1992 Fender Telecaster Custom '62 Vintage Reissue TL62B-65 Black w/ Bigsby, Gold Foil & Case, Japan MIJ Fujigen

Up for sale, a 1992 Fender Telecaster Custom '62 vintage reissue model TL62B-65 upgraded with a USA-made Bigsby B5, bridge with brass saddles, mint green pickguard, and a Teisco-style gold foil pickup in the neck position. This early "Made in Japan" Telecaster Custom is a rare model, long ago discontinued and sold only to the Japanese domestic market, crafted at the famed Fujigen factory.Tonewoods include an alder body finished in gloss Black and framed by lightly aged cream binding, paired with a maple neck capped with a thick slab rosewood fretboard. The original flat pole piece bridge pickup has a round, rich Tele sound with plenty of chewy twang, while the upgraded Teisco-style gold foil neck pickup is notably dry-sounding, sparkling, and percussive. Certainly more polite than the bridge pickup but also very distinctive, the gold foil works great with an overdriven signal and is a wonderful pairing with the bridge pickup. Engaging both pickups together on the three-way switch is a particularly complex sound with great breadth. This Tele weighs 8lbs 8oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 10-52 strings and low action.The maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with moderate shoulder and an effortless, fast feel, measuring .820” deep at the 1st fret and .910” at the 12th. The thick slab rosewood fretboard boasts Fender's traditional 7 1/4" fretboard radius, with original slender fretwire that shows only very light wear on the crowns beneath the G and B strings on frets 1-6. The guitar plays easily in every register with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 42mm in width (1.650"). On the headstock, the Kluson-style Gotoh tuning machines turn smoothly and hold pitch well. The "Made in Japan" text is present above the four-bolt Fender-embossed neck plate, and the neck heel is pencil dated 3-17-92.All of the electronics work as they should, with a three-way pickup selector toggle and Master Volume and Tone knobs governing the pickup pair. The upgraded bridge is designed for use with a Bigsby and features a trio of brass saddles for ideal treble articulation. The USA-made Bigsby B5 has a smooth, fluid response for warbles and shimmies, jumping back to the original pitch well. The original control plate and flat-topped knurled knobs have bright chrome plating, rounding out the hardware, and plastics include an upgraded mint green pickguard which shows some requisite pick scuffing. The gloss Black finish exhibits some small dings concentrated at the bass-side waist on the back, and some additional faint finish scratches and minor marks on the body as a whole. The neck profile gloss has been brought down to a smoother satin feel.A modern Fender hardshell case with TSA latches is included, along with the original serialized bridge base.