Fender Champion Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1950), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 1265, yellow pearloid finish, hardwood body, black gig bag case.

This Champion is an early example of Fender's "bread and butter" lap steel guitar from the 1950s, the instrument that helped keep the company afloat in the first years. Introduced in 1949 as a student instrument, the Champion Steel was -- and remains -- a great-sounding lap guitar fully suited to professional use. This one appears to have had the original pickup rewound and (and certainly re-potted) with the pots and some wiring replaced but otherwise remains in original condition.

The flashy plastic-covered symmetrical two-bout body has a chrome bridge and cover plate, and a metal fingerboard pinned to the body with black paint screening to outline fret positions. The headstock has a metal facing with an integral nut stamped with lighting bolt logo and "Fender Electric Instrument Co. Fullerton, California".

This example has a low serial number 1265 stamped on the bridgeplate. It pre-dates the use of masking tape signature tags in the electronics cavity and the pots were replaced so is not possible to date it exactly, but the serial number places it from mid/late 1950 to very early 1951. The slot-head screws used are also indicators of an early model. The original pickup is from the same period as the first Fender Broadcaster/Nocaster Spanish guitars and although the baseplate is different the coil and windings are the same as those now-legendary primal solidbodies.

Over the years many Champs have sacrificed their pickups to provide the engine for vintage Telecaster recreations -- especially these earliest models. This one has seen some re-working but remains a truly superb sounding steel guitar with a bright, singing tone and a genuine early 1950s Fender instrument at a relatively reasonable price!

Overall length is 29 3/4 in. (75.6 cm.), 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Width of nut is 2 1/4 in. (57 mm.).

This is a lightly worn in Champion, showing some general wear overall. The pickup is original, but it looks to have been rewound a LONG time ago, and heavily wax potted. The pots, cap and wiring except for the original pickup leads and the jack are of later vintage. The original Broadcaster-rea slot-head screws, knurled knobs and milled jack cup are still intact.

The chrome parts and plastic body covering show some minor wear spots. The blue-painted underside has some loss to the paint; most of the light coat of flocking once applied there is long gone. There are newer buttons on the original first-generation Kluson strip tuners; the originals have usually crumbled by now. The upper tuner shaft on the treble side is bent but still functional. This is a super cool and comparatively rare Champion from the Broadcaster era, no longer fully original but mostly so and a still great sounding small chip of the Fender grail. Overall Very Good + Condition.