Up for sale, a 2015 Fender Custom Shop 1951 "Nocaster" Relic in exceptional, near mint condition and in perfect working order. This guitar commemorates the brief moment in history when Fender's first electric guitar had no model name on the headstock, as the original "Broadcaster" moniker was dropped and rebranded "Telecaster," but not before a number of instruments shipped with the headstocks left blank! This particular Custom Shop iteration of the Nocaster blends traditional features with a few modern tweaks including 6105 fretwire, a 9 1/2" fretboard radius, Twisted Tele pickups and modern operation of the three-way pickup selector switch. With a hand-selected one-piece featherweight ash body and substantial U shaped maple neck profile, there's plenty to love about this Nocaster that's decidedly vintage, with the clarity and complex midrange of ash paired with the detail and crisp attack of the maple. The bridge pickup is pure twang and sparkle while never sounding too harsh, and the highest treble frequencies have a smooth, bell-like response. With both pickups engaged it's the perfect cutting rhythm sound that balances sinewy snap and low end fullness, and when the neck pickup is soloed, there's enough girth and roundness there to really compliment lead work and overdriven textures. Acoustically, the voice of the guitar is very powerful and clear, and the authority with which this guitar rings out and sustains translates well through the pickups.The guitar weighs in at 6lbs 8oz and is dialed in with fresh 10-46 strings and low action by our techs here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar.The neck has the quintessential early '50s "U" Fender shape with generous shoulders and plenty of depth and chunk. While the profile does fill the palm, it's never overwhelming and the neck chords easily even for players with smaller hands. The 6105 fretwire has a hair more girth and a taller crown than vintage wire, and these frets are nearly flawless, showing only a hint of wear on the tops of the crowns beneath the B string on frets 1-3. The light factory relic on the fretboard mainly consists of rolling the fretboard edges and making sure the profile is silky smooth. On the headstock, the Fender waterslide decal is present sans-model name in keeping with this "Nocaster" reissue.All of the electronics work as they should and all hardware is original including the black single-ply pickguard, knurled metal knobs, brass bridge saddles, and serial number stamped bridge plate with the proper "R" prefix for a Custom Shop Relic model. This is easily one of the nicest Butterscotch finishes we've seen from the Custom Shop, with the perfect amount of saturation and transparency to highlight the prominent grain of the ash body. While it's always more difficult to gauge what honest playwear this guitar has seen vs. the factory relic job, suffice it to say that given the newness of the instrument and minty fretwire, this guitar shows virtually no wear aside from that which was applied by Fender!The original tweed center pocket hardshell case is included. This case has a plush red velvet interior three perfect latches, clean brown leather ends, and even the original protective packing material on the leather handle. The original COA is also included along with all hangtags, case candy, and accessories.