this pic gives a better view:
http://theband.hiof.no/band_pictures/aerie/rr_71.html
you guys know more about this than i do, but it really looks like a blonde finish to me. if it were stripped, wouldn't you see the grain more? i agree with the post above that you can see the grain on the side of the guitar, but the first (color) pic in my original post shows the top, and it looks like it is a solid color. the video posted above and the footage in Festival Express looks that way as well.
so i can't buy a new tele that looks like that one? i love that finish with the white pickguard.