sure if it was because it was my first amp, or because it always worked and sounded great. Then, one day, someone made me an offer I couldn’ t refuse. $ 100. Wow! That amp cost me 50 bucks five years ago, and now someone was offering me $ 100. I was playing a 100-watt Marshall at the time, so it seemed a no-brainer to sell the Champ. It was at that moment that something clicked in my small teenage brain:“ Maybe there’ s something to buying and selling musical gear!” I never seemed to really lose on anything I bought or traded for, and if I hung on to it long enough, I could actually make money. Wow! What a concept!
So, for a number of reasons, the memory of that Fender Champ has stuck with me. So much so that a while back, after letting a number of my larger amps go, I began focusing on smaller combos, especially late 50’ s, early 60’ s tweed Champs. I love all the various Champ configurations and you can find lots of info on all of them. My favorite ones( or what I consider to be the best sounding ones) are the late 50’ s thru the early 60’ s tweed models with the controls on the top. Collectors refer to these as“ narrow panel” models.
Some of the models that have gone under the radar are the 1963-64 models that still maintain the 50’ s chassis with the controls on the top, but were covered in the new black tolex. They have a unique look and they sound great.
I do have to mention one later model that I have become very fond of over the years: the“ Super Champ”. In the early 80’ s, Paul Rivera designed a number of new model amps for Fender. One model that really shined was the Super Champ; a small, very potent tube amp with reverb and channel switching. These Super Champs came in a few configurations. It could be ordered with a 10” EV or the standard Fender specially designed speaker, as we’ ll as a limited version that had a wood cabinet and the EV.
Over the years I probably had a half dozen of these, although I have never come across one with the wood cabinet, so I can’ t comment on how those sound. I can tell you from my experience, the ones with the Fender specially designed speaker sound the best to me and have the most authentic Fender sound. Although the EV will give you more power and headroom, it will also add a lot of weight and take up every inch of the inside of the cab. Dollar for dollar, I’ m not sure I have ever come across a more compact or versatile small tube amp.
The Champs pictured are my personal ones. All narrow panels that range from 1958 to 1964 except, of course, the Super Champ. This particular Super Champ came from a friend of Paul Rivera and I was told was a prototype. It has a metal mesh grill and an unusual rubber covered on / off switch, as well as the standard Fender 1 / 4 inch speaker jack input in the back, as opposed to the hard wired speaker used in the production ones.
And just for fun, I had to throw in the Selmer“ Little Giant” in the lower left corner. Not only do they look awesome, but they sound like a killer tweed Champ, only with that added compressed sweetness that comes with British amps.
Writing this article has given me a chance to reconnect with my past, as well as an opportunity to dust off my Champs and take them for a test drive. Each one has its own unique tone and vibe. There really is something to having just having one knob to turn. I really like the combo of a Les Paul Jr. and a Champ. Only 3 knobs to worry about. Just turn it all the way up and work the volume control on the guitar. Need I say more?
In my eyes and ears no other amp embodies the term“ keep it simple” quite like the tweed Fender Champ does.
This article is dedicated to Mr. Al Licausi, the man my father negotiated with almost fifty years ago.
It recently came to my attention that Mr. Licausi passed away in 2014. Mr. Licausi started Farmingdale Music Center in 1945 in the original house his parents moved to in 1923. It is Long Island’ s oldest music store and has been run by Al’ s son Frank since 1982 when his dad retired. The store is still in its original location, and children who once took lessons there now bring their children and grandchildren for lessons. Rest in peace, Al.
30 May � June 2016 CollectibleGuitar. com