Fender '51 NoCaster Closet Classic Telecaster

This is an 01 Closet Classic '51 Nocaster Telecaster. It is a recreation of the infamous early 50's Broadcaster that earned Fender a threatening letter from Gretsch, the company who was already using that moniker for a drumkit. Fender was forced to cease and desist the use of that name and so had its employees clip the Broadcaster name off of the decal. The "Nocaster" term was coined by collectors of this period of Tele production. It's a straight up Telecaster with a light ash body, figured maple neck and fingerboard, old school ashtray bridge and barrel style saddles, original style Kluson tuners,and round string tree. There's the usual neck and bridge pickup regulated by a single volume and single tone control and selected by the standard 3-way selector switch. The guitar came wired with that not so funky "fur collar" tone setup that was intended to appeal to jazz players, but I rewired it for the clearer, "modern" sound. Of particular note about this guitar is its neck. It's described a "U" shape and it's a beefy piece of wood, that makes the '52 Reissue Tele's neck seem pencil-like in comparison. It is quite a comfortable place for a player's hand to work. The guitar is finished in Fender's Closet Classic level of aging. There's plenty of checking in the lacquer and the neck has a slightly dulled and tinted finish. It's done up in a Honey Blonde hue. This is a recreation of a vintage Telecaster, so the player must be mindful of the 7.25" radius. Straight up Telecaster here, nothing more and nothing less. If you need "bells and whistles," look elsewhere; this guitar is only slightly more well equipped than its brother the Esquire or Gibson's single P-90 Junior. For what it is, I can't fault it.

Telecasters are far more versatile than I, and a great many others too, ever gave them credit for. Of course, this guitar has got country and western chicken pickin' written into its DNA, but I use it more in a rock band setting, playing AC/DC,Deep Purple,classic style rock and even some slightly punkier stuff. It can handle the clean, pretty stuff too, thanks to its Custom Shop Nocaster pickups. My guitar is just a bit darker sounding than most Teles and I like that a lot. It's still got that Tele "cut," though. With the band, I run it through a Budda PhatMan and then into a '62 Tremolux. The Tremmie will run either a Fender ToneMaster 212, 412, or sometimes both. For the odd tune, I'll throw in a Fulltone DejaVibe. This Tele is raw when I want it to be, but it's also capable of some nice sweet tones in the combined and neck positions, lending a fairly close Strat-like sound if necessary. At home, I run it through two amps, using chorus and echo. From clean to mean, this guitar can handle a variety of situations. I've used it in rehearsals and live situations more than any of my other guitars.

The guitar was reasonably well set up at Fender, but I've tweaked it over the years and set it up to suit my tastes. This is a Custom Shop guitar that's been given some extra attention in terms of wood selection and finishing. The finish is a matter of taste, as there are some folks who do not like paying extra for Fender to distress or age a guitar's finish. The Closet Classic level is nice because there's no missing paint and bare wood, just a great deal of lacquer checking and slightly dulled finish. If there's a concern, it would be the durability of the finish now that it's been distressed. After a few years of ownership, I've nicked a couple of little chunks out of it. In this category, my biggest concern is the tiny vintage correct "nail" frets which have already received a light dressing.

Teles are bone simple and tough critters and this one seems to be no different than any other. I'd certainly entrust it to be the lone guitar on the gig, although it's wise to have a backup. I have no doubt that this guitar can take the punishment of daily use and regular gigging. I've had it for about five years now and I've played it constantly. I've had no problems thus far and I'm not expecting any real concerns to manifest themselves anytime soon. There are quite a few of the original old dogs still kicking around, so there's plenty of reason to be optimistic that this one will last as long.

I've never had any problems that would require Fender's attention, so there's been no need to cantact them.

I've been doing this for a long time and I've owned more than my fair share of nice guitars. Along with a few choice Gibson Les Pauls, the Fender side is represented by this Nocaster, a reissue Tele Custom and an '86 Vintage Reissue '62 Stratocaster. This Nocaster is a very special guitar. It's lightweight and it has a very useful range of sounds. The chunky neck is a pleasure to play. It'd be an easier guitar to play if it had a 9.5" radius and some bigger frets, but so far I find I can get along with the original spec radius and those little nail frets. If this one got stolen, I would definitely look around for another one. It was and is not an inexpensive guitar to buy and replace. I have no hesitation in recommending this guitar to players who want all the vibe and feel of an original, but are not prepared to fork over huge sums for the real deal. If you're one of those players who likes low action, speed neck feel and lots of switches, look elsewhere. For those of us who want the vintage vibe, feel, and sound, this is where it's at.

