The Steel Guitar Forum

Posted: **25 May 2004 10:21 pm**

Hi!
Just got this off ebay yesterday, and I hope i was a ok deal, cause I never had a Fender lap steel before.. What did you guys think? I paid $451 + $85 shipping to Norway.. It looks beautiful, and it seems to be in good shape. Is this the champ model ? Do any of you have any thoughts/info on these , and what is the best internet resource on fender lap steels? And is this the model with the fender tele/broadcaster pickup? (not that I have any plans of removing it..)
Thanks
Frode http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3194032746
item nr 3194032746
and / or
community.webtv.net/beaches13/autionstufftoo ( sellers website = better pictures but I don't know how long he will have it there..[This message was edited by Frode Bjoernstad on 25 May 2004 at 11:22 PM.]

Posted: **26 May 2004 7:08 pm**

Your best source of info on lap steels is Andy Volk's new book on the subject.

Nice guitar.

Posted: **26 May 2004 8:42 pm**

Frode: Ron is right about Andy's book ... but it doesn't include your guitar.

As far as I can tell, it's a Champ.

Posted: **27 May 2004 3:27 am**

I have a Champ and it looks the same. I also have a champion. I like both guitars and I payed 500 $ for the champion and 650 for the champ, so I guess your price is OK!
Have fun....

Posted: **27 May 2004 7:19 am**

Looks like a Fender Champ from the 1960s to me (based on the black tolex case and the style of the Fender logo). It looks to be in excellent condition and should be a fine sounding and playing instrument.
This is not the model with the Tele/Broadcaster pickup; that's the earlier Champion.
Congratulations on your new guitar!

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Posted: **27 May 2004 7:23 am**

These are cool lap guitars. Sacred Steel master Aubrey Ghent plays one of these and it sounds fantastic.

Posted: **27 May 2004 10:01 am**

Sorry - I just can't get past the fact that these guitars used to hang in pawn shops by the dozens for $50 - $200 only ten years ago. That's about what they're worth to me unless it's a fry pan,panda bear or Stringmaster. But what the hey......free market,supply and demand and all that....
-MJ-

Posted: **29 May 2004 5:43 pm**

Hello Frode. I have two of them, and just as a point of interest, the serial number is stamped in the top underneath the bridge cover which just pivots up. While I have several steel guitars, because of the old timey tone, and me being an old timey player, the Champs are the guitars I play on a daily basis. Enjoy. George

Posted: **8 Jun 2004 10:35 pm**

Hi
I got this baby yesterday, cleaned and stringed it up and plugged it in to my deluxe reverb, and it sounds great! Much better tone and sustain than my National Chicagoan. But I guess it's not a fifties model, cause it looks and feel a lot younger. Does anybody know what year it could be? It came in a perfect condition black tolex fender case with red interior and the serial is #8390. There is no date under the pickupcover or the tuning ashtray. The fender logo is attached on a small black metal sign. It came with a standar Fender warranty card printed in 1975, but I have no clue if this is orginally for this guitar. Did fender make these in the seventies? I am a player, and not collector, so I really don't care that much if it's a precbs, but it's allways nice to know the history behind my instruments.. Please take a look at pictures in the ebay link, and make a comment if you have any information about these champ lap steels!
Frode

my gear now :
Carter starter psg, 1962 National chicagoan lap steel, Fender Champ lap steel, Weissenborn ( built by Norweigan luthier Audun Hofseth in 2003), Fender telecaster, Roland re201 tape echo and a 1978 silverface fender deluxe reverb. [This message was edited by Frode Bjoernstad on 08 June 2004 at 11:36 PM.]

Posted: **8 Jun 2004 10:57 pm**

Fender started putting their logo on their cases in 1967. The logo on the guitar is also from the same era. Fender steels still had spaghetti logo's up until 1966. It will also have a poly finish instead of a nitro finish(Fender went from nitro to poly in 1968), that's why it feels "younger" as you said.

Fender made steels in Fullerton, California until 1974(Sho-Bud made pedal steels for Fender in Nashville until around 1980), so I would say this Fender Champ to be a 1974 that was sold at a music store in 1975(thus the '75 warranty).

Still a fine Fender steel guitar. The steel guitar quality didn't slip like the standard guitars did, as the steels were made in a much smaller quantity.

CS[This message was edited by Chris Scruggs on 08 June 2004 at 11:58 PM.]