Do I need to go Custom Shop if I want a thin skin 52' style with modern appointments?

They are all USA made by Fender.

They are examples of an FSR, a Factory Special Run. Wildwood, Dave's Guitar, Guitar Center (and probably a few others) are good enough customers of Fender that they are allowed to order batches of Fender guitars built to their own specifications. Guitar Center tends to order larger FSRs geared towards the lower end of the market. Wildwood and Dave's order smaller batches of higher end guitars that sit just about on a par with Fender's AVRI offerings, not quite Custom Shop but still of excellent quality and at very good prices.

 

Ah ok. Thanks for the info.

One thing, isn't 7.98 pounds considered heavy for an ash Telecaster??

 

Personally, I don't consider guitars heavy until they get over say 8.5lbs. The average is probably 7.5 to 8.0lbs.

It is a personal thing though. Some people like them 7lbs or even less (I don't) and some like them 8lbs or more.

But actually the one on Wildwood's website is 6.98lbs.

http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/products/r10912.php?CategoryID=182&n=0#

Fender American Vintage "Thin Skin" '52 Telecaster



Brand: Fender
Model: American Vintage "Thin Skin" '52 Telecaster
Finish Color: Butterscotch Blonde
Finish Type: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Weight: 6.98 lbs
Body Wood: Ash
Neck Wood: Maple
Neck Shape: '52 Medium "U"
Fingerboard: Maple
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5"
Scale Length: 25.5"
Width at Nut: 1.650"
Frets: 21 6105 Frets
Pickups: Twisted Tele (neck), Flat Pole Broadcaster (bridge)
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 3-Way Switch
Hardware : Chrome
Bridge: Original Vintage Style Tele Bridge with 3 Brass Saddles and "Ash Tray" Bridge Cover
Tuners: Fender/Gotoh Vintage Style
Pickguard: 1-Ply Black
Case: Tweed Hardshell Case
Case Candy: Strap, Cable

 

Well I got super hyped for this guitar and was going to pull the trigger on it, But oh wait, I'm in Canada and we always get ****ed royally compared to the USA. For example, that guitar is 1800 American before tax, which is 2400 for us-ok still cheaper than the 2700 52 reissue. But wait, I also have to pay shipping which I'm assuming is 200 AT LEAST, AND THEN 300 duty for it to cross the border. So by the time I get it it's now at 2900(maybe more since I only guessed what the shipping would be, I know what the duty is). I'm not ranting about tax here because everyone pays tax.

It sucks because if I lived in the States, a 52 reissue is 2000, and this wildwood is 1800. The reissue is 200 more whereas in my situation the Wildwood is 200 more. How does that make sense?

 

Howdy,
Is there anyone stateside that you trust? If you're getting them to buy the guitar for you and give it to you as a gift, you just give them the money. That'll at least save you some money.

 

Yep, I hear you. But it probably is worth $200 more than a common or garden variety 52 reissue!

As to duty and taxes, go have a word with that nice young chap you just elected Prime Minister.

(My wife is Canadian and we have property there and go up frequently so I do empathize)

 

So I called Wildwood and UPS. All said and done after tax, deliver, duty etc, to get it to my door it will cost me 3400. The 52 would be 3050. Is it worth the extra 350? Wildwood said the one on their website is their last one and they won't do another run until early next year but said the price will go up to maybe 1800-2000 American.
PS I didn't vote for Trudeau :|

 

PS at that price point, wouldn't I essentially be in Custom Shop territory? Wouldn't that be better?

 

That 6.98 lb Thin Skin above is an ideal guitar if it had a 1 11/16" nut and didn't have a neck the same color as the body.

50's ones didn't have necks that color - that's a caricature of a Tele we got used to with some of the awful runs of 52 RI's over the years.

The 1 5/8" nut ? One of the few things where Leo wasn't a genius. Heck a lot of the real 50's ones were smaller than 1.65 at the nut.

See ? We are all picky on one thing or another...

 

Haha pickiness is good even spending lots of money on something we plan on having for a while

What were bad about the bad runs of 52 reissues? The color? Or were there other issues?

 

The neck thicknesses changed over the years, but in some years the colours were way off.

There really never was a colour called Butterscotch Blonde. Originally blonde was much like the background colour of this website. Later in the 50's Fender used a quite white shade of blonde. Of course blonde was always (at least somewhat) translucent and you could see the grain through it. But, in the very early days, the particular formulation of nitrocellulose lacquer they used wasn't very stable and minimal UV inhibitors in it. Consequently it tended to yellow. Throw in a few smoke filled bars and the yellowing became worse. When Fender introduced the '52 Reissues they tried to capture this aged blonde and in some years they very much overdid it and the guitars looked almost orange and not much like a real early 50's model.

To my eye, even that Wildwood Thin Skin is pushing blonde to its limits. Personally I much prefer - because I think it's much more authentic - a lighter blonde like this one...

 

You know it's possible to negotiate with Wildwood.. They've had those thinskin guitars on the rack for at least 4 or 5 years. You're much better off with the AV 52.. It's a better guitar.

 

Oh I tried to negotiate, they wouldn't budge, and I consider myself a good hagler lol.

Looks like it'll be AV 52. But what makes them better? Better made?

 

It sounds to me like you're a prime candidate for partscaster-land. And I don't say that in a negative way. You should look at places like MJT, too. The quality of a partscaster really depends on the components and who put it together.

There's no reason at all you can't get exactly what you want for well under three grand.

 

I've played a lot of new Teles, and the newer post-2012 AV52s are very nice indeed. The best off the rack Tele they make now, IMO. Here's why:

1. It really does feel and look like a proper '52 vintage (5 flathead screw pickguard, headstock volute, no belly cut, &c). It's not 100% vintage, but the subtle differences are all player-centric improvements—slightly more substantial frets (but nowhere near as big as 6105), modern 3-way wiring, and a slightly shaved down U neck.

2. Fender finally got the blonde/nitro on these right! No more heavy lacquer, orange tint "pumpkincaster."

3. They based these on '52 specs, and it feels "broken in" right out of the box, probably because of rolled fretboard edges.

4. The pickups are vintage, not overwound, which when combined with the U-shaped neck is Tele heaven.

Now if you're dead set on a guitar with a flat oval, modern "C" neck, you're not going to like these. If you must have a C neck, I'd suggest looking for a used Hot Rod Tele, or going the MJT route.

 

Wildwood isn't the easiest place to get a deal from. iirc they have 3 guys you can deal with. When I'm trying to get a good deal and I hit a wall I politely advise the person on the other end of the line that I need to sleep on it then call right back hoping to get someone else on the line.

It's hard to single out one specific item that improves the AV guitars but it's something that is evident as soon as you pick one up. The AV line feels very close to Custom Shop guitars.