Brand: Fender
Instrument Categories: Electric, Guitars, SOLD, Solidbody
This Fender Contemporary Telecaster in Metallic Grey finish was one of the last Made in Japan Fender models, at the end of the period between the sale from CBS and the launch of Fender’s new US plant.
In March 1985, CBS sold the Fender name – but not the Fullerton plant or fixtures – to a management group. This sudden loss of production facilities meant that the Japanese companies who had been building for Fender Japan would be the sources for Fender instruments until 1987 when the new Corona, California plant opened. When it did finally open, it wasn’t ready for mass production and could only produce about five guitars a day, and most of those were vintage re-issues.
Here we’re looking at a Fender Contemporary Telecaster from the end of the Japanese production period. This model was unique to this time period and did not transition to US production. Its design is very much a merge of a Telecaster body and Stratocaster bridge and wiring concepts. The ‘Vintage’ style trem was not used, instead the new, half-locking System 1 with a separate locking nut, and fine-tuner bridge was installed.
The Fender Contemporary Telecaster electronics are in an SSH format, with a humbucker at the bridge. There are three mini-toggle switches. From the neck, the first two are on/off for the neck and middle pickups. The third, three position switch controls the humbucker; up is a coil split, middle is off, and down is both coils.
This interesting Fender Contemporary Telecaster is in overall good shape with some minor finish chipping, but is missing its original trem arm and the nut-locking plate and screw for the high E and B strings. But, the guitar would probably have as much tuning stability as a similarly equipped Strat if the locking nut was simply removed.
A hard shell case is included.
- Model: Contemporary Telecaster
- Year: 1987
- Finish Metallic Grey Body, Black Neck
- Class: Vintage
- Serial Number: E553218, built by Fuji-Gen during 1987 in Matsumoto, Nagoya Japan
- Country of Origin: Japan
- Condition: Good
- Date Posted: 21/04/2022
- This instrument has been sold
- Consignment Item
- Including Hard case
- Instrument Weight: 8.404lbs 3.82kg
- Scale Length: 25.5in 647.7mm
- Nut Width: 1.667in 42.35mm
