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1982 Fender Telecaster Vintage Electric Guitar Black Stratoburst Finish w/ Case

$2,499.99

+ shipping

Up for sale, a 1982 Fender Telecaster in perfect working order, complete with the original molded hardshell case. This Telecaster, from the Dan Smith era of Fender production, sports an exceedingly rare original gloss Black-to-Silver “Stratoburst” finish. Available as a custom finish option in the early '80s, the Stratoburst finishes usually surface on Stratocasters and Precision Basses, virtually unseen on the Telecaster model.

Tonewoods include a solid ash body and one-piece maple neck, weighing 10lbs 9oz and offering plenty of natural sustain, midrange heft, and cutting, glassy treble. The original single coils offer an array of classic Tele tonalities, with a biting, clear bridge pickup that delivers equal parts chewy twang, complex midrange, and taut, sinewy low end. The neck pickup has a smooth, rich sound that retains plenty of treble sparkle. This Telecaster has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

The one-piece maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with modest shoulder and faintly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .815” deep at the 1st fret and .855” at the 12th. The fretboard features a 7 1/4“ radius and stock slender fretwire. The frets are in great shape, with well-rounded crowns, only showing light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-2. This guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. A replacement nut measures 1.650” in with. The headstock sports a block logo, S8-prefix serial, and the original Schaller-made F tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch. The neck heel retains all factory stamps, dating production to October 19th, 1982 and identifying the neck’s craftsman as J. Torres.  

All of the electronics function as intended, with untouched solder joints and CTS pots that date to the 11th week of '81. The chrome-plated hardware is all original and notably clean, including the flat-topped knurled knobs, control plate, and six-saddle bridge. Plastics comprise the switch tip and the three-ply white pickguard, which has some requisite scuffing across the guard and extending to the bass side of the pick path.

The gloss “Stratoburst” finish transitions smoothly from Black to Silver, and cosmetic wear includes two large finish chips on the bass-side lower bout edge, one smaller chip on the treble side, and a few additional minor nicks along the body perimeter. There is light buckle worming on the back, and a number of faint scratches in the clear coat on the body as a whole. The smooth gloss on the neck profile highlights subtle flame figuring in the maple, with a few shallow marks along the profile length that have no impact on playability.

The original Fender-branded molded hardshell case is included.