As the calendar clicked over into the 1960s, the music industry had little idea of the tumultuous changes in store for it — and popular culture — in the decade ahead. But Fender’s Telecaster, the first solidbody electric guitar ever to be mass produced, was right there in the thick of it, ready to play its part in the coming music revolution. The Fender Custom Shop 1960 Telecaster Relic celebrates this iconic instrument in all its transitional glory, as the Tele was undergoing significant changes of its own at the turn of that decade. The rock insurgency was barely a twinkle in the eyes of the young musicians who would drive it, but they already had one of their most powerful weapons. The Fender Telecaster, born in the early 1950s, had matured and, by 1960, was eager to assert itself. Most notably, gone was the fat, 1-piece maple neck/fingerboard of the ’50s; replaced by a thinner, faster neck with a separate rosewood ’board. Meticulously handcrafted in the USA by Fender’s elite Custom Shop luthiers, the 1960 Telecaster Relic brings you a masterful re-creation of this gem from Fender’s golden era, replete with jaw-dropping visuals, off-the-charts playability, and eat-it-with-a-spoon tone.

Vintage vibe with optimized tone and playability

The Fender Custom Shop 1960 Telecaster Relic captures all the vintage vibe of the 1960 model, in a gorgeous instrument with modern playability and optimized tone. It features a rift-sawn maple neck with a fast, satisfying ’60s Oval “C” neck carve and a triple-A rosewood fingerboard with a modern 9.5-inch radius, so you can bend up high without fretting out. In the electronics department, a dynamic duo of hand-wound Custom Shop ’58 Tele single-coil pickups and modern wiring crank out legendary Tele twang and bite by the boatload. Premium tonewoods, top-drawer components, and painstaking attention to detail give you a guitar that may look six decades old, but plays like a dream — and sounds amazing.

Rift-sawn maple neck for stability

So, what’s the big deal with rift-sawn necks? In a word: stability. Cut radially from quarter-sawn logs cut at a diagonal to the initial quartering cuts, rift-sawn necks are ultra-stable, with thinner grain that is less susceptible to warping and twisting than flat-sawn — or even quarter-sawn — necks. The result is a neck that is more impervious to changes in temperature and humidity. If you gig far and wide, you’ll appreciate this the next time you play Pretoria after a week in Cape Town. The stability and rigidity of rift-sawn necks also translates to better tone and increased sustain.

The Relic treatment: half-century-old looks, modern playability

Though a relic’d guitar finish is almost as common these days as a flawless factory finish, it was the Fender Custom Shop that pioneered the process — and they know how to do it better than anyone. These days, Fender offers different levels of finish distressing, but one of the original techniques is the Relic, found on this 1960 Telecaster Relic. This is an authentic nitrocellulose lacquer finish, which is thinner than today’s polyurethane finishes, allowing the wood to breathe and the tone to bloom. You get a look and feel that’s definitely used, but not abused. Imagine a beloved, decades-old guitar that’s seen its fair share of front-line action, with a played-in feel but perfect fretwork.

The Dream Factory

Since its founding in 1987, the Fender Custom Shop has been home to some of the the finest luthiers in the world. Whether you’re investing in a unique limited edition like this 1960 Telecaster Relic or having them build-to-order the Fender of your dreams, the Custom Shop earns its nickname — The Dream Factory — with every masterpiece they create. Custom Shop instruments are made from only the highest-grade, hand-selected materials, including impeccable tonewoods, high-end electronics, and premium hardware. And to protect your investment for many decades of playing enjoyment, your Fender Custom Shop instrument comes in a deluxe hardshell case, complete with a certificate of authenticity.

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