It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 5:24 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 14 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Fender super champ xd vs peavey windsor studio vs blackheart
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:12 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 9:14 am
Posts: 9
Still on the fence about buying a new amp for home use. I am looking into these three and would like to have some feedback:

Fender Super Champ XD
Peavey Windsor Studio
Blackheart Handsome Devil

I can not try any of these since they are not widely available. Most of them I will need to order online. I have heard the vibro champ and was pleasantly surprised. I will be playing rock, blues etc.etc. I am a bit of an eighties and nineties child and love my guns and roses, pearl jam, but also enjoy jamming away on some blues and funk. My budget is ok for these amps. Fender is about £200, Blackheart £230 and the Peavey £180.

Any opinions. Or should I stretch to a Blues Jr? I also saw a good deal on an Epihone Blues Custom. Any thoughts on those?

cheers
Dennis

Epiphone Les Paul Classic
Vox Cambridge - barely breathing


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:36 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:51 pm
Posts: 2503
Location: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA
Hello Dennis_71,

All nice amps, but
You really gotta get out the and
play through them.

I like the blues Jr---lots.

Cheers.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:35 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:15 pm
Posts: 645
Location: I don't even know that!
I personally love my Champion 600. It has a sweet tone to it. And you can crank it because it's so small.

_________________
2007 USA Deluxe Strat,
2007 Gibson SG Special w/ a Bigsby B5
2006 MIJ Strat,
2008 Champ 600,
2009 Blues Jr.,
TS9
Vox Wah
BBE Soul Vibe
EHX Holy Grail Reverb
BOSS RC-20XL Loop Station
BOSS DS-1
Crybaby Wah


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:01 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2007 3:04 pm
Posts: 7056
Location: South Florida
I love my Vibro Champ XD. Low price and I've gotten lots of compliments about the tone. Great for recording, too.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 6:44 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 12:06 am
Posts: 292
Location: SoCal
No pedals needed:

http://www.fender.com/products/amplifiers/vibrochampxd/

http://www.fender.com/products/amplifiers/superchampxd/


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fender super champ xd vs peavey windsor studio vs blackh
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:40 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:04 pm
Posts: 186
Dennis_71 wrote:
Still on the fence about buying a new amp for home use. I am looking into these three and would like to have some feedback:

Fender Super Champ XD
Peavey Windsor Studio
Blackheart Handsome Devil

I can not try any of these since they are not widely available. Most of them I will need to order online. I have heard the vibro champ and was pleasantly surprised. I will be playing rock, blues etc.etc. I am a bit of an eighties and nineties child and love my guns and roses, pearl jam, but also enjoy jamming away on some blues and funk. My budget is ok for these amps. Fender is about £200, Blackheart £230 and the Peavey £180.

Any opinions. Or should I stretch to a Blues Jr? I also saw a good deal on an Epihone Blues Custom. Any thoughts on those?

cheers
Dennis

Epiphone Les Paul Classic
Vox Cambridge - barely breathing



I own a Fender SCXD and I love it!

Among the three named amps, the SCXD would be my choice for a few very good reasons. It's a Fender. It's the least expensive. It's 6V6-powered. It's the most versatile.

Good luck.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:43 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:15 pm
Posts: 645
Location: I don't even know that!
I think the SCXD has a processed sound to it like when you use the effects.

_________________
2007 USA Deluxe Strat,
2007 Gibson SG Special w/ a Bigsby B5
2006 MIJ Strat,
2008 Champ 600,
2009 Blues Jr.,
TS9
Vox Wah
BBE Soul Vibe
EHX Holy Grail Reverb
BOSS RC-20XL Loop Station
BOSS DS-1
Crybaby Wah


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:30 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:04 pm
Posts: 186
hottrod wrote:
I think the SCXD has a processed sound to it like when you use the effects.


True, but it's a Fender "processed sound" - warmed up by the 6V6's. You have clean Blackface on Channel 1 and Tweed, BF, Hot Rod, Metalhead, JazzKing and Acousasonic on Channel 2. It's a very nice arsenal from which to choose.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:09 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:30 am
Posts: 118
All three amps will do the job for you. I have played the Blackheart Little Giant (and bought one) and the SCXD. Can't comment on the Peavey. Regardless of the Fender hype, the SCXD is a not a true tube amp in the strict sense of full tube preamp and power amp. The Channel 2 models are run thru the tube. In essence, a warmed up modeler. Very nice sounding one too and definitely an advantage for recording. Channel 1 I believe is tube throughout the circuit AFAIK. The Blackheart is 100% tube preamp and power amp, with all the advantages and disadvantages associated with tube amplifiers. FWIW, I sold the Blackheart because the purchase was soley GAS inspired. Didn't REALLY need it.

If I were you, I would consider ordering both the SCXD and the Blackheart from an Internet company with a generous return policy (MF, AMS, Sweetwater, GC) and put them through their paces. If you just want a versatile practice amp and painless recording, go with the SCXD. If you plan to jam with friends, play small gigs, etc. go with the Blackheart. Good luck!

Matt D'Ortona

Fender Pro Tube Pro Reverb
Mesa Boogie Heartbreaker Head
Mesa Boogie Mark IV


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:26 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:04 pm
Posts: 186
mdortona wrote:
Regardless of the Fender hype, the SCXD is a not a true tube amp in the strict sense of full tube preamp and power amp. The Channel 2 models are run thru the tube. Channel 1 I believe is tube throughout the circuit AFAIK.

