is to get rid of it.

A local electronics repair shop (e.g., a place that fixes audio equipment) might be able to do it. You could also check with local music shops and pro-audio shops to see if they either fix amps or have someone they send amp repairs to. Otherwise, maybe try Fender's website. There's a page there specifically for finding service centers: Authorized Dealer Locator | Fender

All that said, they're pretty cheap amps($130 new). You might not find someone willing to fix it for less than that, and it might be easier just to buy another.

[ewall]

Thanks. I emailed a local repair shop to get a quote on just a diagnosis. Probably not worth it but seems a waste to toss/recycle. I can live with it however. Thanks again.

[JazzerEU]

You could keep the speaker and cabinet for a low watt amp head project down the road that you might need at some point. You can salvage the amp part for parts like knobs, nuts, and washers. I had a Fender Champ 12 back in the day that was unrepairable after I botched an attempt to replace the filter caps. I just turned the speaker and cab and ripped out the amp section and turned it into an extension cab.

[ewall]

Thanks much. I turned it into a cab and added a great Quilter Superblock US as its amp. It works very well.

[medblues]

I've tried something similar, SuperChamp X2 maybe, thought it was an amazing value for people who like Fenders.

I still have the head version, great reverse hybrid combo (tube power amp with digital modeling input). I AB'ed it with a ToneMaster Deluxe Reverb and a Tonemaster Princeton Reverb and heard no difference in quality. I used a very nice Eminence Lil Buddy installed Avatar Cab though. At some point, I would like to modify it to have a power input to make it even more versatile.