I’m flush with tweeds, including a Champ, a Deluxe, and a Princeton. Also a brown panel Princeton. But as they say, if the house was on raging fire, I would be going out the door with a kid under one arm and my 57 tweed Champ clone under the other. No doubt about about it.
Thanks for the friendly comment. There's so much antagonism in the world who needs more of it especially when we're talking about guitars and amps that shouldn't be used for anything but music.
I enjoyed this presentation of the Fender '57 Amplifier very much. In fact, I have to say that I have enjoyed all the videos put out by johnhguitar. Always entertaining. Always articulate. And always a wealth of information. Among the best of the review channels on UA-cam!
it was one of the best reviews i have ever seen on youtube.you get a little bit about the sound and a little bit about the amp and technical stuff.nice
It helps a lot to have a great player with a superb guitar. Single-ended amps are all you need nowadays in the studio and live with sound reinforcement, but I think you have to play to them. Because they are single-ended, they will never sound like push-pull amps. They don't sag at all and you only get nice clipping on one side of the waveform. The other side, if it hits cutoff, gets squared off like Frankenstein's head. So remember to work WITH your single-ended amp.
Forgot to mention that this very amp (57 Champ reissue) isn't even P2P. It's got an eyelet circuit board inside on which the primary components are mounted.
I agree with John, point-to-point wiring has a warmer and lush tone compared to an amp with a circut board. I don't know why or if there is bleeding as I've heard, all I know is that the tone is better. All personal taste I guess...
Gibson also made a similar amp about three years ago. It was the Goldtone GA5. It has identical specs as the new Fender 57 champ reissue, 5 watts, 8 inch speaker, one volume knob, point to point hand wirings, and uses the same tubes el84 and 12x7a. It is also made in USA, not sure if this new Fender 57 champ is made in USA. The going price for the Gibson GA5 was about $1000 also, but later was dropped to $299 from Musician's Friend. I purchased two, kept one still in the box and in storage.
That's a great question! Every guitar I play seems to make me play differently. Comfort? Not if you've been playing for too long. Every bone in the body hurts if you're not in shape......
Beautiful tone John enhanced by your ability in your performances. I`m looking for one to purchase , love the small amps , I have a Blues Junior and love it , but a hint might be to get some corner protection , as I`ve noticed the original amps have been scuffed up on the corners , making them look a bit tatty and worn , but that might be ok for most people , not me , if it`s being looked after for decades . Just sayin` , cheers.
@lunardelight Not to beat a dead horse, but I've heard P2P builds with some of the worst parasitic oscillation problems you could imagine. Component layout is an engineering function unto itself and P2P is not immune to problems. The "highest quality build" is not simply determined by P2P construction. It's determined by optimal component layout combined with highest quality components for a given circuit. That could just as easily be a turret board build.
I'm not exactly sure but I heard that todays ac30's are pretty sub-par. Make sure to try the one you buy. Also I heard the ac15's they're making are good.
I have a 70's Fender Deluxe at 22 watts and a newer Blues Junior at 15 watts. How low or small do you want it to be? My favorite big amp is the Fender Vibrolux with 2x10s at 40 watts. The best low wattage amp I ever had was a black or silver faced Fender Princeton at 15 watts.Thanks for your interest.
With absolutely all due respect sir, and you did kind of mention it, but you absolutely can do something about the tone, I’ve found that this amp can do a variety of tones depending on your fingers, and it responds very well to tone knob adjustments on the guitar itself. Just my 2 cents and you are certainly more expert than I am lol.
We have trouble controlling the voice to guitar audio. We need to get a clip-on mic that isn't $1000 that works. Anyone with an idea? ......Thanks John
No! No! My feelings are not gonna be hurt. My intention is to get people to join in and add to the review giving it a more universal complete result. Yeah, the review is shit but it's getting better with input. Thanks for sharing.......
Is it enough loud to play with band? (don't say to me 5w is not nought enough, because watts are not dBs). I played in my band with Marshall Class 5, but it is much louder than 5w silverface Champ.
