Back to the main page Back to category Electric Guitar
musical instrument details
1968 Fender Telecaster Vintage Electric Guitar Olympic White Maple Board w/ohsc
Estimated price for orientation: 5 999 $
Category: Electric Guitar
Class:
Description Dexterity: Right-Handed MPN: Does Not Apply String Configuration: 6 String Country/Region of Manufacture: United States Brand: Fender Exact Year: 1968 Body Type: Solid Color: Olympic White Model: Telecaster UPC: Does not apply
Up for sale, a 1968 Fender Telecaster in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This vintage Tele has been well cared for and is 100% original aside from a genuine, era-correct neck pickup. The neck profile has an extremely smooth and lightly worn original nitro lacquer finish, and '68 was the last year that Fender utilized nitro lacquer on their instruments in the early CBS era! The tone is resonant and authoritative, with great chime, cut, and twang via the single coil pickups. At 8lbs 6oz, this alder-bodied Tele has just enough weight to add a certain heft and roundness to the note attack, and all pickup positions are unique and distinctive. The bridge pickup is clear and strident, with a certain sweetness and the ability to deliver sinewy hollow twang, a feature that really becomes evident on the wound strings. The neck pickup has more thickness and width, perfect for solos and fattening up a fuzz pedal, while still being firmly in Fender single coil territory in terms of detail and snap. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, we've dialed in this Tele with 10-46 strings, comfortable action, and solid intonation.The neck has a medium C profile that borders on the chunkier side of things, with shoulders that have just enough roundness while still feeling sleek and fast. There's a touch of light birdseye figuring in the maple on the profile, and the edges of the fretboard have been lightly smoothed and rolled from decades of modest use. While the nitro on the fretboard has been worn through to the bare maple various spots, the lacquer on the profile is surprisingly smooth, glossy, and intact, with a silky feel and zero overspray. The rosewood fretboard retains the original 7 1/4" radius, and the guitar boasts the original fretwire as well. These frets have a decent amount of height left and could be leveled again in the future if desired, and the original frets play cleanly up the neck in all positions. In terms of fretwear, frets 1-4 show moderate, uniform wear beneath all of the strings (the wear is heaviest beneath the D and G on frets 1-2) and lighter wear beneath the plain strings until roughly the octave. The truss rod is responsive, and the neck is arrow straight and sports original black dot inlays. The original nut measures 1 5/8" in width, and this is the most common of the traditional Fender widths, providing ideal string spacing and matching the fretboard radius well. On the headstock, the original Fender "F" chrome tuning machines are intact, and these tuners still turn smoothly and work as they should with original bushings and screws. The original "Fender Telecaster" block logo is clean and intact as well.All of the electronics work as they should, with Stackpole pots that date back to mid '66, a feature common with all late '60s Fenders, as CBS purchased a bulk of pots that lasted from 1966 through the end of the decade. The neck pickup is a replacement circa 1970, with the correct black bobbin, original windings, and plastic wire, while the bridge pickup is original, featuring the early light gray fiber bobbin used pre-'69 and push-back cloth wire. The body routes are original and unmodified, and all of the original hardware is intact including the patent number Fender ashtray bridge base, knurled metal knobs, top hat switch tip, and original three-ply white pickguard.The body features a lightly aged and 100% original milky white finish (officially Fender color Olympic White), and this finish shows prominent vertical lacquer checking across the body. While Fender did produce some fairly opaque Blonde (ash-bodied) finishes in this era, we're reasonably confident that this is an alder bodied instrument, although the checking and natural aging of the body does give the illusion of the wider grain of ash. Beneath the pickguard, the finish is just a shade lighter, and around the edges of the bridge, the finish has aged darker, making a silhouette around where the original "ashtray" chrome bridge cover would have been placed. The chrome hardware is quite clean and has plenty of shine, an the body wear is quite minimal, consisting of some small spot of wear through the finish on the edges of the body, and a few inconsequential nicks and dings. The finish shows no touchups or overspray, and glows correctly under a blacklight, having absorbed decades of UV light.The original black tolex hardshell case with orange interior is included. This case retains all three working latches as well as the original handle. There is some loose stitching along the black leather ends, and the band name "Caravan" stenciled on the lid, but otherwise this original case is quite a nice example and structurally sound.Please check out our shop "Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar" on the web, and feel free to call us directly with any questions at 206.399.8518.Shipping in the continental USA will be $65, fully insured and shipped via FedEx Ground. Expedited shipping available for an additional fee at buyer's request. We will happily ship WORLDWIDE, but please contact us for an accurate international shipping quote before bidding or buying, as cost varies by buyer location.
International orders will be declared as “merchandise,” and the value of merchandise will be declared as the amount paid. We cannot declare anything as a gift or for a lesser value. No exceptions! The customer is responsible for all taxes and duty, which may be collected upon delivery, as well as any additional charges involved with import.We do our best to describe all items with honesty and accuracy, but to be sure, please contact us with any questions or concerns prior to bidding or buying. We require payment within 48 hours of auction end. In the unlikely event of a return, buyer pays all shipping costs. Your positive feedback and five star ratings are very important to us, and we appreciate your communication in resolving any issues!
