1987 Fender ExTrad '52 Telecaster TL52-120 Butterscotch Lacquer w/ American Vintage Pickups & Hangtags, Japan MIJ Fujigen
$2,799.99
$2,799.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Up for sale, a 1987 Fender “ExTrad” Telecaster ‘52 vintage reissue model TL52-120 in 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with all hangtags and factory paperwork. Finished in Butterscotch Blonde nitro lacquer and complete with all USA-made electronics, this ExTrad model represents the absolute top tier of Fender Japan during the golden age of "Made in Japan" production. Exceedingly rare, these instruments were designed to be sold in the Japanese domestic market and are uncommon in their country of origin (or elsewhere).
A true Custom Shop offering, the ExTrad instruments were ostensibly made to order one-offs with features that paralleled Fender's USA Custom Shop output. Established by Makoto Sugimoto, who benefitted from a quarter century of experience in R&D, custom guitar building, and engineering at Fujigen, the ExTrad instruments were produced by a small team of expert craftspeople, representing Fender Japan's absolute best. This premium instrument line was first offered in 1986, and this is among the last early examples before "ExTrad" branding was added to the headstock.
This TL52-120 faithfully captures all the finer points of a genuine ‘52 “Blackguard” Tele, featuring an ash body and a heavily figured one-piece V-shaped flame maple neck. Acoustically, the guitar has a broad, smooth acoustic response with ample natural midrange detail and glassy note attack. The black bobbin single coils are the same pickups seen in the American Vintage line and early Custom Shop Teles, with flush-mounted poles and a brass baseplate on the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup has clarity, cut and gutsy twang, with a woody oomph and percussive quality in the neck position. This ExTrad Telecaster TL52-120 weighs 7lbs 12oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Flame maple
-Shape: Soft V, medium depth, measuring .865” 1st fret, .985” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Maple, 7 1/4” vintage-spec radius
-Frets: Slender, leveled and crowned, faint wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-2
-Scale Length: 25 1/2”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone
-Tuners: Kluson-style, Gotoh
-Serialization: “Made in Japan,” four-digit serial on bridge base
-Factory Markings: Blue “120” sticker on neck plate indicates model tier and original price (¥120,000), neck heel pencil dated 12-23-86
Body Specs:
-Wood: Ash
-Pickups: American Vintage '52 single coil x2
-Harness: CTS 250k pots date to 8th week of ‘87
-Hardware: “Pat. Pend” serialized bridge with brass barrel saddles, dome-top knurled knobs, all flathead screws
-Plastics: Five-screw “Blackguard”-style matte black pickguard, ‘52-style round switch tip
There is some cable worming on the back and on top adjacent to the bridge, as well as minor finish loss on the back and along the lower bout perimeter. The gloss Butterscotch Blonde nitro lacquer finish exhibits light buckle rash at the bass-side waist and a few additional minor nicks on the body as a whole. The smooth ambered gloss on the neck profile highlights the deep, three-dimensional flame figuring in the maple, and there are a few shallow marks along the profile length.
All of the original hangtags and paperwork is included, along with a Fender Japan gigbag.
A true Custom Shop offering, the ExTrad instruments were ostensibly made to order one-offs with features that paralleled Fender's USA Custom Shop output. Established by Makoto Sugimoto, who benefitted from a quarter century of experience in R&D, custom guitar building, and engineering at Fujigen, the ExTrad instruments were produced by a small team of expert craftspeople, representing Fender Japan's absolute best. This premium instrument line was first offered in 1986, and this is among the last early examples before "ExTrad" branding was added to the headstock.
This TL52-120 faithfully captures all the finer points of a genuine ‘52 “Blackguard” Tele, featuring an ash body and a heavily figured one-piece V-shaped flame maple neck. Acoustically, the guitar has a broad, smooth acoustic response with ample natural midrange detail and glassy note attack. The black bobbin single coils are the same pickups seen in the American Vintage line and early Custom Shop Teles, with flush-mounted poles and a brass baseplate on the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup has clarity, cut and gutsy twang, with a woody oomph and percussive quality in the neck position. This ExTrad Telecaster TL52-120 weighs 7lbs 12oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Flame maple
-Shape: Soft V, medium depth, measuring .865” 1st fret, .985” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Maple, 7 1/4” vintage-spec radius
-Frets: Slender, leveled and crowned, faint wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-2
-Scale Length: 25 1/2”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone
-Tuners: Kluson-style, Gotoh
-Serialization: “Made in Japan,” four-digit serial on bridge base
-Factory Markings: Blue “120” sticker on neck plate indicates model tier and original price (¥120,000), neck heel pencil dated 12-23-86
Body Specs:
-Wood: Ash
-Pickups: American Vintage '52 single coil x2
-Harness: CTS 250k pots date to 8th week of ‘87
-Hardware: “Pat. Pend” serialized bridge with brass barrel saddles, dome-top knurled knobs, all flathead screws
-Plastics: Five-screw “Blackguard”-style matte black pickguard, ‘52-style round switch tip
There is some cable worming on the back and on top adjacent to the bridge, as well as minor finish loss on the back and along the lower bout perimeter. The gloss Butterscotch Blonde nitro lacquer finish exhibits light buckle rash at the bass-side waist and a few additional minor nicks on the body as a whole. The smooth ambered gloss on the neck profile highlights the deep, three-dimensional flame figuring in the maple, and there are a few shallow marks along the profile length.
All of the original hangtags and paperwork is included, along with a Fender Japan gigbag.
