Fender Champion 600 Guitar Amplifier Review

Howdy

Today we are looking at a super-fun Fender Champion 600 guitar amplifier. This is a re-issue of the original amplifiers that were built between 1949 and 1953. This is a pretty faithful reproduction of the original, although Fender said they have added a higher-gain pre-amp circuit to get more overdrive. I have never seen (let alone played) an original, so I will have to go along with them on this one.

>The Champion 600 is a neat amplifier, and very light weight. It weighs in at around 15 pounds, and measures about 12 inches wide by 11 inches high by 8 inches deep. The 50s groove is going ON with the two-tone Tolex.

The electronics are 1950s simple. This is an all-tube amp, with a 12AX7 pre-amp tube and a 6V6 output tube. The output is pretty low, putting out 5 watts at 4 ohms through the built-in 6-inch speaker. You can hook up a larger external speaker, should you wish. The controls are basic: 2 inputs (high and low gain), and a volume control. That is it -- you will have to do all of your EQ with the guitar or your pedal board.

There is not much more to describe, other than the tone. This amp sounds great! It does not hiss or hum excessively, and it puts out enough volume for home practice or recording. It overdrives fairly quickly, which is great if you want some old-style blues or rock and roll at reasonable volume levels. It sounds equally fabulous with my Strat or my Les Paul, and it is a bluesy little amp.

Looking this one over, I would have to say the craftsmanship is pretty good. The Tolex is even, and the electronics are tidy. And, yes, these are built in China, so they do not have any “Fullerton” magic, but that does make them more affordable.

Of course, it does not hurt that the Champion 600 is very affordable. It looks like it has been discontinued, and they now sell for more than they did when they were new, with prices starting around $200. But be careful, as these are popular amps to mod, and you might not know exactly what you are getting into.

Mahalo!

2004 Fender Stratocaster XII 12-String Guitar Review

Aloha!

Today we are looking at something a little different – an early 2000s Fender Stratocaster XII that is a pretty neat piece of work. These guitars are somewhat based on the Electirc XII that was built back in 1965 to 1969 era and are very collectible, even in today’s slower market. Fortunately for us Fender Japan reproduced this version from 1985 to 1995 and 2004-2009 so we can achieve a similar sound and feel for a lot less cash.

This one has a Crafted in Japan Q-prefix serial number, so it was built in 2004. It has a pretty sunburst finish over its alder body, and a rosewood fretboard on its maple neck. It got a white pickguard, pickup covers and knobs, and they have a nicely aged vintage cream look to them.

The neck has a 25 ½-inch scale length with a 7.25-inch fretboard radius. There are 21 vintage style frets set into it. The profile is not much different than a 6-strint Strat, and there is a comfy C profile to the back of the neck. The headstock is quite a deviation from the usual Fender shape, so that it can accommodate those 12 tuners.

The tuners are Ping style finished in chrome, as is the hardtail bridge. The bridge is set up so the primary strings feed through the back of the body and the secondary strings are loaded from the top of the body. The electronics are standard Stratocaster fare, including 3 single coil pickups, a 5 5-way selector switch, a volume control , and two tone controls.

The guitar we are looking at here is in excellent original condition, with no repairs or modifications. It is very well built, with gorgeous paintwork and fabulous fretwork. It is a tad heavy, coming in at just under 8 pounds, but it is still 3 or 4 pounds less than my Les Paul. It is one of the easiest playing 12-strings I have ever run into, as it does not feel very lot different than the 6-string version.

Sound-wise, it is (of course) more full than a regular Strat, and probably a bit janglier than a Rickenbacker 12-string. Don't take that the wrong way – it does have a very lovely and useable tone. Pretty much, it is a winner for not a lot of dough. If you ever have the chance to try one of these out you should give it a go. See what you think!

Mahalo!

1985 Fender Squier Stratocaster ST-331 Guitar Review

Aloha!

