Fender '69 Blue Flower Telecaster Reissue

Bought this guitar used in 2004 and it cannot be much older than that. It came with a hard shell tweed case and new electronics. The original pickups were replaced with Texas Specials and the volume, tone, and pup selector switch were upgraded from the original. Also the saddles were replaced with brass compensating saddles so intonation is much easier. It is a Tele and you either like the simple features or not. I give them a 9 because they do what needs to be done so simply and beautifully.

Sounds great. It has brass saddles and Texas Special pups so this is not the usual arrangement for this guitar. However, these additions take a good sounding guitar and make it better. Have played it thru a Mesa Maverick, Fender Blues Junior,a nd Marshall 3203 Artist and it sounded good thru them all. Now I play it exclusively thru a Rivera Clubster 45 and it really is a winning combination. The basswood body and brass saddles take much of the harshness out of the Tele sound and still leave plenty of high end to slice thru the mix. Playing blues, R&B, Beatles, Neil Young, Talkin Heads, etcetera. All over the map and it sounds really good. My lead guitarist plays a rosewood neck strat and his is a great complement to that sound. The lead is a bit shrill and biting compared to his rosewood neck strat, not necessarily a bad thing, and the rhythm is so sweet.

Japanese made and what a nice job they did with every inch of the guitar. No complaints at all. And the finish is really forgiving when it turns out to be a hot and sweaty session. Really cannot complain about anything in this category.

Built to be played. Stays in tune better than anything I have ever played, easy to play live, light weight, no back up needed at all unless you want a humbucker sound or something very different from a Tele. Totally dependable guitar.

I have called Fender in the past for other products and quickly realized I was on my own. I think anyone who buys a Fender product has to accept this. Just a big business and they are not going to get wapped up in people's problems. Cuts into the profits too much.

Been playing for 38 years and cannot believe I like this guitar so much. Been thru them all, both guitars and amps. Just picked one of these up in Guitar Center because of the flower look, never expected to like the sound. Actually sounded pretty good. Then found this one on Ebay with pup upgrades, new electronics, better saddles and a hard case. Now I cannot imagine parting with it. I am almost embarassed to say I love this guitar because I never thought that would happen. Excellent value for the money. So if you have room for a Tele in your life this is a mighty fine example. The basswood body does not sound like ash or alder but I really like it. Simple to take care of, rock solid construction, stays in tune, sounds great for many styles (not metal) and some people think it looks cool. My drummer loves to stare at it............

2000 production, standard "vintage" Tele apointments.
Dealer included store branded gig bag in price

Sounds like a Tele!..well most do these days, a fatter sound that my Squier, esp. on the bridge. Neck is a bit weak compared to CS, Playing thru a '69 Kalamazoo Model 2 tuber (sorta like a Gibson Vibro Champ) sounds good, my Cry Baby speaks well, and I have a Boss DS-1 that can dirty things up a bit..guitar retains good clarity under light OD

This was the clincher, I had kinda sorta been looking for a replacement, for my 99 Squire Standard Tele..you know just wanted a change, something nice. Tried a few Strats, a few Teles, a Epi. and a Gibby or two. Most were nice, but not REAL nice..this is, so I bought it.

Pro quality..would expect it to last a lifetime

Fender is a little strange..one of the guitars I looked at was a Squier Custom II..it was a mess, and I never did figure out how to get the shipping plastic off the Pu covers..I called Fender for "tips".."uh never knew..." well dude it's all over HC ..perhaps you should check on your products...

Many Years.. All other guitars are acoustic. Traded in My Squier, and a few other things, and came away with this NOS gem..easly worth twice the price and compares well to CS stuff..

This is a recent re-issue that I picked up used. All of it's appointments are "Tele Correct", which leads me to rate this category a 10.

I'm a Telecaster player all the way, and for better or worse, I really don't care to play any other model. This is the third Telecaster that I own, and I feel that it's equal to the other two in sound, and quality.

Although we're mostly a blues based band, we've been known to play a Buck Owens tune, and follow it with "Voodoo Child", or something that one wouldn't expect to be played on a Telecaster. I usually take just one guitar to a gig, and take pride in getting all of those various sounds out of one guitar.

