Fender Champion Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1952)
LOADING IMAGES
This item has been sold.
Item # 6997
Prices subject to change without notice.
Fender Champion Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1952), made in Fullerton, California, yellow pearloid finish, hardwood body, original brown chipboard case.
This is a nice early example of Fender's "bread and butter" lap steel guitar from the first half of the 1950's. Although designed as a student instrument, the Champion Steel is a great-sounding guitar fully suited to professional use then or now, with a Broadcaster style flat pole pickup fully equivalent in sound to the legendary 1950's Teles. The flashy plastic-covered symmetrical two-bout body has a chrome bridge and cover plates with dome-top knurled knobs. The serial number "4426" is stamped on the bridgeplate where the strings anchor through the body.
The metal fingerboard plate pinned to the body has black paint screening to outline fret positions. The headstock has metal facing with integral nut and Kluson Deluxe "Saf-Ti-Slot" strip tuners with white plastic buttons. The peghead is stamped with lighting bolt logo and "Fender Electric Instrument Co. Fullerton, California". All screws are still of the flat-head variety, indicating a 1951-52 production date (no pot codes are visible). Good completely intact examples of the Champion are increasingly hard to find; many have been sacrificed over the years to provide electric components for vintage Telecaster recreations. This is a very cool steel guitar for playing or collecting, a nice 60 year old Fender instrument at a reasonable price!.
Overall length is 29 3/4 in. (75.6 cm.), 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 1/4 in. (57 mm.). A beaurtiful, original guitar with only some tiny dings and pits to the metal fingerboard; otherwise quite clean overall with only minor play wear. All original including the tuner buttons (a bit shrunken up but still functional), complete and unaltered original pickup and wiring…even what appear to be period (possibly original!) polished ground-wound strings. A really nice early Champ, complete with the original brown chipboard case, which is a bit scruffy but functional wirh some chips out of the plastic handle. Excellent Condition.
This is a nice early example of Fender's "bread and butter" lap steel guitar from the first half of the 1950's. Although designed as a student instrument, the Champion Steel is a great-sounding guitar fully suited to professional use then or now, with a Broadcaster style flat pole pickup fully equivalent in sound to the legendary 1950's Teles. The flashy plastic-covered symmetrical two-bout body has a chrome bridge and cover plates with dome-top knurled knobs. The serial number "4426" is stamped on the bridgeplate where the strings anchor through the body.
The metal fingerboard plate pinned to the body has black paint screening to outline fret positions. The headstock has metal facing with integral nut and Kluson Deluxe "Saf-Ti-Slot" strip tuners with white plastic buttons. The peghead is stamped with lighting bolt logo and "Fender Electric Instrument Co. Fullerton, California". All screws are still of the flat-head variety, indicating a 1951-52 production date (no pot codes are visible). Good completely intact examples of the Champion are increasingly hard to find; many have been sacrificed over the years to provide electric components for vintage Telecaster recreations. This is a very cool steel guitar for playing or collecting, a nice 60 year old Fender instrument at a reasonable price!.
Overall length is 29 3/4 in. (75.6 cm.), 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 1/4 in. (57 mm.). A beaurtiful, original guitar with only some tiny dings and pits to the metal fingerboard; otherwise quite clean overall with only minor play wear. All original including the tuner buttons (a bit shrunken up but still functional), complete and unaltered original pickup and wiring…even what appear to be period (possibly original!) polished ground-wound strings. A really nice early Champ, complete with the original brown chipboard case, which is a bit scruffy but functional wirh some chips out of the plastic handle. Excellent Condition.