This is an 01 Closet Classic '51 Nocaster Telecaster. It is a recreation of the infamous early 50's Broadcaster that earned Fender a threatening letter from Gretsch, the company who was already using that moniker for a drumkit. Fender was forced to cease and desist the use of that name and so had its employees clip the Broadcaster name off of the decal. The "Nocaster" term was coined by collectors of this period of Tele production. It's a straight up Telecaster with a light ash body, figured maple neck and fingerboard, old school ashtray bridge and barrel style saddles, original style Kluson tuners,and round string tree. There's the usual neck and bridge pickup regulated by a single volume and single tone control and selected by the standard 3-way selector switch. The guitar came wired with that not so funky "fur collar" tone setup that was intended to appeal to jazz players, but I rewired it for the clearer, "modern" sound. Of particular note about this guitar is its neck. It's described a "U" shape and it's a beefy piece of wood, that makes the '52 Reissue Tele's neck seem pencil-like in comparison. It is quite a comfortable place for a player's hand to work. The guitar is finished in Fender's Closet Classic level of aging. There's plenty of checking in the lacquer and the neck has a slightly dulled and tinted finish. It's done up in a Honey Blonde hue. This is a recreation of a vintage Telecaster, so the player must be mindful of the 7.25" radius. Straight up Telecaster here, nothing more and nothing less. If you need "bells and whistles," look elsewhere; this guitar is only slightly more well equipped than its brother the Esquire or Gibson's single P-90 Junior. For what it is, I can't fault it.

Telecasters are far more versatile than I, and a great many others too, ever gave them credit for. Of course, this guitar has got country and western chicken pickin' written into its DNA, but I use it more in a rock band setting, playing AC/DC,Deep Purple,classic style rock and even some slightly punkier stuff. It can handle the clean, pretty stuff too, thanks to its Custom Shop Nocaster pickups. My guitar is just a bit darker sounding than most Teles and I like that a lot. It's still got that Tele "cut," though. With the band, I run it through a Budda PhatMan and then into a '62 Tremolux. The Tremmie will run either a Fender ToneMaster 212, 412, or sometimes both. For the odd tune, I'll throw in a Fulltone DejaVibe. This Tele is raw when I want it to be, but it's also capable of some nice sweet tones in the combined and neck positions, lending a fairly close Strat-like sound if necessary. At home, I run it through two amps, using chorus and echo. From clean to mean, this guitar can handle a variety of situations. I've used it in rehearsals and live situations more than any of my other guitars.

The guitar was reasonably well set up at Fender, but I've tweaked it over the years and set it up to suit my tastes. This is a Custom Shop guitar that's been given some extra attention in terms of wood selection and finishing. The finish is a matter of taste, as there are some folks who do not like paying extra for Fender to distress or age a guitar's finish. The Closet Classic level is nice because there's no missing paint and bare wood, just a great deal of lacquer checking and slightly dulled finish. If there's a concern, it would be the durability of the finish now that it's been distressed. After a few years of ownership, I've nicked a couple of little chunks out of it. In this category, my biggest concern is the tiny vintage correct "nail" frets which have already received a light dressing.

Teles are bone simple and tough critters and this one seems to be no different than any other. I'd certainly entrust it to be the lone guitar on the gig, although it's wise to have a backup. I have no doubt that this guitar can take the punishment of daily use and regular gigging. I've had it for about five years now and I've played it constantly. I've had no problems thus far and I'm not expecting any real concerns to manifest themselves anytime soon. There are quite a few of the original old dogs still kicking around, so there's plenty of reason to be optimistic that this one will last as long.

I've never had any problems that would require Fender's attention, so there's been no need to cantact them.

I've been doing this for a long time and I've owned more than my fair share of nice guitars. Along with a few choice Gibson Les Pauls, the Fender side is represented by this Nocaster, a reissue Tele Custom and an '86 Vintage Reissue '62 Stratocaster. This Nocaster is a very special guitar. It's lightweight and it has a very useful range of sounds. The chunky neck is a pleasure to play. It'd be an easier guitar to play if it had a 9.5" radius and some bigger frets, but so far I find I can get along with the original spec radius and those little nail frets. If this one got stolen, I would definitely look around for another one. It was and is not an inexpensive guitar to buy and replace. I have no hesitation in recommending this guitar to players who want all the vibe and feel of an original, but are not prepared to fork over huge sums for the real deal. If you're one of those players who likes low action, speed neck feel and lots of switches, look elsewhere. For those of us who want the vintage vibe, feel, and sound, this is where it's at.