Did you not see the rust on the coils? It would have sounded bad. Probably great in its day, but now? Not so much, its more a piece of history than a working instrument
I cried when you could hear it scraping or dragging across the top of the case as he picked it up to put it on its side at 3:30. Great video. Great story. And the guy is a great speaker
I'm old and I have a 1950 Broadcaster. I bought it in 1984 in the city (NY) and guard ti with my life. And if you think that's something, I met a guy a few years back, in my own hometown, who gigs all the time with... a Fender Broadcaster. It blew my mind and I went up to him and said, hey man.. that's a Broadcaster... and I own one too! He wasn't impressed. He told me he bought the guitar when he was 17 and it's the only electric guitar he ever owned. Whew! What a trip. He told me it was about $50.00 or so when he bought it. He just pays it no mind like it was a ChinaTele or something. Holy crap.
It would have been nice to get a bunch of those classic guitars in the 60s, 70s, & early 80s when they weren't old enough to be considered classics yet...especially some of the classic 60s guitars.
Bourne Accident Yeah most people don't think about it till later on...Now everything is "collectible" and made in limited editions so everyone is on to it now, and even when you can get a special guitar for it's original retail price, chances are the retail price it outrageous anyway because they make things in "limited runs" where as back in the day they just came that way.
***** I don't remember the teles, but in the mid 70's the 59-62 Strats were already outrageously priced when only 15 years old. Typically three to ten thousand. And new Strats were $750, which is equal to over $4000 in todays cash. Good deals then were hard to find, no free internet posting, and most pawn and music shops didn't ship. You actually had to go to each shop and look at what they had. Our town had one or two shops.
Bourne Accident But the guy is right, its just an old guitar made into some icon. It's not magic its just wood and wire. Life goes on and things get better. Some things don't, but guitars definitely get better.
Gibson coming out with the Goldtop had absolutely no influence on Leo Fender putting a second pickup in the Esquire. That happened in 1950, Gibson came out with the first Les Paul in 1952. Plenty of guitars then had 2 pickups.
Yep, this is utter sales BS...guys in shops like this forget there are plenty of us oldies who were playing in the 60s to present day, and this esoteric nonsense is precisely that: nonsense.
I had the pleasure to play this for about 20 seconds at Songbirds Museum. It was the most amazing piece of history, I was shaking in excitement. You can tell it was loved by how beat up it is. The guy hands it to me during the tour and I held it while he was taking about it.
Two years ago, I went to New York from Oklahoma on vacation, hauling my 13yr old son around Manhattan to whatever rock and roll associated landmark I could find. I was delighted to find a tiny guitar shop at the foot of the infamous Chelsea Hotel. I struck up a conversation with Dan and there began one of my favorite New York memories. He was filled with great stories, his shop was filled with RIDICULOUSLY awesome guitars, and even my son still talks about that visit. I even met a movie star in the process. I manage a pawn shop and told him I'd keep an eye out for something unique to add to his collection of oddities. I think I found it! I'll ship it up there when I can.
My grandfather brought a broadcaster back to Australia from the USA in the early 60’s. It remained under his bed until he died. It’s a sunburst with a trussrod and the number 0003 on the neck plate. It’s still in the family and I’m it’s custodian my grandson is the next. When pop died Nan nearly sold it to one of his friends that knew of it for $100. Fortunately I was there to politely tell him to fuck off. Pop being a merchant seaman brought back all kinds of trinkets from his 6 months at sea from all over the world. This video brought back memories as a kid from my pop and waiting for him to get home baring gifts.
It's just excruciating the way he scrapes that incredible guitar. Vintage Fender guitars are amazing in themselves but this one has an amazing history.
I met Sam Hutton back in the 90's introduced to by Tracy Sands,I needed a part for a amp I was building. Very cool old man. His house was like a fender museum, had lots of old Fender amps, House was disarray but so cool. He show me amp he made for Los lobos, A Deluxe Reverb 1x15 so cool. Had a Hard time walking though his house so pack. At the time I did really know how important he was till years later. rip Sam, thanks for showing me your stuff.
Danny from Chelsea Guitars is a great guy. Last year I was looking for a particular guitar in NY and he helped me and gave me some advice, even though he didnt have what I was looking for in his store. Cool fella.
At my store, Bizarre Guitar in Reno, NV, we have a 1954 Stratocaster with the serial number 0006. It's pretty best to have such an incredible piece of history right in front of me every day. If anyone is ever in Reno, I suggest you come take a look at our "Vintage Vault". We've got some of the first Gibsons, Fenders, Gretsch's, etc. lots of cool stuff to see!
