Among the most exciting guitar models to come out of the CBS/Fender era - and not to be confused with the Custom Telecaster with a bound body - the Telecaster Custom made its debut in 1972.  This new model was the second Telecaster variant to be equipped with Fender's newly designed "Wide-Range" humbucker, after the Thinline Telecaster debuted them in 1971. What set the newly designed Telecaster Custom apart from other Fenders up to that point was the bridge single coil / neck humbucker pickup configuration. By the late 1960s, many prominent Telecaster players had begun retrofitting their guitars with a Gibson humbucker in the neck position - a modification that had not gone unnoticed by Fender. With its versatile pickup configuration, the Telecaster Custom proved to be a success and found its way into the hands of many players, among them Keith Richards. After a successful 9 year run, the Telecaster Custom was discontinued in 1981 as guitar sales were in freefall across the entire industry.

An excellent example of a late ‘70s Telecaster Custom, this ‘78 build delivers excellent tone, playability, and vintage vibe at an attainable price point. The Wine Red finish is a rarity as most Customs were built in Black or Mocha. The guitar is largely original apart from a refret with larger wire and a replacement bridge pickup. The fingerboard was resprayed once the new frets were installed, making the work difficult to spot. Additionally, it appears that someone lightly sanded the back of the neck to achieve a satin finish, giving the neck a worn-in ‘60s feel.

The combination of the bridge position single coil and wide-range humbucker in the neck makes for an incredibly versatile Telecaster that can handle just about anything you can think to throw at it. The bridge pickup delivers classic Tele bite and cut with a supportive mid range response and excellent note definition. This pickup is paired beautifully with the wide-range humbucker in the neck position which delivers a powerful, rich, and articulate voice with plenty of sustain. 

Scale length of 25.5", nut width just shy of 1-5/8", first fret depth of 0.877 and a 12th fret depth of 0.925". Pickup DC readings of 10.2K in the neck and 14.2K in the bridge. Weight of 7lbs 13oz. 

With original hardshell case.