Fender Champ 5F1 Tube Amplifier (1956)
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Fender Champ 5F1 Model Tube Amplifier (1956), made in Fullerton, California, serial # C-02667, tweed fabric covering finish.
This is a generally nicely preserved and early example of the tweed Fender Champ 5F1 model, showing some general wear but looking not too heavily used. It has a tube-chart ink-stamp "FI" indicating it was assembled in September 1956. The serial number is C-02667, so Fender had so far already built around 2500 examples of this classic model. This iteration of the 5F1 features the larger-sized cabinet but still a 6" speaker like in earlier models; a short-lived pairing as the speaker would soon be changed to an 8". As with any tweed Champ, it features just a "chicken head" volume knob and a single-ended 6V6-driven power section, yielding about 5 watts of output power and offering a sublime low-volume tone and searing overdrive when cranked.
Height is 12 in. (30.5 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) width, and 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) deep.
Externally, this amp shows some typical wear to the rather fragile tweed fabric covering including some loss to the edges and minor scuffing overall. The faceplate is clean and mostly free of corrosion, though some of the stenciled lettering is rubbed away around the volume dial. The grille cloth is in great shape and the handle is an old replacement that still has plenty of life left in it.
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The original little 6" Oxford 6EV-34 speaker is dated to the 39th week of 1956 (reading 395-639). It was recently professionally reconed and sounds great. Both the NYT power and output transformers are original to the amp, marked 5396 and 110, respectively. 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. The masking tape inside the chassis is very faded but appears to end with a 'y', indicating it may have been wired up by Lily. We are all big fans of her work!
Overall a fairly clean and most importantly fantastic sounding example of the great low-wattage tweed classic. Very Good + Condition.
This is a generally nicely preserved and early example of the tweed Fender Champ 5F1 model, showing some general wear but looking not too heavily used. It has a tube-chart ink-stamp "FI" indicating it was assembled in September 1956. The serial number is C-02667, so Fender had so far already built around 2500 examples of this classic model. This iteration of the 5F1 features the larger-sized cabinet but still a 6" speaker like in earlier models; a short-lived pairing as the speaker would soon be changed to an 8". As with any tweed Champ, it features just a "chicken head" volume knob and a single-ended 6V6-driven power section, yielding about 5 watts of output power and offering a sublime low-volume tone and searing overdrive when cranked.
Height is 12 in. (30.5 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) width, and 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) deep.
Externally, this amp shows some typical wear to the rather fragile tweed fabric covering including some loss to the edges and minor scuffing overall. The faceplate is clean and mostly free of corrosion, though some of the stenciled lettering is rubbed away around the volume dial. The grille cloth is in great shape and the handle is an old replacement that still has plenty of life left in it.
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The original little 6" Oxford 6EV-34 speaker is dated to the 39th week of 1956 (reading 395-639). It was recently professionally reconed and sounds great. Both the NYT power and output transformers are original to the amp, marked 5396 and 110, respectively. 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. The masking tape inside the chassis is very faded but appears to end with a 'y', indicating it may have been wired up by Lily. We are all big fans of her work!
Overall a fairly clean and most importantly fantastic sounding example of the great low-wattage tweed classic. Very Good + Condition.