Fender Champ 5F1 Tube Amplifier (1958)
LOADING IMAGES
Fender Champ 5F1 Model Tube Amplifier (1958), made in Fullerton, California, serial # C-007585, tweed fabric covering finish.
While we all love the "clean ones" there is also a lot of joy to be had from a veteran well used Fender amp that has been around the block and shows it! This is a indeed a well-worn but great sounding tweed Fender Champ 5F1 model, showing some common wear but no major abuse. It has a tube-chart ink-stamp "HF" indicating it was assembled in June of 1958. The serial number is C-007585, so Fender had by this point already built over 7000 examples of this classic model, by then the world standard small practice amp.
This iteration 5F1 features the larger cabinet and more reliable 8" speaker, an upgrade from earlier 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 quickly rolling into the fantastic overdrive these 5F1's are justly famous for.
Height is 12 in. (30.5 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) width, and 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) deep.
Externally, the tweed-covered exterior has a nice and light patina that's showing some moderate wear, mostly around edges and corners with some additional scuffing on the back panel and top of the cabinet. The faceplate is very clean and shiny and practically all of the stenciled graphics are still intact. The grille cloth shows a single small tear/puncture but is otherwise taut and in great shape. The original handle is still in place showing signs of age but still has some life left in it.
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The original 8" Oxford 8EV-29 speaker is marked 465-749, dating it to the 49th week of 1957. It has been professionally reconed and sounds fantastic. Both the power and output transformers are original, made by Triad and marked 66079B and A-106 respectively. The volume/on/off pot is original as well. 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 original yellow Astron signal caps test well and were left in place. The masking tape signature inside the chassis shows that this little amp was wired up by Lupe Lopez, one of Leo's first and most prolific employees.
A truly wonderful example of one of the beloved Tweed staples here in our showroom, sounding fantastic, with the echoes of a lot of gawd-knows-where nights cranked up to "11", at least! Overall Very Good + Condition.
While we all love the "clean ones" there is also a lot of joy to be had from a veteran well used Fender amp that has been around the block and shows it! This is a indeed a well-worn but great sounding tweed Fender Champ 5F1 model, showing some common wear but no major abuse. It has a tube-chart ink-stamp "HF" indicating it was assembled in June of 1958. The serial number is C-007585, so Fender had by this point already built over 7000 examples of this classic model, by then the world standard small practice amp.
This iteration 5F1 features the larger cabinet and more reliable 8" speaker, an upgrade from earlier 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 quickly rolling into the fantastic overdrive these 5F1's are justly famous for.
Height is 12 in. (30.5 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) width, and 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) deep.
Externally, the tweed-covered exterior has a nice and light patina that's showing some moderate wear, mostly around edges and corners with some additional scuffing on the back panel and top of the cabinet. The faceplate is very clean and shiny and practically all of the stenciled graphics are still intact. The grille cloth shows a single small tear/puncture but is otherwise taut and in great shape. The original handle is still in place showing signs of age but still has some life left in it.
Electrically, the amp is nicely original. The original 8" Oxford 8EV-29 speaker is marked 465-749, dating it to the 49th week of 1957. It has been professionally reconed and sounds fantastic. Both the power and output transformers are original, made by Triad and marked 66079B and A-106 respectively. The volume/on/off pot is original as well. 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 original yellow Astron signal caps test well and were left in place. The masking tape signature inside the chassis shows that this little amp was wired up by Lupe Lopez, one of Leo's first and most prolific employees.
A truly wonderful example of one of the beloved Tweed staples here in our showroom, sounding fantastic, with the echoes of a lot of gawd-knows-where nights cranked up to "11", at least! Overall Very Good + Condition.