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Fender '57 Custom Champ 1x8" 5-watt Tube Combo Amp Certified Open Box

5-watt Single channel All-tube 1x8" Guitar Combo Amplifier with Custom Weber Speaker - Lacquered Tweed
81 Write review Item ID: 57CustChampd5
Fender '57 Custom Champ 1x8' 5-watt Tube Combo Amp
Fender '57 Custom Champ 1x8' 5-watt Tube Combo Amp
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Reissue of an All-time Favorite

The Fender '57 Custom Champ tube amplifier brings you the authentic sound, looks, and vibe of a classic. It pumps five watts of tube-powered tone through an 8" Weber Special Design speaker, which includes an alnico magnet for vintage sound. The handwired circuitry ensures that you can easily manipulate your guitar's volume and tone controls to get a range of dynamic, responsive tones. And the Fender '57 Custom Champ's solid pine cabinet, lacquered tweed covering, and leather strap handle make the '57 Custom Champ look as amazing as it sounds.

Related Videos: '57 Custom Champ 1x8" 5-watt Tube Combo Amp

Reissue of a legendary combo

The 1950s Fender Champ tube amps have become some of the most coveted vintage amplifiers of all time for how well they record and sound when cranked wide open. They display a warm low end with plenty of top-end clarity that is never shrill - just plenty of fat, thick overdrive that sounds like the best part of yesteryear. Because vintage Champs and this Fender '57 Custom Champ are five watts, they can be turned up for all the juicy sag and drive you could want at reasonable volumes. There's a very good reason this circuit is so sought-after on vintage markets.

Nails the authentic Fender tweed tone

The Fender '57 Custom Champ sounds great at low volumes for clear, clean tones. But it's when you turn the volume knob up past noon that you'll begin to coax iconic sustain from this little monster. It's a tone unlike any other amplifier out there. And because the whole amp is handwired with incredible attention to detail, the '57 Custom Champ responds to your playing, your guitars' pickup positions, and control manipulations effortlessly. You'll attain a wide range of tonal shades out of this simple-to-use amp.

Looks great onstage, in the studio, or at home

A good portion of what makes the original and this '57 Custom Champ so identifiable are the amps' very 1950s looks. The '57 Custom Champ tube combo amplifier is covered in the expertly applied lacquered tweed covering. Its golden hues stand out and look fantastic whether onstage, in the studio, or sitting comfortably in your living room. The period-correct oxblood grille cloth and genuine leather handle complete the aesthetic package. We know these amps sound fantastic, but every player at Sweetwater wants one to make our home studios look that much better.

Fender '57 Custom Champ Tube Combo Amplifier Features:

  • Reissue of a 1957 Fender Champ combo amp
  • Handwired construction offers the truest possible tone
  • Authentic coupling capacitors used
  • Unbelievably touch sensitive when turned up
  • Special Design Weber alnico speaker
  • Simple 1-knob control panel
What is Certified Open Box Gear?

At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call "Certified Open Box" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

Certified Open Box (also known as a demo) means we’ve had it out of the box for our YouTube channel, displayed at events, tested in our studio, or maybe it was in a customer’s hands for a few days and isn’t ‘factory fresh’ as a result. Every Certified Open Box item we sell has Sweetwater’s 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty and has been tested and verified up to ‘new’ specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it’s in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

Note: While Certified Open Box items from Fender do not include the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation warranty, you can shop with confidence knowing that this item is backed and covered by Sweetwater’s 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty.

When you buy a Certified Open Box item at Sweetwater, you get:
  • 2-year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty™!
  • Products inspected and tested by our factory-authorized techs, guaranteed to function like new (or better)!
  • FREE shipping on most items
  • Equipment that will MEET or EXCEED your expectations!

Click HERE to browse our current inventory of Certified Open Box equipment. Purchasing Certified Open Box gear from Sweetwater is a smart and safe way to save!

Resources

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Guitar Amp Buying Guide
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The History of Fender's Ivy League Combo: The Princeton
Jan 24, 2023

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Tube, Handwired
  • Number of Channels: 1
  • Output Power: 5W Class A
  • Speaker Size: 8" 4 ohm Weber Special design Alnico speaker
  • Preamp Tubes: 1 x 12AY7
  • Power Tubes: 1 x 6V6 Power tube, 1 x 5Y3GT Rectifier
  • Inputs: 2 x 1/4" (high, low instrument)
  • Bias Type: Cathode Biased
  • Height: 12.5"
  • Width: 13.5"
  • Depth: 7.6"
  • Weight: 15 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 8160500100

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Reviews

5.0

81 Reviews

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Love this amp
Ok folks this is a well built lightweight tube amp that feels sturdy and sounds pretty darn good. I typically have it set between 3-4 so I won't upset the neighbors. Anything past that it gets surprisingly loud. I'm pretty confident this amp can be used for smaller gigs and I plan on using it for my church which is a smaller room that this amp will definitely have no problem filling up with sound and I won't have to max out the volume knob either. Pedals sound good on it as well. Happy with my purchase. It was between this amp and the pro junior but I liked the build material, the American made, and hardwired qualities of this amp. Price stung a bit but I'll get lots of use out of this amp.
by Clark from Clayton, NC on
Sam=Knowledge
Thank you, Sam Hillman, for finding my new amp. It's amazing and everything I ever wanted in a home sized amp.
by E572 on
Music background: Pro Home Player
Super Simple, Perfect Tone
Total honesty- this amp took a lot of getting used to for me. I purchased on a whim after my other Champ ('73 Silverface) had to go to the shop. I love my other champ and I couldn't be without one- who can beat the portability and beautiful tone? I'm not an amp history expert but the '73 has a treble and bass knob, 3x as complicated as this amp with just a volume knob!