Specs - 57 Custom Champ Reissue 5-watt hand-wired all-tube guitar combo amplifier Single 8” 4-ohm Weber Special Design alnico speaker Original 5F1 circuit with Fender Pure Vintage yellow capacitors and Schumacher transformers Single 12AY7 preamp tube, single 6V6 power amp tube, single 5Y3GT rectifier tube Dual ¼” inputs accommodate a variety of instruments Includes a protective cover Specs - 57 Champ Faithful reissue of Fender's classic 1957 narrow-panel tweed Champ amplifier - 5-watt hand-wired tube combo amplifier for guitar - Specially designed single 8-inch Weber speaker with alnico magnet and 4-ohms total impedance - Vintage 5F1 circuit (the 6th iteration of the 1950s Fender Champ circuit) - Simple design: one 12AY7 preamp tube, one 6V6 power amp tube, and one 5Y3GT rectifier tube - Fender Pure Vintage yellow capacitors and Schumacher transformers - Two 1/4-inch guitar inputs (normal and bright) - Chrome control panel with classic metal lever on/off toggle switch, vintage-style pre-LED red power indicator, and a single volume pot - Tapered vintage-style "chickenhead" control knobs - Fender Bassman-style grille cloth - Finger-joined solid pine cabinet construction - Leather handle strap with chrome mounting hardware - Vintage-style metal Fender logo badge - Includes tweed cloth protective cover - Unit weighs 15 pounds
(a) Leo Fender made it in order to amplify anything that needs to be amplified in a musical context, whether it was a guitar of any kind or even a voice. (b) I don't think it makes any sense at all to limit your testing choices in such a way. Gibson guitars and Fender amps have been used in some of the most famous recordings of music history, and it would be a shame to... avoid using them together.
I love the amp. However, as to the "there still trying to make amplifiers sound like the originals because they sound so classic" comment... Its because of the PLAYERS. You think that if Clapton (or any "classic" guitar player from the 50-60s) grabbed a modern amp to record you wouldn't have liked the music?? Hell no!! you would have liked it all the same. Practice alot and plug in mother fuckers!!!!!
Nice amp but seems like a Champ600 on steroids to me. I think its cheaper and more fun to buy a champ600 and wire the thing point to point, change the speaker (if it fits in the c600 housing offcourse) from 6" to 8" and you got this amp.
I can't believe after the huge myth-busting that this has gone through, that people still believe this. In order to draw a conclusion, you would have to hear exactly the same amp between PTP and PCB versions, with exactly the same components, same circuit, same loudspeaker, same guitar, same listener, same ear fatigue, same pick, same way of hitting the strings in the same place etc. Have you done that?
I must respectfully disagree. Making repairs to a turret board or eyelet board build is no more difficult than making repairs to a P2P build. PCB can be difficult, yes. But P2P is not the end-all. I only know this because I build amps.
There is absolutely no difference in tone between point to point and circuit board construction. Sit a P2P Champ next to a circuit board constructed clone and A/B them. Provided they have the same transformers, there will be zero difference. The most important aspects of tone are circuit topology and transformers. Construction method is irrelevant.
@NintendoSinceBirth1 I've played two of them, with five different guitars. I still don't think this amp is worth more than two or three hundred dollars. It's 99% hype. There is absolutely no difference in tone or feel between PtP and PCB construction, tube rectification has no benefits in a class A amp...there's a whole list of things that Fender brags about that aren't actually benefits. And then they have the boxy little 8" speaker? Sorry, no. I'll build my own.
I guess I feel there's not enough listening. Thanks for the comment. I don't like these amps without reverb. A Fender amp without reverb makes no sense.
I’m flush with tweeds, including a Champ, a Deluxe, and a Princeton. Also a brown panel Princeton. But as they say, if the house was on raging fire, I would be going out the door with a kid under one arm and my 57 tweed Champ clone under the other. No doubt about about it.
You got two kids?
Thanks for the friendly comment. There's so much antagonism in the world who needs more of it especially when we're talking about guitars and amps that shouldn't be used for anything but music.
John a excellent review after all these years I keep watching Respect !!!
The reason I purchased mine thank You John !
Awesome playing, LOVED the review.....you've got some kick ass soul, John.!!
I enjoyed this presentation of the Fender '57 Amplifier very much. In fact, I have to say that I have enjoyed all the videos put out by johnhguitar. Always entertaining. Always articulate. And always a wealth of information. Among the best of the review channels on UA-cam!
it was one of the best reviews i have ever seen on youtube.you get a little bit about the sound and a little bit about the amp and technical stuff.nice
Glad I got mine in 2009 price 1000 at Long & McQuade Now before taxes 1539. 99 - with taxes 1667.04 !
Me too early 2010 at L & M 999.99
Whoouuwww!!!
Best Blues, best sound and best test of an amp!
Thank you very much.
Thanks Marc! Glad you like it. More to come!
I like the informal tone of the review, listening to a seasoned musician and guitar player. In that sense this is more than a simple amp review.
Such a small amp but man! What a sound! Thanks for sharing.
love your tones!!
fender needs to release the Vibro- Champ in the vintage reissue series.
It helps a lot to have a great player with a superb guitar.
