SOLD-1972 Fender Telecaster w/ Bigsby and OHSC
$2150 + shipping. Payment accepted by cash, paypal, or credit cards. Buyer pays 3% service fee for paypal or credit card transactions.
- 1972 Telecaster w/ Bigsby
- Original Hard Shell Case
- Original pots, pickups & electronics. Bridge pickup rewound. Pots date to 1966.
- Original tuners, hardware, etc.
- Excellent playability and low action
- Frets are very low but playable. Candidate for refret
This is a great 1972 Fender Telecaster. The blond finished has aged nicely with some wear, giving it lots of character, but without beating it up too badly.
The tone is clear, strong and sweet. This model came with 1M pots, which gives it a little extra bite and brightness, but it is not piercing. Don’t believe all the nonsense you read on the internet about how horrible the 70s guitars sound or how extremely bright they are. The extra brightness on this one is easily tamed, and is not extreme at all.
I set this one up myself, including leveling and crowning the frets and going over it with a fine-toothed comb. Chording is effortless and clean, and I got the action as low as could be practical with the Bigsby bridge. This brings me to one of the very few negatives on this guitar: the frets are extremely low. Think “fretless wonder” low. This makes it play extremely fast and clean, but also makes bending notes difficult. I didn’t want to replace the original frets, but it will need a refret to get the playability more in line with more modern guitars. I’ll give the buyer a discount on the refret job.
The other minor negative: the original bridge pickup had to be rewound. Jeremy Walz did the work with period-correct wire and did a great job. The sound is fantastic.
The Bigsby may or may not be factory original. There has been much speculation about this, and based on the installation and patina it was either installed at the factory or done when the guitar was originally purchased. Both of these practices were common then.
The finish, electronics, hardware, case, and everything else are original. The solder joints are untouched, except for the bridge pickup leads.
Click on images to view larger versions.
72 Tele in case
Fresh grind & polish on original frets. The frets are very low, but play nicely.
Finish wear on the rear corner of the upper bout. This is typical of the high wear spots on the guitar.
1972 Fender Telecaster headstock
Original F tuners.
Fresh grind & polish on original frets. The frets are very low, but play nicely.
Neck heel and date stamp. Rosewood veneer appears to have been sanded unevenly at the factory. Frets appear to be original.
Bridge pickup baseplate. Bridge pickup was rewound to vintage specs by Jeremy Walz.
Neck pickup bottom. Neck pickup is original to guitar and has never been unsoldered.
Control plate assembly with original components and solder joints, with the exception of the bridge pickup, which was removed to be rewound.
Original pickup selector switch. Solder joints are all original, with the exception of the connection for the bridge pickup. It was removed to be rewound.
Finish wear at forearm area. This is typical of the wear on the high wear areas of the guitar.
Low action at 12th fret: 4/46″
Neck plate and serial number.
Close up of Bigsby assembly.
Close up of Bigsby assembly.
