Why is the Fender 57 Champ reissue so expensive?

jonnyburgo

For a simple design why is it so much? Is it simply because that is what people will pay?

richardhomer

Probably 'because they can'....

ICBM pointed out in another thread that 'small amp' watts are dearer than 'high watt' amps because certain components (eg output valves, transformers, etc) aren't 'that' much dearer in bigger amps - which I'd never really considered before.

Fretwired

Hand made in USA plus it's not strictly speaking a reissue as the design had to change to meet EU safety guidelines. I have one and the tone is gorgeous so well worth the money in my book. Far better made than my old Fender Blues Junior and Fender Pro Junior.

Babones

They kind of have that Princeton effect, in that they sound bigger than they look. Cleans are nice indeed, at low volume obviously, but they can get real loud too. Very much a turn it up and use your guitar's volume knob amp.

jonnyburgo

Don't get me wrong, I love how they sound. Just a bit out of my range

ICBM

richardhomer said:

Probably 'because they can'....

ICBM pointed out in another thread that 'small amp' watts are dearer than 'high watt' amps because certain components (eg output valves, transformers, etc) aren't 'that' much dearer in bigger amps - which I'd never really considered before.

At a rough guess, probably 90% of the final price is determined by factors other than the power of the amp - country of manufacture and hand wiring being the biggest two.

Babones

jonnyburgo said:

Don't get me wrong, I love how they sound. Just a bit out of my range

Many are priced high, but if you keep looking, you may find an honest priced one eventually. If/when i sell mine, it will be at a reasonable price.

Richardj

AFAIK they are closer to proper handmade boutique amps than full production line.  You are paying for the extra American wage time put into putting them together.

martinw

Blimey that is dear. (£875 from GAK, £1150 RRP).

I can make and sell one of those as a one-off for around £700.

ICBM

martinw said:

Blimey that is dear. (£875 from GAK, £1150 RRP).

I can make and sell one of those as a one-off for around £700.

But you don't have to charge for shipping cost, import duty and a distributor or retailer markup, and I very much doubt you're in debt to the tune of 250 million dollars…

Joking aside, as long as you're happy not having the "right" name on the front, I'd buy one of Martin's.

Fretwired

martinw said:

Blimey that is dear. (£875 from GAK, £1150 RRP).

I can make and sell one of those as a one-off for around £700.

Christ .. I paid £725 on a sub £1,000 list price. Why have they gone up so much?

57Deluxe

easy to build your own... loads of kits... I wouldn't(!) but you could...

midlifecrisis

57Deluxe said:

easy to build your own... loads of kits... I wouldn't(!) but you could...

oh dear, I feel myself getting electrocuted even reading about this...

Wazmeister

Hand made. World known name. Hand made. World known name.

These make the cost higher !

ThePrettyDamned

Wazmeister;359334" said:

Hand made. World known name. Hand made. World known name.



These make the cost higher !

Exactly. Remove the name and buy it from a British builder, get the same amp for much less money!

With a British builder you could even choose your own speaker, or ask for mods like power scaling and stuff. And it would probably still work out as less...

Gagaryn

midlifecrisis said:

57Deluxe said:

easy to build your own... loads of kits... I wouldn't(!) but you could...

oh dear, I feel myself getting electrocuted even reading about this...

I would recommend building one too. I built a tweed Princeton which is almost identical but with an added tone control and it ended up sounding better than I dreamt it would. And it's a remarkably enjoyable process and easier than you might think.

martinw

ICBM said:

Joking aside, as long as you're happy not having the "right" name on the front, I'd buy one of Martin's.

Thanks!

ThePrettyDamned said:

Exactly. Remove the name and buy it from a British builder, get the same amp for much less money!

With a British builder you could even choose your own speaker, or ask for mods like power scaling and stuff. And it would probably still work out as less...

Yes, Power Scaling would be a great addition to an amp like the Champ.