Ahh yes!
Here is a vintage 1972 Fender Telecaster with the super-rare factory Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. A very rare option-it is easily identified as a vintage Fender factory unit by the lack of anchor holes in the body. The Tele wears its original Blonde translucent finish, which it left the Fullerton, California Fender factory with. The guitar is very original and in great condition. In fact, the guitar is completely original with the possible exception that the neck pickup may be rewound. Or maybe not-it’s just remarkably clean. More on that later…
The body has a few chips around the edges on the front and back-see photos.
The finish has a few dimples and other signs of playing wear. The guitar was played a little bit for the first few years of it’s life-then put away in its case. The strap stained the bottom edge a slightly more yellowed hue, but not visible from the front at all; just the side and a little bit on the back-see photos.
The pickguard is in excellent condition with no cracks or warpage-it is nice and flat. The hardware is nice and clean and in above average shape. The control plate, knobs, bridgeplate, bridge, bigsby and neck pickup are all shiny. The bridgeplate has very minor light scratches in the treble side. The backside of the body is clean with no belt-buckle wear. There are two small weather check marks on the backside along with a few small chips and other various signs of playing wear-nothing major at all-see photos. The neck pocket is solid with the typical 60’s tele-lip edge present. Two Fender employees inspection stamps are present in the neck slot.
The neck is in excellent condition and straight. The production stamp date is August of 1972. The finish is clean and feels smooth. There is a 1/4” wear mark on the backside at the 9th fret. The original tuners all work well and keep it in tune. The headstock and logo display very nicely. It came with only one string tree-just like a 60’s Telecaster would have. The Telecaster has its original nut (standard B 1 5/8” wide) and the fingerboard is in excellent shape. The frets are original with minimal wear. The neck radius is the standard 7.25” Telecaster radius. The neck profile is the typical 1960’s C-shape and measures .90” from the back of the neck to the top of the 1st fret and .98” from the back of the neck to the top of the 12th fret. The string height is fairly low for an easy and fast action. The guitar plays very nicely with no dead spots. The pickups have the classic tele spank and twang that you’d expect from a maple fingerboard Telecaster. The pickups both have a strong, clear signal and are well matched. The electronics all function well and operate smoothly. There is no static and the signal is great. The neck pickup is either exceptionally clean or has been rewound with the original (PE) enamel wire with cloth leads and a black bobbin used by Fender in the 1960’s. The original owner brought the guitar to a repairman because he was experiencing some sort of hum when he touched the neck pickup cover, so the tech resoldered the neck pickup leads to the switch and potentiometer.
Or possibly had it rewound. Unfortunately the original owner has passed so I was unable to verify 100% either way. Whatever the case, the tech got the pickup leads backwards! They appear this way in the photos but I have since switched them to their correct places. The bridge pickup is the original grey bobbin unit with vinyl leads. The potentiometers, capacitors, switch and wiring are all original also, with an earlier date of 49th week of 1965, which does match the neck pickups’ timeframe. I have had many verified-original late 60’s and early 70’s telecasters with both vinyl and cloth wired pickups as well as 1966 dated potentiometers in fender guitars all the way up to 1973. The factory was making bodies, necks and electronic harnesses in separate large batches with not much thought to component oversupply! It appears likely that the body and electronics were produced and sat on a shelf at Fender well before the neck was completed; most likely due to relative rarity of Bigsby-equipped Telecaster orders.
At any rate, I’m glad they made this one!
The guitar has a great vintage feel with its slab body and glassy-smooth neck. It is pretty comfortable-weighting in at 8.80 lbs and feels nice in your lap. The Bigsby vibrato works very smoothly and functions perfectly. The bridge is fully adjustable and can be raised or lowered easily. The saddles are all in great condition and are also fully adjustable for intonation-fine tuning.
This Telecaster is a great investment for any collector or player. Vintage guitars are better than stocks or even money right now-with clean Fender guitars at a premium.
This is a very rare Telecaster and its just right for the person that likes to play their collectible Fenders! Comes with very clean and nice original case-which has the correct 1966-1969 era appointments (raised Fender logo with no copyright, orange interior, duck-foot, short flocking.)
I specialize in vintage Telecasters and I have no reservations in claiming that this model is one of the hardest to find in this clean of condition.
You know what to do.
I have taken several photos to show how it looks in different lighting for your viewing. Draggin’ Guitars has been collecting, buying, selling and trading as well as repairing and restoring vintage guitars amps and effects for 30+years. Our descriptions of items are honest and forthright. In fact, we got our start in mail-order back in 1989 so you can count on our detailed descriptions. We want you to get exactly what you expect-so read thoroughly and please ask questions prior to purchase. There will be a 15% restocking fee plus the full amount of our outgoing shipping charges on any return for any reason-no exceptions.
If you have any technical questions just call us on the Draggin’ Guitars hotline: 785-766-8906
Again, we welcome your call with any questions-we want your experience to be the best it can be. But don’t take my word for it-view our feedback and see for yourself.