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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:29 pm
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So.... my 6" Weber ceramic speaker came last night, and I just installed it today. WOW. What a difference! First of all, between this and the new tubes (Groove Tubes gold 12AX7 and JJ 6V6GT), the little amp is WAY louder, and has a lot more headroom. There is some speaker breakup with the volume dimed, but none of the flabby sounds-like-it's-about-to-rip-itself-apart mess of the stock speaker. Has that nice honky Supro-esque sound. Perfect match for my Tele, especially playing early Zeppelin/early Aerosmith-type riffs. I stuck a Tubedriver in front of it (gain set low, volume high), and the overdriven tone was creamy with no trace of the ice-picky sound of the old speaker. I think I'm gonna call it a day with this amp once I get the oxblood grille cloth installed. I HIGHLY recommend the Weber speaker; for $20-something bucks how can you go wrong?


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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:30 pm
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Here's some pics of what I've done to the amp so far.
Image

It's tough to tell from the pic, but the voice coil is really tight with the 6L6-sized JJ output tube. I thought about getting the Alnico speaker but opted against it because I didn't feel like modifying the baffle. Right now I have the back of the cabinet off, because A. it rattles, and B. the amp sounds way airier without it, especially with the new speaker.
Image

Yes, I need to paint the speaker baffle black. Luckily I still have more oxblood grille cloth too, it is HARD to get it drumskin-tight. But, considering this amp cost me $139, I kinda don't really care. It sounds great - can't wait to record with it now!


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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 4:15 pm
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Here's a quick and dirty demo of my amp. Excuse the crappy playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmeMBuaw ... e=youtu.be

The guitar used is a 2009 Fender MIM Standard Stratocastor with SCN pickups. The neck pickup is used. Simple chord progression. There are 5 samples:

1. Amp on "12", guitar on "6"
2. Amp on "12", guitar on "8"
3. Amp on "12", guitar on "10"
4. Amp on "12", E-H LPB-1 at 9:00, guitar on "10", heavy strum
5. Amp on "12", E-H LPB-1 at 9:00, guitar on "10", light strum

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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:59 pm
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How do you like the ceramic speakers (Jenson Mod or Weber)? I understand the fit better in the Champ without modifying the amp. Do they compare well with the Weber Alnico?

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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:38 pm
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waterloocasino wrote:
How do you like the ceramic speakers (Jenson Mod or Weber)? I understand the fit better in the Champ without modifying the amp. Do they compare well with the Weber Alnico?


I used a Jensen Mod. It sounds good to me. I didn't feel like dealing with the mods needed to fit the Weber Alnico.

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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 5:20 pm
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Thanks. I've been thinking of trying the Weber ceramic. I'll give it a try and report back.

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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:52 pm
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waterloocasino wrote:
Thanks. I've been thinking of trying the Weber ceramic. I'll give it a try and report back.


I've got that speaker. Took a while for them to ship it but man does it sound fantastic. And I haven't even broken it in yet. The stock Fender speaker was just starting to open up a little, but right from the get go this one sounds a million times better. Much more linear response, but you still get some sweet speaker breakup. It's just more manageable. And louder. I've heard a lot of people on forums ask what's the point; it's still a toy amp. I beg to differ. Yeah, it's not going blow your vintage Plexi Marshall 1987 out of the water, but it sounds pretty darn good.


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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:52 pm
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Thanks. I just order the Weber ceramic. I'm in Canada, so hopefully it doesn't sit in customs too long.

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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:57 pm
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I completed my mod for my Champ 600. It was incredibly easy and it only took about 30 minutes. I replaced the 6v6 with a EHX 6v6 and the preamp tube with a JJ. The speaker is the Jensen 6 inch MOD. I replaced the grill cloth with a burlap material from a fabric store

The parts are very cheap. I got them from www.tubesandmore.com

All together I spent $43 on this little project.


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Post subject: Re: Champion 600 mods: where to start?
Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 10:52 am
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waterloocasino wrote:
How do you like the ceramic speakers (Jenson Mod or Weber)? I understand the fit better in the Champ without modifying the amp. Do they compare well with the Weber Alnico?




I'm a huge Weber fan. I have Alnico in my 5e3 clone and it sounds amazing. The kit came with a Jenson Mod 12" 50 watt speaker. It didn't sound bad, It wasn't anything special in that amp. I still have it and just bought an empty cab for it to use with my 5 watt el84 kit amp. I also just installed a Weber Signature 8-15 in my 74 Champ and I'm thrilled with it. The Webers need some decent break in time as do most speakers unless you get them pre-broken in.

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