Whitstable Guitars
A selection of good quality, used guitars and specialising in imports from Japan since 2008
2017 Fender MIJ Hybrid 50's Telecaster 3 Tone Sunburst & New Hard Case
£779.00 + shipping
JAPAN IMPORT
I think that the Hybrid ranges are the best Teles, Strats & Jazzmasters that Fender in Japan have made yet. If I see one for sale in Japan, I order it every time. They are a combination of classic and modern features and they are just great. I currently play one in my band & we play a huge range of covers, rock, funk, pop, reggae and it handles them all with ease.
This example is in really good condition and looks to have had light use for an 8 year old guitar. There are a couple of tiny dents on the top and some light scratching here and there but it is minimal.
They were available in very limited numbers in the UK at around £1100-£1200 supplied with a thin gig bag as an FSR or "Factory Short Run" model & later superseded by a "Hybrid II" model which is pretty much the same apart from having a belly cut & different pickups. Everywhere seems to be sold out of Hybrid Telecasters now. Possibly because they are so good.
In short, Fender has taken classic models, 50's Teles & Strats, 60's Teles & Strats & Jazzmasters & adapted them with some modern tweaks whilst retaining the classic looks. In the case of this 60s Telecaster, it still has the Ash body, single ply 5 hole pickguard & a Maple neck and fretboard but it also has a 9.5" Radius fretboard instead of a 7.25", medium jumbo frets, a satin finish to the neck rather than gloss, locking tuners, a set of USA Fender Vintage '58 Pickups & a 4 way switch giving an "in series" option with switching.
It's also good to see that Fender MIJ have upgraded the pots and switches on their guitars as the gallery photo shows
For me, the best features on this guitar are the 9.5" fretboard radius, the USA Fender Vintage '58 Pickups with the 4 way switch which I find really useful for soloing & the locking tuners which do exactly what they're supposed to do. At 3.54kg it's a light, well balanced guitar too. The price also includes a new £65.00 hard case making it a good deal.
An excellent player & superb looker. This Tele really ticks all the boxes for me and I can't see it hanging around for very long.
Since 2015, Fender Made in Japan guitars have been produced at the "Dyna-Gakki" factory in Nagano. This facility has been making fabulous guitars since 1972 for Fender Japan (pre 2015) Greco, Fernandes. The quality of the instruments coming from this factory is superb.
https://vintagejapanguitars.com/dyna-gakki-en/
Specifications
Body
Series: Fender MIJ (Made in Japan)
Body Colour: 3 colour sunburst
Body Material: Alder
Body Finish: Polyester
Neck
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Satin Polyurethane
Neck Shape: U Shape
Neck Plate: 4-Bolt
Fingerboard: Maple
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5'' (250mm)
No. of Frets: 21 (Medium Jumbo)
Position Inlays: Black Dots
Scale Length: 25.5'' (648mm)
Weight: 3.54kg
Hardware and Electronics
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 1.675'' (42.5mm)
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style Locking
Bridge: 3-Saddle, Strings-Through-Body Tele with Brass Saddles
Pick-Guard: Single Ply Black
Neck Pickup: Fender USA American Vintage '58 Single-Coil Tele
Bridge Pickup: Fender USA American Vintage '58 Single-Coil Tele
Pickup Switching: 4-Position Blade, Position 1 – Bridge Pickup, Position 2 - Bridge and Neck Pickups (in parallel), Position 3 – Neck Pickup, Position 4 – Neck and Bridge Pickups (in series)
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Control Knobs: Chrome (flat top)
Hardwear Finish: Chrome
Case included: Thomann Black rectangular hard case
All in all it's an excellent guitar from Fender in Japan that you probably won't find here in the UK
Hard Case Policy
As said many times, all my guitars come shipped in a new black hard case which is included in the price. I find this is the safest way to avoid damage in transit. This case is a nice new fitted one from Thomann in Germany. Alternatively, if you are collecting the guitar and, like some buyers have cases coming out of their ears, that's no problem, I'll adjust the price (usually around a £50 discount) and I can usually find you an old gigbag to take the guitar away in. The only hard and fast rule I have is that I won't ship a guitar in a gigbag.
If you are further interested in this guitar, you can either email me with any queries & I'll do my best to get back to you within 24 hours.
Or, you can buy quickly and safely using the PayPal "buy now" button and I will ship to most UK addresses the next working day. Highlands and Islands can be slightly dearer but I'll keep the cost as low as I can.
I can accept credit card payments by phone and will also offer a small discount to purchasers using bank transfer payments.
Overseas customers are very welcome but please email me first for shipping quotes.