Most of the 1980s JV and A-series made in Japan Fender guitars stayed fairly close to vintage specifications, though there were a few locking tremolos and nuts to be found. Squier instruments from the same time period had a few models that were more way out there, including the ST-331 Stratocaster that we are looking at today.

This Squier by Fender Stratocaster was built at the revered Fujigen factory on January 24, 1985, and it caries an A-prefix serial number. Deviations from the vintage norm include a sinister black appearance, complete with a matching headstock, a single humbucking pickup and a lone control knob. Metal!

The neck has a nice chunk of rosewood for the fretboard, and there are 21 frets and a plastic nut set into it. The frets show a little wear, but are in amazingly good shape for a 33-year-old guitar. As mentioned earlier, the headstock is painted black and there are 1970s style closed-back tuners installed. The back of the neck has a comfy oval profile to it and it feels just a little different than other Strats because this instrument has a shorter scale than normal: 24.75” instead of 25.5”.

The body has the traditional Stratocaster shape with a nice thick coat of poly finish. Hardware includes a classic tremolo with bent steel saddles, and a single-ply pickguard that looks dreadfully cheap. There is supposed to be a matching cover for the cavity on the back, but it has gone missing over the years. By the way, it is pretty light too, weighing in at under 7 pounds.

Last in the description is the electronics package, which is about as simple as it gets. There is a single Dragster humbucker pickup (7.61 Ohm) at the bridge, and a single volume control. And nothing else: no capacitors, circuit boards, or switches. So, it does just about exactly what you think it would, and that is provide a crunchy rock experience when driven hard. It is refreshing to play, as the tone is all about gain and whatever talent you have in your fingers.

This Strat is a good player and it sounds good, and I think it looks nice too. It has been played out so there are some dings and scratches, as well as some rust on the hardware, but it appears ready to go for another 33 years with a minimum of maintenance. I’m not sure where this fits in with collection, but I could definitely see unloading my LTD George Lynch Kamikaze and keeping this Squier instead. Hmmm.

Mahalo!

Review: 2007 Fender Precision Bass PB70-78US

Hi there!

This is kind of a repeat as I have two almost identical basses in stock right now, and I have been through quite a few of these basses over the years because they are consistently great instruments. The Fender PB70-70US Precision Bass is a very nice recreation of their 1970 model, and it was built with pride in Fender’s Japanese factories.

The PB in the model designation designates this instrument as a Precision Bass, the first 70 shows that this is a 1970 model, and the second 78 indicates that the original price was 70,000 Yen. That was around $590 bucks back then, which was a heck of a deal. Oh yes, and the US at the end of the model name means that this bass shipped with US-made vintage style pickups.

This one is finished in a silky Olympic White, which has yellowed nicely over the years. I have heard that the body is supposed to be made of alder, but who really knows? The body shape has the classic contoured P bass shape, and the neck is attached with a four-bolt joint. As I said, there is a US-sourced pickup, with the expected volume and tone controls. The hardware is the usual Fender stuff, with a three-layer B-W-B pickguard, a chrome four-saddle bridge, and the correct large bass Fender vintage-style tuners. I hate the Japanese basses that come with the lame small-base tuners. Boo.

The neck is not too huge, with a 1 5/8-inch wide nut and a comfortable shallow C profile to the back. The rosewood fretboard has white plastic fret markers, and a nut that might be a replacement. The neck is true and the truss rod works fine. The 20 original frets use vintage size wire, and are still nice and level with very little wear. To top it off, it has the correct big logo on the headstock, so this thing looks just right

It plays right, too. It is very well constructed, and the neck is very playable. I love the sound of it, and I do think the US pickups make a difference. I think that sometimes the Japanese pickups and pots are not quite up to snuff. This one is in line with most of the other one I have owned, coming in right around 9 pounds.

Anyway, it is a great bass, and if you are in the market for a new P Bass, these Japanese reissues cannot be beat for the price.

Mahalo!

Review: 1989 FENDER JAPAN TELECASTER TL72-55 Guitar

Howdy!

