72' CUSTOM CLUB

[PJ]

BluesBoy...that's got to be in the top 5 prettiest Teles I've ever seen.
Wonder why Fender doesn't offer the blonde and natural options in the Mex stuff? They're the colors I remember from the 70s. Kind of
that tinted natural color, like Cheryl Crow's guy plays. But, your natural/rosewood guitar is striking!

[elmanzo]

1978, heavy as hell...but I love her.

[scubadoo]

Cool thread and some gorgeous guitars! Always wanted a custom or custom deluxe.

Does anyone have pdf or cad templates for building one?

[OutlawSteph1975]

I need to take some better pictures.



'76 Custom:




'05 Classic Series '72

[RichardWitt]

Latest edition to the family!

'07 72' RI Custom

[braderrick]

Hey guys, I have just recently grown to love these late '60s and '70s teles! So much so that my 6th, tele was a MIM '69 thinline, 7th was a CIJ '72 thinline, my 8th which I am working on assembling is a CIJ '72 custom. Maybe one of you guys can help me with a pickguard. I just need an original style black pickguard to fit a CIJ body, the MIMs may be a little different. No luck with the stratosphere. Let me know if you guys know where I can find one or have one made. Thanks

[Blueblood]

Pickguards on the '72 are not all the same. The holes are slightly off and will warp the guard if you are determined not to drill new ones.
I had my guard made at Warmoth but it took two tries. I wanted to round off the end by the pots
(as the original PG ends at a near point.)
I also added the horn to 'finish' it off...
They're not cheap but they do an awesome job!!

[braderrick]

I see the differences now that you mention them. I didn't know warmoth did custom cutting, I'll have to check them out if I can't find an original Japanese pickguard. Thanks for the info! Looks great btw!

[scubadoo]

Do you guys like the reissue WRH pickups? I want to build a Custom and was thinking about routing for a standard humbucker so that I have more options.

How does it compare to a PAF style humbucker?

[Scatterbrain]

I have a 72 Custom partscaster comprised of a Musikraft neck and body with an original WR humbucker and a Keeso bridge pickup. Truly the best sounding, most versatile guitar I have ever played and I would argue that it is better than any Custom that Fender has issued. Even smokes my Cunetto Nocaster! All pickup positions sound great and there is a lot of variation between the two pickups. The combined setting is great for funk and you can dial in just the right tone with the two volume knobs. This guitar can handle ANY style of music with ease and plays well with all kinds of amplifiers. Though it particularly loves AC-30 style amps (Hayseed 30) and Deluxe Reverbs. What can I say, everybody needs a Tele Custom!

I should also mention that the body is a 1-piece super light weight swamp ash body that is extremely resonant. The total weight of this guitar is 6 lbs even. I know a lot of folks think that the weight of a guitar doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to tone. I beg to differ. Although, the lively tone could also be enhanced by the super fat 1"+ neck! Whatever the case, light ash bodies and fat necks are a great combination IMO.

[Southern ILL]

Looks really great,Scatterbrain.

[Jeri]

I've had my cij since about 2000.. bought it new for £375 was on offer cos no one wanted it.... Is a bit battered but still my no 1 love...

[fungusyoung]

Here's my CIJ....

Basically stock (at least what you see is... upgraded the pots, switch,
jack & wiring)


Here she is with her Thinline sisters (also CIJ's)...

The Thinlines have the same electronics mods as the Custom, plus
replaced guards and the burst has original 70's Seth Lover buckers.

[Scatterbrain]

Originally Posted by fungusyoung

The Thinlines have the same electronics mods as the Custom, plus replaced guards and the burst has original 70's Seth Lover buckers.

How do the original WRs compare to the reissues? I have played the reissues at the store, but have never ABd with my original WR through the same amp.

[fungusyoung]

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

How do the original WRs compare to the reissues? I have played the reissues at the store, but have never ABd with my original WR through the same amp.

They are completely different, but the reissues are greatly improved by using either 500K (or I hear 1 meg) pots instead of 250K. I forget which models come with 250K pots as stock, but quite a few of the 72 RI series does. Mine sound much better with 500K pots.

The originals are warmer, sweeter and tonally very unique. They almost sound like P90's at times and handle harder rock very well, but they clean up nice too and can cover everything from twang to jazz to blues. Since cunife is no longer available it is impossible for pups being made today to replicate the originals (reissues use alnico). The originals are tough to find and very expensive as well. They about doubled my cost for that Thinline, but I felt like I just had to do it.

[Scatterbrain]

Thanks for the comparison and review fungus.

I know what you mean about the tonal variation of the Seth Lover WRs. These things are pretty much unbelievable for died-in-the-wool single coil followers. They sound nothing like PAF-style humbuckers and can obtain bright, piercing tones as well as deep booming lows. The best part is that they react well to dynamic playing styles, like blues or jazz. You can really get a lot of expressive tones out of the original WRs and, believe it or not, they do a fairly convincing job of the Jimi neck position sound. Perfect for Wind Cries Mary or Little Wing as well as the more funkified heavy blues material on Band of Gypsies. They can also get that P90 sound as well as a hollow kind of Filtertron sound. And the best part is that there is a ton of tonal variation depending on how hard you pick and how close to/far from the bridge you pick. The coolest humbucker ever made IMO!

FWIW, I bought my WR from eBay in Feb 2006 for $200 total. They have nearly doubled in price since then. Still, a truly wonderful and one-of-a-kind pickup.

[RocksOff]

#82 checking in!

[AjayTele]

For some reason, I just keep accumulating MIJ 72 Custom Reissues...

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[AjayTele]

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