SoundBarrierTV I have been a customer of your store for quite a while now.Spent some serious cash.When Mike left the vibe of the place and customer service has gone down.Not a hater just my honest feelings as an ex customer.Only other place in town is G.C.and it's worse.Been forced to do busines over the net,what else can you do in a town with only 2 stores oh well
Hey! I'm so sorry to hear that! We have had a few customers say the same thing and it really bothers me that some of the employees I work with take no pride in what they do. Fortunately, we have gotten rid if some dead weight. If you come in and talk with me (I'm Ty McKinnon) I'll make sure you get treated properly. I work Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm. Once again, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully you will give us a second chance! Cheers!
It looks like aged Torino Red, which I believe was one color many forget they offered among the first custom colors, but employees has prototypes with the custom colors, the entire time. Randall had them take em out and play em', to generate a market for that later very lucrative offer from Fender. Edit: forgot to say, there was no custom colored automobile finished guitars, Fender started that, and generated the entire market desire for that.
Your honesty and humility are so refreshing. There are so many guitar store elitist snobs out there. Guys that wouldn't even come out of there office to speak to you if you weren't a famous rock star or celebrity collector. I believe karma had a hand in your ownership of this priceless artifact. Good on you brother.
Don't lol....with the rediculousness of vintage gear...lol and now 1980's stuff is considered vintage.....give it 10 yrs and stray kitty will be worth 20 000
I was trying to remember where I heard the story about The Band (etc) travelling and their guitars drifting, and it was this video, which I came back to on wanting to show someone that Fender started out experimenting with pine and then rejected it for the usual hardwoods (and truss rods in the neck).
So, the first thought in his head when he got it was "I wonder if I should repaint it?" And this guy is supposed to be an expert on vintage guitars? Sure, repaint it if you want to lose a good portion of its value. Unbelievable. An amazing story about the early Fender guitars, though. I like how you provided the still photos at the end so we could really see it better. Thanks for such an interesting video.
You know, this is exactly why we get into this business. For just the chance at touching history like this. You see bitchin' guitars day in and day out, but this is an incredibly rare experience. If that thing passed through my hands for only a week, I could die happy. Great story too Dan. This shop is absolute top shit! Thanks for sharing!
This is awesomely entertaining and informative! The historical significance of that piece would probably be lost on many today, but those that know what they are looking at will definitely be absolutely enthralled by watching this!
ya know whats kinda cool?...squier, yeah i said squier is building 50's teles that are made of pine..an intentional throwback or just a cost thing, who knows fer sure, but one thing's undeniable, and thats that they're really good guitars. No kidding...check out "classic vibe tele"...if you're like me you might even disbelieve it until you actually have one on your lap, so do it...true brand snobs will never admit it but players will...
I was able to examine the snakehead Tele prototype that was sold at Guernsey's auction in the early 90's. That guitar had a sandwich body as well. Another I heard of was what the guy called a "shop bass". This had a 2x4 ish body and was used in the Fender shop to try out different parts on in the 50's.
Wow! Thanks for the amazing story! This isn't just a rare guitar, but a piece of American history! Anyone who is a Telecaster fanatic knows that G.E Smith is probably the biggest celebrity player and fanatic of Telecasters, Esquiers and Broadcasters out there and the most knowlegable. Between what he told you and what you told us, is a very important page in the Fender story and the story of the development of the electric guitar.If there are any books on this subject,your story should be added.
wow brilliant... every guitar has a story but that one was fantastic... and what you said about the woods was so true... some of the woods you wouldn't dare use on a guitar turn up having this mojo that make it sound better... a friend of mine has this 70's aria totally distressed it got rained on, loads of humidity, cigarette burns on the headstock and probably had a few beers spilt on it too and only recently did he get it restored... it's the best sounding/feeling guitar i've ever played....
Your video was very interesting and very well done. The guitar is a true gem of Fender guitar history and I thank you for sharing its history with us. Good luck with the guitar in the future my friend.
I like the no truss rods story. To think! I heard all those early necks came back under warranty and got new ones withe rods in 'em. I love this guitar! Fender was all about simple easy to play and repair workingman's guitars. Nothing to raise the price or need to be protected and you can play the hell out of them. The sound great and do the job. You can call up the Custom Shop for the fancy inlays and stuff, but a basic stock model is all you need. They make them at all price points. Go to the music store, play each one on the wall, find your favorite, buy it, love it, play it always forever! It will outlast you and will be enjoyed by your kids. Fender forever!
