Please read complete description and ask any questions.
This is a special piece as I acquired both the body and neck from the Stratosphere in November 2019. Let me be very clear about this, the body and neck are matching and were paired at the Fender Custom Shop. i.e. this is not a “partscaster” in the sense that random pieces and parts were slapped together. It was a fully-loaded neck along with the unloaded body, effectively just leaving the electronics to be replaced. I have included pictures from the original Stratosphere listing to verify. I also have the original Custom Shop certificate and Shop Floor Traveler that will be included (see pics).
The finish and nuances in this guitar are just stunning. The wood grain pattern under the see-thru blonde is just insane, and that body against that yellow-hued neck with the rosewood board is just gorgeous. I just had to try to put something killer together with it as I hadn’t really seen a finish quite like that body paired with a neck like that. I attached a separate pic of the neck that shows even just a slight bit of flame in it.
I have always loved the Esquire look and the simplicity of its execution. That’s why it is loaded as you see in the pics. I finished the guitar with the following:
- Seymour Duncan Zephyr Bridge pickup – Yes I took the plunge. Check out YouTube if you aren’t familiar with these pickups. I wanted to do something radical and different.
- 920D Eldred wired control plate – 920D does some of the best work… and if you are doing an Esquire, you might as well do the Eldred wiring.
- Mastery bridge – I love Mastery products, and above the functional value I thought the look would be amazing against the see-thru body. Check it out and see what you think.
- Custom Hand Tooled Hand Crafted Leather Fender Telecaster Esquire Pickguard. Again, wanted to do something different and the leather against the gorgeous see-thru finish and that single pickup I think looks awesome.
- Fender Limited Edition G&G Legacy Series Case – Deep deep blue with brown leather ends and gold plush interior. Has a few marks, but just an absolute gorgeous case. The case alone ran me over $300.
Do I think this is a better build than some “off the shelf” Fender Custom Shop Teles? Yes. I absolutely do. Do I also realize that this doesn’t matter and that many people will still view this as a “partscaster”? Yes. Yes I do. 🙂 That’s why I have the price where it is. I will take a pretty significant bath on it as-is, but like most of my other listings I need to recoup some funds so we are letting it go.
Please do ask any questions you might have and check my feedback. Everything is dead mint other than those few little marks on the case I mentioned. But the guitar itself has never even been played out. It was a fun project for me and it’s been as much a piece of art as a player.
re: SHIPPING / INSURANCE
If you would like expedited shipping or additional insurance options, please let me know as this is NOT included in this price. Shipping rates have really escalated lately and since I am not a dealer, I don’t get the same rates they do. Please check my shop’s shipping policies for further details.
re: RETURNS
I have noticed in recent years here and on other sites there seems to be an increase of buyers that purchase an item, practically invent some sort of problem or issue, and then hold the seller’s feedback ransom in order to get a few bucks back for free. That is why I am making it perfectly clear in my listings that I do not accept returns. Please ask all questions up front (additional condition details, request more pictures, etc.). However, if you check my feedback both here and on a popular auction site ( jmarsh45 ) you will see that I have a perfect 100% feedback rating of over 1,100 across both platforms over the past 20 years. I take my feedback and my gear very seriously even though I am a hobbyist. So please know that if there is a genuine problem, I am sure we can work something out. Just reach out before or after with any questions or issues.