In this article, I’ll explain in detail the differences between Fender Champion 20 and Orange Crush 20 to enable you to decide which one will be most suitable for your needs.
Table of Contents
About Fender Champion 20:
Fender Champion 20 is a small and affordable amplifier that is ideal for beginners and practice. It has a clean and a drive channel, each with its own volume control. The clean channel gives you a classic Fender tone whilst the drive channel provides distortion for rock and metal sounds. This amp also features an effects loop and a headphone jack.
Features of Fender Champion 20:
- 1/8th headphone output jack that also mutes the speaker output.
- 20 watts
- single channel
- no footswitch
- Dimensions LxWxH: 16 x 12 x 16 inches
| Name | Fender Champion 20 Guitar Amplifier |
| Mic Input? | Yes |
| Item Weight | 6.6 pounds |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 16 x 12 x 16 inches |
| ASIN | B00EM5UOE6 |
| Item model number | 2330200000 |
| Customer Reviews | Average of 4.8 out of 5 stars from 4,451 ratings as of August 2022. |
| Best Sellers Rank | #478 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments) #210 in Music Recording Equipment |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | September 17, 2013 |
| Color Name | Black |
| Compatible Devices | Guitar |
| Output Wattage | 20 |
| Size | 20 Watt |
| Power Source | Electric |
| Voltage | 100 |
| Wattage | 20 watts |
| Manuals | Product Documentation (PDF) User Manual (PDF) Specification Sheet (PDF) |
Read our full review of Fender Champion 20 here.
About Orange Crush20:
Orange Crush 20 is also a small and affordable amplifier that is perfect for beginners and practice. It has two channels, the clean channel and the dirty channel. The clean channel gives you a crystal-clear sound whilst the dirty channel provides distortion for a gritty sound. This amp also features an effects loop and a headphone jack.
Orange Crush20 Features:
- Foot switchable channels
- Analogue signal path
- CabSim loaded headphone output
- New High gain preamp Design, 4 stage preamp
- 20 Watts
- Dimensions LxWxH: 16 x 9 x 13 inches
| Item Weight | 15.65 pounds |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 16 x 9 x 13 inches |
| ASIN | B00SG3Q6T2 |
| Item model number | Crush20 |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars by 714 ratings on Amazon as of August 20, 2022. |
| Best Sellers Rank | #6,098 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments) #2,430 in Music Recording Equipment |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | January 30, 2015 |
| Color Name | Orange |
| Compatible Devices | Guitar |
| Output Wattage | 20 Watts |
| Color Screen | No |
Read our full review of Orange Crush 20 here.
So, what are the main differences between Fender Champion 20 and Orange Crush 20
- Orange Crush 20 is smaller than Fender Champion 20 amp. It’s width and height are smaller but have similar lengths.
- Fender Champion 20 has one more knob than Orange Crush 20. It has a drive channel knob while Orange Crush 20 only has a clean and dirty channel.
- Orange Crush 20 has foot-switchable channels while Fender Champion 20 does not.
- Fender Champion 20 has a 1/8 headphone output jack that also mutes the speaker output. Orange Crush 20 doesn’t have this function.
- Both of these amps produce great sounds however Fender Champion 20 gives you a classic Fender tone while Orange Crush 20 gives you a crystal-clear sound.
- In terms of price, Orange Crush 20 is slightly more expensive than Fender Champion 20.
- Orange Crush 20 has 2 channels while Fender Champion 20 has a single channel.
- Orange Crush 20 was released to the market in 2015 while Fender Champion 20 was released in 2013
- Champion 20 is lighter weighing just 6.6 pounds while Crush 20 weighs 15.8 pounds
Comparison Table: Fender Champion 20 vs Orange Crush 20
| Fender Champion 20 | Orange Crush 20 |
|---|---|
| Single-channel | 2 channels |
| Rated 4.8/5 by 4000+ customers | Rated 4.7 by 600+ customers |
| Solid-state amp | solid-state amp |
| Costs about $150 | Costs about $200 |
| Bigger than Crush 20 | Smaller than Fender Champion 20 |
| No footswitch | Has footswitch |
| Check Price | Check Price |
Why Get Fender Champion 20?
The Fender Champion 20 has built-in FX which the Orange lacks. The Champion 20 also has more volume which makes it the perfect choice for live performances.
Secondly, Orange amps have a very distinctive sound, especially on the drive channel. They can be tricky to get a more complex sound out of them than what they already offer. The Fender provides you with more versatility and options overall.
Orange is unique and rock oriented in that the clean channel gives you the crunch of a rock sound straight away. Fender is more of an all-rounder amp than Orange and provides you with a solid and classic tone.
Since Fender is more versatile, it is great for practice as well as playing gigs. The Orange is better suited for rock, alternative and metal styles of music.
Why get Orange Crush 20?
If you’re looking for a heavier sound to play genres like punk rock, the Orange Crush 20 amp model is perfect for you. Once you get the Crush 20, I’d suggest purchasing a quality 1×12″ speaker cab and one of those small tubes or hybrid amp heads—like the micro terror or joy—if you need the extra 20 watts.
If you don’t need a lot of volumes, and 20 watts is too loud for your purposes, one reddit user suggests that there are plenty of inexpensive “nano” 5-watt heads that will suffice. If you do require more volume, look into the Hughes and Kettner Spirit heads; they’re 50 watts and sound better than models from Fender or Orange.
Another user from a forum was straightforward in his liking for Orange over the Fender champion. He notes that the cleans on the Fender aren’t as crisp/tight as those of the Orange. The orange sounds more bell-like and glassy; whereas, the clean sound of a Fender has more of a muddy sound. Additionally, Orange has a much better reverb. Furthermore, when considering overdrive tones, the Orange has more bite to it and can be more aggressive than that offered by Fender; however scaled back, the Orange still provides a defined and cleaner-sounding overdrive . You can articulate further desired tones significantly easier using Orange’s sounds
Hi there! I am Jack Musau, the founder of this Best Guitar Amp Review site. I am an avid musician with several years using both traditional and electric guitars and created this site to assist others looking to find the best guitar amplifiers in the market today. I also offer private coaching and training on how to use guitars and guitars amps of all kinds. You can reach out to me using my email, jack@bestguitarampreview.com.
