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1970 Fender Rosewood Telecaster Vintage Guitar w/ Case

$24,999.99

+ shipping

Up for sale, a 1970 Fender Rosewood Telecaster in excellent condition and in perfect working order. The instrument is made entirely of rosewood, minimally chambered from the factory with a small central strip of maple bisecting the body, weighing 9lbs 2oz. Extremely original and well-kept, this Telecaster features stock electronics, hardware, plastics and its gloss finish, highlighting the grain of the rosewood.

Ever since George Harrison slung a Fender prototype of this model over his shoulder for the rooftop concert, the Rosewood Telecaster has been a focus of fascination, with sparingly few original examples produced, far from satisfying collector and player demand. Offering a clear, bell-like sound acoustically with a complex and present top end character, the range of tones available via the original pair of pickups is wholly unique. The bridge pickup is gutsy and smooth with a snappy spank in the top end. The neck pickup has plenty of percussive cut and sparkle, and there’s an overarching woody-ness and definition to the sound indicative of the rosewood construction. This Telecaster benefits from a professional setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with fresh 10-46 strings, low action and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

Wood: Rosewood
Shape: U, measuring .865" at 1st fret, .945" at 12th
Fretboard: Rosewood, 7 1/4" radius
Frets: Slender, pristine
Nut: 1 5/8", bone (upgraded)
Tuners: F-tuners
Serialization: Six-digit serial on F neck plate
Factory Markings: March, 1970 ink stamp on neck heel (3-Model [Tele], 09-Batch, 03-Month, 0-Year, B-Nut Width)

Body Specs:

Wood: Rosewood, Maple
Pickups: Black bobbin neck, Gray bobbin bridge (1969 ink stamp on bobbin)
Harness: Stackpole pots date to 17th week of '66
Controls: Volume, Tone, Three-way pickup selector
Hardware: Bridge with barrel saddles, flat-topped knurled knobs, control plate, strap buttons
Plastics: Three-ply black pickguard, "top hat" switch tip

The neck pickup cavity has a very clean humbucker route repair with matching gloss-finished rosewood. The neck pickup has been professionally rewound, and its original cloth-covered leads could be indicative of a slightly earlier pickup, yet also could be stock given the transitional era. The original three-ply pickguard is also intact and unmodified.

There is one touched-up ding on the treble-side perimeter, and a quartet of tiny similarly touched-up mounting holes where a rectangular jack plate was at one time installed. The guitar retains its original clear gloss finish, highlighting the prominent grain of the rosewood, and given the meat on the original fretwire, this Telecaster ostensibly saw limited use. There is some light speckling and some small dings on top, along with a couple spots of very shallow wear in the top coat behind the bridge, likely from prolonged contact with a strap. The finish exhibits very fine, tight horizontal finish checking, a spot of light, targeted buckle rash central to the waist, and one scuff along the center of the waist on the back as well. Wear is otherwise limited to a few minor dings and finish scratches consistent with use. The neck profile and fingerboard retain their smooth gloss finish.

The original black tolex hardshell case with red plush interior is included. The case is extremely clean, with a raised Fender logo on the lid, functional latches and the original handle.