Fender '72 Thinline Tele, natural finish, made in Japan 1989/90. This is a difficult guitar... to put down. It's an absolute dream in the hands: the neck is slim, perfectly shaped and made from a delightfully aged and exceptional piece of maple, the body is light in weight, easy on the eyes and extremely responsive. The unplugged volume and balance are outstanding, and when you plug it in, it all gets better. The pickups translate all that harmonic richness and dynamic responsiveness to a lively, natural tone with a perfect balance of beef and shimmer. Thinlines from this fairly early period in the Fujigen era of Fender Japan are very unusual; they were hugely outnumbered by the solid body models in their day and you rarely see them pop up on the used market. The 1989/90 build date basically guarantees some pretty special timber was involved to make this, and looking at the book matched top and back, with all that complex grain on full display under the golden lacquer, it's hard not to fall in love at first sight. This, my friends, is a very difficult guitar to put down indeed.

Model: Fender Japan
Made: Japan, Fujigen plant, 1989-90 (serial J037976)
Finish: natural gloss, white pearl guard
Body: sen ash, chambered
Neck: maple, maple board, slim oval profile, 7.25" radius
Weight: 3.1kg approx
Mods: knobs replaced
Pickups: Fender Japan TN-Humbucking
Case: basic non original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. There's a couple of dimples on the bottom edge of the headstock, as well as some string winder scuffing on the top side. The back of the neck is pretty clean, the board has a bit of lacquer wear between the 5th and 9th frets. The back looks remarkably clean, just a couple of dimples on the lower side below the ferrules and on the top edge. The sides look great, no noteworthy marks save for a small dent where the neck joint meets the bottom horn. The front is also superbly clean, just a couple of tiny dimples around the bridge and some play scratches on the guard. Overall: very good condition (8.5/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. The frets have as bit of normal wear but don't need immediate attention; 7/10for life left. Wearing fresh 10/46s.