Fender Custom Shop '52 Telecaster in Two Tone Sunburst Heavy Relic

Here at Andertons Music Co. we're fortunate enough to get our hands on a number Fender Custom Shop instruments, to give you a chance to own something truly special and unique. This '52 Tele Heavy Relic is a pure, old-school Telecaster that traditionalists will simply adore.

With its worn aesthetics, time-honoured hardware and vintage-style electronics; this premium guitar is an early '50s Tele through-and-through with an Ash body, Maple neck and Custom Shop pickups.

Time Honoured Ash Body

This '52 Tele is constructed from a 2-piece Ash body, much like the very first Teles that Fender constructed in the '50s. The Ash this guitar was hand-selected in the Fender Custom shop to be extra lightweight. Not only does this particular material give the guitar a forgiving weight, but its resonant and vibrant tonal qualities also offer a strong voice - serving as the perfect sonic foundation for the sweet-sounding pickups. It has all the brightness and sustain you could ever want from a Tele!

Authentic Old-School Feel

This Tele is fitted with a '59 Large "C" shaped neck, that really fills out the hand. This "baseball neck" feel is an iconic feature of early Teles. It's ideal for playing chords and gives the guitar a hint of extra snap and sustain. The neck on this Tele is Quartersawn, which is the strongest gain angle for the wood, so you can rest assured that no matter how much you use it, the neck won't move and is far more resistant to changes in temperature and humidity.

The Maple neck is also synonymous with '50s Teles, adding brightness and snap to your tone, giving you that textbook twang that we all know and love. It is finished nitrocellulose lacquer which has been worn on the back of the neck for an authentic played in satin finish, beloved for its silky smooth feel.

For anyone familiar with modern Fenders, the 9.5" radius fingerboard will feel like home, as this has been Fender's standard radius for decades. The narrow tall frets are the perfect blend of vintage tone and modern playability. They offer the height of a modern fret, giving you a familiar feel, but their narrow construction ensures that the "woodiness" of your tone stays intact, as you would get with a smaller, vintage fret.

Vintage Tone with a Twist

This '52 Tele perfectly pairs 2 different Custom Shop Pickups, with a Twisted Tele in the neck and a '51 Nocaster in the bridge. The twisted Tele neck pickup is very unique, combining elements of a classic Tele and Strat pickups, for a "stratty" neck tone. It features taller bobbins to accommodate more windings to get the sparkle and throatiness of a Strat neck pickup. It uses formvar magnet wire for extra glassiness and shimmer.

In contract, the bridge is all Tele! The '51 Nocaster has all of the bite and twang you would expect from a great vintage Tele - These period-correct single-coil pickups impart tight low end and clear, balanced midrange. With enamel-coated magnet wire you will get a warmer tone, while the Copper baseplate adds all of the attack and aggression. This is brought together by the Alnico 3 magnets which have a focused and extremely dynamic sound.

Specifications

Body

• Body Colour: 2-Tone Sunburst
• Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Heavy Relic
• Body Wood: 2-Piece Ash
• Pickguard: '52 Tele Parchment Relic

Neck

• Neck Construction: Bolt on (4-Bolt)
• Neck Profile: '59 Large "C"
• Neck Wood: Quartersawn Maple
• Fingerboard Wood: Maple
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5"
• Frets: 21, Narrow Tall (6105)
• Nut: Bone
• Nut Width: 1.65"
• Truss Rod: '50s
• Inlays: Micarta Black

Hardware

• Hardware Colour: Chrome/Nickel
• Tuners: Vintage Fender Tuners
• Bridge: Nocaster with 3 Brass saddles
• Neck Plate: Vintage Tele Relic (4-bolt)
• Knobs: '52 Tele Knurled Chrome Relic
• Switch Tip: American Vintage Tele Relic

Electronics

• Neck Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Twisted Tele Neck (5.9k)
• Bridge: Fender Custom Shop '51 Nocaster Bridge (7.18k)
• Controls: Volume / Tone, 3-Way Blade Switch
• Potentiometers: 2 x 250k

Miscellaneous

• Case: Fender Custom Shop Tweed Hard Case
• Strings: .010 - .046