Even casual readers of Rex and the Bass know that I love both Telecasters and Japanese guitars, so when those two planets align I am like a high school kid with a cheesesteak and a Coke Zero. Check out today’s beauty: a Japan-built Fender TL72-55 Telecaster. This is a fairly faithful recreation of a 1972 Telecaster, and gives the performance of the American-made reissues at a fraction of the cost. I picked this non-export model a while back in Japan, and I am trying to figure out how it fits into my collection.

As this is a model TL52-55, it is one of the midrange models. The “72” in the model designation means this is a 1972 Tele style, and the “55” in the name designates 55,000 Yen, which is around 600 bucks right now. And Japanese music shops don’t bargain much from list price. The serial number on the headstock has an E9 Made in Japan prefix, dating this to 1989 (or so) according to Fender’s website. That puts this one pretty squarely in the period of time when Fender Japan was at its best.

This guitar has a transparent finish over its very pretty 3-piece Sen ash body, and it is not terrible heavy, coming in at a touch over 8 ½ pounds. It still sports the original 3-ply black pickguard, and pretty much everything else is original too, except for the output jack (which was probably a wise upgrade).

The maple neck is a peach with a period-correct water transfer label and a C-profile. The original frets are normal-sized and were probably well finished when it was new – they are still level after almost 30 years, but they do have some visible wear. The neck pocket to body fit is very precise, showing the fine craftsmanship that went into building this instrument.

The hardware includes the aforementioned 3-ply pickguard and a traditional Tele bridge with 3 steel saddles. As I said earlier it is not terrible faithful to the original and this is because of two things: the truss rod screw is a hex type and they installed Gotoh sealed tuners at the factory. There are no problems with these things, of course as the hex is less likely to strip and Gotohs are very nice tuners that work smoothly and hold well. The electronics pickups appear to be original to the guitar, too.

This Tele is not a museum piece and it has had its share of use over the years, but it is all honest playwear and it has a nice vintage vibe to it. In particular there is wear to the fretboard and pitting of the metal parts, which really add to the character of the instrument. People pay extra for relicing, you know…

There is a pretty good reason it is showing some wear, and that is because it sounds great and it is a smooth playing guitar. The tone is everything you could ever want from a Telecaster, and it will kill any Stratocaster that crosses its path. Everyone needs a Telecaster!

Mahalo!

1997 Fender JGS-65 Jag-Stang Guitar Review

Aloha!

Today we are looking at a well-loved 1997 Fender Jag-Stang, that came to me straight out of Japan. I think that Kurt Cobain from Nirvana was a genius, and think that these instruments are a nice reminder of his contributions to the guitar world of today.

The Fender Jag-Stang was designed by Fender to meet Kurt Cobain’s needs. It is a 24-inch scale hybrid of the famous Fender Mustang and Jaguar guitars, with the Mustang’s Dynamic Vibrato bridge. Legend has it that the necks on these are an exact replica of the one from Kurt’s favorite Mustang. Believe it or don’t…

The original run of these guitars was made between 1995 and 2001 with basswood bodies, and the second run was made from 2003 to 2005 with ash bodies. The only two colors available were Fiesta Red and Sonic Blue. All of the guitars were built at Fender’s Japanese Custom Shop.

The electronics consist of a “vintage-style” single coil at the neck, and a “Special design” (or Dragster as they are know in Japan) humbucker at the bridge. My resistance checks showed these at 5.67k ohm for the neck and 7.60k ohm for the bridge. Each pickup has its own 3-position slide on/off phase switch, in addition to the master volume and tone knobs. Some people are pretty critical of the quality of these parts, but they sound fine to me. This is grunge, remember?

The instrument pictured here was built in 1997 (I think), and you can tell by the photos that it has a nice thick coat of Fiesta Red poly on it. It is a nice-playing guitar, with good craftsmanship. It sounds good, and the controls are useful for getting a lot of different tones from it. This guitar has been played a lot, and there is a bit of finish wear plus aging to the hardware, but this is honest playwear and not abuse. The frets are still in great shape and it is one of the easiest playing guitars I have ever owned.

