1988 Fender Telecaster ‘72 Vintage Reissue TL72-55 Butterscotch, Japan MIJ Fujigen

Up for sale, a 1988 Fender Telecaster ‘72 vintage reissue model TL72-55 in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. This early “Made in Japan” Tele was crafted at the venerable Fujigen factory during the golden age of Fender Japan production, uncommon outside of its country of origin.Tonewoods include a sen ash body and one-piece maple neck, and this guitar has a bold natural acoustic sound with great treble response, qualities faithfully captured by the stock pickup complement. The TL-Single pickups are quintessential Tele through and through; the bridge pickup delivers a sparkling cut, while the neck has a smooth, open tone with airy highs. This Tele weighs 7lbs 12oz, 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 medium C-shaped profile carve with robust shoulders and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .820” deep at the 1st fret and .915” at the 12th. The fretboard has a vintage-spec 7 1/4” radius and has been stripped of its gloss for a satin, tactile feel. The slender fretwire exhibits only light wear beneath the plain strings on the crowns of frets 1-5, playing cleanly up the 25 1/2“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The bone nut measures 1.650” (42mm) in width. The headstock has a ‘70s-style Telecaster block logo with the E-prefix serial number below it, and the Gotoh tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch. The “Made in Japan” text is present just above the “F”-embossed four-bolt neck plate.All of the electronics function as intended, with untouched solder joints and full-size Japanese pots dating to July, 1988. Hardware includes the flat-topped knurled knobs and “Pat. Pend.” bridge base with a trio of steel saddles. The three-ply black pickguard has some light scuffing along the strum path.The gloss Vintage Natural finish highlights the dynamic grain of the sen ash body, with cosmetic wear limited to one notable ding on the inside edge of the cutaway, a handful of pinhead-sized marks along the lower bout perimeter, and a few faint scratches in the clear coat on the body as a whole. The smooth gloss on the neck profile is nigh flawless.A gigbag is included.