This video is like the mafia.... even when you think you've left it behind, it just draws you back in! Flawed as it is (play the damn thing) it is still wonderful (the video, definitely not the mafia).
Thank you Jim. This was the first video we ever did with V&R. Had bought the camera the same day without knowing really how to handle a DLSR camera :-)
P.S, what really impressed me is that this prototype was made out of pine. I recently purchased a Chinese made Fender Modern Player Telecaster Plus Serial No.CGF1207002. That's right. The second one made from this Chinese plant! All these in this model are made of pine. A lot of people complained about that not knowing about your gem. Also mine is mis-labeled as a Stratocaster on the headstock instead of Telecaster as it is on every other one I have seen. :continued:-
I remember my dad a master mechanic used to work at hughes lockheed moved to bakersfield from santa monica (Crazy) Used to work on mosley car tryed to pay my dad with one man i wish he did but he always talked about the mosrite shop
Funny, All of my vintage guitar buddies were all scratching there heads because they have never heard of a Nocaster with a Pine body, I couldn't get the 2 grand out fast enough, I sold it to a employee at Gruhn Guitars, Now Pinecasters are real popular, Everyone wants one. :)
Yup! And if I owned a '55 Vette, with the original 283 and dual fours, I'd thrash on it every chance I could. Vettes are meant to be driven and Tele's are meant to be played. And if you show either one mercy, you don't know what they're for and you don't deserve to own one.
I just read that Merle Travis asked Paul Bigsby to build a solid guitar with the pegs on one side. Leo Fender lent the guitar to test it, and came back to Merle with a copy without the frills to show him. He asked Merle what he thought of it. Source: Fender the inside story by Forest White.
I actually saw this guitar in person... it has an amazing V neck. I didnt dare tune it up but its 100 percent legit and everything Dan says it is. Absolutely breath taking. OH and for all you tele freaks out there... Its a cold role-ed steel bridge and saddles :)
That was a beautiful story....thanks for sharing. I literally sleep with my tele nect to my bed so I can see her. You have a real cool shop, I will have to visit sometime. Cheers!
If Leo Fender had never went to see Merle Travis play in 1947 and saw his 1947 Bixby solid body guitar, the first actual electric solid body guitar Leo Fender borrowed that guitar for a week, hence the Fender Esquire
I played this guitar when Sam Hutton owned it. I had taken a 1959 tweed Deluxe to him to be recovered and when I came back to pick it up I brought my Broadcaster to compare them, His was earlier but mine was nearly as funky. Sam said he took the paint off in the neck pocket to see if there were any markings but he found none. It played really good although I can't remember if I plugged it in or not. The only other no-truss-rod neck I have seen belonged to Robb Lawrence.
Very cool indeed. Saw this guitar on a visit to Songbirds guitar museum in Chatanooga, TN. Definitely a piece of American history. If you dig vintage guitars you must make a visit to Songbirds.
Ok, I was wondering if this was the same guitar at Songbirds. I was just there last week and got to hold it. The neck was straight as a string and the action was amazing considering it had no truss rod and was a demo prototype.
Great story. I have an old Fender lapsteel pickup that I have used in the neck position on my old Tele B-bender. Not sure how old the pickup is but it is very old. It's probably from some of the earlier Fender lap steels. I got it in a box of parts and it was still attached to the lapsteel bridge plate. It still had the knobs and pots on the lapsteel bridge plate.
this whole video made me cry because this is like the original draft of the american constitution in the sence of how plane it may have been but without it, this may have never shocked the world
my gibsons with quarter sawn necks stay fine all year long. my flat sawn fender necks need adjusting twice a year, when it gets warm out, and when it gets cold out.
The only place that guitar should go if ever leaves the shop should be the Fender Museum. What a rough beaut! You really get to see what went into the Tele and how it was truly allayer's guitar. A working tool for the everyman picker. An American Classic.
Cool and very interesting guitar, but I really wish you had plugged it into a cool old amp and played some clear, bright chords and fills, a few volume-swells, and then some cranked overdriven stuff... !
Dean G No you are, On an electric guitar the only thing that affects sound is scale, hardware, and electronics, And before you say "What qualifys you to say that!" i Build guitars. and haveing used necks with diffrent tross rod designs on the same body, i can ASSURE YOU it has NO DIFFRENCE on pluged in tone. if your hear anything its because thats what you want to hear. Blind test and on recordings there is no diffrence
Interesting guitar and man. I would love to grab a coffee and sit down to argue about the meaning of the history of the solid electric guitar. Hope I can visit the store when I come through.
