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Post subject: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:12 pm
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Hi, all (I hope I have the right area of the forum).

I need to get your advice on how to proceed with troubleshooting and fixing my amp. I have a Champion 600 (all stock, incl. tubes), bought new in late 04/12. Yesterday, when I turned it on, it made a massive hum, louder than if I had maxed the volume with nothing plugged in. My guitar was plugged in and the volume was all the way down. I turned it on and off a few times and the issue repeated itself. After perhaps four or five repeats of this, it produced a much smaller hum, like you might normally get with the volume quite high, but with no hiss--and no guitar sound! Since then, it has remained the same. When I turn it on, I get a hum like the volume is high, but with no hiss and no guitar sound.

I have been uber-careful with it (am with all my gear) since purchase. One variable worth mentioning. I live in Japan in the 50Hz power region. The other region is 60Hz. The amp (purchased in Japan) is marked for 60Hz.

So, where should I begin with this? Could it be the tubes (one 12AX7, one 6V6)? They are the cheap Chinese stock tubes. Is there a fuse somewhere? My manual doesn't list one.

This is my first amp and my tech experience is limited to minor guitar repairs (like installing a new 5-way on my Strat). Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:35 pm
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Actually, this should be in the Modern Amp Forum since this is a reissue, but whatever.

The circuit of the C600 is pretty simple with not a lot to go wrong. It could be a tube (they are warranted for 90 days so you are past that warranty period) so if you can get a good 12AX7 and 6V6, that would be worth trying.

As far as trying to repair the amp if it is not a tube problem, Fender does not even bother repairing the C600 under warranty. They are just trashed and a new amp provided. Since you say you have no experience working on tube amps (the voltages inside can kill you) it would be better to return the amp under warranty. However, since the C600 has been discontinued, I am not sure how Fender would handle a warranty claim. Good luck.

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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:47 pm
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bluesky636,

Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate it. I guess the first step is to try new tubes. After that, check with the place of purchase (1-year warranty) and/or Fender.

I guess I'll go with JJs. Is it better to buy them from a place like thetubestore.com, or can I go with a set from Amazon? Amazon has a well-priced set of JJs for the Champion 600. The seller is listed as being JJ Electronics itself.

Also, sorry about posting in the wrong forum. I wasn't sure in the case of a RI amp. I'll know better next time.


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:54 pm
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Doh!

The seller of the JJ set on Amazon is AmplifiedParts, not JJ.


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:57 pm
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JJ Electronics is the manufacturer. They are not a retailer. The Tubes are sold by Amplified Parts which is a reputable dealer that I use often. I buy my JJ tubes here:

http://www.eurotubes.com/

They ship overseas but it is not cheap. I'm sure you can find the tubes locally in Japan.

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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:13 pm
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Thanks. I'll be visiting the States over the holidays, so depending on the price difference, I thought I might stock up while there. -Will test in Japan first though.


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:31 pm
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It looks like the seller I bought the amp from has JJs for basically the same price they go for in the States. Cool. That's one less thing to sweat on the plane...


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:37 pm
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Sounds like a plan. Hope the new tubes solve the problem. If not, return the amp.

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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:30 pm
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The story has a happy ending.

I sent the amp in to the seller, leaving off with them that if the issue was tube replacement, to give me a chance to request a paid upgrade to JJs before returning the amp.

Literally the second day after shipping out the amp to them, a package arrives for me. It's a brand new Champion 600! I look at the power tube and see a Groove Tubes GT-6V6-S. Punching that up online, thetubestore.com has a chart saying that these are in fact rebranded JJ 6V6-S tubes. Whoot! I don't know what brand the 12AX7 is, as I would have to get inside the amp and remove the metal cover to find out--and I sure don't want to void warranty.

The new amp sounds even better than the old (which had no-name Chinese tubes). It also is a tad louder at any given volume knob position.

So, I'm a happy camper, save for one small disappointment. The new amp still has pretty heavy normal operating hum--perhaps a touch more than the first amp when it was working normally. However, as the volume goes up, there is less hum and hiss than the original at higher volumes. So, oh well. I guess the hum is just the way these amps are. Right now, my living situation means I can't crank it loud enough to drown out the hum during recording. 4 on the amp and 3-5 on the guitar is my limit to avoid neighbor trouble (I use pedals for low-volume OD), but I'll be moving in the next year to a place where I can get a proper signal to noise ratio.

I really love the sound of this amp! And, noise aside, to me it sounds even better recorded than live. I actually found my way to it through Amplitube Fender. I was always gravitating back to the Champion 600 model in AF and decided with such a cheap price (and my living situation), that I should give the real deal a try.

So, for the long term, my only worry is that this amp too, might die an early death, but without me being able to replace it, since they are no longer in production. Here's hoping it lasts forever (I tend to take ultra good care of stuff and keep it forever ).


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:36 pm
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" It also is a tad louder. "

This is prolly ok. JJ 6V6-S have a higher output portential than the usual 6V6GT. They actually have a 5881/6L6WGB type internal structure, in a larger glass envelope. And in a single-ended amp, more power = more hum. All things being equal. The hum may drop as the tube breaks-in and burns off contaminates.

Good luck!


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:07 pm
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Thanks (and thanks for the info)!


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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:31 pm
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Glad to hear things worked out. :D

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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:42 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Actually, this should be in the Modern Amp Forum since this is a reissue, but whatever.


That's the sense of propriety I was referring to. :shock: :D

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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:13 pm
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modwiz wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Actually, this should be in the Modern Amp Forum since this is a reissue, but whatever.


That's the sense of propriety I was referring to. :shock: :D


And I still helped the guy out. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Help! Champion 600 RI not working.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:33 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
modwiz wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Actually, this should be in the Modern Amp Forum since this is a reissue, but whatever.


That's the sense of propriety I was referring to. :shock: :D


And I still helped the guy out. :wink:


Yes. Very kind and generous for a grumpy guy. :lol:

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http://www.reverbnation.com/modwiz


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