A seriously cool and unusual 2016 Fender Custom Shop ’60 Telecaster Custom, finished in Sherwood Green Metallic with a double-bound body and the particularly striking addition of a bound, block-inlaid rosewood fingerboard.

The starting point is Fender’s 1960 Telecaster Custom, but this limited-spec example takes the idea somewhere rather more individual. The double-bound alder body and Sherwood Green Metallic finish gives it a far less commonly seen look. Add the block inlays and fingerboard binding and it becomes a really classy combination. Fender’s 2016 Custom Shop guide lists Sherwood Green, bound fingerboards and block inlays as available custom options alongside the standard ’60 Telecaster Custom platform.

The NOS treatment suits this one perfectly. There’s none of the artificial wear of a Relic build; instead you get the clean appearance of a new instrument with the vintage-style construction, lacquer finish and detailing that make the Custom Shop reissues so appealing.

The standard ’60 Telecaster Custom spec from this period used an alder body, maple neck with a ’60s Oval C profile and slab rosewood fingerboard. Fender paired these with vintage-style hardware, a three-saddle threaded bridge and nickel/chrome appointments, keeping the fundamental feel firmly rooted in the early ’60s.

What really makes this guitar, though, is the aesthetic. Sherwood Green against the binding has a wonderfully sophisticated look, and the bound neck with block markers gives it something of a late-’60s Custom feel without losing the simplicity of a Telecaster. Similar Custom Shop Sherwood Green NOS examples with the same double-bound body and block/bound neck treatment are very seldom seen.

Tonally it remains very much a Tele: plenty of snap and clarity from the bridge, a warmer and rounder neck sound, and that immediate response that makes a good Custom Shop Tele such an easy guitar to get along with.

All in all, a particularly handsome and uncommon take on the ’60 Telecaster Custom. The Sherwood Green finish, double binding and block-and-bound neck make it far more distinctive than the usual reissue, while the NOS treatment keeps the whole thing looking beautifully clean and understated.