Fender Telecaster Custom Solid Body Electric Guitar (1973)
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Item # 9774
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Fender Telecaster Custom Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1973), made in Fullerton, California, black polyester finish, alder body, maple neck, original black tolex hard shell case.
This guitar is a good playing example of one of Fender's best regarded 1970s instruments, the second-generation Telecaster Custom. This model has no older equivalent, being a product of the CBS/Fender design labs at the beginning of the '70s when Gibson's Les Pauls were experiencing a wave of popularity. The re-designed Custom is a factory-built reflection of a modification many players were making in the field, fitting Fender's Telecaster with a Gibson humbucking pickup.
This style Telecaster Custom was introduced in 1972 and differs from the standard Telecaster primarily in carrying a new Fender "Wide Range" humbucking pickup in the neck position, while retaining the traditional Telecaster lead pickup at the bridge. This configuration offers the maximum tonal range of any Fender from the period. The unique pickup itself and the wiring layout owe much to Fender's employment of Seth Lover, the man who designed much of the classic Gibson electronics of the 1950s. The wiring functions in a Gibson-like mode with a tone and volume for each pickup and a 3-way selector switch on the upper bout. Even the internal wire has the braided metal shielding traditionally favored by Gibson!
The one-piece maple neck carries the newer "bullet" style truss rod adjustment and 3-bolt tilt neck attachment, another new feature not applied to standard Telecasters. The black body and natural maple neck are finished in the polyester Fender used at the time. The neck heel has a coded ink stamping 0701 1623; codes on the original pots indicate the 26th and 35th weeks of 1973, the guitar was likely assembled about a year into the production run of this then-new model.
This style Telecaster Custom has proven enduringly popular, widely regarded as one of the most well thought out of Fender's 1970s designs. The Fender humbucking pickup was not a big hit at the time but has grown greatly in status over the years as players have discovered its unique combination of clarity, punch, and character. Notable users of this model when new included Keith Richards and Mick Green, and many others have joined in since. This played-in ebony finish example is not a particularly rare instrument but still plays and sounds great, exuding a particular 1970s cool.
Overall length is 38 11/16 in. (98.3 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This nearly 50 year old Telecaster is a bit of a genuine relic showing signs of some serious use along the way with moderate wear to the fairly sturdy finish but nothing too brutal. There are some deep dings and chips to the body, mostly on the edges but including a big one on the back that has been filled in. In general the body finish is a bit scruffy overall but one of the advantages of this 70's Poly in black is it can take a lot of abuse and still look great! The black pickguard is a bit scuffed on the face but not cracked or chipped at the corners. The neck is relatively clean; it has been neatly refretted but is otherwise unaltered.
All the original hardware is intact (except the snap-on bridge cover) including the signature mixed lot pickups, pots and wiring. The control cavities neatly are neatly lined with thin shielding foil; we used to assume this was aftermarket but have seen it consistently enough now to wonder if some of these 1970s Fenders were issued this way. This Tele has seen some stage time but still plays and sounds exactly as it should, a slightly funky and badass piece of '70s Fender history. It is still housed in the original black Tolex HSC, a bit battered but intact except for a missing middle latch. Excellent - Condition.
This guitar is a good playing example of one of Fender's best regarded 1970s instruments, the second-generation Telecaster Custom. This model has no older equivalent, being a product of the CBS/Fender design labs at the beginning of the '70s when Gibson's Les Pauls were experiencing a wave of popularity. The re-designed Custom is a factory-built reflection of a modification many players were making in the field, fitting Fender's Telecaster with a Gibson humbucking pickup.
This style Telecaster Custom was introduced in 1972 and differs from the standard Telecaster primarily in carrying a new Fender "Wide Range" humbucking pickup in the neck position, while retaining the traditional Telecaster lead pickup at the bridge. This configuration offers the maximum tonal range of any Fender from the period. The unique pickup itself and the wiring layout owe much to Fender's employment of Seth Lover, the man who designed much of the classic Gibson electronics of the 1950s. The wiring functions in a Gibson-like mode with a tone and volume for each pickup and a 3-way selector switch on the upper bout. Even the internal wire has the braided metal shielding traditionally favored by Gibson!
The one-piece maple neck carries the newer "bullet" style truss rod adjustment and 3-bolt tilt neck attachment, another new feature not applied to standard Telecasters. The black body and natural maple neck are finished in the polyester Fender used at the time. The neck heel has a coded ink stamping 0701 1623; codes on the original pots indicate the 26th and 35th weeks of 1973, the guitar was likely assembled about a year into the production run of this then-new model.
This style Telecaster Custom has proven enduringly popular, widely regarded as one of the most well thought out of Fender's 1970s designs. The Fender humbucking pickup was not a big hit at the time but has grown greatly in status over the years as players have discovered its unique combination of clarity, punch, and character. Notable users of this model when new included Keith Richards and Mick Green, and many others have joined in since. This played-in ebony finish example is not a particularly rare instrument but still plays and sounds great, exuding a particular 1970s cool.
Overall length is 38 11/16 in. (98.3 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This nearly 50 year old Telecaster is a bit of a genuine relic showing signs of some serious use along the way with moderate wear to the fairly sturdy finish but nothing too brutal. There are some deep dings and chips to the body, mostly on the edges but including a big one on the back that has been filled in. In general the body finish is a bit scruffy overall but one of the advantages of this 70's Poly in black is it can take a lot of abuse and still look great! The black pickguard is a bit scuffed on the face but not cracked or chipped at the corners. The neck is relatively clean; it has been neatly refretted but is otherwise unaltered.
All the original hardware is intact (except the snap-on bridge cover) including the signature mixed lot pickups, pots and wiring. The control cavities neatly are neatly lined with thin shielding foil; we used to assume this was aftermarket but have seen it consistently enough now to wonder if some of these 1970s Fenders were issued this way. This Tele has seen some stage time but still plays and sounds exactly as it should, a slightly funky and badass piece of '70s Fender history. It is still housed in the original black Tolex HSC, a bit battered but intact except for a missing middle latch. Excellent - Condition.