1971 Fender Telecaster in custom colour black...!

This guitar certainly looks the part. Not a common sight in factory black but this guitar certainly cuts a striking figure combined with the maple fretboard. The finish has suffered a few minor knocks but nothing too extensive.

The neck has been finished in poly as is usual for 1971 and is in good shape, a few marks but nothing serious. The fretboard shows no real signs of wear and the original frets have plenty of life left in them. The headstock face has been finished in nitro, as was the case until the late 70s. This has faded a little. 

Hardware shows signs of mild corrosion but nothing too extensive. The plastics are in excellent order too.

Electrically everything looks correct without any sign that solder joints have been disturbed. Even though we have a guitar made in June 1971, these pots read as week 34 of 1966 which is such a common sight during this period.. Don't forget that CBS are firmly in control by this stage. 

The guitar comes with its correct black tolex hardshell case.

Our previous experience with 70's tele has been somewhat on the shrill side, almost certainly from the fact that they were fitted with 1 Meg pots during this period. This guitar on the other hand delivers that classic tele tone without taking your head off. The neck pickup has that chewy quality that holds its own so well when combined with the bridge pickup. Once in that bridge position, there is a depth to the sound which which is so uniquely Telecaster and flies in the face of your expectations of this guitar.

At just 3.52Kg it is not a monster weight too which can often be the case with Teles from this era.

These 70's Fenders can be surprising. With tone and looks like this, it goes to show you should never prejudge a guitar before its on your lap. Grab it before it gets away.