2006 Fender Japan Telecaster Custom '62 Reissue (w/Bigsby) Electric Guitar
Update 2017: New pictures, updated soundclip, updated information.
Well, this Tele certainly says "60s" right up front. I've always liked the dressed-up (bound edges) look of the original Tele Customs and the three-color sunburst and big old F-stamped Bigsby whammy don't hurt the eyes, either. Japanese Fender products tend to be throwbacks (like this one) with extra features or modern interpretations (like the Aerodyne series, among others) that aren't too out there. Of the Fenders I've worked on, they're also the most reliable and practically-built outside of the American products. I like them, frankly -- a lot!
Well, this Tele certainly says "60s" right up front. I've always liked the dressed-up (bound edges) look of the original Tele Customs and the three-color sunburst and big old F-stamped Bigsby whammy don't hurt the eyes, either. Japanese Fender products tend to be throwbacks (like this one) with extra features or modern interpretations (like the Aerodyne series, among others) that aren't too out there. Of the Fenders I've worked on, they're also the most reliable and practically-built outside of the American products. I like them, frankly -- a lot!
A friend of mine picked this up and I only had to restring it and set it up. These Bigsby-equipped Tele Reissues use period-style parts which means the "flat" bridge plate and Jazzmaster adjustable bridge . Honestly, the Jazzmaster bridge is the only weak part of the whole instrument -- and since originally posting in 2016, the owner has replaced it with my suggestion of a Mustang bridge and now it's rock-solid.
I believe this is a TL62B model and these are a bit of a hot commodity over here. It has a super-vintage feel with smaller fretwire, a steeper board radius, and a medium (for electric!) C neck profile. The sunburst looks great, it's quite clean save for some tiny amounts of use-wear and a minor ding here and there (it looks like it could've been hanging in a shop for 6-12 months, basically), and the mint pickguard looks "ace" on it. The neck is straight, the frets have only the most tiny wear (not enough to consider a level/dress for a long while), and it's setup on the dot with 1/16" ADGBE and just a hair higher on the low E action at the 12th fret. The strings are 46w-10.
I believe this is a TL62B model and these are a bit of a hot commodity over here. It has a super-vintage feel with smaller fretwire, a steeper board radius, and a medium (for electric!) C neck profile. The sunburst looks great, it's quite clean save for some tiny amounts of use-wear and a minor ding here and there (it looks like it could've been hanging in a shop for 6-12 months, basically), and the mint pickguard looks "ace" on it. The neck is straight, the frets have only the most tiny wear (not enough to consider a level/dress for a long while), and it's setup on the dot with 1/16" ADGBE and just a hair higher on the low E action at the 12th fret. The strings are 46w-10.
Note the classic pickguard with no adjustment for the neck pickup.
The pickups sound pretty typical for a Tele -- very classic. The bridge unit is a bit hotter, however, to give it that Tele twang with gusto.
The bridges on these essentially "float" on points in the recessed housing for their posts. This helps keep the whammy fluid and in tune.
A yellow "aging toner" gives an old-school look to the finish, though the finish is pretty hard and thicker like on a 70s Fender. The Kluson-style tuners are a nice touch, though.
It comes with a serviceable gigbag, too.
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