Single-ended amps are all you need nowadays in the studio and live with sound reinforcement, but I think you have to play to them. Because they are single-ended, they will never sound like push-pull amps. They don't sag at all and you only get nice clipping on one side of the waveform. The other side, if it hits cutoff, gets squared off like Frankenstein's head. So remember to work WITH your single-ended amp.
But seriously, that amp really does sound good. I want oneeeee.
I've got a little Gretch amp that is the same thing, only a little less expensive and I love it. It is also great for a harp.
Forgot to mention that this very amp (57 Champ reissue) isn't even P2P. It's got an eyelet circuit board inside on which the primary components are mounted.
I agree with John, point-to-point wiring has a warmer and lush tone compared to an amp with a circut board. I don't know why or if there is bleeding as I've heard, all I know is that the tone is better. All personal taste I guess...
Man, you took that really humble and didn't flare up! That alone is a credit to character and your review was perfectly okay!
Gibson also made a similar amp about three years ago. It was the Goldtone GA5. It has identical specs as the new Fender 57 champ reissue, 5 watts, 8 inch speaker, one volume knob, point to point hand wirings, and uses the same tubes el84 and 12x7a. It is also made in USA, not sure if this new Fender 57 champ is made in USA. The going price for the Gibson GA5 was about $1000 also, but later was dropped to $299 from Musician's Friend. I purchased two, kept one still in the box and in storage.
That's a great question! Every guitar I play seems to make me play differently. Comfort? Not if you've been playing for too long. Every bone in the body hurts if you're not in shape......
He must really like the ES-335. He uses it a lot. I think this amp is matched very nice to Telecasters and Stratocasters, more than a Gibson.
thanks for the review!
3:47 that chord sound sooooooooo good. delicious holy crap.
@EuphorbusBTB Thanks a million!
Probably not that much difference in sound, but it sure makes servicing easier!
Excellent review !!!
Excellent Review Sir !!!
Beautiful tone John enhanced by your ability in your performances. I`m looking for one to purchase , love the small amps , I have a Blues Junior and love it , but a hint might be to get some corner protection , as I`ve noticed the original amps have been scuffed up on the corners , making them look a bit tatty and worn , but that might be ok for most people , not me , if it`s being looked after for decades . Just sayin` , cheers.
Hi Rick and thanks for the comment. I too have the Blues Junior a fine amp at that. I've had lots of amps and it holds its own. Cheers Bro!
@lunardelight Not to beat a dead horse, but I've heard P2P builds with some of the worst parasitic oscillation problems you could imagine. Component layout is an engineering function unto itself and P2P is not immune to problems.
The "highest quality build" is not simply determined by P2P construction. It's determined by optimal component layout combined with highest quality components for a given circuit. That could just as easily be a turret board build.
I'm not exactly sure but I heard that todays ac30's are pretty sub-par. Make sure to try the one you buy. Also I heard the ac15's they're making are good.
I have a 70's Fender Deluxe at 22 watts and a newer Blues Junior at 15 watts. How low or small do you want it to be? My favorite big amp is the Fender Vibrolux with 2x10s at 40 watts.
The best low wattage amp I ever had was a black or silver faced Fender Princeton at 15 watts.Thanks for your interest.
@itsonlyrcknroll What kind of sound are you looking for? What genre/style do you play?
With absolutely all due respect sir, and you did kind of mention it, but you absolutely can do something about the tone, I’ve found that this amp can do a variety of tones depending on your fingers, and it responds very well to tone knob adjustments on the guitar itself. Just my 2 cents and you are certainly more expert than I am lol.
But it would but nice to see your demo of this amp linked to this video. Thanks for the friendly comment.
Clapton used a tweed Champ for Layla from everything I've read.
We have trouble controlling the voice to guitar audio. We need to get a clip-on mic that isn't $1000 that works. Anyone with an idea? ......Thanks John
No! No! My feelings are not gonna be hurt. My intention is to get people to join in and add to the review giving it a more universal complete result. Yeah, the review is shit but it's getting better with input. Thanks for sharing.......
Nice tones man. Jumping from talking about pre amp tubes to turnarounds knocked me off balance a bit. Haha
The tone at the beginning is great!
@NintendoSinceBirth1 I think so. At the time I got , I thought I was dreaming. Also, looks and plays like new.
All those guitars behind you and you try it with just the 335?
Is it enough loud to play with band? (don't say to me 5w is not nought enough, because watts are not dBs). I played in my band with Marshall Class 5, but it is much louder than 5w silverface Champ.
Have you ever tried that with a distortion pedal?
So hey, what’s the difference between this amp and the 57 custom champ Reissue I bought last year if any?
