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The year 1957 was one of change. A Texan singer called Charles Hardin Holley changed the name of his backing group to The Crickets, and recorded a single called That'll Be The Day. The Soviet Union changed the world by launching Sputnik 1 into orbit and the UK did some gardening in the Pacific, changing a small island paradise into a radioactive crater with its first hydrogen bomb.

Meanwhile, in California, a small (but for us guitar players equally significant) change happened when CL Fender modified the circuit of his Champ amplifier to remove a filter choke and a couple of other small components. This historic event was recorded by changing the circuit designation from 5E1 to 5F1, resulting in an amplifier that would make a little history of its own – the famous 'Narrow Panel' Tweed Champ.

Originally intended as a small, inexpensive practice amp for beginners, the overdriven distortion that occurred when you turned the Champ's single volume knob all the way up to 12 made it a hit with many producers and top players all over the world.

"If you want to hear how it all started, this is as good as you can get."

According to legend, Duane and Eric plugged into the tweed Champ for the Derek And The Dominoes classic Layla. Practically every early ZZ Top album features a Champ and the same thing goes for many Rolling Stones recordings.

So unsurprisingly, when Fender stopped producing them there was still a healthy demand, which continues to be filled by many boutique builders. The simple circuit, which has fewer components than many modern amps have control knobs, also became a favourite for home-build enthusiasts.

Now, 52 years later, Fender has re-released the original small recording amp that so many other amplifier manufacturers have emulated. It may have originally been the least expensive item in Fender's amp catalogue, but times change and this reissue is in the top-drawer Custom range, with a price tag to match.

The solid pine finger-jointed cabinet is accurately covered in lacquered tweed fabric and has a period-correct leather carry handle and nail-on logo plate. The lettering underneath the Fender logo says 'Corona California', rather than the original 'Fullerton California' legend.

The chassis is chrome-plated with white lettering and there's just one control – a volume knob that goes up to 12. This knob originally incorporated the on/off switch, which was prone to breaking, but on the reissue Fender has sensibly put a separate mains toggle switch in the hole formerly occupied by a fuse-holder.

This could have then been easily relocated to the bottom of the chassis but, annoyingly, Fender has opted to put all the fuses on board-mounted holders. Modern safety legislation is responsible for the addition of a steel cage around the amp's three valves and a ventilation grille in the rear panel, with more slots for cooling in the chassis ends.

Inside, the circuit is built up on an eyelet board in much the same way as an original would have been, except the layout is slightly different and the components have been updated and upgraded. For example, the hook-up wire insulation has been changed from cloth braid to modern flameproof PVC.

The original earth layout has also been changed from the potentially lethal original arrangement to something safe for 240V use. The quality of wiring and soldering is sound, but not overly neat and tidy.

So what we have is not a true replica, but an updated reissue, which retains much of the original vibe and is considerably safer and more reliable than an original. As long as you don't look too closely there's nothing to tell them apart other than the lack of 50 years of wear and tear.

Sounds

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