I play low-volume funk, soul, r&b, folk-rock, little mix of everything but mostly smaller rooms at home and at brewery gigs. I am learning to crank this amp to the overdrive tone I want, and dial back on the volume knob. I play a strat or a tele and I pair it with a Strymon Flint and it is the perfect rig for me. Even a three-knob delay like a Carbon Copy can achieve a little bit of slapback to give you some more depth.

One thing I have noticed- versus the 73 Champ- is that this is SIGNFICANTLY louder, which is great because it means it can "cut through the mix" to use an overused term, and it doesn't get overwhelmed by a good drummer with ear/dynamics. If you're playing hard rock this might not be for you, but it works great for what I want to play and my goals as a guitarst.

Bottom line is that if you play small rooms or record a lot, this is a really flexible amp which sounds beautiful and you can carry your entire rig- and even have a spare hand.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Great little amp as is, but I use a Mesa Boogie 1x12 closed back extension cab with it. Class A chime!
Great little hand wired amp as is, but I use a Mesa Boogie 1x12 Closed back extension cab with it. Class A chime! I like a Mesa Boogie 1x12 cab for sound. The 57 Champ has a unique Class A 6V6 circuit that sounds great cranked. The amp allows for a seperate extension cab to be plugged in. Great maximum sound at a low volume. Lots of money for this setup but far superior sound to Fender's Hot Rod line.
by Retired on
Music background: Retired. First gig was Canadian version of Woodstock. Less people but good gig,
For Spartan Purist
I got this amp for several reasons. The first being, I wanted an all-tube amp, in a small combo that was appropriate for home use. 5 watts, 8-inch speaker seemed to fit the bill. Secondly, I wanted premium components and hand-wiring to make it sound as big and heavy as possible to compensate for how small it is. Lastly, I was influenced by playing classical Spanish guitar over the past year to get an electric rig that was minimalistic, so that all the personality and dynamics were coming from my playing. I thought the champ, with it's single volume knob, would keep this from turning into a ham radio project. I'm just getting back into electric guitar and I wanted to focus solely on my fundamentals as a player. And Lastly, I wanted to tap into some iconic Fender amp tones I'd heard countless recordings.

Construction: This thing is a little tank, nothing feels cheap or flimsy. Even with it's light weight, it feels solid. I'm shocked at how coarse the tweed feels. It's definitely not meant for garment use. The power switch is heavy duty and doesn't look like it'd break easily. Nothing is loose on this thing, no rattles, even dimed.

Tone: Simple, pure, transparent. The EQ sounds fairly flat, so it's a well balanced tone, that's full and rounded. Important note, it's decidedly a vintage tonality, think 50's, 60's, and some 70's. And most important of all, it has very little gain on tap. You will get some grit and bite by cranking the input 1 (especially with humbuckers), but don't expect the overdrive you'd find on a Deluxe or Bassman tweed. In those amps you could feed 1 input into the other, effectively giving you a gain knob, not with the Champ. For my purposes, I love it, I was looking for a "pushed clean" tone that sizzles and crackles, but not the saturation levels of a full on distortion overdrive. Input 2 cuts off the highest frequencies and provides some attenuation, meaning it's not as loud as the input 1, so you can set the volume higher on it. Input 2 is also mellower so better for Jazzy, more vintage stuff. Input 1 is better for country and vintage rock tones.

Volume: This thing is powerful. Like any good Fender, it cuts through with a piercing volume, but it's never grating to the ears. Honestly, I don't think I can go higher then 5 without having problems with neighbors (I live in an apartment). That means for my purposes, there's plenty of headroom to use pedals with it. The other important thing is the sensitivity to your attack. If you're at 4, and you bash your strings you can make it sound like 7. If your at 7, you can play delicately and make it sound like it's at 4. Also, when coupled with quality volume knobs on your guitar, you can really dial in volume and tone with high sensitivity.

Conclusion: I'm blown away at how big this thing sounds. I was worried the 8-inch speaker, wouldn't be able to handle humbuckers at high volume. Not the case, the saturation is warm and full with plenty of bite and no fart out. You're gonna need a pedal for serious "dirt" tones, but it's just not the tool for that job. This thing does first wave rock n'roll tones, 50's Pop, late 60's Rolling Stones tones, and Classic Southern Rock stuff really well, among other things.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Long time Player, Mainly as a hobbyist

It’s impossible to imagine a world without Fender guitars, and if you’re like many of the guitarists at Sweetwater, then Fender not only made the first guitar you ever bought " they made the last one too! From building the first mass-produced solidbody electric guitars and basses in the 1950s to creating some of the most influential amplifier designs in history, it’s no wonder why Fender is one of the biggest names in the business. As one of the world’s largest Fender dealers, we have countless guitars, basses, amps, effects pedals, and accessories in stock and ready to ship, whenever you need them. We’re always getting our hands on their latest creations, and there’s nothing we love more than to tell our customers all about them! So, whether you’re looking for your first axe or a Custom Shop creation, make sure to give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700.

See also: Combo Amps, Fender, Fender Guitar Combo Amps