Fender Chris Shiflett Telecaster Deluxe Custom Build Shoreline Gold 2023
Fender Chris Shiflett Tele Deluxe build, shoreline gold, made 2023. My oh my, this one is pretty! There's a lot going on here, so let's get to breaking it all down, shall we? Chris plays in Foo Fighters, as well as having a hand in a couple of other projects, and loves a Tele; his signature model has been around in various forms for a few years now. This was made using a body from his current Mex-made model, but you'll notice a few changes: pickups, tremolo and bridge, wiring, and... a neck with a maple board, for a start. The neck is a Vintera II model, with the cool big Strat-style headstock, bold logos and black dots; very nice. The body has been custom routed with a CNC for a pair of P-90s, the rhythm circuit controls and the offset tremolo tailpiece by David Fletcher. who also made the matching custom 3-ply guard. The pickups are hand wound by Melbourne maestro Mr Fabulous, and you get a handy 4-way switch and a phase reverse switch to pull some series and parallel options out of them. The tone is very enjoyable: bright and open, punchy lows, expansive smooth highs, plenty of crunch and warmth in the mids. With the added warble via the tremolo, there's some pretty unique and enjoyable sounds at your disposal. The assembly was all done by pro repairer and builder Dave Dobson in Launceston, so it's put together with proper professional care to get the best out of all those premium parts. Doing the quick sums on all these parts would put this build in the A$3.5k+/- range, so here's your shot to benefit from someone else's vision and score a hell of a deal.
Model: Fender Chris Shiflett Telecaster Deluxe (body), Fender Vintera II 70s Telecaster Deluxe (neck)
Made: body and neck made in Mexico, assembled in Launceston Australia
Serial: MX23093369
Finish: shoreline gold, gloss poly
Body: alder
Neck: maple, maple fretboard, 25.5" scale, 9.5" radius, 42mm nut, slim U shape
Weight: 3.740kg
Mods: parts build, custom body routing by Fletcher Handcrafted Guitars (more here)
Pickups: Mr Fabulous 50mm spaced alnico 3 P-90 (neck), 52mm spaced alnico 2 P-90 (bridge), both with 3-conductor wiring
Controls: volume and tone for each pickup, four way switch (neck, both pickups in parallel, both pickups in series, bridge), top horn slider is a phase reverse switch, roller knobs are currently not wired in
Parts: Fender locking tuners, Callaham American Standard Hardtail Bridge with notched compensated brass saddles and relief cut for Bigsby, Fender American Vintage Jaguar/Jazzmaster tremolo assembly and tremolo arm, Fender black 'witches hat' knobs, CTS 450 series 550k volume and tone pots, CTS 1 Meg and 50k mini roller pots, Fender roller knobs, Switchcraft slider switch, Switchcraft output jack, custom CNC-routed 3-ply parchment-black-parchment fully shielded pickguard by Fletcher Handcrafted Guitars
Accessories: Fender gig bag
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has no major marks. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, no major marks. The back has minor scuffs around the ferrules only. The sides have minor dimples near the jack. The front has minor play wear on the guard only.
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