Taking you back to where it all began, the Fender Custom Shop 1953 Heavy Relic Telecaster, here in Butterscotch Blonde, is reminiscent of an era where electric guitars were the ‘new fangled’ instruments of the day and this was the newest and most exciting of them all.
Featuring a carefully selected 2 piece, lightweight ash body, the ‘53 Tele is finished in an expertly aged Nitrocellulose lacquer giving the appearance and feel of a guitar that has has a hard and busy gigging life, rarely seeing the inside of a guitar case.
The neck is made from quartersawn maple and features an early ‘50s ‘U’ profile. The maple fretboard features a modern 9.5” radius and is fitted with 21 jumbo frets for easy string bends and vibrato. The headstock is home to a set of aged, vintage style tuners and a period-correct Fender logo decal.
Helping to deliver the ‘53’s iconic tone are a pair of Custom Shop Single Coil pickups. The bridge position gets a Custom Shop Handwound original Blackguard Tele Bridge unit whilst the neck position sees the inclusion of a Custom Shop Handwound Twisted Tele model. These are wired through a single volume and tone control via a three way selector switch. The electrics benefit from the addition of a Greasebucket tone circuit that preserves volume when the tone control is rolled off.
Other notable features are a ‘51/’54 ‘strings through body’ bridge with compensated brass saddles, a black, single ply phenolic scratchplate, a bone nut and a round string tree.
The ‘53 Heavy Relic Tele package is completed by the inclusion of a Deluxe hard shell case, a leather strap and a Custom Shop certificate of authenticity.
- Heavy Relic Nitrocellulose finish
- 2 piece select, lightweight ash body
- Quartersawn maple neck with early ‘50s ‘U’ profile
- Maple fretboard with 9.5” radius
- 21 Jumbo frets
- Custom Shop Handwound Blackguard Tele Bridge single coil pickup
- Custom Shop Handwound Twisted Tele neck single coil pickup
- 1x vol, 1x tone controls
- 3 way selector switch
- Greasebucket tone circuit
- ‘51/’54 Bridge with compensated brass saddles
- Vintage style tuners
- Deluxe hard shell case
- Leather strap
- Custom Shop certificate of authenticity