This guitar has been my main player for a long time. In fact, if I was only allowed to have one guitar this guitar would be it. Being a huge fan of the Telecaster body shape, I lusted for this guitar ever since seeing her displayed in the front window of a local music store. She changed hands a few times before I was in the right place at the right time to make her mine.

This guitar has been well played through the years, as is evident from the amount of wear seen on the neck. The original Candy Apple Red finish on the body is long gone but you can still see evidence of the red paint under the neck plate, control cavity and a few spots on the edge where the paint has sunk deep into the wood grain. As a result of the body’s original finish being removed, the neck being refretted at least two times and the fact that she has been modified to accommodate a humbucking style pickup in the neck position, she holds little interest as a collectible. However, as a player, this old girl has got it all and remains my number one to this day.

Most parts are original, including the body (refinished to natural, poorly I might add), beefy C shaped neck (refretted), tuners, neck plate, control plate, knobs, input jack and the bridge. Strap lock buttons have replaced the originals and because I always loved the look of the black pickguards on Telecasters, the original white pickguard was replaced with one. Both pickups are not original, Duncan Antiquity in the neck and a Hotrail in the bridge position.

Like any proud parent, in my opinion, this guitar looks terrific. I love the look of the nicely figured ash body against the aged hardware, black pickguard and more importantly this guitar always feels like home to me. After playing her religiously for nearly 20 years, I still do not tire of her. The neck is super comfortable in my hands, so much so that I am tempted to say the neck is almost magical. Unplugged or amplified, this guitar screams and she has never left me searching for a sound that I could not achieve. For clean settings you cannot beat the sound from this guitar, and while one normally does not think of a Tele as a rock and roll guitar, this one certainly delivers thanks in a large part to the powerful Hotrail bridge pickup. The only drawback with respect to making her the ultimate rock and roll guitar is the radius of the fretboard (neck). It is often hard to achieve wild string bending without “fretting out” the notes. However, if you leave the action a little on the high side (which is my preference) this “fretting out” is not an issue.

I purchased this guitar for $500 back in the early 90’s and while it was a high price (considering the modifications and body being stripped of its original paint) I have never regretted buying her. To this day this is my all-time favorite guitar.