4 ms·

Just curious as to what difference the amplifier makes? [1] has a collection of circuit diagrams /schematics for Fender amplifiers. The Champ circuits look ver

Just curious as to what difference the amplifier makes? [1] has a collection of circuit diagrams /schematics for Fender amplifiers. The Champ circuits look very simple with basically a volume control. [1] https://www.thetubestore.com/early-fender-guitar-amp-schematics https://www.thetubestore.com/early-fender-guitar-amp-schemat...

scrumper 8y ago
A lot. It's half the instrument. Of that, the loudspeaker(s) and the cabinet it's in are as important as the circuit.
bsder 8y ago
A lot. Many of the early amp designs were either cribbed from radio amp or ham amp power stages--these are "clean". "Distortion" wasn't a thing until much later. For instance, the whole reason why "fuzz" pedals came into existence is that a volume control on the preamp wasn't a common thing at that point--and were talking the mid 60's at that point.
- tabtab 8y ago
  Some of the earlier users of distortion concocted various home-grown tricks, before dedicated distortion equipment was manufactured. The Kinks would feed one fully-cranked amplifier into a second or third layer to pile on the distortion caused by over-cranking them all, giving them the "you really got me" sound in '64, arguably the first heavy metal hit. Another musician said he'd poke holes in the speaker with a pencil. And another said the "drunk band" dropped the amplifier while loading it, damaging it, but they liked the damaged sound and kept it.
- beat 8y ago
  The original 1950s amp designs are FILTHY. Fender had to develop the whole blackface line to try to get loud, clean sounds. A Champ or a Tweed Deluxe cannot hit enough volume to play with other instruments without some distortion. The sound of rock records is often the sound of old 1950s small amps, cranked up. I have a 1950s Supro 5 watt (similar to a Champ) that hardly has a clean sound in it. By the time the volume is at noon, it sounds like what you imagined a wall of Marshalls sounded like when you first saw a picture. Fantastic recording amp. It's that sound, the sound of rock.
beat 8y ago
I'd rather have a great amp and a crap guitar than a great guitar and a crap amp. The amp has as much impact on the sound as the guitar itself, probably more. Fender was by far the most important innovator for amps, too. Most tube amps today are derived from early Fender designs like the Champ and the Twin (although they're often two or three generations removed at this point).
- TylerE 8y ago
  Ironically, it was arguably the Fender bass amp that had the biggest long term impact on rock and roll. The basic Bassman circuit was ripped off by Marshall (who were then ripped of by Hi Watt, Orange, etc), Mesa Boogie... almost all of the high-gain amps have a least a bit of bassman in them.

scrumper 8y ago

A lot. It's half the instrument. Of that, the loudspeaker(s) and the cabinet it's in are as important as the circuit.

bsder 8y ago

A lot. Many of the early amp designs were either cribbed from radio amp or ham amp power stages--these are "clean". "Distortion" wasn't a thing until much later. For instance, the whole reason why "fuzz" pedals came into existence is that a volume control on the preamp wasn't a common thing at that point--and were talking the mid 60's at that point.

tabtab 8y ago
Some of the earlier users of distortion concocted various home-grown tricks, before dedicated distortion equipment was manufactured. The Kinks would feed one fully-cranked amplifier into a second or third layer to pile on the distortion caused by over-cranking them all, giving them the "you really got me" sound in '64, arguably the first heavy metal hit. Another musician said he'd poke holes in the speaker with a pencil. And another said the "drunk band" dropped the amplifier while loading it, damaging it, but they liked the damaged sound and kept it.
beat 8y ago
The original 1950s amp designs are FILTHY. Fender had to develop the whole blackface line to try to get loud, clean sounds. A Champ or a Tweed Deluxe cannot hit enough volume to play with other instruments without some distortion. The sound of rock records is often the sound of old 1950s small amps, cranked up. I have a 1950s Supro 5 watt (similar to a Champ) that hardly has a clean sound in it. By the time the volume is at noon, it sounds like what you imagined a wall of Marshalls sounded like when you first saw a picture. Fantastic recording amp. It's that sound, the sound of rock.

beat 8y ago

I'd rather have a great amp and a crap guitar than a great guitar and a crap amp. The amp has as much impact on the sound as the guitar itself, probably more. Fender was by far the most important innovator for amps, too. Most tube amps today are derived from early Fender designs like the Champ and the Twin (although they're often two or three generations removed at this point).

TylerE 8y ago
Ironically, it was arguably the Fender bass amp that had the biggest long term impact on rock and roll. The basic Bassman circuit was ripped off by Marshall (who were then ripped of by Hi Watt, Orange, etc), Mesa Boogie... almost all of the high-gain amps have a least a bit of bassman in them.