My telecaster has saw dust still in it still. I've had it twenty three years. It has no name on it.But it does say Keynote Korner St. Augustine Florida. Most likely the store it was sold at. I was looking for a way to identify it so I took her apart looking for markings/numbers and found saw dust. I found nothing out about .
Well.. My bass players father was just offered over 30 grand for his 1952 Telecaster so that should give you a starting price. I'm sure this is much much more!
Fender's Custom Shop should make a guitar modeled exactly after this one, with the exact same materials and setup. I would buy it, if it wasn't too pricy.
great vid. thanks! what is "wrong" with the front pickup. It is so interesting to me that after almost 50 years of guitar playing I find myself gravitating to the most basic of guitar structure and electronics. Not because of nostalgia, but that in the world of electric guitars and amps, they, meaning Leo Fender and most of his contemporaries, got it right the first time! This makes almost everything else after the prototypes just a variant.
Am I the only one who watched this thinking, "This is very interesting...but PLEASE, for the love of GOD plug it in and let us HEAR it!!" ?
yer not the only one...it drove me nuts!
+DarksideoftheSteve Apparently no amp in the shop.
Did you not see the rust on the coils? It would have sounded bad. Probably great in its day, but now? Not so much, its more a piece of history than a working instrument
+DarksideoftheSteve I kept thinking, FOCUS!!
+Julian Francoeur Got the camera the same day as the shoot and honestly did not know what I was doing. Sorry. Hope you like the story.
I cried when you could hear it scraping or dragging across the top of the case as he picked it up to put it on its side at 3:30. Great video. Great story. And the guy is a great speaker
What a sales pitch..."this is the guitar I hope nobody buys....yes it's for sale" Genius!
I never get tired of guitar stories .
I'm old and I have a 1950 Broadcaster. I bought it in 1984 in the city (NY) and guard ti with my life. And if you think that's something, I met a guy a few years back, in my own hometown, who gigs all the time with... a Fender Broadcaster. It blew my mind and I went up to him and said, hey man.. that's a Broadcaster... and I own one too! He wasn't impressed. He told me he bought the guitar when he was 17 and it's the only electric guitar he ever owned. Whew! What a trip. He told me it was about $50.00 or so when he bought it. He just pays it no mind like it was a ChinaTele or something. Holy crap.
It would have been nice to get a bunch of those classic guitars in the 60s, 70s, & early 80s when they weren't old enough to be considered classics yet...especially some of the classic 60s guitars.
***** No foolin'... We used to buy 'em for about $50 to maybe $200 each. Never thought much of it until later on.
Bourne Accident Yeah most people don't think about it till later on...Now everything is "collectible" and made in limited editions so everyone is on to it now, and even when you can get a special guitar for it's original retail price, chances are the retail price it outrageous anyway because they make things in "limited runs" where as back in the day they just came that way.
*****
I don't remember the teles, but in the mid 70's the 59-62 Strats were already outrageously priced when only 15 years old. Typically three to ten thousand. And new Strats were $750, which is equal to over $4000 in todays cash. Good deals then were hard to find, no free internet posting, and most pawn and music shops didn't ship. You actually had to go to each shop and look at what they had. Our town had one or two shops.
Bourne Accident But the guy is right, its just an old guitar made into some icon. It's not magic its just wood and wire. Life goes on and things get better. Some things don't, but guitars definitely get better.
um….FOCUS?
Gibson coming out with the Goldtop had absolutely no influence on Leo Fender putting a second pickup in the Esquire. That happened in 1950, Gibson came out with the first Les Paul in 1952. Plenty of guitars then had 2 pickups.
That's true. Gibson coming out with the Les Paul was more a response to what Leo was doing than vice versa.
Yep, this is utter sales BS...guys in shops like this forget there are plenty of us oldies who were playing in the 60s to present day, and this esoteric nonsense is precisely that: nonsense.
exactly
I had the pleasure to play this for about 20 seconds at Songbirds Museum. It was the most amazing piece of history, I was shaking in excitement. You can tell it was loved by how beat up it is. The guy hands it to me during the tour and I held it while he was taking about it.
Two years ago, I went to New York from Oklahoma on vacation, hauling my 13yr old son around Manhattan to whatever rock and roll associated landmark I could find. I was delighted to find a tiny guitar shop at the foot of the infamous Chelsea Hotel. I struck up a conversation with Dan and there began one of my favorite New York memories. He was filled with great stories, his shop was filled with RIDICULOUSLY awesome guitars, and even my son still talks about that visit. I even met a movie star in the process. I manage a pawn shop and told him I'd keep an eye out for something unique to add to his collection of oddities. I think I found it! I'll ship it up there when I can.
