2011 NAMM: Visit the Fender Custom Shop Booth (video)
Every year at the Winter NAMM Show, Fender’s Custom Shop displays guitars that it’s builders have been building all year long. These are “spec” guitars that the builders make for no one in particular. Then they hang them on the wall at NAMM and Fender CS Dealers come by and put their business card on the ones they commit to buy after the show. So, in this video visit of the CS Booth at NAMM you’ll see certificates on each one, and a small piece of paper denoting the guitar is sold and to whom.
Enjoy the eye candy:
2011 NAMM: Custom Shop Tele “Pro” Explained (video)
One would think that the Fender Custom Shop’s “Tele Pro” model would be a guitar for “Pros”. But Mike Eldred, head of the Custom Shop explains it means “prototype.” Who knew? And, they change them every year. This year, they are pine bodied Teles with two special versions of the Fender Twisted Tele pickup.
Watch Mike explain the features of the guitar:
2011 NAMM: Couple of Road Worn Telecasters
Also announced before NAMM this year, were the Road Worn Player Telecasters and Stratocasters. Having seen them with our own two eyes, we thought you’d like to see them too.
All in all they are very tastefully reliced and have a combination of features that would make them the kind of guitar that any Tele player could love.
The Road Worn Player Telecaster guitar includes an alder body with a lightly worn lacquer finish, modern ‘C’-shaped maple neck with lightly worn urethane finish, maple fretboard with 9.5′ radius and medium jumbo Frets. Also includes Tex Mex single-coil bridge pickup and Seymour Duncan ’59 humbucking neck pickup, three-way switching, aged knobs and switch tip, three-ply pickguard, Road Worn six-saddle strings-through-body bridge, and deluxe gig bag.
What’s “lightly worn” look like? Here’s the photos evidence:
The MSRP according to Fender is $1,199.99 — or about $850 at most Fender dealers.
2011 NAMM: 60th Anniversary Tele in the flesh
We all heard about Fender’s 60th Anniversary Tele just before NAMM this year, but here’s your first chance to see one “in the flesh”. The guitar looks just as good as you’d expect. And the specs for the guitar are a combination of vintage and modern options combined into a sweet blackguard look.
The guitar features include an ash body, tinted maple neck and fretboard with modern 9.5” radius and medium jumbo frets, American Vintage Telecaster single-coil pickups, modern tuners, American Standard bridge with bent steel saddles (AKA Strat saddles) and stamped brass plate, black pickguard, Blackguard Blonde thin-skin lacquer finish, commemorative neckplate, and Fender/SKB® molded case.
Here’s some photos:
Here’s some specs:
Model Name: 60th Anniversary Telecaster®
Series: Limited Anniversary Edition
Color / MSRP* / Part # :
* Blackguard Blonde
$1,899.99
011-6112-768
Body
Body Material: Ash
Body Shape: Telecaster®
Body Finish: * 0116112768 Thinskin Lacquer Body Finish
Neck
Neck Shape: Modern “C” Shape
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5″ (24.1 cm)
Neck Finish: Lacquer
Nut Width: 1.685″ (42.8 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5″ (64.8 cm)
Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Neck Plate with Micro-Tilt™
Truss Rods: Bi-Flex Truss Rod System
Truss Rod Nut: 1/8″ American Series Nut
Electronics
Pickup Configuration: S/S
Bridge Pickup: American Standard Tele® Single-Coil Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup: American Standard Tele® Single-Coil Neck Pickup
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Special Electronics: No-Load™ Tone Control
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Hardware
Hardware Finish: Chrome
Bridge: American Tele with New American Standard Bent Steel Saddles and Stamped Brass Plate
Tuning Machines: Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Switch Tips: Barrel Style Switch Tip
Tools
Truss Rod Wrench: 1/8″ Hex (Allen) Wrench
Miscellaneous
Strings: Fender® USA Super 250L’s, NPS (.009-.042 Gauges)
Unique Features: Thinskin Lacquer Finish, Vintage Style Pickups, 60th Anniversary Neckplate, Five-Screw Mounted Brass Bridge Plate for Sonic Stability, Bent Steel Saddles, Tinted Neck, Rolled Fretboard Edges, Staggered Tuning Keys
Accessories
Case Gig Bags: Molded Rectangular Fender/SKB® Case
Pickguard: 3-Ply Black/White/Black
Included Accessories: Fender/SKB® Case, Cable, Strap, Polishing Cloth
Polishing Cloth: Polishing Cloth Included
Control Knobs: Knurled chrome
