Fender Champion Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1951)
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Item # 9810
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Fender Champion Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1951), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 2207, yellow pearloid finish, hardwood body, original brown alligator chipboard case.
This Champion is a beautiful early example of Fender's "bread and butter" lap steel guitar from the 1950s, the instrument that kept the company afloat in the first years. Introduced in 1949 and marketed as a student instrument for teaching studios, the Champion Steel was -- and remains -- a great-sounding lap guitar fully suited to professional use.
The flashy plastic-covered symmetrical two-bout body has a chrome bridge and cover plate, and a metal fingerboard pinned to the body with black paint screening to outline fret positions. The headstock has a metal facing with an integral nut stamped with lighting bolt logo and "Fender Electric Instrument Co. Fullerton, California". The early plastic on this one has less pearl figure than later examples.
This Champion has a fairly low serial number 2207 stamped on the bridgeplate. It pre-dates the use of masking tape signature tags in the electronics cavity and the pot dates are soldered over so is not possible to date it exactly, but the serial number places it in early/mid 1951. The slot-head screws are also indicators of an early pre-1952 model. The original pickup is from the same period as the Fender "Nocaster" Spanish guitars and although the baseplate is different the coil and windings are the same as those now-legendary primal solidbodies.
Over the years many of these Fender steels have sacrificed their pickups to provide the engine for vintage Telecaster recreations -- especially these earliest models. This one has fortunately avoided that fate, and its Broadcaster/Nocaster-style pickup and wiring are fully intact. It remains a truly superb sounding steel guitar with a bright, singing tone and a genuine early 1950s Fender instrument at a relatively 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.).
This is a very clean and beautifully original early Champion, showing just some light wear overall. The chrome parts and plastic body covering show some very minor wear spots, mostly just scuffing. The blue-painted underside has some loss; some of the light coat of flocking once applied there is gone. There is a thin adhesive strip added to the fingerboard designating notes along the second string; this could probably be removed seamlessly but we have left it in place as a part of the instrument's history.
The only alteration is new buttons on the original Kluson strip tuners, which are the oldest version with a shaft that does not anchor in the inner side of the cover. The original early-style pickup and electronics are fully intact and sound truly fantastic. This is a super cool and comparatively rare Champion from the Broadcaster era, a small chip off the Fender grail complete in its original alligator-grain chipboard case. Excellent Condition.
This Champion is a beautiful early example of Fender's "bread and butter" lap steel guitar from the 1950s, the instrument that kept the company afloat in the first years. Introduced in 1949 and marketed as a student instrument for teaching studios, the Champion Steel was -- and remains -- a great-sounding lap guitar fully suited to professional use.
The flashy plastic-covered symmetrical two-bout body has a chrome bridge and cover plate, and a metal fingerboard pinned to the body with black paint screening to outline fret positions. The headstock has a metal facing with an integral nut stamped with lighting bolt logo and "Fender Electric Instrument Co. Fullerton, California". The early plastic on this one has less pearl figure than later examples.
This Champion has a fairly low serial number 2207 stamped on the bridgeplate. It pre-dates the use of masking tape signature tags in the electronics cavity and the pot dates are soldered over so is not possible to date it exactly, but the serial number places it in early/mid 1951. The slot-head screws are also indicators of an early pre-1952 model. The original pickup is from the same period as the Fender "Nocaster" Spanish guitars and although the baseplate is different the coil and windings are the same as those now-legendary primal solidbodies.
Over the years many of these Fender steels have sacrificed their pickups to provide the engine for vintage Telecaster recreations -- especially these earliest models. This one has fortunately avoided that fate, and its Broadcaster/Nocaster-style pickup and wiring are fully intact. It remains a truly superb sounding steel guitar with a bright, singing tone and a genuine early 1950s Fender instrument at a relatively 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.).
This is a very clean and beautifully original early Champion, showing just some light wear overall. The chrome parts and plastic body covering show some very minor wear spots, mostly just scuffing. The blue-painted underside has some loss; some of the light coat of flocking once applied there is gone. There is a thin adhesive strip added to the fingerboard designating notes along the second string; this could probably be removed seamlessly but we have left it in place as a part of the instrument's history.
The only alteration is new buttons on the original Kluson strip tuners, which are the oldest version with a shaft that does not anchor in the inner side of the cover. The original early-style pickup and electronics are fully intact and sound truly fantastic. This is a super cool and comparatively rare Champion from the Broadcaster era, a small chip off the Fender grail complete in its original alligator-grain chipboard case. Excellent Condition.