This guitar sounds a little more spanky than my 52 RI, probably due to the steel saddles (as opposed to brass on the 52). The bleed off capacitor is something that I'm still sorting out, as the tone will thin out as you turn the volume pot down. I can play it as is, but I do have to reduce the tone knob along with the volume. This is typical of many Telecasters out there, and is easily remedied, so I won't shave off any points for it. Other than that, it sounds like an excellent Tele is supposed to. I haven't used it on the bandstand yet, but I have done a couple of recording sessions with it.

I must comment about the neck. I was in love with the neck on my 52 RI. Nice and chunky. I have tendonitus, and carpal tunnel, and the big neck fills my hand, and supports the webbing between my thumb and index finger. The Floral Tele's neck feels slightly chunkier, which is a good thing for me. I would say that the 52 is more of a "C" shape, whereas the Floral is more of a "D" shape.

The action is a bit lower than what I'm used to, and I'll probably raise it. The strings feel like .009's, which I'll soon substitute for .10's. I haven't played with the pickup adjustments yet, but it seems fine as is. As I've said, I've already used it for a couple of recordings without doing any adjustments, so I could give it pretty high marks for it's action, and fit.

As for the finish, well you either love it, or hate it. Either way, the finish is flawless.

I bought a black three ply pickguard for it, because I thought the black guard made a nice contrast to the finish (as opposed to the clear guard). I tucked the clear guard away for safe keeping. I like the looks much better with the black guard.

You'll occasionally hear reports of questionable workmanship on these foreign made Fenders, but it's usually things that can be remedied yourself. This guitar is as good as any US made Telecaster that I've played. The pickups are fine as is. I tried it out on a 73 Pro Reverb on 10, and it didn't squeal (Tele pickups are notorious for that). Telecasters in general are the most reliable, durable guitars out there. I've thrown my old one out on the dance floor, jumped on it, thrown it up in the air and let it hit the stage, pick it back up and keep playing it with it still in tune! I used to do that nightly, and it would be the only guitar that I would take to the gig - no backup. With a Telecaster - no backup needed.

Never dealt with 'em.

I've been playing since the mid 60's (which makes me OLD). When I bought this, I started to buy the new light ash Tele, which is made in Korea, at less than $300. While it was nice, when I picked up the"Blue Floral Horror", I knew that it was coming home with me. The only thing that I really don't care for is the looks, but oh well. I don't play 'em for what they look like.

Would I buy it again? Sure.

I have a bandmate that has three Teles, a Strat, a 59 Les Paul Jr., a 64 SG Jr. and about 18 tube amps, so I have plenty opportunity to experiment. I like Jr's with p90's, and I can tolerate the occasional Strat. But the Telecaster is home.

A japanese made telecaster, with the black and thick fender logo, as I've understood it a reissue of the 68 'flower power' design, although I've never seen the original. 21 frets, al original except that some previous owner had mounted a phase switch between the volume and tone knobs, not really a useful feature, but, if you havent tried it..some dents and knicks too..I love the transparent plastic pick-guard. Its a standard telecaster so rating for the general design has to be 10/10. Now what you're looking for in telecasters after that is general quality of the particular instrument, neck profile, body weight and so on..This one is reasonably light, it has a very unusual tone for a tele, its much less trebly than usual teles and I liked that, also the 68 neck profile is different from the (v-shaped)50's styled reissues and the thinner 62 reissues. This one is quite broad and the fingerboard seems a little more flat, like a bjerton..All in all the craftmanship is very good at the price.

Dick-dale hava-nagilah-pulp-fiction(althogh he plays a stratocaster), nice for blues,and No problems getting the Andy Summers of the Police type sounds(every breath you take etc). Neck position resembling a semiacoustic hofner that i've got. Rich single coil! I was worried when I bought it that the pick-ups wouldn't be good enough, but I wont change them now. The sound really is good, great harmonics and great sustain.

I bought it used from a three telecaster punk rocker whom I got in contact with over the internet.(I did meet him and try the guitar before buying it!) I had to work it a little for optimal set up which isn't that difficult on a tele. The biggest problem I encountered was that the trussrod although tightened to the maximum needed further turning, and so at first I couldn't really adjust the neck as I wanted. But, after a bit of advice from a Peter at Johan Gustavsson guitars in Malmo I got that sorted. I also resoldered the electronics, which was needed. The build is really good, nice frets and intonation, nice tuners, stays IN TUNE, body joint is cool..

