Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt Austin MacNutt 1955 Telecaster Heavy Relic 2-Tone Sunburst With Case

Last year, we got word that Austin MacNutt had joined the Fender Custom Shop as the newest Masterbuilder.  We immediately set up a meeting to cook up a batch of very special guitars.   We always like to ask the builders what they would like to build, colors they want to use, etc., in an effort to truly collaborate on guitars that they are excited to build.  Sometimes we go crazy with something off the wall, and sometimes we go with a more traditional target.  The last is what got us to this amazing '55 Tele  Of course, he absolutely nailed it.

We went for a classic guitar with a classic look os 2-Tone Sunburst with a single-ply white pickguard.  Austin did an amazing job with the Heavy Relic finish, giving it the look and feel of a Tele that's been through a few battles over the last nearly 70 years.  Be sure to check out the level of detail shown in the photos - it's evident that not only does Austin have his own style, but he knows exactly what he's doing.  We love how this one came out.  It's not just about the look though - as anyone that has played a Custom Shop guitar like this knows, it's just as much (if not more) all about the feel.  The neck feels perfectly broken in.  As a Masterbuilder, Austin has this art down to a science, and this is one of the best playing Telecasters we've had in a very long time.

We chose to keep this guitar period correct and went with a 52 "U" neck shape.  It's a very comfortable vintage feeling neck, and perfect for anyone that wants a thick Tele neck that's still good for chording in the first position.  As you go higher up the neck, it gets thicker, providing a great grip for lead work.  The modernized tweak is that the guitar has a 9.5" radius and Narrow Tall (6105) frets.  This makes it easy to play, even up high on the neck when bending notes.    Also, this ash-bodied Tele is very light, weight in at just 6.4 lbs.

It's not just about looks and feel - the third element - the sound - is where this guitar really shines.  It's loaded with Custom Shop Handwound 55/56 pickups to give it the vintage Tele tone that is beloved by Tele players everywhere.  The bridge pickup provides punchy mids and hot highs for that classic Tele twang, with staggered pole pieces to even out the inter-string response.  The neck neck pickup provides a warm and creamy tone.   A surprisingly versatile instrument, a Tele like this can be used for a variety of styles of music.  These pickups provide strong tone with transparent bloom. Simply put, the guitar sounds amazing, with a great balance of warmth and twang to cut through the mix.

We stayed period correct for the hardware, going with vintage tuners, bridge, etc.  The idea is to have everything you'd expect in a vintage Tele from 1955, with the slight tweak of modern playability. The guitar comes with a Custom Shop Tweed case, strap and Certificate of Authenticity.