So, a little about the origins of my first Custom Shop instrument ...
My 'stable' of three guitars was, well, stable for quite awhile. I forget what exactly motivated me to make a change in the first place - which was probably back in Fall 2022 - but that initial change spawned a slew of other changes (buying, selling, trading). I've had a bit of a revolving door of guitars these past few months, and although it’s exciting in a way, I have also been looking forward to stabilizing the stable once again.
I'm a bit of a traditionalist at heart and have been coveting a 'centrepiece' Tele for my collection, my trio of guitars. For the longest time, I had three higher-end MIM Fender guitars and I was happy. All that said, I think pulling the trigger on a K-Line Truxton order sort of mentally got me to accept that I can justify spending a bit more money than I had been previously spending on guitars while also still being able to enjoy them without feeling guilty. Additionally, as I've homed in more and more on certain specs that really matter to me, I've also acknowledged that getting those specs will cost me (either via a PartsCaster build or through a 'bespoke'/CS build).
So, back to this idea of a 'centrepiece' Tele. Of course the most obvious choice would've been an early '50s-style Blackguard. But frankly, blonde finishes scare me as I’m rather picky about the hue being not too yellow or orange. After ruling out a Blackguard, I knew I also didn't want my 'centrepiece' Tele to be anything too out there (my Truxton order will be a bit more out there; less traditional). Anyways, I've always had a thing for those mid-'50s Whiteguards and figured that that look has also stood the test of time. Of course the Blackguard style is the quintessential Tele look ... but I'm quite happy to have the #2 look (in my opinion) with the Whiteguard. Still very traditional, but not necessarily the Tele that everyone else has (especially if they're just going to have one).
Once I had the ’55-style in mind, I set out looking at some used boutique builds. And once you’re in that price range, some of the FCS stuff starts to feel slightly closer to being within reach. I did lots of Reverb searching for ‘white blonde’ and then I really started to have a good look at some FCS offerings. It seems Fender has done some regular runs of ‘55 Tele’s with a journeyman relic in aged white blonde (some with roasted necks, which I wanted to avoid).
Once I started monitoring FCS ’55 Tele’s, I found this particular one at Project Music in the UK (I’m located in Canada). The photos really stood out to me! Buying from the UK was a breeze, and I found the exchange rate and the saved VAT to be rather favourable.
My 'stable' of three guitars was, well, stable for quite awhile. I forget what exactly motivated me to make a change in the first place - which was probably back in Fall 2022 - but that initial change spawned a slew of other changes (buying, selling, trading). I've had a bit of a revolving door of guitars these past few months, and although it’s exciting in a way, I have also been looking forward to stabilizing the stable once again.
I'm a bit of a traditionalist at heart and have been coveting a 'centrepiece' Tele for my collection, my trio of guitars. For the longest time, I had three higher-end MIM Fender guitars and I was happy. All that said, I think pulling the trigger on a K-Line Truxton order sort of mentally got me to accept that I can justify spending a bit more money than I had been previously spending on guitars while also still being able to enjoy them without feeling guilty. Additionally, as I've homed in more and more on certain specs that really matter to me, I've also acknowledged that getting those specs will cost me (either via a PartsCaster build or through a 'bespoke'/CS build).
So, back to this idea of a 'centrepiece' Tele. Of course the most obvious choice would've been an early '50s-style Blackguard. But frankly, blonde finishes scare me as I’m rather picky about the hue being not too yellow or orange. After ruling out a Blackguard, I knew I also didn't want my 'centrepiece' Tele to be anything too out there (my Truxton order will be a bit more out there; less traditional). Anyways, I've always had a thing for those mid-'50s Whiteguards and figured that that look has also stood the test of time. Of course the Blackguard style is the quintessential Tele look ... but I'm quite happy to have the #2 look (in my opinion) with the Whiteguard. Still very traditional, but not necessarily the Tele that everyone else has (especially if they're just going to have one).
Once I had the ’55-style in mind, I set out looking at some used boutique builds. And once you’re in that price range, some of the FCS stuff starts to feel slightly closer to being within reach. I did lots of Reverb searching for ‘white blonde’ and then I really started to have a good look at some FCS offerings. It seems Fender has done some regular runs of ‘55 Tele’s with a journeyman relic in aged white blonde (some with roasted necks, which I wanted to avoid).
Once I started monitoring FCS ’55 Tele’s, I found this particular one at Project Music in the UK (I’m located in Canada). The photos really stood out to me! Buying from the UK was a breeze, and I found the exchange rate and the saved VAT to be rather favourable.
