Fender Champion 600 at Long Last!

This week I landed a Fender Champion 600.  It is being shipped soon.  I bought a used one on Ebay a couple of years ago and reported on this blog that I was looking forward to playing my blues through this small, portable all tube practice amp.  Then, the seller shipped it as cheaply as possible, which meant that it rolled around inside a train for three weeks.  If it wasn't sad, it would be comical to report that the mail carrier couldn't make eye contact with me as he handed me a round box.  Inside was a very damaged amp!

Well, I worked that out and was refunded.  I moved on and two years went by.  I got to thinking that I still had a desire to own and play such a portable, practical tube amp that would allow me to sit outside and play my blues without disturbing neighbors or my sleeping granddaughter when she is visiting over here.

Since my first attempt, the Fender Champion 600 has become discontinued and now is a collectible amplifier.  I was fortunate to be the winning bidder for one at $102.00, whereas they last retailed for $175.  The one I purchased was listed as "new," which I took to mean that it was pre-owned, but never scratched and hardly played.  It should be a great amp to play stock or to modify as I posted previously one of the possible scenarios of alterations that are available.

One of the reasons I wanted this amp is that it will allow me to learn more about how to swap speakers, since I have now become accustomed to changing out tubes.  I will be looking at the Weber Alnico 6 inch speaker as a possible upgrade, plus maybe the tone circuit that a friend of mine, who is a professional, has experience upgrading.  There is also the Mercury Magnetics transformer as a possibility.  So many say the grill cloth changes the tone as much as any other mod.  It comes with a suede cloth that apparently holds back the speaker's ability to push sound.

So much to learn!  -- Guitar Man

P.S.  Here is a glimpse inside--

Post Script:  Right after I posted the above entry, I learned that there was a reissue of this amplifier in a new form, with slight color changes.  I heard it through the grapevine that this is a Fender Champion 600 limited edition, with only 200 units to start with, and an estimated time of arrival if you buy it now in October of 2013.  Here is a photo of the new mono-colored tolex.

Very nice look!  This older ones (above) that look like the '57 version are going to be disappearing from the landscape and going up in price, so I would grab one while you can.  -- Guitar Man