It is with much sadness I am offering my 1968 Paisley Telecaster for sale. Before you go "Oh my God"
How could you do that to a real Paisley Telecaster guitar? Here's the history of this wonderful instrument.

I bought this guitar from Fancy Music in Santa Barbara, California. In 1974. It was not a vintage guitar or really not that much of collector's guitar when I bought it. Since James Burton was one of my heroes that started me playing guitar, I jumped at buying it. Seymour Duncan had put it on consignment. There were other guitars he also had put on consignment there at the time. One thing they had in common was .... (moment of silence) none of them had pickups or as my guitar, a barely working neck pick up. As he was just getting his pickup manufacturing business started, Seymour had pulled the pick ups to count the windings and examine the wire gauge . In fact it maybe there are reproduction pickups modeled from this actual guitar. The guys a Fancy Music told me Seymour got this particular guitar from Keith Richards at the end of a tour in 1973. IDK maybe Seymour would remember this guitar. So that being said it was a "parts" guitar when I bought it. It already had some neck wear etc. There is a photo I have seen of Keith playing a Paisley Tele on tour in 73. I know at one time he played one even though he's famous for his Butterscotch Tele.

Over the years I have owned many guitars but this one has been my daily work horse guitar. I have never had a day job. I played this guitar sometimes 7 nights a week in various bands and as a solo act around Orlando an Daytona Beach where I owned a recording studio for the last 25 years. Although there is fret wear, and natural "scalloping" in the neck this guitar plays fantastic. No buzzing in the neck. It has never had a fret job.

The electronics : The original electronics bit the bullet early on. (50 years old) First of all there were no S.Duncan pick ups to buy when I got this guitar so I initially loaded it with a Dimarzio Pre BS bridge PU and a crappy neck PU that came in guitar. When they came up with the 5 position Strat switch I put a Dimarzio Phat Strat pickup in the middle with a second switch to configure it either like a Strat or a Tele. I moved to Nashville in 76 -78. And later lived there 83-86. I hung out and jammed with some notable people there. Nobody had done that and I know there were a couple guys that did the strat config because they liked the versatility of mine. Now that is called a Nashville Tele.

When I decided to sell this guitar I returned it to as close as authentic as possible without spending outrageous prices for wore out vintage parts. Old is not better when it comes to switches or pots or pickups These things create noise, capacitance, and become micro-phonic in old age. . It now sports brand new Fender "62" vintage pickups and all new stock electronics. The pickup cavities are lined with copper shielding foil . It has the original neck, body, tuners, bridge, (new old school saddles). The new black pick guard still has protective plastic on it. ( hated the clear original and it hides where I had middle PU) If you do a serial number search you will find the number on my neck plate is of a "1962 Strat' apparently Seymour wasn't that concerned at the time when he re-assembled this guitar and somewhere there's a 62 Strat he had, with my Tele neck plate. This guitar is quiet. It is Tele Tone Monster. It has Mojo!

The reason for selling: last fall Hurricane Irma blew the roof off of my Daytona Beach studio along with flooding from storm surge forcing me to close the iconic Tropical Recording Studios . Maybe it's God's way of telling me it's time to do something different. IDK. , 25 years of doing the same thing, I guess I needed a change. I am 68. I have been playing this guitar for 46 years and it's like selling my best friend. It hurts. Money raised from this sale may be used to help set up a new studio or be put in my sail boat fund. I am not excited at my age of trying to play bars. (Like I said I've never had a "day job") I also expect at my age to be proactive in my health and welfare. I have thousands of dollars wrapped up in recording gear and guitars, now in storage, but very little liquid cash. That being said, I have seen mint condition Paisley Telecasters guitars with the asking price was $26,000 So my starting price of $10,000,for a great playing road warrior, to some one, might be a bargain. I will also entertain serious offers and/or trades for 35+ ft live aboard sailboat needing TLC and minor work. Save you negative comments for someone that deserves them..