My Fender Champ | Vintage Amps

Happy Birthday Leo Fender!

Jason Isadore — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:51:14 +0000

Today would have been Clarence Leonidas Fender’s 102nd birthday! Better known as Leo Fender, if you haven’t checked it out already and have a few minutes to kill today, check out Wikipedia’s page about Leo. Lot’s of great info about one of the biggest influences on popular music in modern history. Thanks to Billy Penn [...]

For Sale – Transition 5F1 Fender Champ C-22085

Jason Isadore — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:59:18 +0000

I have something a little different today. I’m selling a sweet little transition Fender Champ from 1964. These Transition models straddle the tweed and Tolex era of Fender’s vintage amplifiers. The Champ was the last amp to make the transition to the highly durable black Tolex covering. The black Tolex was preferred by working musicians [...]

How Vintage Electronics Work – Part 3

Jason Isadore — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:27:13 +0000

I just realized that it has been a long time since I’ve posted anything and that I have left you all hanging for the final installment in this video series. In case you missed them, here is Part 1 and Part 2. I hope you enjoy the conclusion. Related Posts:How Vintage Electronics Work – [...]

How Vintage Electronics Work – Part 2

Jason Isadore — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:22:11 +0000

This is the second of three awesome vintage film clips from “Electronics at Work” made in 1943 by Westinghouse. In case you missed it, Part 1. Related Posts:How Vintage Electronics Work – Part 3How Vacuum Tubes Work – Part 2How Vacuum Tubes Work – Part 3How Vintage Electronics WorkHow Vacuum Tubes Work – Part 1

How Vintage Electronics Work

Jason Isadore — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:17:27 +0000

I’ve posted a couple of times on how vacuum tubes work. I find it to be an endlessly fascinating subject. I’ve reached back into the archives to republish some old video clips I found on YouTube. *** My vintage tweed Fender Champ is powered by three vacuum tubes – a 6v6GT, a 12AX7 and a 5y3GT. Since vacuum [...]

Fender Champion 600 Serial Number 4001

Jason Isadore — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 01:47:43 +0000

I’ve got photos of Fender Champion 600 Serial Number 4001 today. The Champion 600s were made from approximately 1948-49 through 1953. About 5500 were made in this style. The Champion 600s were a nice cosmetic update to the Champion 800 while reducing its speaker from 8 inches to 6 inches. The Champion 600s featured a [...]

Fender Factory Tour – 1959

Jason Isadore — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:48:12 +0000

I have something a little out of the ordinary today. My wife found this video when one of her friends posted it to Facebook. It is a great view of life at the Fender factory in Fullerton during the glory days. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Related Posts:Vintage Tweed [...]

Tweed Fender Champ 5F1 C-04270

Jason Isadore — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:24:17 +0000

I have an interesting little Champ today that kicked off an interesting line of thought for me. It is tweed Fender Champ C-04270. Dating this amp by its serial number tells us it was made in about mid-1957. For a more specific date of manufacture we need to look at the stamped two letter tube [...]

Fender Champion 600 Serial Number 2686

Jason Isadore — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 02:57:21 +0000

Happy New Year to everyone! It has been a long time since my last post. The holidays have come and gone, I was lucky enough to acquire this (it’s awesome) and now it’s time to get back to work bringing you these marvelous little blasts from the past! Today I have photos of Fender Champion 600 [...]

Tweed Fender Champ 5F1 C-22782

Jason Isadore — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:12:13 +0000

I’ve got photos of Transition Fender Champ 5F1 serial number C-22782 for your pleasure today. Dating this amp by its serial number tells us it was made towards the end of 1964. The rough cutoff date for these Transition Champs is C-23000. There weren’t too many more of these made before the circuit was redesigned [...]