I played it on gigs without a backup, in a telecaster one of the things you get is dependability. After setting it up well, electronics and all..

You can always find good repair help for this instrument, anywhere in the world.

I ve been playing for about 25 years, four years as a professional, but you know the artist life ain't always beautiful so..I sold my old 1967 tele 12 years ago when I didn't need it. This new one I bought for a reunion gig with the band, I think it sounds better. The old one was lighter though. But all in all its a good match. The finish is nervewrecking, but as a musical instrument its really good, with the particularities in tone and quality for this one it would add to any pros soundpalette.

Made in Japan, this "new" Blue Flower Tele Reissue has a maple neck with the usual small Fender frets, as well as all the usual classic Tele features. Despite its extravagant psychedelic aesthetic, this is really a traditionally constructed and featured Telecaster. These Japanese reissues are very true in every detail!

Telecasters are IT for me. My other guitar is a Telecaster-style (Rio Grande Guitars, see review). I play r&b, funk, classic rock, a touch of jazz, as well as the Horses at the racetrack. I play Reverend Hellhounds amps and Fender amps. My FX are strictly analog stomps. For 450 bucks, this was the best deal I've come across in a while!!! Pure Tele tone.

Everything was cool, except for one thing---it needed a set-up really badly, pickups were also very unevenly matched in height and sound.and the neck was a bit bowed...it is now in the shop. Kick that price up about 80 bucks, since the neck was bowed---now it is a 530 dollar value, still good, in my opinion...however the Brownie points take a nosedive at this point!

Like horses, one must ride 'em immediately in order to get to know them...I played 5 gigs with it to discover its flaws and points of "fret out." I also dropped it due to a bad guitar strap...I mean, it fell on the concrete floor at an outdoor gig. Being a true Tele, only a minor ding in the finish occurred (thank my lucky stars it did not fall on the neck). I did not have a backup that night, and all I did was retune and continue. Excellent Japanese craftsmanship.

It was advertised by Musicians Friend in the warehouse clearance special as having a gig bag included...it arrived without it. Naturally, I called to ask what happened to the bag. The associate said that it was a misprint in the ad and that at that price ($449), the gig bag was NOT part of the deal. Kind, yet one can only wonder how many other Tele freaks were disappointed at the missing gig bag... I mean, I literally opened up the package, ate a sandwich, and marched off to the gig (luckily, with a case from another guitar).

In this order, I loooove: the sound, the look, the toughness. I don't love: the factory set-up, the lack of at least a gig bag.

It is a Tele ... so features are minimum.

Sound of this guitar is excellent. Somre recommend changing the pickups .. but I like the bite of both pups.

Perfect. The neck is my favorite of all my teles, and the work done on this guitar is first class. For $500 it is a steal. Yup, mine came in 3 boxes perfectly in-tune .. played it right out of the box ... hang tags and all. The floral design is pretty cool, as long as you are secure in your masculinity, or are a gal-picker ..

The electronics are questionable. My Tone pot alters the sound radically, and lowering the volume, increases the treble (not good on a tele). I have removed the treble bleed cap to cure this one.

The rest of the unit is rock solid.

Also purchased from Sam/Ash .. actually was looking for a Pink Paisley
but they were out (deceptive advertising in magazines). They had only 2 florals left, so I grabbed it.

I would highly recommend this guitar to tele collectors and those looking for an excellent first tele at an entry-level price.

This is to follow up on my previous review; I'm certain I've seen this listed as a 1969 reiussue on Fender Japan's site, but I've also seen the original listed as a 1968 in "50 Years of Fender" by Tony Bacon, as well as other sites and reviews claiming it to be a '68. Can't get any information off the Fender site, so who knows for certain. It makes absolutely no difference to the sound or the quality of this guitar, so it's not that big a deal. Also, I could've sworn that my mid-80's reissue had a bullet truss rod and Gotoh tuners, but someone listed an '86 the other week that looks exactly like these new reiussues. Bottom line, my review is for the CIJ NAMM 2002 reissues that are presently available.

