1974 Fender Telecaster Deluxe

The stark, direct and simple design of the Fender Telecaster is seen by many as the ultimate example of the electric solid body guitar, but it is a common criticism is that the non-contoured slab body can dig into the ribs of the player. The Telecaster Deluxe, introduced in 1972, added the contours of the Stratocaster into the much-loved Telecaster shape. While a fixed bridge was standard, a small percentage of the model (as seen on today’s Catch) came standard with another Stratocaster innovation- the spring driven vibrato. The Deluxe was truly one of the better design ideas of CBS era Fender, however the guitar was also fitted with a pair of Fender humbucking pickups which are certainly a giant leap away from traditional Tele tone.

Fender tapped into the talents of Seth Lover (the man who also developed Gibson’s humbucking pickup) to design their Wide Range (hum bucking) pickups. While the unique aspects of the design would require an article of their own (check out this excellent and comprehensive Wikipedia entry), let’s say that they were engineered to offer the hum canceling niceness but with the clarity and bite of a traditional Fender single coil. The Wide Range units were certainly a tone success, and these great sounding pickups fall into a niche that fits nicely between a bell-like Fender single coil and a midrange driven Gibson ‘bucker. The most famous Wide Range user was Keith Richards throughout the ’70’s, and these pickups have developed a strong following in the ensuing years. The Wide Range picups were also used in the short-lived semi-hollowbody Starcaster, which you can read about here.

This very clean and pretty example (finished in the traditional butterscotch blonde) appears to be 100% original, and is ready to be yours today for $3795 courtesy of Olivia’s Vintage Guitars.

Click here for the original listing.