A new combo amp is one of the most exciting purchases a guitar player can make. If you need an amp for practising, jamming, performing, or generating unique tones, then the right combo amp will solve all that for you in one convenient package.
Introducing the Fender Champion 100: quite possibly the last combo amp you'll ever need.
In today's article, we will review the Fender Champion 100, a highly capable combo amp that is very popular, and for good reason. We'll discuss the product's most notable features, go over some buying considerations, and even offer comparable products as alternatives.
Now, let's jump right in and see why this amp is so popular among all different kinds of musicians.
Product Overview
The Fender Champion 100 is a versatile combo amp that packs an impressive amount of tone control into a user-friendly interface. The Champion 100 is a digital modeling amp, which means it uses the latest technology to emulate a wide variety of different amps, from classic to modern.
Additionally, it has some onboard effects that can be used to thicken up your tone, add ambience, or create entirely new tonal atmospheres.
This amp has two 12-inch speakers with enough power to handle just about any scenario. This review will go over the product's best features in-depth and tell you about some areas in which the amp falls short (although there aren't many!).
Here are some at-a-glance pros and cons of the Fender Champion 100.
Pros:
• Extremely versatile
The number one thing to love about this amp is its versatility. It can emulate 16 different amp voicings and adjust them with the onboard EQ, delay, and reverb, or any other effect you choose to add.
All this tone control makes the Champion 100 a safe choice for guitar players of just about any style.
• Achieves high volumes
All the tone variety in the world is rendered useless if your amp isn't loud enough! Fortunately, the Fender Champion 100 is loud enough to play shows with. For most guitar players, it's plenty loud for any occasion they'll come across.
• Allows for quick tone changes
The Fender Champion 100 comes with a footswitch that allows you to instantly switch between two channels. This essentially means you can have two completely different tones at the ready during a live song.
Cons:
• Size & weight
The size and weight of the amp are only a downside if you were looking for something smaller and lighter. The Fender Champion 100 was not designed to be a desktop amp or practice amp. It was designed to work for live shows, jam sessions, or anything else you might need an amp for.
As such, it does weigh 40 lbs. Just keep in mind that if you're looking for more lightweight, portable amps, you'll be better off with something smaller, like the Fender Champion 40 (which ironically does not weigh 40 lbs).
Aside from that, there are essentially no downsides to this amp. The clean tones sound great, the distorted tones get the job done, and the onboard effects are very customizable. You'd be hard-pressed to find a true pitfall in this amp.
Things to Consider Before Buying
It looks great, it sounds great, and it's got the Fender name behind it. What's stopping you from buying it right now?
Well, first, you'll want to make sure it actually fits all your needs and that there's not another amp out there that fits your needs more closely. Here are some things to consider before buying the Fender Champion 100.
Budget
$400 is certainly not on the cheaper end of combo amps. The Fender Champion 100 is definitely worth the money, but not if you can find something for a quarter of the price that gets the job done just as well.
If all you need is an amp for practising at home, then you can probably find something much cheaper, like the Fender Champion 20. This is the 20-watt variant of the Champion amps, and it will give you the same great sound quality as the 100, just with less output power.
But if you plan to use your amp to play shows, then the Champion 100 will be money well spent.
Intended Use
Make sure you will actually make use of the Fender Champion 100's abundance of features. The Champion 100 is louder than most Fender amps, so it's a good fit for those who intend to crank up the volume.
Also, while the Fender Champion 100 is suitable for a wide variety of uses, just make sure there isn't some specific purpose for which you might need a different piece of gear.
For example, if you already have a great amp head, then you might be better off buying a cab rather than a whole new combo amp.
For the most part, though, the Fender Champion 100 is an amazing amp, whether you are a first-timer or a seasoned pro.
Solid State or Tube?
The Fender Champion 100 is a solid state amp. This makes it more durable and much lighter than many comparable tube amps. That said, many guitar players prefer the specific sound and responsiveness of tube amps.
