Fender Champ-Amp 5F1 Tube Amplifier (1963)
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Item # 11629
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Fender Champ-Amp 5F1 Model Tube Amplifier (1963), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 20380, tweed fabric covering finish.
This is a beautifully preserved late example of the final tweed-clad version of Fender's Champ; one of the finest we have seen. It has a tube-chart ink-stamp "MA" indicating it was assembled in January of 1963. By that point only the Champ (intended for students) retained its 1950s Tweed livery; the other larger Fender amps were well into their white and brown Tolex eras. Leo never wasted anything and one assumes they used up all the tweed covering in stock before re-designing the model to wear Tolex in 1963-4!
The serial number is C20380, indicating Fender had so far built nearly 20,000 examples of this classic model in just over 7 years! This 5F1 features the slightly larger cabinet and an 8" speaker, an upgrade from earlier mid-50s models. As with any tweed Champ, it features just one "chicken head" volume knob and a single-ended 6V6-driven power section, yielding about 5 watts of output power. Like pretty much all of them, it sounds fantastic!
Height is 12 in. (30.5 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) width, and 8 in. (20.3 cm.) deep.
Externally, this cabinet is in fantastic shape for a nearly 62-year-old amplifier. The rather frail Tweed covering sports a very attractive amber patina with some typical edge wear and minor scuffing overall. The faceplate is beautifully clean, save for some very light wear and some of the stenciled numbers partially missing around the volume control. The grille cloth is in great shape with no notable tears or fraying and even the original leather handle is present and still has plenty of life left in it. The amp comes with what appears to be its original Victoria Luggage Co. cover, which is in truly fantastic shape!
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The speaker appears to be the original 8" CTS, although its date code is obscured by the inspection sticker commonly seen on these. The speaker has been professionally reconed and sounds and tests great. Both the power and output transformers are the original Schumachers, reading 606-236 and 606-235, dating them to the 36th and 35th week of 1962, respectively. The pot/switch bears the code 304-516, dating as far back as early 1955. The assembly workers at Fender must have been reaching the bottom of the parts drawer here, using up every last one of these components used only on the Champ! The amp has received routine maintenance, including standard replacement of electrolytic caps, as well as a grounded 3-prong power cord and cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks as well as biased to spec.
Overall this is a very clean and fabulous sounding example of one of the great tweed classics, nowadays the popular vintage choice for an under-the desk modern home studio rig and always a shop favorite here. Overall Excellent Condition.
This is a beautifully preserved late example of the final tweed-clad version of Fender's Champ; one of the finest we have seen. It has a tube-chart ink-stamp "MA" indicating it was assembled in January of 1963. By that point only the Champ (intended for students) retained its 1950s Tweed livery; the other larger Fender amps were well into their white and brown Tolex eras. Leo never wasted anything and one assumes they used up all the tweed covering in stock before re-designing the model to wear Tolex in 1963-4!
The serial number is C20380, indicating Fender had so far built nearly 20,000 examples of this classic model in just over 7 years! This 5F1 features the slightly larger cabinet and an 8" speaker, an upgrade from earlier mid-50s models. As with any tweed Champ, it features just one "chicken head" volume knob and a single-ended 6V6-driven power section, yielding about 5 watts of output power. Like pretty much all of them, it sounds fantastic!
Height is 12 in. (30.5 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) width, and 8 in. (20.3 cm.) deep.
Externally, this cabinet is in fantastic shape for a nearly 62-year-old amplifier. The rather frail Tweed covering sports a very attractive amber patina with some typical edge wear and minor scuffing overall. The faceplate is beautifully clean, save for some very light wear and some of the stenciled numbers partially missing around the volume control. The grille cloth is in great shape with no notable tears or fraying and even the original leather handle is present and still has plenty of life left in it. The amp comes with what appears to be its original Victoria Luggage Co. cover, which is in truly fantastic shape!
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The speaker appears to be the original 8" CTS, although its date code is obscured by the inspection sticker commonly seen on these. The speaker has been professionally reconed and sounds and tests great. Both the power and output transformers are the original Schumachers, reading 606-236 and 606-235, dating them to the 36th and 35th week of 1962, respectively. The pot/switch bears the code 304-516, dating as far back as early 1955. The assembly workers at Fender must have been reaching the bottom of the parts drawer here, using up every last one of these components used only on the Champ! The amp has received routine maintenance, including standard replacement of electrolytic caps, as well as a grounded 3-prong power cord and cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks as well as biased to spec.
Overall this is a very clean and fabulous sounding example of one of the great tweed classics, nowadays the popular vintage choice for an under-the desk modern home studio rig and always a shop favorite here. Overall Excellent Condition.