Fender Champion Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar (1954), made in Fullerton, California, yellow pearloid finish, one piece wood body with aluminum overlay fingerboard, original tweed hard shell case.

A fine example of Fender's "bread and butter" lap steel guitar from the 1950's. Though designed as a student instrument, the Champion Steel is a great-sounding guitar fully suited to professional use then or now, with a Telecaster style flat pole pickup fully equivalent in sound to the legendary 1950's Teles. Symmetrical plastic-covered two-bout body, chrome bridge and cover plates with dome-top knurled knobs. Serial number "6817" is stamped on the bridgeplate where the strings anchor through the body. Metal fingerboard plate has black paint screening to outline fret positions.

Headstock has metal facing with integral nut and Kluson strip tuners with white plastic buttons. Peghead is stamped with lighting bolt logo and "Fender Electric Instrument Co. Fullerton, California". Inside the control cavity under the original wiring is a piece of masking tape with "Virginia 4-30-54" written in, a nice reminder of the folks who built these now-historic instruments. Nice examples of the Champ are increasingly harder to find; many have been sacrificed over the years to provide electric components for Telecaster recreations.
 
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.) deep. Scale length is 22 1/4 in. (565 mm.). Very nice original condition; some tuner buttons have been replaced due to shrinkage. Everything else in original undisturbed condition, some play wear to metal fingerboard where it looks like an enthusiastic user hit it repeatedly with the end of a steel but this is only noticeable on close inspection. Tweed case also very nice with light average wear, mostly to ends. Excellent Condition.