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2012 Fender Telecaster Custom Futoshi Abe Signature TC72TS Black Near-Mint w/ Case & Tags, Japan MIJ

$1,599.99

+ shipping

Up for sale, a 2012 Fender Telecaster Custom ‘72 vintage reissue Futoshi Abe Signature model TC72TS in near-mint condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hangtags and a molded Fender hardshell case. A unique iteration of the Tele Custom platform offered by Fender Japan only for the Japanese domestic market, this Custom is a Futoshi Abe signature model, best known for his work with Thee Michelle Gun Elephant. The Tele features a six-saddle bridge, a redesigned control layout, and distinctive single-ply tortoise pickguard.

With a Wide Range humbucker in the neck position and a traditional Tele single coil at the bridge, this Tele has a very broad tonal spectrum, from thick, meaty humbucker tones in the neck position to chiming, twangy single coil tones at the bridge. Of course the middle position is truly a "best of both worlds" setting, and the two pickups balance well both in terms of output and their respective tonal attributes. Weighing 8lbs 15oz with an ash body, this guitar has a bold, clear acoustic tone with solid sustain. This Tele Custom has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and spot-on intonation.

The maple neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve with nicely rounded shoulders and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .850” deep at the 1st fret and .920” at the 12th. The thick slab rosewood fretboard has a vintage-spec 7 1/4“ radius, and the slender fretwire is nigh-flawless, with well-rounded crowns and their full factory height. The guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod, and the bone nut measures 1.650” (42mm) in width. The headstock sports a block Telecaster Custom logo and bullet truss rod nut, and the Gotoh tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch. The “Made in Japan” text and JD12-prefix serial are present above the three-bolt “F”-embossed neck plate.

All of the electronics function as intended, with the pickups governed by independent Volume knobs, a Master Tone control, and a three-way pickup selector switch. The chrome-plated Fender-embossed neck pickup cover is notably clean, as is the six-saddle bridge. Plastics comprise the trio of witch hat knobs and the one-ply red tortoise pickguard.

This guitar is stunningly well-kept, with wear on the gloss Black finish limited to just a couple faint scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth ambered gloss on the neck profile is similarly immaculate and highlights light figuring in the maple on the bass-side.

An upgraded Fender-branded molded hardshell case is included, along with the original hangtags.