NAD - Fender Superchamp X2

SFIV1967

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Evidently this is a "Fender Special Run" with a 12" speaker, normally they come with a 10" speaker.
There are a couple of unusual things on that amp. First it is marked as "Super Champ X2 HEAD"!
Second the standard combo came with the 10" Fender Special Design (P/N: 0091245000) speaker. The limited edition FSR model came with a 10”, 8-ohm Celestion G10 Greenback speaker. I have never seen such 12" British Invasion speaker in a Fender amp from the factory.

And the Limited edition had Wine Red vinyl covering. Also the handle was a different design. It also had a special limited edition badge on the back, see here: https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...0,w_1600/v1510274209/zumxb7qf8pii83pvwnwe.jpg
So your amp is a bit a mystery to me. I wonder how that 12" speaker even fits in the stock cabinet, even with the 10" speaker it looked pretty full. So to me there is a possibility that whole cabinet is custom built probably after factory for such 12" speaker, hence also the snake skin vinyl and the different handle. The height of the combo was only 15", have you measured how tall your amp is?

Ralf
 
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dreadnut

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I'll check it out Ralf. I know there is not an "FSR" badge on the back. I also sent a message to Fender asking for some info on this one.
 

dreadnut

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I just measured this amp - it is 17" high and 17.5" wide, so that explains why the 12" speaker fits. Still curious why it's labeled as a "head" with a "combo" model number. The wine red snakeskin tolex is Fender issue, you can find several of them on Reverb, etc.

Hoping Fender will have some answers for me...
 

jp

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I just measured this amp - it is 17" high and 17.5" wide, so that explains why the 12" speaker fits. Still curious why it's labeled as a "head" with a "combo" model number. The wine red snakeskin tolex is Fender issue, you can find several of them on Reverb, etc.

Hoping Fender will have some answers for me...
Since they originally came with a 10-inch speaker, people commonly mount these head chassis into cabs that can hold a 12-inch speaker. It seems pretty apparent that this is a custom job done by the owner.

Although your example isn't one the Fender Special Run models, all the mods are the common improvements that make SC's more universally usable to get a bigger cab sound from this amp. If you paid the going price for a used Super Champ X2 head, I think you got the better end of the deal by not having to pay for larger cab, recover, and upgraded speaker!
 

dreadnut

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jp, I think you're right. Fender got back with me and said it was customized, but not by Fender, maybe GC?

Anyway, I'm gonna keep it!

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adorshki

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jp, I think you're right. Fender got back with me and said it was customized, but not by Fender, maybe GC?

Anyway, I'm gonna keep it!

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I doubt GC would do that work.
They don't want to "invest" in used gear and wouldn't want to void the warranty by modifying/customizing a new item.
(Huge liability issue if it burns down somebody's house, for example, too.)
Suspect according to their typical level of expertise they didn't realize it was modified either, and paid for it as if it were a standard piece of used gear and sell-priced it the same way.
It looks "factory", all right, which I dig.
 

dreadnut

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Hmmm. curiouser and curiouser…

Message from Fender:

"That is the designation that comes up when that serial number is searched. The picture you sent even has the "head" portion on the back side - it may have to do with the larger cab. This could very well be a special run of some sort, but nothing was specified in our system regarding the changes. And deeper digging has suggested this amp was sold through Musicians Friend/Guitar Center, so it is very possible they asked that the amp be built this way. However, like the White Snakeskin amp I know we made, I have no specific information on this one."
 

adorshki

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Hmmm. curiouser and curiouser…

Message from Fender:

"That is the designation that comes up when that serial number is searched. The picture you sent even has the "head" portion on the back side - it may have to do with the larger cab. This could very well be a special run of some sort, but nothing was specified in our system regarding the changes. And deeper digging has suggested this amp was sold through Musicians Friend/Guitar Center, so it is very possible they asked that the amp be built this way. However, like the White Snakeskin amp I know we made, I have no specific information on this one."

Well that fits right in with the way they handled Guild s/n records, too.
:glee:
 

dreadnut

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So I pressed him a little on this and he said after digging a little deeper that it may have been a special build for Musician's Friend/Guitar Center, but he doesn't have any specific records of it. As clean as it looks, I'm going to assume it came from the Fender factory this way.

Then there is still the issue of the mis-matched model description of a head, "HD," but the model # of the combo, as pointed out by Ralf:

There are a couple of unusual things on that amp. First it is marked as "Super Champ X2 HEAD"! But the head part number would be PR 2260, and your amp is marked PR 2259 which is the P/N for the combo. Odd.
 

SFIV1967

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As clean as it looks, I'm going to assume it came from the Fender factory this way.
Fender labels on the inside of the cabinet would tell. I would think there should be paper labels glued inside on the left or right side wall. Like such label: https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...0,w_1600/v1514400316/p9qrvtk1z9mgugxxw3mj.jpg

Also I have not seen Fender using the Warehouse brand speakers in a Fender amp from the factory. But many people are using such Warehouse speakers as great upgrade for Fender amps. And you already noticed how great it sounds with the 12" speaker, so I guess it was a great purchase to find that amp!

...it is marked as "Super Champ X2 HEAD"! But the head part number would be PR 2260, and your amp is marked PR 2259 which is the P/N for the combo.
My bad, actually I screwed up... The head P/N is indeed 2259 and the combo P/N is 2260...Sorry for the confusion.
Here is the service manual for the amp: https://manualzz.com/doc/6276117/super-champ-x2-service-manual

In any way, your cabinet has a real Head built in looking at those two pictures:

https://www.leftyguitars.be/media/2618/fender-super-champ-head-back.jpg

https://sc1.musik-produktiv.com/pic-010057677_01xxl/fender-super-champ-x2_01xxl.jpg

Ralf
 
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jp

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I still suspect that it's a customer build. And whoever did it did a nice job on the recover.

Just like for the mods people do to the Rivera-era Super Champs and Princeton Reverbs, there are lots discussions on forums about swapping out the newer XD and X2 amps to new cabinets to get the perfect grab-and-go mini 1x12" tube amp. There are even cab makers like this one who make cabs specifically for this purpose. You can also find talk on the forums about lists of the best 12" speaker upgrades for this amp, if you're not happy with the WGS. I've looked into these options for my Rivera Super Champ, which is how I ran across this common practice.

Regardless of its origins, you now have a perfect compact tube amp that works for bedroom volumes, practice spaces, and small venues that won't break your back!
 

dreadnut

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Thanks for the update Ralf, yes the moel # 2259 is correct for the "HD," which confirms that this is a X2 Head fitted to a cabinet that holds a 12" speaker.

I just love this combo, and I suspect you're right about the customization, jp. Whoever did it, they did a nice job. I'm a bit surprised that they can use the Fender logo though. I guess it is a Fender head, so...
 

dreadnut

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So what I have here is a "Franken-amp," Fender Super Champ X2 Head in a custom cabinet with a 12" speaker. Fender won't lay claim to it officially, but they "may have built it for GC."
 
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