NAD (Yesterday)

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VikingBlues
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Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 7:44 pm

NAD (Yesterday)

Post by VikingBlues »

As you may have noticed I've been whining about my difficulties with the Fender SuperChamp X2 warranty replacement for my sadly missed faulty discontinued SuperChamp XD.

Yesterday I recklessly took a trip to Edinburgh to GuitarGuitar.

I was able to confirm that their X2 sounded like mine - so the problems I was having weren't down to a faulty amp. I'd decided I wasn't sure about trying to get one of the last remaining new SuperChamp XDs as they could well be ones that have gone back to Fender for fixing that have been reissued.

So I tried a different amp. Very little in the way of added extras and no modelling. Bear in mind I'm in a flat and I'm limited for volume - so my choice is limited. When I end up with a big stupid grin on my face after trying gear I reckon it's worth the risk. I had one of those grins so I brought one home with me.

Once the replacement knobs stagger in for the broken ones on the X2 that'll be going up for sale.

Managed to play the new amp for a while last night and got that grin again - this afternoon I just put a microphone in front of it and recorded some very aimless and unformed solo noodling and bum notes. Not cranked up - that will only be possible on brief occasions when neighbours in the flats are out. So sort of demo of clean sounds (which is what I usually play anyway). I'm afraid there's some peaks on the recording that clipped - I've not got the hang yet of the wider dynamic range of the amp. No FX on the amp except reverb (OF COURSE! :haha: ) and no fx or eq tweaking in the DAW.

With the Strat : download/file.php?id=2478
The hike in volume at 1:50 was only 8 to 9 on the Strat volume control - but it certainly registered.

With the Hagstrom : download/file.php?id=2477

Pictures to follow. Could I at last have broken my run of bad gear choices / problems?
Attachments


New Amp with Strat played Clean
New Amp n Strat 01May2013.mp3 - (5.04 MiB)


New Amp with Hagstrom played clean
New Amp n Hagstrom 01May2013.mp3 - (4.02 MiB)

An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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VikingBlues
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Re: NAD (Yesterday)

Post by VikingBlues »

15 Watts, 12" speaker, 3 Preamp tubes, 2 Power Tubes and a hefty (for me) 14kg - a solid little sod. 1 input. Just the basics.
The Fender Blues Junior III
The Fender Blues Junior III
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An Amp I can Like
An Amp I can Like
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Basic Controls
Basic Controls
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A Middle (which is nice), and a Reverb (Good One too). Plus a Fat Switch for Boost.
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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tytlblues
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Re: NAD (Yesterday)

Post by tytlblues »

Ha, yeah welcome to the blues junior club.....great amp!
Tytlblues

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BB King
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HalfBlindLefty
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Re: NAD (Yesterday)

Post by HalfBlindLefty »

Reverb... nah, hardly :away:
Sounds good rVB. BJ's are great amps. Thoug... as you may find out in due time, they sound even way better when you get them to work hard for their money. That's one of the reasons that I choose the SC XD and rehoused it in a mini stack with a vintage 12"speaker. The SC XD tends to sound very good at the lower volumes.

Still a good choice I think, congrats on the amp !

btw: I don't think Fender repairs a SC XD. They just may replace a transformer, speaker or printed circuit board all together. Starting to solder on a PCB is quite expensive from a manufacturer's point of view.
A long time ago, in the old forum : Registered: Mon, 27 Nov 2006. Wonder were the other old members all went....
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ratfinkdan
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Re: NAD (Yesterday)

Post by ratfinkdan »

Welcome to the blues jr club VB!! You'll have a lot of fun with that amp, I love mine use it all the time low volume around the house, crank the master up at jams, graet little amp. Dan
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VikingBlues
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Re: NAD (Yesterday)

Post by VikingBlues »

tytlblues wrote:Ha, yeah welcome to the blues junior club.....great amp!
ratfinkdan wrote:Welcome to the blues jr club VB!!
Thanks guys ... not like me to choose gear that's so widely used. But it really took no time of trying it out before I felt it's qualities were right. :D
HalfBlindLefty wrote:Sounds good rVB. BJ's are great amps. Thoug... as you may find out in due time, they sound even way better when you get them to work hard for their money. That's one of the reasons that I choose the SC XD and rehoused it in a mini stack with a vintage 12"speaker. The SC XD tends to sound very good at the lower volumes.
Agreed about the BJ being better at higher volumes - but I must admit I'm (so far) very pleased with the sound at lower volumes too. :cool: I've still got my VibroChamp XD for modelling (and the Vox Tonelab LE for that matter). The VCXD isn't quite as good as the SCXD, but it has given me sounds I'm very happy with - think I might well try an ABY box set up and use the VibroChamp and the BJ in tandem.
HalfBlindLefty wrote:btw: I don't think Fender repairs a SC XD. They just may replace a transformer, speaker or printed circuit board all together. Starting to solder on a PCB is quite expensive from a manufacturer's point of view.
Know what you mean but I'm a bit put off with my experience of the repair under warranty of my SCXD not being successful even when the whole DSP was replaced. I had this mental picture of getting another SCXD which would also develop a fault and then I'd end up with yet another X2! That would be very painful. :wall: In passing I've noticed the X2 that I was sent does not have the new amp smell (with the BJ has in a big way). Given the X2 has come direct from Fender and not a shop I wonder if the X2 is a "refurbished" return?
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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