Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition 70th Anniversary Broadcaster Heavy Relic 2020 - Aged Nocaster Blonde

2020 Fender Custom Shop Broadcaster Heavy Relic

A killer reissue of an exceedingly rare vintage guitar from the Fender Custom Shop, in the highest level of aging available on this Limited Edition instrument. In 2020 Fender launched a series of guitars to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Broadcaster, the model name that was a predecessor to the Telecaster which was infamously changed after Gretsch issued a C&D to Fender. These guitars were offered across the American Vintage Series and the Fender Custom Shop from the teambuilt production in NOS, Journeyman Relic, Relic, and Heavy Relic as well as a limited quantity of Masterbuilt versions.

Here we have a Heavy Relic example that shows off the Custom Shop at the height of its aging powers. It sports the iconic blonde finish over an ash body with a black pickguard, the look that evokes such a response from many guitar players. The body is heavily worn with plenty of paint missing from all the edges, the area of forearm wear, and the buckle rash neighborhood showing off the white under coat at the edges of the wear. That Aged Nocaster Blonde has the slightly dark, yet wonderfully faded look of an old finish. The flash coat lacquer process utilized by Fender yields a finish that is nicely sunken into the grain pattern of the ash, while showing a very convincing amount and pattern of checking throughout the body. The neck has most of the finish worn away on the back and a stellar example of the fretboard wear seen so often on originals. The headstock has plenty of chips and wear along the edges as well.

This guitar has some features that are unique to the original model and a few tasteful modern updates that Fender decided to include. Like all the early 50's blackguard reissues it has a complete set of flathead screws for all the parts. Something unique to the Broadcaster is the maple plug for the truss rod, while the skunk strip is walnut, and truss rod nut is a flat head with a single slot as opposed to the later X pattern. The channel route for the wire under the pickguard, that would appear later, was also left out. The neck has a 7.25"-9.5" fretboard radius, with Medium Vintage (47095) frets, a player friendly choice for the Custom Shop.

The wiring is a unique take on the original Broadcaster wiring. In the 3 position you have the neck pickup running through a capacitor, on the originals this was know as the "Mud Switch" for the steep roll off of the high end it yielded. Fender elected to reduce the size of this capacitor to give you a more usable tone. The treble is just slightly rolled off, warming up the sound and getting a unique texture. In the 2 position you have the neck pick up. In the 1 position you have the bridge pickup, with the back potentiometer functioning as a blend for the neck pickup. As you roll down the control, it blends in the neck with a set resistor to help the balance. This unlocks a world of unique tones out of the two pickups. In addition to this setup, Fender shipped an additional wiring harness with a modern set up for installation if you so choose. These wiring options are powered by a handwound set of 50-51 Blackguard pickups.

Serial number R105874

6 lbs 15 oz

.91" at the first fret to 1.01" at the twelfth fret

Tweed case with brown ends and red interior with FCS embroidery

Additional wiring harness, bridge cover, and strap included

COA, hang tag, FCS sticker, custom care booklet, 2020 Design Guide, and Shop Floor Traveler included

A killer guitar that would make a unique addition to a quiver of Tele's or a fine addition to any collection. Happy to answer questions or provide additional pictures.