NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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UlricvonCatalyst
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NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Mon Jun 22, 2020 7:43 am

Image

Image

As mentioned elsewhere, the idea is to turn it into one of these:

Image

First thing to go will be these gruesome black Gotohs:

Image

Other people's taste in guitars (and 'improvements') is a never-ending source of discombobulation for me!

Had a quick play of it before quarantining it for the week or two it should take for any lurking nasties to die. Sounds as marvellous as you'd expect. The seller says it's been upgraded with Custom Shop pickups and CTS pots. I'll confirm that (if I can) when it undergoes its metamorphosis. For now, I can see it becoming a new best friend.
Last edited by UlricvonCatalyst on Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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andy
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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Telecaster Custom

Post by andy » Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:47 pm

Looks like a fun project! I have never understood black hardware. So tacky!
Send me western swing vids

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Telecaster Custom

Post by MattK » Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:29 am

Looks like a gem! However I must take issue with you, that be a "Custom Telecaster" and not a "Telecaster Custom", we like our neck humbucker and silly pickguard on this side of the fence.

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Telecaster Custom

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:41 am

Beautiful. I have the AVRI model of that guitar, just fantastic.

By the way, since you want the white pick guard look, consider this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ilitch-Noise-C ... Sw1fJe79-B

No reason not to be noise free- I have such a guard on my AVRI, it's noise free and dead silent.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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UlricvonCatalyst
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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:03 am

MatthewK wrote:
Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:29 am
Looks like a gem! However I must take issue with you, that be a "Custom Telecaster" and not a "Telecaster Custom", we like our neck humbucker and silly pickguard on this side of the fence.
Alrighty, fixed.
Larry Mal wrote:
Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:41 am
Beautiful. I have the AVRI model of that guitar, just fantastic.

By the way, since you want the white pick guard look, consider this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ilitch-Noise-C ... Sw1fJe79-B

No reason not to be noise free- I have such a guard on my AVRI, it's noise free and dead silent.
What will they think of next?!?! Actually, when I was playing it yesterday I was struck by how quiet it is. And then there's the whole issue of "which is the right 8-hole scratchplate for a 1994 MIJ Tele?" All I can say for certain at this stage is it isn't one of the ones with the screw-holes either side of the pickup rout.

What colour is yours, Larry?

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:29 am

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:03 am

What will they think of next?!?! Actually, when I was playing it yesterday I was struck by how quiet it is. And then there's the whole issue of "which is the right 8-hole scratchplate for a 1994 MIJ Tele?" All I can say for certain at this stage is it isn't one of the ones with the screw-holes either side of the pickup rout.

What colour is yours, Larry?
Mine is sunburst, and that is the Ilitch guard on there in black (the Tele came with a mint guard):

Image

And the seller added those holes on either side of the neck pickup hole, so that it could use a top adjusting method for the pickup.

My AVRI Telecaster doesn't adjust unless you take the whole pick guard off, whereas my American Standard (also with an Ilitch guard) adjusts from the top in the more modern way. Which I greatly prefer. Not a deal breaker or anything.

So I'm not sure if the hole pattern is the same, but don't be fooled by the extra holes there.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Tue Jun 23, 2020 8:22 am

Nice. I do love a double-bound Tele, and I don't understand why they seem to be so rare in anything but sunburst. Someone was trying to sell a black and white Squier FSR CV in the UK last week (reserve not met), but had it on as collection only. Anyway, that was the first I'd heard of those - a limited run of 250 - otherwise I'd have probably snapped one up when they were available.

I'm torn between a white, parchment, or possibly cream guard. It's very hard to say what the vintage-correct option (not that that really matters) for the late '60s maple neck Custom Tele is, as I've only seen them in pictures. I'm veering towards parchment, as white might look too brand spanking new, and mine has a few scratches and dings.

Next on my to-do list is to try to figure out if the hole pattern on the MIJs is the same as it is on all the other tele guards. It looks like it is, but looks can be deceptive.

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jun 23, 2020 9:02 am

Custom Telecasters are great- I love the MIJ ones and almost bought one, since they come in great colors routinely. But I got a good deal on the AVRI.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jun 23, 2020 9:15 am

I've been doing my dress up dolls guitars over the years with this Custom Telecaster:

Image
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Tue Jun 23, 2020 9:55 am

B-bender?

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jun 23, 2020 10:37 am

And G bender! Also a drop D tuner is back there.

I actually just got that plate drilled out and properly affixed to the top of the Tele, in an attempt at tuning stability.

Next up, some kind of roller trees or something.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by OffYourFace » Tue Jun 23, 2020 11:30 am

I actually like the way it looks as-is :)

But congrats on the new guitar. The tele will always be my no.1
A good Japanese tele is an amazing guitar.

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Tue Jun 23, 2020 11:37 am

Yeah, it ain't so bad, but I think I can make it look even better. And you're right, it's amazing. :)

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by mgeek » Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:03 pm

That's glorious...always loved the look of Syd's

Particularly rare variation aren't they? Don't think I've seen one aside from his in black (though I"m sure a few will surface if i google)

Will you get a maple boarded neck ?

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Re: NGD - Fender Japan '62 Reissue Custom Telecaster

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Tue Jun 23, 2020 11:23 pm

mgeek wrote:
Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:03 pm
That's glorious...always loved the look of Syd's

Particularly rare variation aren't they? Don't think I've seen one aside from his in black (though I"m sure a few will surface if i google)

Will you get a maple boarded neck ?
Yes, a maple necks is the plan. I have a Tele copy with a great neck I could sacrifice for the cause, but I've been having second thoughts about that as I'd prefer a vintage-correct logo but would rather avoid going down the forgery route. I thought about trying to find another MIJ Tele, take the neck off, then sell the loaded body, but that seems quite an expensive option. I'm still deliberating on how best to finish it off, so it might go through a chrysalis stage, with the original neck, before its inner Syd flies free.

It seems crazy to me that black was a custom colour, and the maple board was also such a short-lived option, but we're kind of used to Fender's crankiness round here, aren't we? For years I had a memory of Chrissie Hynde playing a Syd-style Tele, miming to one of their early singles on Top Of The Pops, but I've never found the clip to confirm it. It's funny how your memory can play tricks on you.

There's an anecdote from the concierge at Chelsea Cloisters in one of the Barrett biographies about Syd giving him lots of stuff including groovy Granny takes A Trip-type threads and "expensive guitars. Fenders". All that is certain is that Syd parted company with his at some point, which begs the question: who's got it now? You would think it's still out there, somewhere, though it could have been parted out.

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