Epic Axes is a musician-driven showroom in Los Angeles. Each guitar is personally selected, inspected, and tested to ensure top performance - only instruments we would play ourselves become part of our collection. Text us to book a visit.

This Fender Japan CTL-50M is a remarkably clean example and is in excellent overall condition. It shows only a few minor signs of use on the body and neck consistent with normal handling over the years (please see photos for details), but overall presents exceptionally well.

The guitar retains its original pickups and electronics. The volume pot shows signs of having been removed and re-soldered at some point in its life, or possibly replaced with an identical period-correct unit, as the date codes match the other pot. Everything functions exactly as it should.

The frets appear to have been professionally replaced some time ago and are currently in outstanding condition. We have polished them to a mirror shine, and they show virtually no wear. The fret ends have some minor unevenness/roughness to the touch in a few areas, consistent with an older fret replacement, but this is relatively minor and does not affect playability. The guitar has been fully inspected, professionally set up, and plays effortlessly with low action and excellent intonation across the entire fretboard.

Tonally, this Telecaster delivers everything you would hope for from a great vintage-style Japanese Fender: crisp and articulate highs, a punchy and focused midrange, tight low end, and impressive acoustic resonance. It has plenty of snap, clarity, and dynamic response, while still sounding full, rich, and powerful. Whether you're playing clean, edge-of-breakup, or pushing an amp harder, this guitar remains lively, expressive, and incredibly inspiring to play.

No case included.

Overall, this is an exceptionally well-preserved Fender Japan CTL-50M that looks great, plays beautifully, and sounds absolutely fantastic. Fully dialed in and ready for the stage, studio, or collection.

The following work has been done: full fretboard cleaning, fret polish, pickup height adjustment for balance and clarity, and a fresh set of D’Addario 10-46s installed. String height at the 12th fret on the low E is right at 2.2 mm - set for comfortable playability. 

Body

• Construction: Solid body, bolt-on neck
• Wood: Sen Ash
• Finish: Natural, gloss polyurethane
• Pickguard: Black 3-ply Telecaster-style pickguard
• Weight: approx. 7.0-8.0 lbs
• Contours: Traditional Telecaster slab body

Neck

• Material: 1-piece Maple
• Joint: Bolt-on
• Profile: Vintage-style "C"
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Radius: 7.25"
• Frets: 21 medium jumbo frets (professionally refretted)
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Nut: Original-style synthetic nut
• Nut Width: approx. 42 mm / 1.65"
• Neck Finish: Gloss polyurethane

Hardware

• Bridge: Vintage-style 3-saddle Telecaster bridge with brass saddles
• Tuners: Fender Japan vintage-style tuners
• Control Plate: Chrome Telecaster-style
• Knobs: Dome-style chrome knobs
• Switch Tip: Black
• Strap Buttons: Standard Fender style
• Hardware Finish: Chrome

Electronics

• Pickups: Original Fender Japan vintage-style Telecaster single-coils
• Controls:
  • Volume (master)
  • Tone (master)
• Switching: 3-way selector switch
• Output Jack: 1/4" mono
• Configuration: SS

Other

• Model: CTL-50M (TL-72 style)
• Year: 1984-1987
• Made in: Japan (FujiGen)
• Origin: Fender Japan domestic production
• Serial: E977778 (Made in Japan)
• Electronics: Original pickups and electronics; volume pot shows evidence of previous service or replacement with a matching period-correct unit
• Wiring: Original Telecaster wiring
• Fret Condition: Professionally refretted in the past; recently polished to a mirror shine and showing virtually no wear
• Setup: Professionally set up with low action and excellent intonation
• Cosmetic Condition: Excellent overall condition with minor signs of use consistent with age
• Case: Not included
• Playability: Fully serviced, professionally set up, and ready for studio or stage use
• Tone: Bright, punchy, resonant, and articulate with classic Telecaster twang, excellent note separation, and strong dynamic response throughout the frequency range