Fender 1972 Custom Deluxe Telecaster NOS

This 2016 Greg Fessler crafted beauty is a mind-blowing example of how guitars create a first impression. Conversations stop when it is noticed - even non-players gravitate towards it and appreciate it. Capri Orange cannot fail to impress. It is a NOS model so appearing brand new - no false aging or slightly insincere grain. Two similar ones to this recently came onto the market in California - both sonic blue. Unsurprisingly neither stayed on the market for long.

So, a Capri Orange Tele Deluxe with a Bigsby, built by Fessler probably is all you need to know in order to want it in your life, but let's do the details anyway. This has a solid Mahogany body, so not the lightest guitar in the world, but familiar to fans of Teles with serial numbers between 250000 and 500000. The 9.50" radius quartersawn maple neck is a "60's style Oval C" style at 0.820" to 0.930", the board is AAA EI Rosewood into which sit Sanko 6105 frets (medium jumbo). The larger Strat and colour coded headstock is another great feature of this Deluxe. This is proper twenty-six inch Elephant Bells and Poet Collars stuff. Cuban heels provided by Bigsby with a B-5 vibrato. That enormous tortoiseshell scratchplate is the disco ruffle shirt. Capri Orange? This ought to be collected in a Capri 3000GXL.

But beyond the exaggerated tributes to the exaggerated early 1970's, there is a serious guitar here. Fessler looked beyond the Fender pick-up drawers for some (not all) of these Deluxes. This one features a pair of Lollar Charlie Christian pick-ups. With dedicated controls, there is a very wide range of useful and soulful sounds from this Deluxe. Roll the tones down for some big bodied jazzer tone, and set the bridge pick-up free on a slightly driven valve amp for proper 70's rock sounds. Through the simulators and Airbus A380 DAW packages, you get a responsive and expressive set of Tele tones to do what you wish with, and they stay silent when they are asked.

A guitar that does most things you need brilliantly, and looks good enough to eat. And, no-one else will have one.