So if you've got your heart set on a tube amp, the Fender Champion 100 isn't going to fill that void. If you're open to either tube or solid state amplifiers, then the Fender is a solid option because of its value and versatility.
Features & Benefits
Now that we've gotten those considerations out of the way, it's time to talk about all the amazing features the Fender Champion 100 has to offer! Here is an overview of the characteristics we like best about this amp.
Solid State Amplification
Solid state amps use transistors to generate sound waves from an input electric signal. The Fender Champion 100 is solid state, which we think gives it some benefits over tube amps, at least for the majority of guitarists.
For one thing, solid state amps are much more lightweight than tube amps. The Champion 100 might weigh 40 lbs, but this is still far lighter than an equally powerful tube amp would be.
In addition, solid state amps are known to be durable and less fragile than tube amps. This makes the Champion 100 perfect for touring or playing shows out of town. You never know what's going to happen on the road, so it's hugely beneficial to have an amp that can withstand a lot.
Plus, if onboard modeling effects aren't your thing, the solid-state Champion maintains a spotless clean tone up to massive volumes, making the Champion a great pedal platform amp.
Tons of Power
This is perhaps the thing we love most about the Fender Champion 100. 100 watts is a LOT of power for a portable amp! It's not often you find a combo amp that you can actually play full band gigs with for less than $500.
This amp delivers enough volume to compete with a full drum set, bass guitar, and vocal PA system. You can comfortably play gigs in full-sized amphitheatres, even if you play a genre that is known for being loud.
Yes, with the Fender Champion 100, you can rest assured your guitar playing will be heard amongst the rest of the instruments, whether you're in a face-melting hardcore band or a smooth classic rock ensemble.
The only thing this amp can't handle is a sold-out arena. And if you're playing sold-out arenas, you'll be using the arena's sound system anyway. So essentially, the Fender Champion 100 is as loud as most people will need.
Thanks to the headphone jack that's included, you can even use it to play along to your favorite songs or just rock out and listen.
Open Back
We agree with many guitar players; open-back amps are great! They're a popular choice for musicians who want a practical and lightweight guitar amplifier.
Additionally, open-back amps are known for having a great soundstage, giving your tone a 3D, immersive quality. They also tend to have a natural sound, reflecting the characteristics of the room they're in. This is ideal for recording guitar parts and also playing them in venues.
Another desirable quality of open-back amps is that they do a great job of cutting out unwanted low end in your signal. You're playing guitar, not bass, so too much low-end punch will just muddy up your tone (and potentially make your bassist salty).
All in all, we love the open-back design of the Champion 100. This dynamic amp sounds great and is suitable for many different styles of playing.
12 Different Amp Models
Amp modeling just keeps getting better as the years go on. With 12 different amp voices, you've got everything from classic Fender sounds to high-gain metal amp models at your disposal.
Fender included a nice variety of amp emulations in the Champion 100, so no matter what style you play, you should be able to find the exact sound you need.
Many Fender amps these days have digital modeling capabilities, offering multiple amp voices to choose from. But not all these amps are created equal.
Most people would agree that the Fender Champion 100 is the best digital modeling amp that Fender offers because it actually has the power to properly deliver the tones it creates.
Smaller amps that have less power may approximate a particular tone, but they are more likely to have all sorts of shortcomings, like unwanted distortion on clean tones or not enough heaviness on the overdriven tones.
With 100 watts of power, you won't have to worry about all that. Enjoy all the included amp models to their fullest.
Built-in Effects
Guitar players who start adding effects to their signal rarely want to go back to playing without them. Part of what makes the Campion 100 such a versatile amplifier is that you can choose from a variety of onboard effects to dial in the exact sound you're looking for.
Fender twin reverb, delay, chorus, and tremolo are just a handful of the effects included with this amp. All of these are great ways to make your tone instantly more interesting without changing the fundamental tone itself.
