Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster Butterscotch Blonde

Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster

The Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster is Fender at its purest. This model from the American Vintage Series (built between 2012 and 2017) pays tribute to the very first years of the Telecaster, with an unprecedented level of historical accuracy and playing comfort. Not just a retro look, but an instrument that truly feels and sounds like an early '50s Tele.

The body is crafted from carefully selected ash and finished in a wafer-thin Pure Vintage nitrocellulose lacquer in classic Butterscotch Blonde. This finish ages beautifully and allows the wood to resonate freely—just as Fender did in the early 1950s. Combined with the string-through-body bridge and three brass saddles, this results in that recognizable, open Tele resonance with plenty of attack and sustain.

The maple neck has an authentic "U" profile , a 7.25" radius , and vintage frets, providing a solid, traditional feel. This is a neck that invites you to bite down hard, with just the right amount of roundness to remain comfortable during long playing sessions. The neck finish is also nitrocellulose, contributing to the smooth, played-in feel.

Electronically, this Tele is equipped with Pure Vintage '52 single-coil pickups , wound to original specifications. The result is a crystal-clear bridge pickup with that unmistakable Tele twang and a warm, woody neck pickup that sounds surprisingly full and musical. Fender supplied this model with vintage wiring , but a modern wiring diagram was included as standard for those who prefer more contemporary tone controls.

As you'd expect from this series, everything comes in a tweed hardshell case , complete with period-correct accessories. The build quality is top-notch, and every detail—from the locking mechanism to the bridge plate—exudes vintage Fender.