1968 Fender Telecaster

$11995 CAD ($8636.4 USD)
For more details contact us at info@folkwaymusic.com or 855-772-0424.
1965 marked the end of an era for the Fender Electric Instrument Co., as CBS purchased the company from Leo Fender in January of that year. Over the next decade the production of Fender instruments changed drastically, resulting in instruments that felt and played entirely different from those of the Pre-CBS era.

While CBS-era instruments tend to be overlooked in the world of guitar collecting, many of the production changes that negatively affected Fender instruments - including "thick-skin" poly finishes, three-bolt necks, and use of inferior building materials - did not take place until several years after CBS acquired the company. As such, Fender guitars built during the early CBS-era tend to be great instruments that offer exceptional value per dollar.

Built in mid 1968, this Telecaster is a particularly good example of a transitional Fender. The neck boasts a beautifully worn-in nitrocellulose finish that delivers all of the feel and vibe of any golden-era Fender instrument, and the guitar is equipped with a pair of period correct Tele pickups that offer rich and full-bodied tones with classic Tele punch and clarity. The darkened Blond poly finish presents quite nicely, with the patina and vibe that can only be found on an instrument that is over half a century old. Playability is excellent thanks to a recent refret by Mackinnon Guitar Co.

This guitar sports the transitional "maple cap" style neck that was built with a glued-on maple fingerboard. Fender assembled these maple-board necks the same way they did their rosewood-board necks during a brief period in the late 1960s. It was short-lived though, and the company soon transitioned back to the single-piece maple neck with a walnut plug as was used in the 1950s.

A player's grade instrument, this Telecaster does have a few modifications to note. The pickups are original Fender units that are period correct. They have been rewound by Brandonwound Pickups. The wiring harness has replaced pots and modern circuitry. The original finish shows a mysterious blemish by the string ferrules on the back of the guitar. The bass and middle saddles have been replaced.

Scale length of 25.5", 1st fret depth of 0.884", 12th fret depth of 0.936". Nut width of 1-5/8". Pickup DC values of 6.8K (b) and 7.2K (n). Weight of 8lbs 0oz. Neck date code of "3 June 68.”

With '80s Fender case.