1959 Telecaster

[Cjteleforum]

Shouldn't there be some nail holes on a '59?

Nevermind, I see them

 

[GuitarTalk]

Looks this “reputable seller who wouldn’t lie” is no longer reputable and does in fact lie

 

[kuch]

Nice guitar. Play it. Have fun. Enjoy

 

[Sea Devil]

I'm seeing traces of red in the neck pocket and a couple other spots on the back. I'm not sure how to interpret that; it might have been painted red at some point, but that could be the remnants of a sunburst finish, although I think it's customary for the black to be applied first.

 

[Old Plank]

My '59 has 8 pickguard screws ... seeing the same in a few Tele books, but not sure if that's the case across the whole year. And, seeing '58's with 5 screws like yours. Not sure exactly when that transition took place but someone here likely knows.

 

[capitalbear]

I'm seeing traces of red in the neck pocket and a couple other spots on the back. I'm not sure how to interpret that; it might have been painted red at some point, but that could be the remnants of a sunburst finish, although I think it's customary for the black to be applied first.

As far as I know, the order for sunburst was yellow-red-black.

 

[Sea Devil]

When I did a sunburst on my 1959 Jazzmaster, I tried to make it as authentic as possible. That meant tinting the body yellow first, then applying sealer. The next step was to mask the front and back and shoot the black from the outside. I then used a couple different transparent browns and reds, shot from the inside, to make the blend from the black as smooth as possible; black over transparent colors appears to "float" above the body and can look speckled if the spray isn't fine enough.

What I ended up with was perhaps more typical of a 1960 than a 1959; it has a gradual transition rather than just a two-inch-wide black band around the edges. That's the way I like it, though.

 

[Hank-Frost]

The neck is stamped “— 59”. The month digit is too faint to read.

You have a stamped neck date on a 1959? I'm no great expert, but I thought Fender didn't stamp any neck dates until at least 1962. Also a stamped neck date would have 3 letters for the month, not a digit.

 

[Telekarster]

Natural finish was very popular in the late 60's and throughout the 70's, so wouldn't surprise me if this is when the refin happened to make it "hip" with the times. I'm no expert either but as @Hank-Frost mentions, I too am curious about a stamped date? I thought Fender was still using pencil dates in 59, but not sure. In any case, got any pics of the neck pocket and heal for us to see?

 

[Sea Devil]

A lot of 59s have no neck date at all. My JM above has no neck date.

 

[Otisblove]

You said the seller is trying to get information about the guitar from the original owner’s wife.

I know what information you’d get from MY wife about any one of my 17 guitars. You might as well ask her for information on one of my socks.

P.S. Your guitar looks cool.

 

[Milspec]

You have a stamped neck date on a 1959? I'm no great expert, but I thought Fender didn't stamp any neck dates until at least 1962. Also a stamped neck date would have 3 letters for the month, not a digit.

If the suspicion is correct that the neck was refinished along with the body, it was likely stamped at the same time since the original date code would be wiped out.

 

[ClashCityTele]

Don't know if I've spotted something that no-one else has but...
the serial number on the neckplate is '32728'.
On the Fender website that serial no. brings up an Am Vin '52 Tele...
https://serialnumberlookup.fender.com/product/0100202850

Am I missing something?

 

[Hank-Frost]

Don't know if I've spotted something that no-one else has but...
the serial number on the neckplate is '32728'.
On the Fender website that serial no. brings up an Am Vin '52 Tele...
https://serialnumberlookup.fender.com/product/0100202850

Am I missing something?

Be interesting to see the pots and bottoms of the pickups and such.

From what I see here, if I was tempted to buy the guitar I'd guess it was a fake made from an artificially aged '52 Reissue or a similar import.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Need more pics. Truss nut route looks to be a victim of sanding/gouging likely during the refin, same might be said of the body edges. Normal refin stuff.

Serial number is fine, it's slightly sloppy stamping I don't know to be too common but I haven't seen them all. From the little I've seen it looks to be a legit player. Grow some nails on your left hand and break that neck back in.

 

[Gino__Nave]

That is a refinish in a natural/clear, that has since aged.

That finish is unheard of on a Fender guitar of that vintage, and if it had been a factory '59 finish, the neck pocket would be sprayed. Not to mention other easy to read clues.

Hope you payed no more than half the value of one with an original finish.

There is no value to be gained by a refinish being a "vintage refinish," unless that refinish was done at the Fender factory. It's all about quality, composition, process, and color – not when it was done.

It's a good candidate for a proper restoration by Gordon Miller. Do that now, and down the road, it will increase its beauty and its value for it to have had a documented refin by one of the most respected names in the business...as opposed to having been stripped and coated in a non original color, who knows how, who knows when, and who knows by whom (but certainly not by a universally respected restorer

Go through the guitar with other similar guitars you own and figure out exactly what makes it play so much better. There will be subtle clues you'll identify, like a little more wood on the rear shoulders of the neck carve (that won't show up on regular width x depth spec sheet listings) or any small details.

Measure the actual kohms of the pots, the uF of the cap(s), and everything you can measure about the pickups (heights and bass/treble tip too).

Then you can replicate those features on any guitar you have or will get.

I got this used Epiphone Junior humbucker model a decade back and did a few mods to it (fret level, swapped the pickup) and it eventually became my most often played guitar. All of $30 in it. I went back through it and the one mod I did on it that made all the difference was rotating the bridge pickup 180 deg to put the raised screw poles on the 'north' bobbin for a P90 tone. I've since replicated that on several other guitars in the fleet and that was all that held them back from more play time.

So use this guitar as your benchmark to improve your other guitars to its

You have a stamped neck date on a 1959? I'm no great expert, but I thought Fender didn't stamp any neck dates until at least 1962. Also a stamped neck date would have 3 letters for the month, not a digit.

I mispoke - it's in pencil "—59".

 

[derekwarner]

Quote from capitalbear......"as far as I know, the order for sunburst was yellow-red-black".

Could this suggest a different sequence?

I am thinking the sequence would be the same throughout the range be they Tele to Strat to Jag or Jazz etc...oops and bass guitars too

Could

 

[Fretting out]

You said the seller is trying to get information about the guitar from the original owner’s wife.

I know what information you’d get from MY wife about any one of my 17 guitars. You might as well ask her for information on one of my socks.

P.S. Your guitar looks cool.

You mean you don’t talk to your wife about your guitars!?

You don’t give a detailed history of each one!?

Shame on you…..

 

[Gris]

Pine?

 

[Rob DiStefano]

Ah, the fun and excitement of buying what might be a real vintage Fender guitar! Unless its owner is strictly a collector, all that should matter is will that guitar help its owner make "good music". That's the bottom line as first and foremost guitars are tools for players. The pedigree of the guitar and how many dollars it takes to acquire it might matter to some, and to others lots less. To the OP - do enjoy!