A brand new, minty fresh '68 Blue Flower Telecaster reissue from the craftsmen of Fender Japan. For those who don't know, this model is a reissue of a reissue of a strange mod Fender offered back when people thought mind-altering drugs were okay. It's a basswood body with flowery wallpaper design, a gorgeous one piece maple neck, vintage Kluson style tuners, clear pickguard, and standard two single coil pickups. The neck is a very comfortable C/U shape (can anyone ever tell?) that fits my hand nicely. It has a vintage style bridge with three barrel saddles that appear to be steel. In a contrast from the original, this does not have the bullet truss rod adjustment at the neck. Goody. No case or gigbag was offered when I bought it, but considering that it came in three boxes, I can wait until I want to buy one. The beauty of the Telecaster is it's basic design, so this gets a 5 for features.

Like most people who play the guitar, I would describe my style as "bluesrockjazzyandmaybenoisefromtimetotime." I'm not a professional, but for me, this guitar covers a lot of ground. I've read posts and reviews where people have griped about the quality and output of the pickups, so either Fender Japan heard about that and sent me good ones, or some folks are verrrrrrrrry sensitive about what pickups they use. Bully for them. These suit me just fine. I play through a tube fed Vox Cambridge Reverb 30 and it sounds great. I can get a smooth, warm tone and fat, greasy, honking sound just by tweaking the knobs. I've yet to give it a full workout, as it only arrived this afternoon, but so far, what I've heard is as good as the new American standards and the Mexican reissues. Let's face it, they're not humbuckers, but odds are that's exactly why you wanted a Tele, right?

I took a lot of care opening all three boxes this baby was shipped in, as I wanted to note any flaws, but I couldn't find any. Even after sitting in a FedEx truck for a few hours didn't bother it; it was perfectly in tune. The pickups looked good and level but the neck looks a little tight, so I may have it adjusted. No sharp frets like $1200 American Fenders! The controls work well, but I've heard one or two issues here and there from other users. Oh, the weak little strings have to go (already broke one, but it was a puny little .09) but I planned on replacing them with some DR Pure Blues anyway...

I really wanted an Ash body, as basswood can be a little soft, but after strapping it on I forgot all about it. This may be the lightest guitar I've ever played. I could play all night with this one. I may replace the steel barrels with brass at some point, but I think this will withstand a lifetime as long as it's taken care of. The stock strap buttons are pretty good, but I'll probably buy straplocks anyway. This is the first electric I've bought brand, spanking new after all. If I couldn't depend on it, I wouldn't have bought it. Could someone please tell me who would gig without a backup? I'll give it an 8 if only for the basswood body.

I'm granting a 6 to SamAsh.com who sold me this instrument. My sales rep was very friendly and helpful, but he could have at least offered a gig bag or something. The only thing that's ever impressed me about Fender's website is the pretty pictures...

I've played for over ten years now and owned a handful of guitars and amps. A long time ago, I had one of the mid-80's reissues, but I was a poor, struggling college kid and had to sell it to pay bills. A few months ago, I got bit by the Tele bug real bad and wanted another one. When I heard that Fender placed an order for Fender Japan to pump out 250 (I've also heard 200. Hell, they could have thousands ready if people are buying them.) for the NAMM show, it occured to me to track one down and see if it felt as good as it used to. Well, the only problem is that I hadn't seen any of them anywhere. When I finally checked with Sam Ash, they had one left, so considering that for quality this guitar is light years ahead of Fender Mexico and even some Fender US models for less money than a Mexicaster, I had to have it. A gigbag would have been nice, but for the money, this was a fantastic deal. I think the only thing I would change would be a slightly heavier body, but that's about it. If it were lost or stolen, I would possibly seek out the Japanese '52 Tele RI in ash. What made me leap at this guitar was nostalgia for my old one, the price, and the fact that my wife didn't seem to mind. She even called it "cute." Well, at least she said "yes" so what else could I do? I was also pleasantly surprised by buying one on the internet, and so far, everything has been great. I love my new Tele! If you're trying to file that void in your collection and can find one for around $500 I would say this is a great deal. Fender needs to send more reps to Japan to see how it's done!