For time-based effects like delay, there's even a tap tempo button. This is useful for quickly getting the optimal delay settings during jam sessions and also for recording a guitar part that perfectly fits your song.
Few things are more fun than choosing an interesting amp voicing and then adding effects to your heart's content to create a truly unique tone. You can keep it simple and just add a bit of reverb for your guitar solo, or get experimental with it and crank up the tremolo on a shimmery chord progression.
The possibilities with these onboard effects are nearly endless.
Two Channels - Foot Switch Included
By including two channels that can be toggled on and off, Fender really showed that they thought of everything here. Being able to switch between two different amp voices in an instant can help keep things interesting during live songs.
Imagine playing the iconic opening riff of "Say It Ain't So" on the clean channel and then switching to the overdrive channel once it's time for that high-energy power chord chorus. With the Fender Champion 100, you can pull off all sorts of tricks like that—without having to buy so much as an overdrive pedal.
The included foot switch really is a nice touch. While there's always room for plugging in your own effects pedals, you could also just choose two tones you like and use Fender's foot switch to achieve a similar result.
Social Proof
Most users tend to agree that this amp is remarkably loud, durable, and versatile. We found a couple of reviews on the internet that capture the general consensus about this impressive piece of hardware.
The people have spoken—the Champion 100 is a loud, versatile crowd-pleaser.
Alternatives
There are many amps available that are quite similar in many ways to the Champion 100—but few of them are quite as loud. Let's go over some of the best alternatives to this powerful piece of gear.
Fender Champion 40 & Fender Champion 20
If you like the tonal versatility of the Champion 100 but don't need all that volume, then you could opt for the Fender Champion 40 or the Fender Champion 20. These are the 20- and 40-watt amps in the Champion product line, so they'll get the job done as long as you're only looking to practice or play small shows.
Line-6 Catalyst 100
If you're interested in a modeling amplifier from a different company, then the Line-6 Catalyst 100 may be the best alternative to the Fender Champion 100. It offers an impressive amount of tone control and comes at a slightly lower price point than the Fender.
Compared to the Fender, the only thing the Catalyst lacks is the two channels and foot switch. But if you don't need that capability because you already have your own pedals or just don't plan to be changing tones on the fly, then the Line-6 Catalyst is definitely a worthy alternative to the Fender.
Fender Mustang GTX 100
Aside from that, there are countless modeling amps out there that fill just about the same role as a Champion amp. Many guitarists like the Mustang GTX series, also from Fender. For about $100 more than the Champion, the Mustang GTX 100 has 40 different amp emulations and 200 presets.
The Mustang takes the tone control power of the Champion series and turns it up to 10. You could mess around with all the different tones on the Fender Mustang GTX 100 for hours and not get tired.
Marshall Code 50
Finally, the Marshall Code 50 is a 50-watt digital modeling amp that is another great choice. Marshall is known for good sound quality and dependability all around. The Code 50 is slightly cheaper than the Fender Champion 100, but it is also not as loud.
The Marshall Code 50 has 14 digital preamp models with 100 preset tones. At only $300, it is a good amp for beginners and intermediate players, especially if you like to play around with different tone options.
You may not be able to play sold-out venues with the Marshall, but it's still plenty loud for coffeeshop gigs or garage band practices.
The Verdict
Thank you for reading our Fender Champion 100 review! Now you have all the information you need to decide whether this is the perfect amp for you.
Reading about the product is great, but nothing beats trying it out in person. The Fender Champion 100 is a popular Fender amp, so there's a high chance your local music store might have one for you to try out in person.
But even if you don't have that option, it's always a good idea to buy from a trusted brand like Fender. With the Fender name behind it, you know you're getting an awesome amp from a time-tested brand.
If you're looking for an affordable stage amp, then the Fender Champion 100 is a safe bet. Since it's both durable and highly versatile, you won't have to worry that you'll need to replace it any time soon.
So what are you waiting for? Give the Fender Champion 100 a try and see what all the buzz is about!