The only gripe I have about the Jag-Stang is that it is so small that it feels like a toy when it is being played with my beefy hands. But on the plus side, its small size translates into a weight of only 7.5 pounds. Maybe I will keep this one around for a while…

Mahalo!

Review: 2003 Fender Japan Precision Bass PB70-70US

Aloha!

I have been through a few of these basses over the years, and they have been consistently great instruments. The Fender PB70-70US Precision Bass is a very nice recreation of their 1970 model, and it was built with pride in their Japanese factories.

The PB in the model designation designates this instrument as a Precision Bass, the first 70 shows that this is a 1970 model, and the second 70 indicates that the original price was 70,000 Yen. That was around $540 bucks back then, which was a heck of a deal. Oh yes, and the US at the end of the model name means that this bass shipped with US-made vintage style pickups.

This 2003 model is finished in a creamy Olympic White, which has yellowed nicely over the years. I have heard that the body is supposed to be made of alder, but who really knows? The body shape has the classic contoured P bass shape, and the neck is attached with a four-bolt joint. As I said, there is a US-sourced pickup, with the normal volume and tone controls. The hardware is the usual Fender stuff, with a three-layer B-W-B pickguard, a chrome four-saddle bridge, and the correct large bass Fender vintage-style tuners. I hate the Japanese basses that come with the lame small-base tuners. Boo.

The neck is not too huge, with a 1 5/8-inch wide nut and a comfortable shallow C profile to the back. The rosewood fretboard has white plastic fret markers, and a nut that might be a replacement. The neck is true and the truss rod works fine. The 20 original frets use vintage size wire, and are still nice and level with very little wear. To top it off, it has the correct big logo on the headstock, so this thing looks just right.

It plays right, too. It is very well constructed, and the neck is very playable. I love the sound of it, it weighs around 9 pounds, and I do think the US pickups make a difference. I think that sometimes the Japanese pickups and pots are not quite the greatest.

Anyway, this is a great bass, and if you are in the market for a new P Bass, these Japanese reissues cannot be beat for the price.

Mahalo!

Fender JB75-90 1975 Reissue Jazz Bass Review

Aloha!

My friends know that I really like Japanese guitars, particularly those that were produced by Fender of Japan. Today we am looking at a gorgeous original Japanese series 1975 re-issue Fender Jazz Bass, model JB 75-90. This is a very nice example with a N prefix serial number, probably from 1995. This model was never intended to be exported into the United States, and my friend Graham in Tokyo found it for me.

The original 3-tone sunburst finish pops really nicely. It is in good condition with just a few light dings and chips. It is honest wear, and has not been abused. This one never had a bridge cover installed, so there are none of the extra holes on the front that you will see on a lot of these. Overall, this thing is pretty clean.

The bound neck and frets are in great shape. These are the original frets, and 23 years into their life they are still level, and show surprisingly little wear. You can feel the edges of the walnut stringer on the back of the neck, which is not terribly unusual, as it did not shrink as much as maple did over the years. That is a little annoying, but I am willing to live with it.

The fit and finish on Fender Japan instruments is indeed better than any US-made ones of the same vintage. The fretwork, neck pocket tightness, and every other detail are executed with pinpoint precision. It has the larger vintage-style tuners, not the ones with smaller plates that Fender Japan sometimes used. This bass exudes a very classic, vintage look.

This particular bass has the normal 1975 Fender Jazz Bass pickup configuration, unlike some that have a 60s-type bridge pickup placement. It appears to be all-original. It has not been modified or repaired in any way, as far as I can tell. It plays absolutely killer, and sounds incredible. It far outshines any of the blocked and bound Geddy Lee Artist Model basses I have seen and played. My tech recently set it up with Ernie Ball flats.

The only gripe I have with these basses are their weight. I have yet to see one that weighs less than 10 pounds, and this example weighs in at nearly 11 pounds. There must have a lot of quality jammed in there…

Mahalo!