My grandfather brought a broadcaster back to Australia from the USA in the early 60’s. It remained under his bed until he died. It’s a sunburst with a trussrod and the number 0003 on the neck plate. It’s still in the family and I’m it’s custodian my grandson is the next. When pop died Nan nearly sold it to one of his friends that knew of it for $100. Fortunately I was there to politely tell him to fuck off. Pop being a merchant seaman brought back all kinds of trinkets from his 6 months at sea from all over the world. This video brought back memories as a kid from my pop and waiting for him to get home baring gifts.
man , that is one great story .... great to hear you talk about it , too bad we couldn't hear it speak for itself !
It's just excruciating the way he scrapes that incredible guitar. Vintage Fender guitars are amazing in themselves but this one has an amazing history.
The way he scrapes the guitar against the case.
Any scratch it gets will be part of its history, even the ones it gets from scrapes in a guitar shop. True of every guitar.
I cringed every time he slid it! Painful!!!
Awake Loner I thought the same thing about the scrapes. And yes it’s for sale’. O man. Of course
Added to that I couldn't believe that he also put his drink on the case towards the end!
I met Sam Hutton back in the 90's introduced to by Tracy Sands,I needed a part for a amp I was building. Very cool old man. His house was like a fender museum, had lots of old Fender amps, House was disarray but so cool. He show me amp he made for Los lobos, A Deluxe Reverb 1x15 so cool. Had a Hard time walking though his house so pack. At the time I did really know how important he was till years later. rip Sam, thanks for showing me your stuff.
Danny from Chelsea Guitars is a great guy. Last year I was looking for a particular guitar in NY and he helped me and gave me some advice, even though he didnt have what I was looking for in his store. Cool fella.
The 2 pick up, surprising !
This guitar is amazing looking ! for a 60years old ! Now 65 !
Dan's got a great voice, he's passionate, and he can talk - he should be hosting a vintage guitars podcast: he'd ( probably ) kick ass.
At my store, Bizarre Guitar in Reno, NV, we have a 1954 Stratocaster with the serial number 0006. It's pretty best to have such an incredible piece of history right in front of me every day. If anyone is ever in Reno, I suggest you come take a look at our "Vintage Vault". We've got some of the first Gibsons, Fenders, Gretsch's, etc. lots of cool stuff to see!
SoundBarrierTV I have been a customer of your store for quite a while now.Spent some serious cash.When Mike left the vibe of the place and customer service has gone down.Not a hater just my honest feelings as an ex customer.Only other place in town is G.C.and it's worse.Been forced to do busines over the net,what else can you do in a town with only 2 stores oh well
Hey! I'm so sorry to hear that! We have had a few customers say the same thing and it really bothers me that some of the employees I work with take no pride in what they do. Fortunately, we have gotten rid if some dead weight. If you come in and talk with me (I'm Ty McKinnon) I'll make sure you get treated properly. I work Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm. Once again, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully you will give us a second chance!
Cheers!
mvcktheknife I used to live in the apartment complex across the street by the 7-11!
He's rashing it on the case
It looks like aged Torino Red, which I believe was one color many forget they offered among the first custom colors, but employees has prototypes with the custom colors, the entire time. Randall had them take em out and play em', to generate a market for that later very lucrative offer from Fender.
Edit: forgot to say, there was no custom colored automobile finished guitars, Fender started that, and generated the entire market desire for that.
Fender actually bought this guitar for the american vintage series, you can see it in the promo video on fendermusicial :)
Your honesty and humility are so refreshing. There are so many guitar store elitist snobs out there. Guys that wouldn't even come out of there office to speak to you if you weren't a famous rock star or celebrity collector. I believe karma had a hand in your ownership of this priceless artifact. Good on you brother.
I would trade my Squire Hello Kitty Strat for this.
LMAO..;)
Don't lol....with the rediculousness of vintage gear...lol and now 1980's stuff is considered vintage.....give it 10 yrs and stray kitty will be worth 20 000
Have you priced the hello Kitty guitars lately, you might be surprised.
+Justin Maher yeah it blows my mind when I hear 1980s and the word vintage together....to me 80s isn't vintage
I was trying to remember where I heard the story about The Band (etc) travelling and their guitars drifting, and it was this video, which I came back to on wanting to show someone that Fender started out experimenting with pine and then rejected it for the usual hardwoods (and truss rods in the neck).
Thank you for revisiting the video. All the best.
