Fender Custom Shop 1968 Custom Telecaster "Chicago Special" Deluxe Closet Classic Firemist Silver Top & Back with Lake Placid Blue Side (Serial #R149374)

It is no secret that the Fender Custom Shop has been creating the best instruments since 1987. In keeping with the true spirit of Leo’s original vision of the company, each instrument is built with the highest level of care and excellence. Here at Chicago Music Exchange, we have collaborated with the best minds at Fender to build the best instruments from top to bottom, tirelessly going over each spec to ensure that we offer you the best of what Fender has to offer.

Featuring measurements and components we hand-selected from across history, our “Chicago Special” Fender Custom Shop guitars highlight important years in the development of core models like the Stratocaster, Telecaster and more. We capture the energy and essence of their respective eras with iconic fingerboard radii and period-correct plastics, matched headstocks and slab fingerboards, classic finishes and not-so-classic colorways. But that’s just the beginning of what makes our Fender Custom Shop guitars so special. We take customization a step further with rift sawn necks for added resonance and expanded control sets for tonal versatility, and every “Chicago Special” Fender Custom Shop guitar features our own custom Chicago Special pickups, designed in conjunction with Fender Custom Shop Vice President of Product Development Mike Lewis.

"Chicago Special" Tele® pickups

• Potted in shellac for open wide range frequency response
• 43 gauge enamel wire
• BRIDGE: Wide diameter AlNiCo 3 magnets combined with thinner 43 gauge enamel wire equals ‘hot juicy tone’
• NECK: Wide diameter AlNiCo 5 magnets overwound with 43 gauge enamel wire gives high output, clarity, and punch

Deluxe Closet Classic is a house favorite here at CME. It shows its age like a fine wine, built for those who want to more clearly feel the life of the instrument, but without all those forced dings and dents. Maintaining many of the subtleties of a traditional Closet Classic such as less brilliance to the finish, slight discoloration of plastics, and mild oxidation of metal parts, this aging package adds notably more extensive and lush finish checking that you will see and feel throughout. (*Note. Our photographs sometimes do not capture finish checking as well as we’d like, so please get in touch with us for an in-hand description and additional photographs.)

General:
Brand Name: Fender
Case Type: Hardshell Case
Hardware Color: Nickel/Chrome
Made in: Made in the USA
Product Color: Firemist Silver Top & Back with Lake Placid Blue Side
Relic or Aging Level: Deluxe Closet Classic
Serial Number: R149374
Series: Fender Custom Shop
Weight: 7lbs 8oz

Body:
Body Binding: Parchment
Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Body Material: 2-Piece Alder (Sort for Light Weight)
Body Shape: Telecaster

Neck:
Fingerboard Inlay: Mother of Pearl 7mm Dot
Fingerboard Material: Veneer AAA Indian Rosewood (Sort for Dark)
Headstock Inlay or Decal: '64-67 Custom Telecaster
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Joint: 4 Bolt
Neck Material: Rift Sawn Maple
Neck Shape: 1969 "U"
Neck Thickness (in): .850"@1st, .910"@12th
Neck Tint or Color: Medium Tint
Number of Frets: 21 Frets
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 1.65"
Side Marker Inlay: Mother of Pearl 3/32"
Truss Rod: Late '60s

Electronics:
Bridge Pickup: Hand-Wound "Chicago Special" Telecaster Stagger
Controls and Switching: Fat '50s
Neck Pickup: Hand-Wound "Chicago Special" Telecaster

Hardware:
Bridge: '67 Telecaster
Fret Wire: Medium Vintage / 47095
Knobs: Knurled Chrome
Pickguard: 3-Ply White
Saddle Material: Metal
String Tree: American Vintage '65 Nylon Spacer
Switch Cap: Black Top Hat
Tuning Machines: Schaller "F" Key