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1960 Fender Champ

Fender's first student amplifier was launched in the late 1940s in the form of the linen-covered TV front Champion 800. The Champion line went through several iterations through the early 1950s before Fender hit a home run with the narrow-panel 5F1 "Champ Amp."

An excellent-sounding Tweed from Fender's golden era, this 1960 5F1 champ offers an array of tones that make it an excellent tool for studio or home use. With the volume knob at "3," the amp delivers a surprisingly full-bodied and harmonically rich clean voice. When turned up to "4," this student amplifier produces sweet lightly overdriven tones that are quite musical. Turning the volume knob past "5" rewards a user with powerful and raunchy drive tones with a top-end bark that would cut through nicely in a studio setting.

In overall excellent condition, this Champ is still fitted with its original tweed, grille cloth, handle, and hardware. The amp is largely unmodified with the exception of typical servicing and a replacement Jensen speaker. The original 8" speaker is included with the amp but will need to be re-coned to be functional.

Freshly serviced by Dom Tantalo in Toronto, this 1960 Champ is functioning reliably and is ready for professional use.

Tube Chart and chassis code of JA (1960, January), Shumacher power transformer code of 606949 (49th week of 1959), triad output transformer code of 106, speaker code of 465-949 (49th week of 1959).
1960 Fender Champ

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