A440
84 posts
Jun 19, 2013
11:41 AM
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I have the Gretsch G5222 clone of the Fender Champion 600, still stock. It is time to upgrade the tubes and speaker. Can anyone recommend what kind of tubes to buy, and what replacement speaker will give the best results with harp?
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Tuckster
1295 posts
Jun 19, 2013
12:02 PM
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http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/990763.htm
That's just one of quite a few threads on this subject. Just do a forum search for Champ 600.
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HawkeyeKane
1794 posts
Jun 19, 2013
12:17 PM
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Only speaker I can think of that'd be a good match is a Weber Alnico Sig 6. All other Champs and Champ clones use an 8" speaker instead of a 6", so the tonal characteristics are gonna be different.
Weber put a word of advice and a customer's kudos on mounting this speaker into G5222's and Champ 600's...
"Some 6V6's might be about 3/16" to 1/4" inches taller than the Chinese tube these amps come with. To fit this speaker with the factory tube in place, loosen the two screws that hold the chassis in place. There are two machine screws on the side and two wood screws on the faceplate. Pivot the face plate out at the bottom. Cut a hard rubber hose washer to about 3/8' in length and place two of these spacers under the chassis faceplate at the bottom. That will cause the chassis to tilt slightly out to make the proper clearance."
"Modification of the baffle board and grill cloth and changing power & pre-amp tubes significantly improved the Fender champion 600s stock speaker sound from muddy to clear and crunchy. When I replaced the stock speaker with the Weber AlNiCo Signature 6, Partial Rib, I was blown away by the new sound. The best I can describe the overall sound is Bright and punchy for country licks and creamy and rich for blues runs; the speaker is super responsive to pick/finger attack; no other mods are necessary to make this amp a winner. Replacing the almost 1/2" thick stock baffle board with a 1/4" birch ply board is a cheap upgrade. The new baffle board also allowed me to offset the speaker cutout by one inch to the left (looking from the rear of the cabinet) which provides ample clearance for any power tube one might wish to install. Kudos goes to the AlNiCo Signature 6, Partial Rib."
In terms of tubes, I'd go with NOS ones if you can get them. But if not, JJ's are a good way to go.
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Hawkeye Kane
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Rhartt1234
88 posts
Jun 19, 2013
1:02 PM
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I had a Champion 600 and I tried speaker and tube swaps and couldn't get the damn thing to sound good. I rarely sell gear and it looked cool enough not to give up on but had to let it go.
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5F6H
1639 posts
Jun 19, 2013
1:33 PM
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The Champ 600 is basically a low voltage SF Champ with a SS rectifier & 6" speaker. A different preamp tube will help (as will better power tube & speaker...but better is relative) but really first port of call is to change values in the fixed "tone stack" - rewire the treble as if "off", bump up the bass value (150-250K) and set mids to 6.8K to 10K. This is not a complicated thing for a tech/home modder to do.
There are no tubes/speakers that can emulate these mods, or give a simlar result. So if you aren't going to entertain circuit mods I'd try a new preamp tube, or two...then cut my losses & punt the amp on.
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A440
85 posts
Jun 19, 2013
2:26 PM
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Thanks Hawkeye - You continue to be a leading "answer man" when it comes to amps! I'll look for the Weber Alnico Sig 6 and the JJ tubes.
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MJ
626 posts
Jun 19, 2013
5:26 PM
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I agree with 5F6H, I have owned 2 Champ 600 reissues. With out doing the tone stack mods you are wasting your time. It makes a big improvement. The cab will also hold an 8" speaker if you are willing to make a new baffle and slightly change position of speaker. The 8" speaker gives you more choices in speakers. The one I have now, I remade as a hardwired ptp with a rectifier tube and changed the circuit to 5F1, along with a couple of other tweeks. So in the end I would say that it is a good little amp to have fun with on the workbench and mod the hell out of. It sounds pretty good at a coffee house where the volume is always low.
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A440
86 posts
Jun 20, 2013
12:25 PM
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Anyone have experience with the Electro Harmonix tubes in this amp?
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PlanB
3 posts
May 06, 2018
5:53 PM
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Picked up a Champ 600 cheaply enough to justify a few mods. 8" speaker/change grill cloth/and plan to lift R22. However, trying to swap the stock 12AX7 for a 12AY7 resulted in very swift overheating of the 6V6 S tube. OK when I switched back. Any suggestions as to why that could be?
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