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Fender 69 Thinline Telecaster Classic Series with Vintage 'U' Shaped Neck |
Fender introduced the Thinline Tele in 1968 to hopefully gain some ground in the hollowbody guitar market. The guitar was built by taking the mahogany or ash slab body and slicing the back off. Then a cavity above the bridge pickup would be routed out and the back glued on. The 'F' hole was then routed out as well. Because of the 'F' hole the pickguard was changed to accommodate it. It wasn't until 1972 that the Thinline had humbuckers used in place of the single coils. In 1976 the electronics where changed from two controls (volume, tone, 3-way pickup selector) to two volume and two tone controls which resembled that of a Les Paul. This version is a reissue of the original 1969 guitar and is one of Fender's Classic Series. The reissue was introduced in early 1998. You may have noticed it's a lower priced tele basically because it's Mexican made. Depending upon the color the body is either mahogany on 2-Tone Sunburst, Black, Natural finishes or ash on the 3-tone sunburst model with a polyester top coat. As mentioned the 'F' hole reveals the routed out cavity which gives the guitar a more acoustic tone while also giving it more resonance. The resonance can easily turn to feedback when played through a loud amp. This guitar was also one of the first Fenders to have the new 'Pearloid' pickguard. The bridge is vintage with its 3 saddles (two strings to a saddle) for greater tone. The vintage 3 saddle bridge is said to sound better than most other Tele bridges mainly because of the extra tension that having two strings per saddle brings. The 6-strings are connected to the body by 6 ferrules (metal rings) which have been firmly attached to the back side of the body. The strings are 'strung' through the body through these ferrules. This also contributes to its great tone. The 25.5 inch scale length neck is made from a single piece of maple and has the vintage 'U' shape neck profile. It has a maple fretboard with 21 vintage frets and a radius of 7.25 inches which is what the original version had. It's a little rounder than the current telecaster necks. The truss rod adjustment is located at the body end of the neck. The neck however has a gloss polyurethane finish which is more durable than nitrocellulose lacquer. The tuners are Fender/Schaller vintage type with an 'F' stamped on the cover. The original tuners where for the most part made by Race & Olmsted. The Schaller tuners are closed and sealed. The electronics consist of a volume control, tone control, and 3-way pickup selector. The pickup selector is wired in the more standard configuration: neck, neck+bridge, and bridge. The earlier Tele's used different wiring (see the Vintage '52). The 3-way selector has a black 'top-hat' blade tip which found the '69 versions. The pickups are vintage single coils with Alnico magnets. They have the Tele twang with the same warmth and edge (brightness) you would expect it to have. The rear (bridge) pickup is slanted which is why the tele has such a bright tone. Features
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