Description
| Dexterity: | Right-Handed | MPN: | Does Not Apply |
| String Configuration: | 6 String | Country/Region of Manufacture: | United States |
| Brand: | Fender | Exact Year: | 1968 |
| Body Type: | Solid | Color: | Olympic White |
| Model: | Telecaster | UPC: | Does not apply |
Up for sale, a 1968 Fender Telecaster in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This vintage Tele has been well cared for and is 100% original aside from a genuine, era-correct neck pickup. The neck profile has an extremely smooth and lightly worn original nitro lacquer finish, and '68 was the last year that Fender utilized nitro lacquer on their instruments in the early CBS era! The tone is resonant and authoritative, with great chime, cut, and twang via the single coil pickups. At 8lbs 6oz, this alder-bodied Tele has just enough weight to add a certain heft and roundness to the note attack, and all pickup positions are unique and distinctive. The bridge pickup is clear and strident, with a certain sweetness and the ability to deliver sinewy hollow twang, a feature that really becomes evident on the wound strings. The neck pickup has more thickness and width, perfect for solos and fattening up a fuzz pedal, while still being firmly in Fender single coil territory in terms of detail and snap. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, we've dialed in this Tele with 10-46 strings, comfortable action, and solid intonation.The neck has a medium C profile that borders on the chunkier side of things, with shoulders that have just enough roundness while still feeling sleek and fast. There's a touch of light birdseye figuring in the maple on the profile, and the edges of the fretboard have been lightly smoothed and rolled from decades of modest use. While the nitro on the fretboard has been worn through to the bare maple various spots, the lacquer on the profile is surprisingly smooth, glossy, and intact, with a silky feel and zero overspray. The rosewood fretboard retains the original 7 1/4" radius, and the guitar boasts the original fretwire as well. These frets have a decent amount of height left and could be leveled again in the future if desired, and the original frets play cleanly up the neck in all positions. In terms of fretwear, frets 1-4 show moderate, uniform wear beneath all of the strings (the wear is heaviest beneath the D and G on frets 1-2) and lighter wear beneath the plain strings until roughly the octave. The truss rod is responsive, and the neck is arrow straight and sports original black dot inlays. The original nut measures 1 5/8" in width, and this is the most common of the traditional Fender widths, providing ideal string spacing and matching the fretboard radius well. On the headstock, the original Fender "F" chrome tuning machines are intact, and these tuners still turn smoothly and work as they should with original bushings and screws. The original "Fender Telecaster" block logo is clean and intact as well.All of the electronics work as they should, with Stackpole pots that date back to mid '66, a feature common with all late '60s Fenders, as CBS purchased a bulk of pots that lasted from 1966 through the end of the decade. The neck pickup is a replacement circa 1970, with the correct black bobbin, original windings, and plastic wire, while the bridge pickup is original, featuring the early light gray fiber bobbin used pre-'69 and push-back cloth wire. The body routes are original and unmodified, and all of the original hardware is intact including the patent number Fender ashtray bridge base, knurled metal knobs, top hat switch tip, and original three-ply white pickguard.The body features a lightly aged and 100% original milky white finish (officially Fender color Olympic White), and this finish shows prominent vertical lacquer checking across the body. While Fender did produce some fairly opaque Blonde (ash-bodied) finishes in this era, we're reasonably confident that this is an alder bodied instrument, although the checking and natural aging of the body does give the illusion of the wider grain of ash. Beneath the pickguard, the finish is just a shade lighter, and around the edges of the bridge, the finish has aged darker, making a silhouette around where the original "ashtray" chrome bridge cover would have been placed. The chrome hardware is quite clean and has plenty of shine, an the body wear is quite minimal, consisting of some small spot of wear through the finish on the edges of the body, and a few inconsequential nicks and dings. The finish shows no touchups or overspray, and glows correctly under a blacklight, having absorbed decades of UV light.The original black tolex hardshell case with orange interior is included. This case retains all three working latches as well as the original handle. There is some loose stitching along the black leather ends, and the band name "Caravan" stenciled on the lid, but otherwise this original case is quite a nice example and structurally sound.
Please check out our shop "Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar" on the web, and feel free to call us directly with any questions at 206.399.8518.Shipping in the continental USA will be $65, fully insured and shipped via FedEx Ground. Expedited shipping available for an additional fee at buyer's request. We will happily ship WORLDWIDE, but please contact us for an accurate international shipping quote before bidding or buying, as cost varies by buyer location.
International orders will be declared as “merchandise,” and the value of merchandise will be declared as the amount paid. We cannot declare anything as a gift or for a lesser value. No exceptions! The customer is responsible for all taxes and duty, which may be collected upon delivery, as well as any additional charges involved with import.We do our best to describe all items with honesty and accuracy, but to be sure, please contact us with any questions or concerns prior to bidding or buying. We require payment within 48 hours of auction end. In the unlikely event of a return, buyer pays all shipping costs. Your positive feedback and five star ratings are very important to us, and we appreciate your communication in resolving any issues!
International orders will be declared as “merchandise,” and the value of merchandise will be declared as the amount paid. We cannot declare anything as a gift or for a lesser value. No exceptions! The customer is responsible for all taxes and duty, which may be collected upon delivery, as well as any additional charges involved with import.We do our best to describe all items with honesty and accuracy, but to be sure, please contact us with any questions or concerns prior to bidding or buying. We require payment within 48 hours of auction end. In the unlikely event of a return, buyer pays all shipping costs. Your positive feedback and five star ratings are very important to us, and we appreciate your communication in resolving any issues!