1952 Fender Telecaster Vintage Electric Guitar Blackguard Ash Tadeo Gomez Signed
Item History & Price
Up for sale, a 1952 Fender Telecaster in excellent condition and in perfect working order. Restored with great care by Gruhn Guitars in 1975 and complete with accompanying documentation signed by George Gruhn, this Tele delivers the classic tonal palette one expects with Fender's first model. Little needs to be said about the sound of an early blackguard Tele, yet it's worth noting that this example is incredibly dynamic and resonant with an exceedingly lightweight ash body. Snappy and... twangy in the bridge position with great bite, the guitar smooths out with a chewy, cutting tone when both pickups are engaged and is all bell-like harmonic sparkle and warmth in the neck position. And no matter where the pickup selector lands, the guitar retains the inherent midrange complexity and detail typical of ash. Weighing in at 6lbs 10oz, this Tele plays effortlessly and has been setup with fresh 11-50 strings.
Detailing the restoration work this guitar has received, the instrument retains all of its original hardware including the all important serial number stamped bridge plate and stock trio of brass saddles. The original flat-pole bridge pickup is intact too, with the insanely lively, harmonic rich yet smooth and balanced sound for which these pickups are known and rightly coveted. Both body and neck retain their original pencil dates, and the instrument was refinished and refretted at Gruhn's back in '75 with only light, natural aging in the past four decades.
The maple neck has moderate shoulder and is a nice chunky handful of a C shape, yet doesn't push into the "U" territory of many early examples. The profile measures .877” deep at 1st fret, graduating to .970” at the 12th fret. The neck was refinished in addition to the body, and the profile shows sparingly little wear, with light horizontal lacquer checking at the heel and near the nut. The fretboard retains its original radius, and the guitar has been cleanly refretted with 6230 vintage-spec fretwire. The nut is a new hand-carved piece of bone measuring 1 5/8" in width, and the headstock face features a period correct Telecaster decal. The original Kluson Deluxe "no line" tuners turn smoothly and hold pitch as they should with only light patina on the gear housings. On the neck heel, the original pencil date and "Tadeo" signature is present, noting that Fender's most legendary neck shaper, Tadeo Gomez, had a hand in crafting this guitar and shaping the neck profile. The pencil date reads 10-14-52, matching closely with the body date in the neck pocket of 9-10-52. The guitar also likely had some factory work done in '54, as evidenced by an additional 4/54 date present in the neck pocket below the original '52 date.
On the body, the guitar features an older faithful single-ply pickguard replica with the correct edge bevel and sheen. The bridge pickup is original and features its factory windings, metering at 7.4k ohms and pairing well with a vintage reissue neck pickup. The guitar has modern CTS pots, one original tone cap, and a stock three-way switch with a modern wiring scheme for bridge/both/neck. The original control plate, domed knobs, ferrules, jack cup, and neck plate are intact with clean plating and sparingly little wear. As documented by the original signed certificate from Gruhn Guitars dated 6/28/75, the guitar received an in-house refinish with nitro lacquer in correct transparent Butterscotch blonde, and the body retained its full 1 3/4" depth and perfect contours and edges when restored. The lacquer features spiderweb checking and has accumulated a few scattered small nicks and dings post-refinish, with just enough character to match the original hardware.
A brand new G&G Fender-branded blonde tolex "thermometer" hardshell case is included.
Check out our shop "Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, " and please let us know if we can answer any questions!
Shipping in the continental USA will be $225, fully insured and shipped via FedEx Two-Day. 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 have all necessary CITES paperwork in-hand to ship rosewood worldwide.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!
Detailing the restoration work this guitar has received, the instrument retains all of its original hardware including the all important serial number stamped bridge plate and stock trio of brass saddles. The original flat-pole bridge pickup is intact too, with the insanely lively, harmonic rich yet smooth and balanced sound for which these pickups are known and rightly coveted. Both body and neck retain their original pencil dates, and the instrument was refinished and refretted at Gruhn's back in '75 with only light, natural aging in the past four decades.
The maple neck has moderate shoulder and is a nice chunky handful of a C shape, yet doesn't push into the "U" territory of many early examples. The profile measures .877” deep at 1st fret, graduating to .970” at the 12th fret. The neck was refinished in addition to the body, and the profile shows sparingly little wear, with light horizontal lacquer checking at the heel and near the nut. The fretboard retains its original radius, and the guitar has been cleanly refretted with 6230 vintage-spec fretwire. The nut is a new hand-carved piece of bone measuring 1 5/8" in width, and the headstock face features a period correct Telecaster decal. The original Kluson Deluxe "no line" tuners turn smoothly and hold pitch as they should with only light patina on the gear housings. On the neck heel, the original pencil date and "Tadeo" signature is present, noting that Fender's most legendary neck shaper, Tadeo Gomez, had a hand in crafting this guitar and shaping the neck profile. The pencil date reads 10-14-52, matching closely with the body date in the neck pocket of 9-10-52. The guitar also likely had some factory work done in '54, as evidenced by an additional 4/54 date present in the neck pocket below the original '52 date.
On the body, the guitar features an older faithful single-ply pickguard replica with the correct edge bevel and sheen. The bridge pickup is original and features its factory windings, metering at 7.4k ohms and pairing well with a vintage reissue neck pickup. The guitar has modern CTS pots, one original tone cap, and a stock three-way switch with a modern wiring scheme for bridge/both/neck. The original control plate, domed knobs, ferrules, jack cup, and neck plate are intact with clean plating and sparingly little wear. As documented by the original signed certificate from Gruhn Guitars dated 6/28/75, the guitar received an in-house refinish with nitro lacquer in correct transparent Butterscotch blonde, and the body retained its full 1 3/4" depth and perfect contours and edges when restored. The lacquer features spiderweb checking and has accumulated a few scattered small nicks and dings post-refinish, with just enough character to match the original hardware.
A brand new G&G Fender-branded blonde tolex "thermometer" hardshell case is included.
Check out our shop "Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, " and please let us know if we can answer any questions!
Shipping in the continental USA will be $225, fully insured and shipped via FedEx Two-Day. 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 have all necessary CITES paperwork in-hand to ship rosewood worldwide.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!
