Vintage Fender 1953 Telecaster

Sonic Evaluation

I've always thought that the best way to judge whether or not a song is truly great is to listen to it with just vocals and and acoustic guitar or piano for accompaniment, because there's nowhere to hide: no autotune, no studio magic, no multitracking madness, just an unadorned song. I think the guitar equivalent of that is when you plug a guitar directly into a clean tube amp with just a touch of reverb. Does the guitar inspire you then, with just its pure tone? Does it still compel you to get lost wandering its fingerboard? Do the ideas still start flowing? The answer for all of these questions is a resounding YES from me and all my poor, long-suffering coworkers who had to listen to me getting lost for twenty minutes through a Deluxe Reverb while test-driving this guitar. Wildwoodians, meet the finest Telecaster I have ever played, and (with apologies to the 1962 Jazzmaster that now finds itself at number five) the newest member of my electric guitar Mount Rushmore, the 1953 Blackguard Tele. 

This guitar is unbelievably beefy, and it sits somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between bright and warm, never leaning too far in either direction and avoiding muddiness and icepickiness with equal deftness. It has a woody, dry, broken-in quality that only a vintage guitar with a story to tell can achieve. You get a big, fat fundamental and just the right amount of overtones for seasoning. It's also wonderfully dynamic, and it provides a marvelously expressive playing experience. The attack is also really pleasant to the ear: it's percussive and has all that Tele twang, but it's as if all the sharp edges have been sanded down by time. It grabs your ear forcefully, but without any attendant harshness--pure magic! 

It's also a world-beater through a dirty amp (if you think I didn't play this thing through a dimed Marshall, you don't know me very well!). That woody clarity and articulate attack mean you can ladle on the gain and maintain note separation, and its ginormous sound makes for giant chords and Hulk-smash punchy single-note response. 

Basically, if you're looking for a player-grade Blackguard, this guitar is the end of the rainbow! I have no doubt you'll love it as much as I do. 

Condition Report

Wildwoodians, this is one special Tele! It soudns out-of-this-world and plays amazingly well; truly, it's an epic example of blackguard tone. It has undergone a few surgeries over the years, but many of them were performed by none other than Dan Erlewine of Stew-Mac, one of the premier guitar wizards of our age.

Before we get into that, let's go over what is and isn't original. At some point, it received new stainless steel frets, which are in fantastic shape and measure .078 inches by .042 inches. It has no serial number, but we believe it's a '53. The neck pickup has undergone a repair at some point and had new leads installed, and its current cover is not original. Because they've had work done, it's impossible to know 100% that they are original, but we are nearly certain. Whatever the case may be, they sound unbelievable!

The pots, switch, and caps appear to be be original, and the tuners, control plate and knobs look original too, but the bridge plate, saddles, and pickguard are relic'd replacements. 

As previously mentioned, Dan Erlewine was the one who refinished and relic'd this Tele, which is why it's awfully hard to tell it's a refinish at all! It also had some of its top routed out, and Dan brought it back to normal. You can hear Mr. Erlewine explain what he did in this video below: 

Pretty cool stuff! It also comes with a non-original modern Fender hardshell case. This blackguard would strike fear into the heart of even Micawber, and we know it will help you find Tele nirvana! 

• Brand Name: Fender
• Model Name: Vintage 1953 Telecaster
• Finish Color: Blonde
• Finish Type: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Weight: 6.40 lbs.
• Body Wood: Ash
• Neck Dimensions: .920 1st - .980 12th
• Neck Wood: One Piece of Maple
• Fingerboard Wood: One Piece of Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 7.24”
• Fingerboard Inlays: Black Dots
• Frets: 21
• Scale Length: 25.5”
• Width at Nut: 1.630”
• Pickups: Telecaster Flatpole (Bridge), Lipstick (Neck)
• Controls: Volume and Tone, 3-Way Toggleswitch
• Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
• Tuners: Kluson Deluxe Single-Line
• Bridge: Non-Original Fender Patent Pending ‘Ashtray’ with Brass Barrel Saddles
• Pickguard: Black Bakelite
• Case: Non-original Modern Fender Hardshell Case