1957 Fender Champ Amp 5F1
Make and Model: Fender Champ Amp 5F1
Year: 1957. Tube chart stamp "GE" (G = 1957 and E = May), speaker code 465 715 (Oxford, 1957, 15th week)
Specifications: Single ended class A, 12ax7 preamp tube and 6v6 power tube, 6" Oxford 6EV speaker, finger jointed solid Pine cabinet with lacquered tweed covering.
Originality: All parts original to the amp except for the fuse! Even the often broken original leather handle is in good condition.
Condition: Excellent! The tweed shows typical light edge wear but is in overall really nice condition for the year. The chrome faceplate is clean but there's a bit of paint missing on numbers 0-4.
Playability: Excellent*! It's a wonderful sounding example. It performed beautifully during my 25 minute test. *Filter capacitors (the three large orange Astron capacitors) are very prone to failure at this age. I recommend updating the filter capacitors before heavy playing time. I also recommend a new grounded power cord.
Cleaning Process: I disassembled the entire amplifier and vacuumed all parts thoroughly. I cleaned and tensioned the tube sockets, cleaned and tensioned the input jacks, cleaned the contacts in the volume potentiometer, and cleaned and tensioned the output jack.
Notes: Just out of the attic after decades of neglect! This tweed Fender Champ has survived in pretty nice condition and is ready to make music again.
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