Only produced for 2 years in 1997 and 1998, California series Fenders are pretty cool, combining modern and vintage features for a unique experience. Made in the USA at Fender's Corona California factory, these were painted in Ensenada, Mexico, and then sent back to the USA for final assembly.
The Telecaster for sale was made in 1997 and comes equipped with it's original Tex Mex single-coil pickups - yes, these model do have a Stratocaster pickup in the neck position from the factory. These single-coils provide a vintage sonic palette with a little bit more oomph in the bass and mid-range for a more versatile tone. Original wiring includes a Oak 5-way switch and CTS USA A250K pots as well as a ceramic disc tone capacitor. Infamous Tele output cup that always bids you farewell mid-gig has been replaced with a much more reliable Electrosocket.
Very comfortable modern C-shape maple neck has a lovely rubbed off velvety finish on the back and gorgeous colour rosewood fretboard. Original medium jumbo frets have very little wear, allowing for a great setup and choke-free bending. The truss-rod is conveniently adjusted at the headstock and the original Kluson vintage-style tuners work smoothly.
Alder body finished in classy Aged White finish retains it's original HS body internal routings. Despite a few tiny indents and scratches here and there, this guitar comes in stunning condition, especially considering it is 28 years young.
The coolest part is obviously the Bigsby vibrato - such a timeless design. The model used here is called B5 and it is made in the USA, unlike some of Bigsby's licensed products. It is installed using an ingenious piece of hardware - a Vibramate adapter. The vibrato is attached to the adapter that is attached to the guitar body at the strap pin - so you haven't got any extra holes in the body and the guitar can be restored to it's original hardtail configuration in minutes. The bridge is also made by Vibramate, allowing for smooth vibrato operation.
Looking for a USA-made Tele that stands out from the crowd? This might be the one!
This instrument received a full professional setup with deep body clean, neck deep clean, lemon oil fretboard treatment and full electronics check. Restringed with D'addario 10-46 nickel-plated steel strings.
This guitar will be shipped around UK with Parcelforce and UPS couriers, safely packed into a sturdy guitar cardboard box. 24h courier service provided to UK customers. We also ship to USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and many other places, but at the moment we don't ship to EU or Northern Ireland.
Fender Telecaster - California Series - USA - Aged White - Bigsby (1997)
SPECS:
MODEL: Fender USA California Series Telecaster
YEAR: 1997
COLOUR: Olympic White gloss finish
PICKGUARD: 3-ply parchment white
NECK: modern C-shape maple neck, worn satin back finish
NUT: synthetic bone
FRETBOARD: rosewood, 9.5-inch radius
FRETS: 21 medium jumbo frets with minimal wear
TUNERS: Kluson vintage style tuners
BODY: alder body, original HS body routing
TOTAL WEIGHT: 3.6 kg
BRIDGE: upgraded Vibramate Bigsby bridge with brass saddles with compensated design for better intonation
VIBRATO: Bigsby B5 made in USA vibrato; installed with Vibramate adaptor so there are no holes drilled in the body and the guitar can be restored to the original spec if required.
WEAR: back of the neck finish wear; small scratches and dings on the body; no structural damage
PICKUPS: original Fender California Series neck and bridge pickups
WIRING: original USA-spec wiring with CTS A250K pots, Oak USA 3-way switch, upgraded Electrosocket output jack cup, ceramic disc tone capacitor
DISCLAIMER
Please note that although we put our heart and soul and also all our knowledge into every single guitar we sell, a setup is a personal preference. However, we try to get the best playability out of every guitar and set them up so you can play both rhythm and lead. We also pull them all apart to clean and check every single component and replace all unreliable parts with new ones, from dodgy pots to the whole wiring, tuners, string trees, nuts and etc. All the work done is described in detail in the listing.
We make sure that every guitar we sell is problem free and take full responsibility for the accuracy of our listing descriptions. All photographs are done by a professional photographer and processed on a calibrated monitor. Some colours might look slightly different on your monitor, but we will always put the official Fender colour name in the listing description, so please study pictures of other guitars with the same colour if you are unsure. We focus on finding great quality guitars and making them reliable and inspiring to play.