The Blackheart is 100% tube preamp and power amp, with all the advantages and disadvantages associated with tube amplifiers.


The Fender SCXD IS a true tube amp, in that the Channel 1 and 2 voices are routed thru both the 12AX7 and the 6V6 tubes. The major difference is that the guitar input on the SCXD is run thru the DSP prior to making its way to the preamp and output tubes. In other words, the guitar's input signal is "altered" to a particular voicing before making its way to the tube sections. The voicings give the SCXD a ton of versatility over conventional amps; however, I understand and appreciate the "organic nature" of a pure guitar signal thru a tube amp.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:41 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:30 am
Posts: 118
FenderGuy,

Not to create a pissing contest, but give this post a read (below). It comes from Bill M. who is well respected on the forum and well-known for doing a variety of Fender amp mods. Here's his take on the SCXD.

Billm wrote:
I did this last comparison test on channel 1, which is the clean channel, but it's actually a "voice." It's the same as the Blackface voice, voice 4, on channel 2. But yes, the 7 and 7 were applied to channel 1.

One SCXD is bone-stock, with EH 12AX7 and 6V6s. The other one is modified so it can take 5881s (6L6GBs). It can put out 26W in that configuration, 30+ watts if I swap in a different output transformer. But for the test, I popped the stock 6V6s back in, so it was more apples to apples.

Other output tubes (JJ, Tung-Sol, whatever) will have a minor effect on tone, despite the claims of some. Different 12AX7s will be a little warmer or crisper, rounder or cooler, but at the end of the day, it's half a notch on the tone control's worth of difference.

Much of the early stuff (even WikiPedia!) written about the SCXD and how it uses its tubes is just flat out wrong. People were guessing, wishful thinking, or just making things up.

So hit the reset button and forget everything that people thought they knew about the Super Champ XD (and the VCXD). Here's what happens, straight from the schematic:

The SCXD is a digital amplifier that is made louder by a set of tubes. Period.

The DSP is always active. It provides the Channel 1 Blackface voice as well as all of the Channel 2 voices and all of the effects.

There is no tone stack in the amp. All tone shaping is done by the DSP. There is no volume control that directly acts on the guitar signal. All volume and gain are controlled by the DSP. The actual amount of volume and gain, as well as the range of the tone controls, is different for each amp voice. So is the basic gain threshold and the amount of noise gating (on the high-gain voices).

When the effects knob is on 1 the effects are off. When the pedal is plugged in and engaged, the effects are off.

There is no straight-to-tube mode. The signal always goes through several op amp stages on the way to the DSP and a couple of op amp stages on the way to the tubes. There is no signal processing of any kind after the signal leaves the DSP.

The first stage of the 12AX7 is simply a buffer. It takes the signal from the DSP and makes it stronger. The second stage of the 12AX7 is the phase inverter. It drives the 6V6s.

End of story! And even though some people think that DSP is evil, the rave reviews and out-of-stock condition of this amp would say otherwise.


This is where I was coming from when I posted. Regardless, I agree that the SCXD is a wonderful amp for what it can do!

Matt


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:25 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:04 pm
Posts: 186
Billm wrote:
Here's what happens, straight from the schematic:

The SCXD is a digital amplifier that is made louder by a set of tubes. Period.

The DSP is always active. It provides the Channel 1 Blackface voice as well as all of the Channel 2 voices and all of the effects.

There is no tone stack in the amp. All tone shaping is done by the DSP. There is no volume control that directly acts on the guitar signal. All volume and gain are controlled by the DSP. The actual amount of volume and gain, as well as the range of the tone controls, is different for each amp voice. So is the basic gain threshold and the amount of noise gating (on the high-gain voices).

When the effects knob is on 1 the effects are off. When the pedal is plugged in and engaged, the effects are off.

There is no straight-to-tube mode. The signal always goes through several op amp stages on the way to the DSP and a couple of op amp stages on the way to the tubes. There is no signal processing of any kind after the signal leaves the DSP.

The first stage of the 12AX7 is simply a buffer. It takes the signal from the DSP and makes it stronger. The second stage of the 12AX7 is the phase inverter. It drives the 6V6s.

End of story!



Matt:

I believe that Billm and I said essentially the same thing, only Billm used more and bigger words! ;-)

The SCXD is a tube amp with artificial flavor. The Blues Junior, as an example, is a tube amp with natural flavor.

I still prefer the "naturally organic" flavor; however, I own a SCXD and I love it for what it is - and what it does.

On another note, the SCXD and the Blackheart are very different sounding amps, based upon the output tubes alone. Even though the Blackheart is of the "natural" persuasion, you won't get the sparkly, Fender cleans nor the creamy Fender overdrives out of a Blackheart, IMHO.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:35 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:10 pm
Posts: 16
I like all three amps but bought the SCXD.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:01 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:50 am
Posts: 89
Location: Cassini Probe
I have a Blues Jr and a Blackheart Little Giant. The Blues Jr, with the master volume, can achieve very sweet natural tube tone at most any volume. The Blackheart sounds thin at low volume, and is at its best cranked to max. Just my opinion, I haven't test-driven the SCXD or the Peavey.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 14 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: