Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster Natural 2012
Fender AVRI '52 Tele, natural gloss, made in USA 2012. There's a few ash body Teles on the wall at time of writing, but this one has the prettiest piece of ash of the lot, hands down. The American Vintage series offered very well executed takes on Fender's golden-era models for several decades. This one references the iconic 'Blackguard' Telecaster, so you get all the vintage specs: spaghetti logo, Kluson-style tuners, soft V neck, 7.25" radius maple fretboard, ash body, three saddle bridge and a big ol' slab of ash. It sounds awesome: the best Teles balance slicing clarity with an assured fatness, and this nails the brief. Every position on the switch sounds awesome: percussive, piano like punch on the neck, wide-open breathy balance in the middle, snarly creamy kick on the bridge... glorious. Despite being nearly twenty years old, this one is in amazing shape and includes the original case and all the docs, which is handy. If you're only buying one Tele, do it right.
Model: Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster
Made: USA, neck date 19 Jan 2012, Corona factory
Serial: 68930
Finish: natural, gloss nitro
Body: ash
Neck: maple, maple fretboard, 25.5" scale, 7.25" radius, very soft V shape
Weight: 3.905kg
Mods: none
Pickups: Fender American Vintage single coil x2
Accessories: Fender tweed hard case, original docs
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor scuffs on the top edge. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor scuffs and rub wear on the back only. The back has dimples on the top horn and some light scuffs in the elbow area. The sides have dimples on the top horn and near the jack and a small dent in the elbow area. The front has scuffs around the bridge and some play wear on the horns.
Overall: excellent condition (9/10)
Playing condition notes: action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.
Fret life: 7/10, minor wear only