So, the first thought in his head when he got it was "I wonder if I should repaint it?" And this guy is supposed to be an expert on vintage guitars? Sure, repaint it if you want to lose a good portion of its value. Unbelievable. An amazing story about the early Fender guitars, though. I like how you provided the still photos at the end so we could really see it better. Thanks for such an interesting video.
You know, this is exactly why we get into this business. For just the chance at touching history like this. You see bitchin' guitars day in and day out, but this is an incredibly rare experience. If that thing passed through my hands for only a week, I could die happy. Great story too Dan. This shop is absolute top shit! Thanks for sharing!
This is awesomely entertaining and informative! The historical significance of that piece would probably be lost on many today, but those that know what they are looking at will definitely be absolutely enthralled by watching this!
We have a 57 and 58 all original Teles. The sound is amazing on both. Now I have to run up to Chelsea Guitar and check out the gear. Great stuff.
ya know whats kinda cool?...squier, yeah i said squier is building 50's teles that are made of pine..an intentional throwback or just a cost thing, who knows fer sure, but one thing's undeniable, and thats that they're really good guitars. No kidding...check out "classic vibe tele"...if you're like me you might even disbelieve it until you actually have one on your lap, so do it...true brand snobs will never admit it but players will...
I checked them out when they first came out. i was blown away
+Tye Cook I've had a 60's CV P Bass for three years and has been a great back up and I love to record with it.
I own several, each is a perfect guitar in it's own right. Just scored a Thinline for $200 and feel like i got away with something.
Tye Cook
I recently bought one from 2010. Modded it into a Macawber. Thing kicks ass!
solar clapson I've been a stones fan for 30+years...I know exactly what you're talking about...very cool....
amazing! I know I speak for guitar geeks everywhere when I say thank you for uploading this.
I got to see this guitar in person at Songbirds guitar museum in Tennessee. An amazing piece of history.
I was able to examine the snakehead Tele prototype that was sold at Guernsey's auction in the early 90's. That guitar had a sandwich body as well. Another I heard of was what the guy called a "shop bass". This had a 2x4 ish body and was used in the Fender shop to try out different parts on in the 50's.
fascinating piece of history
Wow! Thanks for the amazing story! This isn't just a rare guitar, but a piece of American history! Anyone who is a Telecaster fanatic knows that G.E Smith is probably the biggest celebrity player and fanatic of Telecasters, Esquiers and Broadcasters out there and the most knowlegable. Between what he told you and what you told us, is a very important page in the Fender story and the story of the development of the electric guitar.If there are any books on this subject,your story should be added.
wow brilliant... every guitar has a story but that one was fantastic... and what you said about the woods was so true... some of the woods you wouldn't dare use on a guitar turn up having this mojo that make it sound better... a friend of mine has this 70's aria totally distressed it got rained on, loads of humidity, cigarette burns on the headstock and probably had a few beers spilt on it too and only recently did he get it restored... it's the best sounding/feeling guitar i've ever played....
love your passion and appreciation for vintage guitars. Comparing them to a vintage corvette is a great analogy. awesome store too
If you ever painted that guitar, the value would drop 75%.
Na......maybe 15%. You underestimate how often guitars are painted
Your video was very interesting and very well done. The guitar is a true gem of Fender guitar history and I thank you for sharing its history with us.
Good luck with the guitar in the future my friend.
I like the no truss rods story. To think! I heard all those early necks came back under warranty and got new ones withe rods in 'em. I love this guitar! Fender was all about simple easy to play and repair workingman's guitars. Nothing to raise the price or need to be protected and you can play the hell out of them. The sound great and do the job. You can call up the Custom Shop for the fancy inlays and stuff, but a basic stock model is all you need. They make them at all price points. Go to the music store, play each one on the wall, find your favorite, buy it, love it, play it always forever! It will outlast you and will be enjoyed by your kids. Fender forever!
This video is like the mafia.... even when you think you've left it behind, it just draws you back in! Flawed as it is (play the damn thing) it is still wonderful (the video, definitely not the mafia).
Thank you Jim. This was the first video we ever did with V&R. Had bought the camera the same day without knowing really how to handle a DLSR camera :-)
@@VintageandRare I'm back again!
And again!
