1955 Fender Telecaster

This vintage Telecaster has been modified to resemble a Broadcaster with a blackguard and replaced decal. Despite its appearance, this guitar is actually a 1955 Telecaster with a neck date of April '55 and pots dated from the 49th week of '54. It features a smooth playing slight V-profile maple neck and incredible-sounding original electronics (with an added phase switch toggle) capturing the essence of Fender's original design in a flawless representation of the incredible acoustic properties of this well-worn vintage classic. A killer Tele with tons of vibe! Includes original hardshell case.

Check out the feature from our luthier Tyler in the ECG Newsletter:

"I am unashamedly fascinated by the art of forgery. Fine art, vintage wine, signed memorabilia, everything. Counterfeit guitars are probably much less common than people think, so coming across a real-deal forgery created with the intent to defraud is a tremendous, if not morbid, treat for us here.

The instrument in question is a 1955 Telecaster that was dressed up to look like a Broadcaster. Upon examining the guitar for the first time, I was dazzled both by the forger’s attention to detail as well as some glaring oversights. (The shop responsible for this modification became notorious for it, but still operates today in Los Angeles.) The headstock decal is slightly misaligned, but apart from this would be a nearly undetectable reproduction. The bridge has been cleverly modified and re-stamped with the serial number “004”, nearly believable if Fender had ever used 3-digit serialization. Even the control cavity is adorned with a convincing “Gloria” masking tape date indicating 1950 production. Some other identifying features, however, were inexplicably left untouched. The neck date, for example, still clearly reads “4-55.” The original pots still bear unobstructed codes dating them to the 49th week of ’54. Why take the time to re-stamp the serialized bridge but not obscure the pot codes? Why forge an intricate piece of lacquered masking tape but not pencil in an earlier neck date? I imagine it made a lot more sense in the days before the omniscient power of the internet made us all subject matter experts overnight. The 80s were a completely different era for vintage guitars, and maybe this is all it took to scam a guy at a guitar show out of $5000, even if he brought a screwdriver. Whatever the case may be, this Tele is a tremendous instrument that offers a unique insight into the early days of our collective obsession with the earliest and rarest guitars." - Tyler Geske, ECG Newsletter