1966 Fender Telecaster
Among the last of Fender's golden era Telecasters, this 1966 transition-era Tele checks all of the boxes with its nitrocellulose finish, 250K pots, Kluson tuners, gold transition Fender decal, and lightweight ash body.
While not a formal title, many guitar aficionados refer late 1965 through 1966 as Fender's "transition era" due to the rapid evolution of features on many of the models that differentiate them from pre-CBS builds. While many of the guitars in Fender's line up had adopted CBS specs by the end of 1966 (large headstocks on Stratocasters; bound necks with block inlays and restyled control knobs on Jazzmasters and Jaguars; and updated "F-style" tuners on all of the above) the Telecaster was late to the CBS party and retained many of its pre-CBS specs until later in the decade. As such, 1966 Telecasters will often hold their own against any pre-CBS build.
This autumn of 1966 Fender Telecaster was brought to us by its second owner, who acquired the guitar in the early 1970s. A beautifully-aged example of a transition-era Fender instrument, this '66 Tele boasts incredible patina to the original blonde finish. Consistent fingerboard wear across frets one through fifteen reflect the countless hours this guitar was played over the decades by a musician unafraid to explore beyond cowboy chords. The guitar is entirely original apart from a fresh refret completed by Folkway Music's repair team and a long-gone bridge cover or "ashtray."
Sporting a pair of unmodified original pickups on the upper end of typical resistance readings from this era - 6.3K in the bridge position and 6.6K in the neck - this vintage Telecaster sounds absolutely phenomenal and is among the best sounding Teles we've had through the shop in a while. The bridge pickup offers a wide and thick response with excellent note definition and bite which is complemented beautifully by the warm, airy, and articulate voice of the neck pickup. With its original circuitry still intact, this guitar’s dark cap wiring offers a warm and woolly tonal quality when engaged. Acoustically, this Telecaster is notably resonant and very light in weight, which is surely having a positive impact on the overall quality and vibe of the amplified tone.
With brand new frets installed in house and a comfortable medium C neck carve, this Telecaster is a joy to play. The neck has just the right amount of wear to feel perfectly vintage, but the new frets elevate the guitar to modern playability standards.
This guitar is in excellent condition overall. There are minor chips and dents on the body’s finish, which is also crazed throughout. There are a few larger craze lines around the neck pocket that do not extend into the wood, typical of well-played Telecasters from this period. There is a difficult to spot patch of finish discolouration below the bridge, likely the result of a previously applied and long since removed sticker.
Neck stamp dates to October of 1966 (3 OCT 66 B), pot codes date to the 31st week of 1966 (304-6631). Scale length of 25.5". First fret depth of 0.847", twelfth fret depth of 0.921"; nut width just shy of 1-5/8". Pickup DC readings of 7.36K (N) and 8.14K (B). Weight is 7lbs 1oz.
With non-original 70s case.
While not a formal title, many guitar aficionados refer late 1965 through 1966 as Fender's "transition era" due to the rapid evolution of features on many of the models that differentiate them from pre-CBS builds. While many of the guitars in Fender's line up had adopted CBS specs by the end of 1966 (large headstocks on Stratocasters; bound necks with block inlays and restyled control knobs on Jazzmasters and Jaguars; and updated "F-style" tuners on all of the above) the Telecaster was late to the CBS party and retained many of its pre-CBS specs until later in the decade. As such, 1966 Telecasters will often hold their own against any pre-CBS build.
This autumn of 1966 Fender Telecaster was brought to us by its second owner, who acquired the guitar in the early 1970s. A beautifully-aged example of a transition-era Fender instrument, this '66 Tele boasts incredible patina to the original blonde finish. Consistent fingerboard wear across frets one through fifteen reflect the countless hours this guitar was played over the decades by a musician unafraid to explore beyond cowboy chords. The guitar is entirely original apart from a fresh refret completed by Folkway Music's repair team and a long-gone bridge cover or "ashtray."
Sporting a pair of unmodified original pickups on the upper end of typical resistance readings from this era - 6.3K in the bridge position and 6.6K in the neck - this vintage Telecaster sounds absolutely phenomenal and is among the best sounding Teles we've had through the shop in a while. The bridge pickup offers a wide and thick response with excellent note definition and bite which is complemented beautifully by the warm, airy, and articulate voice of the neck pickup. With its original circuitry still intact, this guitar’s dark cap wiring offers a warm and woolly tonal quality when engaged. Acoustically, this Telecaster is notably resonant and very light in weight, which is surely having a positive impact on the overall quality and vibe of the amplified tone.
With brand new frets installed in house and a comfortable medium C neck carve, this Telecaster is a joy to play. The neck has just the right amount of wear to feel perfectly vintage, but the new frets elevate the guitar to modern playability standards.
This guitar is in excellent condition overall. There are minor chips and dents on the body’s finish, which is also crazed throughout. There are a few larger craze lines around the neck pocket that do not extend into the wood, typical of well-played Telecasters from this period. There is a difficult to spot patch of finish discolouration below the bridge, likely the result of a previously applied and long since removed sticker.
Neck stamp dates to October of 1966 (3 OCT 66 B), pot codes date to the 31st week of 1966 (304-6631). Scale length of 25.5". First fret depth of 0.847", twelfth fret depth of 0.921"; nut width just shy of 1-5/8". Pickup DC readings of 7.36K (N) and 8.14K (B). Weight is 7lbs 1oz.
With non-original 70s case.