1959 Tweed Fender Champ Chicken Head Knob

Sort of an odd name, until you get a good look at one. It looks like a chicken’s head.

1959 Fender Chicken Head Amplifier Knob, Daka-ware Logo

They were originally made of black phenolic resin by Davies Molding in Chicago under the brand name Daka-Ware and were pretty standard across Fender’s amp line at the time. They are still making them today. This is how you turn on a tweed Champ amp and crank it ever so slowly up the dial into the sweet, sweet overdriven sound that these little vintage amps are known for. 

Along the “beak” of the knob is a detail line, highlighted with white paint. The knob is held in place with a single flat head screw accessed from the opposite end of the “beak.” The top of the knob is flat – there are some floating around that have more of a peaked top. I don’t know if those are considered “original.”

1959 Fender Chicken Head Amplifier Knob, Daka-ware Logo

There appears to be a Daka-Ware logo stamp on the underside of the knob – a sort of X with a vertical line through the middle of it surrounded by a circle. I’ve had a near impossible time trying to find any sort of photographic evidence of the bottom of these original knobs – any input beyond my educated guesses is appreciated.

1959 Fender Chicken Head Amplifier Knob, Daka-ware Logo