P.S, what really impressed me is that this prototype was made out of pine. I recently purchased a Chinese made Fender Modern Player Telecaster Plus Serial No.CGF1207002. That's right. The second one made from this Chinese plant! All these in this model are made of pine. A lot of people complained about that not knowing about your gem. Also mine is mis-labeled as a Stratocaster on the headstock instead of Telecaster as it is on every other one I have seen. :continued:-
I did not know the cold effect only began at the Canadian border.This surprises me as much as it did when I froze my ass off in Arizona
I remember my dad a master mechanic used to work at hughes lockheed moved to bakersfield from santa monica (Crazy) Used to work on mosley car tryed to pay my dad with one man i wish he did but he always talked about the mosrite shop
I had a real 1950 Fender Pinecaster, Bought it from a Pawn shop in Sacramento California for $2000.00 about 2012
Oh my. That´s fantastic. Do you still have it?
Funny, All of my vintage guitar buddies were all scratching there heads because they have never heard of a Nocaster with a Pine body, I couldn't get the 2 grand out fast enough, I sold it to a employee at Gruhn Guitars, Now Pinecasters are real popular, Everyone wants one. :)
I think this guitar is at the Songbirds Guitar Museum in Chattanooga, TN, now. I saw it in person a couple of weeks ago. Cool piece of history.
Yup! And if I owned a '55 Vette, with the original 283 and dual fours, I'd thrash on it every chance I could. Vettes are meant to be driven and Tele's are meant to be played. And if you show either one mercy, you don't know what they're for and you don't deserve to own one.
This guy has six more, just like it in the back room
It's like a Mexico Rolex.
No no. There is only one.
VintageandRare I was just kidding. That thing belongs in A museum
I know bro. All good. Have a great day.
I just read that Merle Travis asked Paul Bigsby to build a solid guitar with the pegs on one side. Leo Fender lent the guitar to test it, and came back to Merle with a copy without the frills to show him. He asked Merle what he thought of it.
Source: Fender the inside story by Forest White.
He handles it like any regular guitar!!!! I'd of had white gloves on and laid it down on cotton wool!!!
I like the way he drug it across the case! Then gingerly placed it on the case later...and almost clipped the showcase with it too.
I actually saw this guitar in person... it has an amazing V neck. I didnt dare tune it up but its 100 percent legit and everything Dan says it is. Absolutely breath taking. OH and for all you tele freaks out there... Its a cold role-ed steel bridge and saddles :)
That was a beautiful story....thanks for sharing. I literally sleep with my tele nect to my bed so I can see her. You have a real cool shop, I will have to visit sometime. Cheers!
The fellow who is talking has a "good voice!" : )
amazing guitar, great story too
Let me guess, John5 bought it!
A piece of history!
Such value and this guys just knocking it around.. And why in the world would you even consider painting it ? But man what a great video.. Fantastic
If Leo Fender had never went to see Merle Travis play in 1947 and saw his 1947 Bixby solid body guitar, the first actual electric solid body guitar Leo Fender borrowed that guitar for a week, hence the Fender Esquire
I played this guitar when Sam Hutton owned it. I had taken a 1959 tweed Deluxe to him to be recovered and when I came back to pick it up I brought my Broadcaster to compare them, His was earlier but mine was nearly as funky. Sam said he took the paint off in the neck pocket to see if there were any markings but he found none. It played really good although I can't remember if I plugged it in or not. The only other no-truss-rod neck I have seen belonged to Robb Lawrence.
Do you think you could play it for us? I guess I am curious how it sounds and so are many others. Thanks, Ron
i dont know why its only take 1 mins to trust him, in fact i dont even know him at all.. he seems so honest and sophisticated
That's why he's a salesman.
that is one of the coolest guitars iv'e ever seen
Thanks Max
are you selling it
Very cool indeed. Saw this guitar on a visit to Songbirds guitar museum in Chatanooga, TN. Definitely a piece of American history. If you dig vintage guitars you must make a visit to Songbirds.
Ok, I was wondering if this was the same guitar at Songbirds. I was just there last week and got to hold it. The neck was straight as a string and the action was amazing considering it had no truss rod and was a demo prototype.
Great story. I have an old Fender lapsteel pickup that I have used in the neck position on my old Tele B-bender. Not sure how old the pickup is but it is very old. It's probably from some of the earlier Fender lap steels. I got it in a box of parts and it was still attached to the lapsteel bridge plate. It still had the knobs and pots on the lapsteel bridge plate.
so?
this whole video made me cry because this is like the original draft of the american constitution in the sence of how plane it may have been but without it, this may have never shocked the world
god that thing is gorgeous. it should be in a glass case on a wall,for show only
What a cool little guitar shop !! Man I would love to visit .
Thank you Ohio. Its one of the best in NY I would say. And Dan, the owner, is a super good guy. Go Go Go :-)
You can now see this guitar if you take the all access tour at the songbirds museum in Chattanooga Tennessee
HOW DOES THIS NOT HAVE A GOOGLE OF VIEWS
And I am back again...
