If you’re looking for a solid-state combo amp then the Marshall MG and Fender Champion are two popular choices. In this article I’ll compare all the different models to help you decide which electric guitar amp is best for you.
Marshall MG Gold Overview
Here is an overview of the specifications of each amplifier in the Marshall MG Gold range.
MG10 | MG15 | MG15R | MG15GFX | MG30GFX | MG50GFX | |
Wattage | 10W | 15W | 15W | 15W | 30W | 50W |
Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Controls | Vol Gain Contour | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb |
Effects | None | None | Reverb | Reverb Phaser Flanger Delay Chorus Octave | Reverb Phaser Flanger Delay Chorus Octave | Reverb Phaser Flanger Delay x 4 Chorus Octave |
Speaker | 1 x 6.5” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 10” | 1 x 12″ |
Aux In | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Headphone Output | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FX Loop | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Tuner | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Foot Pedal Compatible | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Key Points:
- The MG10, MG15 and MG15R have two channels (clean and overdrive) and all the FX amps e.g. MG15GFX, MG30GFX and MG50GFX have 4 channels (clean, crunch, OD1 and OD2).
- The MG10 and MG15 do not have an effects. The MG15R has reverb only. The MGFX amps (MG15GFX, MG30GFX and MG50GFX) have phaser, flanger, delay, chorus and octave. The MG50GFX has 4 delay effects whereas the other FX amps only have a single delay effect.
- The only differences between the MG15 and MG15R are that the latter has built-in reverb and is slightly heavier.
- Only the FX amps have a built-in tuner and are compatible with a foot pedal to switch between channels.
- Only the MGFX50 has an FX loop.
- All amps have Aux in and Headphone out connections.
Here is a table with the dimensions of each MG amp.
MG10 | MG15 | MG15R | MG15FX | MG30FX | MG50FX | |
Weight | 11 lbs | 16.7 lbs | 12.2 lbs | 17 lbs | 24 lbs | 37 lbs |
Width | 11.4” | 14.8” | 14.8” | 15.2” | 18.9” | 20.5” |
Height | 12.2” | 14.6” | 14.6” | 15.0” | 16.5” | 19.9” |
Depth | 6.7” | 7.7” | 7.7” | 8.3” | 8.9” | 11.0” |
Fender Champion Overview
There are four amps in the Fender Champion range. Here is an overview table of of them.
Champion 20 | Champion 40 | Champion 50XL | Champion 100 | |
Wattage | 20W | 40W | 50W | 100W |
Channels | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Controls | Vol Gain Bass Treb Voice | Vol Gain Bass Treb Voice | Vol Gain Bass Treb Voice | Vol Gain Bass Mid Treb Voice |
Effects | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 |
Speaker | 1 x 8” | 1 x 12” | 1 x 12” | 2 x 12” |
Aux In | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Headphone Output | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FX Loop | No | No | No | Yes |
Tuner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Foot Pedal Compatible | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The Fender Champion amps work a little bit differently to the Marshall MG amps. Instead of just having 2 channels and gain/ EQ controls, the Fender Champion amps also have a “voice” control. The Champion 40, 50 and 50XL have 4 voices which each have 3 settings so you can change the sound of the amp. The Champion 100 has 5 voices, again with 3 settings in each.
Only the Champion 20 has a single channel (the rest have 2 channels), however the voice control does give it more versatility compared to a regular single channel amp.
There are a few other key differences to point out between the four amps:
- The Champion 100 is the only amp with an FX loop and a mids control.
- All amps except the Champion 20 are footswitch compatible.
- All amps have a tuner, headphone output and aux input.
Champion 20 | Champion 40 | Champion 50XL | Champion 100 | |
Weight | 12 lbs | 19 lbs | 19 lbs | 40 lbs |
Width | 13.75” | 17.25” | 17.25” | 26.0” |
Height | 12.75” | 17.25” | 17.25” | 19.0” |
Depth | 7.5” | 9.0” | 9.0” | 10.25” |
Which Amp Sounds the Best?
The Fender Champion sounds a lot brighter and clearer in comparison to the Marshall MG. This is fairly typical of Fender who are known for their sparkly cleans. The Marshall MG sounds a lot warmer by comparison.
In terms of which sounds “better” out of the two, it is a personal preference. In my opinion, the Fender Champion sounds much better when clean and distorted. The Marshall MG distortion tends to sound quite fuzzy and messy.
Check out this YouTube video comparing the Marshall MG15 and Fender Champion 20.
Price Comparison
Fender Champion amps are cheaper compared to Marshall MG amps of a similar size. You definitely get more wattage for your money with a Fender Champion, and more effects and amp models.
Amp | Price (USD) |
Fender Champion 20 | $130 |
Marshall MG10 | $140 |
Marshall MG15 | $170 |
Marshall MG15R | $200 |
Fender Champion 50XL | $230 |
Marshall MG15GFX | $230 |
Fender Champion 40 | $250 |
Marshall MG30GFX | $300 |
Fender Champion 100 | $400 |
Marshall MG50GFX | $500 |
Marshall MG15GFX vs Fender Champion 20
- The MG15GFX has 4 channels and the Champion 20 has a single channel, but a voice control giving you access to 12 different voices.
- The MG has a 3-band EQ (bass, mids and treble), whereas the Champion 20 has a 2-band EQ (bass and treble).
- The Champion 20 has twice as many effects (12) as the MG15GFX (6).
- Only the MG15GFX is footswitch compatible.
MG15GFX | Champion 20 | |
Wattage | 15W | 20W |
Channels | 4 | 1 |
Controls | Vol, Gain, Bass, Mids, Treb | Vol, Gain, Bass, Treb, Voice |
Effects | 6 | 12 |
Speaker | 1 x 8” | 1 x 8” |
Aux In | Yes | Yes |
Headphone Output | Yes | Yes |
FX Loop | No | No |
Tuner | Yes | Yes |
Foot Pedal Compatible | Yes | No |
Marshall MG30GFX vs MG50FX vs Fender Champion 40
- The MG30GFX and MG50GFX have 4 channels and the Champion 20 has 2 channels, but also has a voice control giving you access to 12 different voices.
- The MG30GFX has 6 effects, the MG50GFX has 9 effects and the Champion 40 has 12 effects.
- Only the MG50GFX has an effects loop built-in.
MG30GFX/ MG50GFX | Champion 40 | |
Wattage | 30W/ 50W | 40W |
Channels | 4 | 2 |
Controls | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Treb Voice |
Effects | 6/ 9 | 12 |
Speaker | 1 x 10”/ 1 x 12″ | 1 x 12” |
Aux In | Yes | Yes |
Headphone Output | Yes | Yes |
FX Loop | No/ Yes | No |
Tuner | Yes | Yes |
Foot Pedal Compatible | Yes | Yes |
Here are more comparisons you might find useful:
Fender Champion vs Orange Crush
Orange Crush vs Marshall MG