Specs - 57 Custom Champ Reissue
5-watt hand-wired all-tube guitar combo amplifier
Single 8” 4-ohm Weber Special Design alnico speaker
Original 5F1 circuit with Fender Pure Vintage yellow capacitors and Schumacher transformers
Single 12AY7 preamp tube, single 6V6 power amp tube, single 5Y3GT rectifier tube
Dual ¼” inputs accommodate a variety of instruments
Includes a protective cover
Specs - 57 Champ
Faithful reissue of Fender's classic 1957 narrow-panel tweed Champ amplifier
- 5-watt hand-wired tube combo amplifier for guitar
- Specially designed single 8-inch Weber speaker with alnico magnet and 4-ohms total impedance
- Vintage 5F1 circuit (the 6th iteration of the 1950s Fender Champ circuit)
- Simple design: one 12AY7 preamp tube, one 6V6 power amp tube, and one 5Y3GT rectifier tube
- Fender Pure Vintage yellow capacitors and Schumacher transformers
- Two 1/4-inch guitar inputs (normal and bright)
- Chrome control panel with classic metal lever on/off toggle switch, vintage-style pre-LED red power indicator, and a single volume pot
- Tapered vintage-style "chickenhead" control knobs
- Fender Bassman-style grille cloth
- Finger-joined solid pine cabinet construction
- Leather handle strap with chrome mounting hardware
- Vintage-style metal Fender logo badge
- Includes tweed cloth protective cover
- Unit weighs 15 pounds
John Heussenstamm ok it seems like the exact same, thanks
nice review, sounds sweet :)
Thanks....just an opinion based on my own experience..........
How would you compare it to say a 1971 silver face champ?
For me, when things are new they seem brittle a bit harsh. There's a certain kind of mellowness in old amps you can't get any other way.
The sound is excellent, and thousands of guitarists have used the exactly same setup from the 50s until today...
thanks for the review
this guy reminds me of Ian Mackaye
(a) Leo Fender made it in order to amplify anything that needs to be amplified in a musical context, whether it was a guitar of any kind or even a voice.
(b) I don't think it makes any sense at all to limit your testing choices in such a way. Gibson guitars and Fender amps have been used in some of the most famous recordings of music history, and it would be a shame to... avoid using them together.
I love the amp. However, as to the "there still trying to make amplifiers sound like the originals because they sound so classic" comment... Its because of the PLAYERS. You think that if Clapton (or any "classic" guitar player from the 50-60s) grabbed a modern amp to record you wouldn't have liked the music?? Hell no!! you would have liked it all the same. Practice alot and plug in mother fuckers!!!!!
@zkenzo geez can you say greatest find ever?
from what i've heard you stop complaining about the price after you've played this thing so i really need to check it out
the 57 champ is hand wired made in america amp.
Nice amp but seems like a Champ600 on steroids to me.
I think its cheaper and more fun to buy a champ600 and wire the thing point to point, change the speaker (if it fits in the c600 housing offcourse) from 6" to 8" and you got this amp.
lol, at first I heard you say....."This is Fender's 57 channel.....!!!"
Tell it like it is !!!
I can't believe after the huge myth-busting that this has gone through, that people still believe this. In order to draw a conclusion, you would have to hear exactly the same amp between PTP and PCB versions, with exactly the same components, same circuit, same loudspeaker, same guitar, same listener, same ear fatigue, same pick, same way of hitting the strings in the same place etc. Have you done that?
You want to hear it using a PRS
From the thumbnail I seriously thought that this review was to be undertaken by Doctor Evil...
I must respectfully disagree. Making repairs to a turret board or eyelet board build is no more difficult than making repairs to a P2P build. PCB can be difficult, yes. But P2P is not the end-all. I only know this because I build amps.
There is absolutely no difference in tone between point to point and circuit board construction. Sit a P2P Champ next to a circuit board constructed clone and A/B them. Provided they have the same transformers, there will be zero difference.
The most important aspects of tone are circuit topology and transformers. Construction method is irrelevant.
1000 bucks?? I'll keep my '72 silverface I got for $20 at a garage sale.
@NintendoSinceBirth1 I've played two of them, with five different guitars. I still don't think this amp is worth more than two or three hundred dollars. It's 99% hype. There is absolutely no difference in tone or feel between PtP and PCB construction, tube rectification has no benefits in a class A amp...there's a whole list of things that Fender brags about that aren't actually benefits. And then they have the boxy little 8" speaker? Sorry, no. I'll build my own.
considering "there isn't an awful lot to talk about" ...!
P2P makes no difference to the tone!
what happened to your hat? bring it back! lol
o_O
$1000 ? no thanks :P
So much talking...
I guess I feel there's not enough listening. Thanks for the comment. I don't like these amps without reverb. A Fender amp without reverb makes no sense.
Thanks....just an opinion based on my own experience..........