Telecaster Custom models are truly something else! Where else can you get the full power and warmth of the Wide Range neck humbucker and a classic Telecaster twang of the bridge single-coil? First introduced in 1972 alongside Thinline (mk2) and Deluxe models, these guitars have a cult following of their own, especially amongst the rock and indie crowds. Fender Japan has been making reissue of these models since the early 1990s. The build quality is truly superb here and the sunburst finishes are always so gorgeous. Fender Japan have also been making their own Wide Range pickups, using ceramic magnets as opposed to the AlNiCo ones that Fender used on their USA and Mexican models till very recently, when they went back to the original CuNiFe magnets. Result with the ceramic magnets: more focused upper mid-range, cleaner and tighter lows and overall a much more crispy-sounding neck pickup. The bridge pickup on this Tele has been upgraded to a sublime Fender USA Custom Shop Texas Special single-coil, that can provide a lot of raunchy mid-range and singing highs. The middle position thus becomes this very balanced oasis of tone supremacy, with plenty of depth from the humbucker and focus from the single-coil. Added benefit of the Tele Custom model is the wiring layout where you get separate volume and tone controls for each pickup that help tweak the tone exactly how you like it and then just switch the toggle. The guitar for sale had an active gigging life, so the body has plenty of small dings and scuffs, mostly located around the edges. However, the internal cavities are all original and there's no structural damage. Alder body is resonant and has balanced weight. Neck pocket has a useful MicroTilt adjuster, that allows to raise or lower the neck heel for an even better setup. Original bridge with solid steel saddles provides reliable tuning stability thanks to the strings-through-body anchoring. Beautifully crafted U-shape maple neck is easy to play and the original frets still have plenty of life in them. Fretboard exhibits some lacquer wear. Original Gotoh tuners are stable and the truss-rod works smoothly. The back of the neck has a few little dings, but nothing dramatic. Neck heel is stamped APR97. This instrument received a full professional setup with deep body cleaning, body polish, neck deep clean, full electronics check, truss-rod and action and intonation adjustment. Restringed with D'addario 10-46 Nickel-plated steel strings. Please note that although we put our heart and soul and also all our knowledge into every single guitar we sell, a setup is a personal preference. However, we try to get the best playability out of every guitar and set them up so you can play both rhythm and lead. We also pull them all apart to clean and check every single component and replace all unreliable parts with new ones, from dodgy pots to the whole wiring, tuners, string trees, nuts and etc. All the work done is described in detail in the listing. We make sure that every guitar we sell is problem free and take full responsibility for the accuracy of our listing descriptions. All photographs are done by a professional photographer and processed on a calibrated monitor. Some colours might look slightly different on your monitor, but we will always put the official Fender colour name in the listing description, so please study pictures of other guitars with the same colour if you are unsure. We focus on finding great quality guitars and making them reliable and inspiring to play. This guitar will be shipped around UK with Parcelforce courier, safely packed into a sturdy guitar cardboard box. 24h courier service provided to UK customers. Worldwide shipping available as well! MODEL: Fender Telecaster Custom 72 Vintage Reissue YEAR: 1997, V-serial CIJ COLOUR: 3-tone Sunburst gloss finish PICKGUARD: original 3-ply black KNOBS: original amp-style black NECK: U-shape maple neck, walnut "skunk" stripe, original gloss back finish, "bullet" truss-rod, micro-tilt adjuster, neck heel date APR97, neck heel stamp TC72 FRETBOARD: maple, 7.25-inch radius, black dot fretmarkers FRETS: 21 vintage frets with moderate wear NUT WIDTH: 42.8 mm NECK THICKNESS: 1st fret - 21 mm; 12th fret - 23 mm TUNERS: upgraded new Vanson tuners, chrome finish BODY: alder body, original unmodified cavities, neck pocket date APR97, neck pocket stamp TC72EX NECK PLATE: original F-stamp 3-bolt neck plate TOTAL WEIGHT: 3.2 kg BRIDGE: original "ashtray" bridge with 3 adjustable barrel saddles and strings-through-body anchoring WEAR: bumps and dents on the body finish, fretboard wear at the first 4 frets, fretboard edge wear, no structural damage PICKUPS: original Fender Wide Range Japan humbucker, upgraded Fender Custom Shop Texas Special bridge single-coil pickup with staggered magnets, black bobbin and cloth wire. WIRING: all original Fender Japan wiring with a 3-way toggle switch, Alpha A500K pots, Green Hornet ceramic tone cap