Just a quick fix. The Band wasn’t from Toronto. Just Robbie Robertson I believe. Levon and the rest of “The Band” was from the states
@TheFreakChiken Thank you for showing this to John 5. We´d be glad to help if further interest. All the best, Nicolai - Vintage & Rare
This is great. Thanks so much for sharing it. The Tele is as American as it gets.
Maybe his signature tele is not the best looking.
But his Tele's are great, he has a whole collection of vintage tele's.
Dan , great guy great way of telling stories
!!
Yeh,i was amazed at how he's dragging it around on the box . I'd find it hard to touch if i was there !
teles and broadcasters are so lovable and squires making pine ones yay.
very interesting.super cool piece of fender history.bravo
my gibsons with quarter sawn necks stay fine all year long. my flat sawn fender necks need adjusting twice a year, when it gets warm out, and when it gets cold out.
The only place that guitar should go if ever leaves the shop should be the Fender Museum. What a rough beaut! You really get to see what went into the Tele and how it was truly allayer's guitar. A working tool for the everyman picker. An American Classic.
"The day someone showed me the most rare guitar I've ever seen and I could not focus the camera on it"
Cool and very interesting guitar, but I really wish you had plugged it into a cool old amp and played some clear, bright chords and fills, a few volume-swells, and then some cranked overdriven stuff... !
came to see and hear a '49. tele, saw a blurry pic of the guitar and heard nothing. but it's for sale. great.
The truss rod probably has a negative impact on tone but it is essential equipment. That store looks to be about 6 feet wide.
Is no truss rod in this guitar - Tech from Chelsea guitars
Wouldent make any diffrence in sound on an electric
+Andre Krumins you are whole heartedly wrong
Dean G No you are, On an electric guitar the only thing that affects sound is scale, hardware, and electronics, And before you say "What qualifys you to say that!" i Build guitars. and haveing used necks with diffrent tross rod designs on the same body, i can ASSURE YOU it has NO DIFFRENCE on pluged in tone. if your hear anything its because thats what you want to hear. Blind test and on recordings there is no diffrence
I can tell you you are wrong through not just building guitars but repairing them and seting them up including the one in the video here.
The intro sounded like the first few notes of Fade to Black by Metallica and it freaked me out for a sec
Hm7
+Matt Bowen more like "My darkest hour" by Megadeth
actually it was beat it
Oh man! I would LOVE to watch this, but I just can't get by the terrible focus problems.
Just listen to it :-)
I can't believe you said, "I wonder if I should repaint it".
The scary part is, I don't think you were joking.
Wow Wow WOW!!! Incredible find.
Interesting guitar and man. I would love to grab a coffee and sit down to argue about the meaning of the history of the solid electric guitar. Hope I can visit the store when I come through.
Really cool loved seeing this...
Thank you Angelo
What am I missing? This guy says "parts not normally used on a Tele", but that looks just like the standard Tele bridge and controls set-up.
My telecaster has saw dust still in it still. I've had it twenty three years. It has no name on it.But it does say Keynote Korner St. Augustine Florida. Most likely the store it was sold at. I was looking for a way to identify it so I took her apart looking for markings/numbers and found saw dust. I found nothing out about .
Cool Little Guitar Shop,Sweet Esquire
Chelsea Guitars in New York.
It's a piece of history. Hope the guitar goes to a museum or somewhere where people can see it and not in some rich collector's vault.
“This is a guitar i hope nobody buys- yes its for sale” lmao
This is the shop where that young lad belted out 'Just Another Day'
Yes you are right. Well spotted.
if i bought that guitar i would play it everyday
Well.. My bass players father was just offered over 30 grand for his 1952 Telecaster so that should give you a starting price. I'm sure this is much much more!
my jaguar has the best sound of any guitar I've ever heard. wouldn't take a million for it
Pops Staples from the Staples Singers used a Jaguar almost exclusively. The tones he got from it were incredible. Severely underrated guitarist.
What about 2 million?
Fender's Custom Shop should make a guitar modeled exactly after this one, with the exact same materials and setup.
I would buy it, if it wasn't too pricy.
great vid. thanks! what is "wrong" with the front pickup. It is so interesting to me that after almost 50 years of guitar playing I find myself gravitating to the most basic of guitar structure and electronics. Not because of nostalgia, but that in the world of electric guitars and amps, they, meaning Leo Fender and most of his contemporaries, got it right the first time! This makes almost everything else after the prototypes just a variant.
cool shop