Up for sale, a 1989 Fender Telecaster Custom “Order Made” model in exceptional, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. This non-catalog guitar boasts circa 1954 Telecaster aesthetics and tonewoods with a two-tone Sunburst finish over an alder body and one-piece maple neck and fingerboard, yet with the cream top/back binding first seen on the Telecaster Custom model circa 1959 (when Fender had already switched to rosewood fingerboards).
This mashup of early Tele specs results in a visually stunning guitar, subtle in its appointments and offered as part of Fender Japan’s Order Made program during their golden age of Fujigen factory production. The guitar features matching Order Made production number stamps on the body and neck heel, further cementing its provenance.
The guitar delivers classic Tele chewy twang and cut via the pickup pair, with a shimmering snap from the flat pole bridge pickup, and a smooth, round-sounding neck pickup with a bell-like chime. This Tele weighs 7lbs 10oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action and accurate intonation.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Maple
-Shape: Medium C, measuring .840” 1st fret, .915” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Maple, 7 1/4” vintage-spec radius
-Frets: Slender, faint wear beneath the G and B strings on frets 1-6
-Scale Length: 25 1/2”
-Nut: 1.650”, bone
-Tuners: Kluson-style, Gotoh
-Serialization: “Made in Japan” text (“Japan” scratched out)
-Stamps/Dating: Order Made stamps on neck heel/pocket, “‘89-7-29” pencil date on neck heel
Body Specs:
-Wood: Alder
-Pickups: TL-Vintage single coil x2
-Harness: Untouched solder, full-size Japanese pots date to May, 1989
-Hardware: “Pat. Pend” bridge with A-prefix serial, spiral (threaded) saddles
-Plastics: Three-ply pickguard, top hat switch tip
The gloss two-tone Sunburst finish is framed on both sides by cream binding, and cosmetic wear is limited to scuffing along the pick path, very limited buckle worming and a single chip on the back, and a few minor dings and faint finish scratches on the body as a whole (also largely limited to the back). The neck profile retains its smooth ambered gloss.
A modern Fender padded gigbag is included.