Fender American Tele owners - a quick question

Voxman

The Serial number is for a 2003/4 Corona Tele.  This is on EBay at the moment for £700, but it looks suspicious to me and I'd personally give it a miss.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-telecaster-2003-American-Ash-Tele/353309070014?hash=item5242dc92be:g:-qQAAOSwWX1fzU4k

The round retainer hasn't, I don't think, replaced a T-bar because it's in the wrong place. The T-bar should be opposite the A Tuner, not the D Tuner.  I have a suspicion that this might possibly be a Mex Classic Tele modified to pass for a USA Tele, with (perhaps) changed machine heads, 6 piece modern bridge, and a replaced Mex serial number (the latter would certainly explain the odd transfer patch).  This is a Classic Mex Tele I found on EBay that has the same headstock logo script with the same round retainer opposite the D tuner: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-Fender-Classic-Series-50s-Telecaster-Electric-Guitar/274604054777?hash=item3fefad58f9:g:O6gAAOSw7CdfzXJl

I'd be curious to see whether there are 'Vintage Deluxe' tuner screw holes behind the Fender tuners.

poopot

romac said:

poopot said:

Pic of the front of the headstock will help

Looks good to my eye - the (walnut?) truss rod plug looks right for the American Series to me - but there might be a red flag I'm missing.

Looks exactly like a 2003-2008 usa ash telecaster... logo is correct and in the right place for that model.

SteveRobinson

As the eBay listing states, this is an 8502 Telecaster which had that mix of specs.

They are very highly thought of by the afficionados on TDPRI.

https://www.tdpri.com/threads/8502-american-ash-telecaster-club.181982/

romac

Thanks all, lots of insight, much appreciated. All things considered, my guess is it's entirely legit and the transfer's just delaminating, as @SteveRobinson suggested.

However, without being able to check it over in person, I'll keep my money in my pocket this time.

It may be a cracker that lives up to the 8502 reputation and be an absolute keeper, but if it's not and I wanted to move it on, that transfer could prove an issue.

Voxman

romac said:

Thanks all, lots of insight, much appreciated. All things considered, my guess is it's entirely legit and the transfer's just delaminating, as @SteveRobinson suggested.

However, without being able to check it over in person, I'll keep my money in my pocket this time.

It may be a cracker that lives up to the 8502 reputation and be an absolute keeper, but if it's not and I wanted to move it on, that transfer could prove an issue.

I agree. It just looks wrong to me and I wouldn't risk it either. As I said, my concern is that it could be a modified Mexican Tele thats been made to look like a USA Tele.

poopot

Voxman said:

romac said:

Thanks all, lots of insight, much appreciated. All things considered, my guess is it's entirely legit and the transfer's just delaminating, as @SteveRobinson suggested.

However, without being able to check it over in person, I'll keep my money in my pocket this time.

It may be a cracker that lives up to the 8502 reputation and be an absolute keeper, but if it's not and I wanted to move it on, that transfer could prove an issue.

I agree. It just looks wrong to me and I wouldn't risk it either. As I said, my concern is that it could be a modified Mexican Tele thats been made to look like a USA Tele.

It’s a usa neck... from those pics anyway... tbh no one would really go to the effort of taking a Mexican made neck, removing the black plastic truss rod dowl, replace it with a walnut one and then refinish the neck!...

it’s a £600 guitar at best...

But... we haven’t seen the rest of the guitar it could be a usa neck on a squire for all anyone knows...

I suspect not tho’ 

Voxman

Ignore please

SteveRobinson

I'm sure that the guitar is as described and I reckon that £700 is a fair price for this desirable Telecaster 

Voxman

SteveRobinson said:

I'm sure that the guitar is as described and I reckon that £700 is a fair price for this desirable Telecaster 

The problem is you can't be sure just from pictures. The iffy transfer makes it less desirable and is a potential red flag.

poopot

Voxman said:

SteveRobinson said:

I'm sure that the guitar is as described and I reckon that £700 is a fair price for this desirable Telecaster 

The problem is you can't be sure just from pictures. The iffy transfer makes it less desirable and is a potential red flag.

I can be sure that the neck in those pics is from an American tele...

would be good if the op could post pics of the rest of the guitar tho’

HAL9000

I've got a 2004 American Lite Ash Tele with a Z4... serial number. The front of the headstock looks exactly like the pic posted by @vanlooy1 - the 'made in USA' decal is on the front and not the back as in the OP's pic.

poopot

68 pages devoted to teles that have the same headstock as the one posted by the op

https://www.tdpri.com/threads/8502-american-ash-telecaster-club.181982/

already posted by @SteveRobinson earlier

gazrichards

It’s 100% a legit fender.