Squier CTL50 Tele, black, made in Japan 1984. Now, for an open-minded player, this is an absolute gem of a guitar, but it's a bit of a curly one. First up, it's a JV serial Squier. Those who know the history around these will be a little hot under the collar already, but in brief: the first couple of years of Squier, made at the legendary Fujigen Gakki plant from 1982-4, rival or better Fender USA stuff from the previous years in terms of build quality, feel and tone. The JV serial instruments were the first Fender guitars ever made outside the USA and were generally regarded as the guitars Fender had made since the 60s. In the 80s, Strats outnumbered Teles by a large margin, so a cool little black CTL50 Tele from 1984 is a great score. Now, for a tale of woe and redemption. The guitar showed up at the store from Japan and looked great. But, routine inspection delivered some bad news: the truss rod was broken. In some cases, replacing a truss rod is time consuming and tricky but a workable solution. This neck, however, had a 'radius laminate' fretboard, so heating and detaching the fretboard tp replace the rod is not possible, you have to do major surgery and success is not guaranteed. So, the guitar sat around on the repair rack for a while, sad and lonely. Some time later, I saw a JV-serial 1984-dated orphan neck pop up in Japan, from the equivalent Strat model of the era. I nabbed it, and with a bit of due diligence to ensure a tight and tidy fit, it was a great match. There's a certain magic about a JV neck, this is made from an absolutely stellar piece of maple and rosewood and feels so alive in hand. The body is also very resonant and lively, making for a very responsive player. Tone-wise, a one word description just about does it: open. There's plenty of natural Tele-twang on offer, but there's an expansive, breathy, harmonically complex midrange that adds life and space to every note and chord. The quirky headstock adds a fun twist to the classic black-on-black boldness of the body, it's a cool little looker. If this was an original neck+body guitar, market value would be around $500a higher than the list price, so if you're more about outstanding feel and tone than all-original specs you can join the JV club for a relative bargain. It's a fun club to be in too!

Model: Squier Telecaster CTL50
Made: Japan, Fujigen plant, neck date Nov 10 1984 (serial JV62059)
Finish: black, 3-ply black guard
Body: basswood
Neck: maple with rosewood board, 25.5" scale, 7.25" radius, 42mm nut, vintage C profile, model is 1984 SST30 Stratocaster
Weight: 3.590kg
Mods: neck replaced, note the original neck is not included. Knobs and switch tip replaced
Pickups: Squier Japan TL-Single x2
Case: none

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some marks on the end and some rub wear on the bottom edge, as well as a dimple on the front near the D-string tuning post. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor scuffs and dimples on the back and some rub wear along the bottom edge only. The back has some scratches on the neck plate, some dimples on the top horn, some dents and small chips in the elbow area on the edge, some dimples on the back edge and a little blacked-out chip on the bottom horn and widespread minor scuffs. The sides have scuffs and a dent on the top horn, a couple of dents and dimples in the elbow area, some dimples near the rear strap pin, some dimples and scuffs near the jack and some dimples on the bottom horn. The front has dimples in the elbow area, some checking lines near the control plate and widespread light scuffs around the body. Overall condition: good condition (7/10)

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good. All electrics tested and working properly. The frets have some normal play wear but are in great shape, 8/10 for life left. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.