Fender '72 Telecaster Custom

mexican
solid body
neck humbucker, bridge single coil
'bullet' trussrod
rosewood neck
vol+tone for each pickup
gibson style pickup selector(wit a gibson head i 'borrowed' off a #2000 les paul)

only givin it 9 cause im used 2 a fat strat copy, but cant giv it ne less cause its SOOOOOOO toneful

i play mainly punk, like the offspring and blink 182, and me and my band play a bit of nirvana as well, the neck humbucker has a great meaty, bassy sound for distorted riffs. neck s/c great for trebly clean sounds, very similar 2 the clean sounds used by the offspring. dont really use both at once.

great finish, the neck is brilliant 2 play on, a lot nicer than on a strat. the only problems i have is that the tilt adjust in the bridge digs into ur hand when u palm mute, the second is that fender put one of those sticky back seethru plastic things on the pickguard

with the exception of the pickup selector which is a bit flimsy, its built like a brick. it has a solid finish, i use straplocks so i wont need 2 worry bout the strap pins. i would gig without a backup any time.

aint used them (only bought the thing yesterday)

my other guitars are; a fat strat copy, epi LP junior, yamaha pacifica. it whips em all. i play through a 15 whatt marshall or a 10 watt watson, with a boss MT2, sounds best through the watson. love everything cept wot i said i dislike. if it was stolen id nick 1 off som1 else

I bought this modified. Hardshell case, strap locks, graphite saddles, rio grande humbucker, coil tap on push-pull tone knob... everything else, rosewood fretboard, black paint.

the neck humbucker has already been praised highly. i throw my enthusiasm about it into the fire.

the rio grande sounds okay clean, but that's not the reason i play this. through a proco rat and a princeton 65... yes a solid state... it gives a convincing marshall tone... not as intricate as les paul through marshall, but it's close enough.

the neck is a little thick for me, but i have small hands so i shouldn't complain. i'm just doing this so i don't give it all tens.

for a while, the selector switch wouldn't stay in one spot, so the middle with both humbuckers was it's permanent position. but i took out the pickguard and the problem was really simple to fix.

never dealt

perfect for harder music. the neck is a little thick for me, yes, but the sound is great. it's the most musical guitar i have (lead iii, jazzmaster, jag-stang are the others). lately i've been playing lots of at the drive-in, fugazi, drive like jehu, trail of dead, you know... noisy stuff.

2001, Mexican-made '72 Tele Custom Reissue, black finish, maple neck, 2 volume, 2 tone controls, neck humbucker, bridge single coil, 3 position upper bout toggle switch. Oh yeah, this is the reissue of the most awesome Tele ever, used heavily by Keith Richards in the late '70's/early '80's!

I have 2 other Telecasters, 2 Stratocasters, an Ampeg Dan Armstrong "See Through", so this guitar is right up my alley! I wanted this model for quite a while, and when Mars Music announced their going out of business sale, I was able to pick this up for a great price. I play it through my early '80's Music Man HD150 212 combo amp and a Fender Pro Junior, either way, it has tons of tones. As others have pointed out here, it can go from classic Tele twang to a meaty Gibson-esque sound via the neck humbucker. And in the center position it really offers some cool tonalities, very unique to this model. I use it through a Cry Baby Wah-Wah, a DOD Classic Tube and a Marshall Vibratrem. There is NOTHING not to like about the sound of this guitar, it is extremely versatile, the ultimate Tele, really!

Everything is well made and set up. Top notch materials and workmanship throughout!

This Tele is a tank, it is reliable, always sounds great. I can defititely depend upon it, and if need be, use it as a sole axe at a show!

N/A

I have been playing 30 years, 20 of those professionally. I have owned and do own some great guitars, including some great Teles. But this is "the" Tele, the ultimate Tele. I can see why Keith used his for so long, it's such a wonderful axe. To my mind, it is the ultimate evolution of the Telecaster; both sonically and cosmetically. I love it!

2002, MIM, 21 frets, with neck "wide ranging" humbucker, bridge single coil, gibson style 3 way switch, separate volume and tone controls, string thru body, 3 saddle bridge, and vintage style tuners. Mine has a maple fingerboard and black body. The versatility afforded by the pick-up configuration and separate controls warrant a top score here.

The sound on this guitar is versatile and really impressive. It can sound like a twangy tele, fat les paul (thanks to the Seth Lover designed neck humbucker) or strat like in the central position (both pick ups engaged). Separate controils give you aolt of room to experiment here. The sustain on this guitar is unbelievable. I have owned many, many guitars since I got my first in 1983 and this guitar has he richest sustain and most articulate note defnition of any. I play both clean and overdriven sounds and the custom delivers well in both areas. My only complaint is that these guitars also produce a fair amount of crackiling and buzzing and may require sheilding in order to make them sound good with lots of gain at high volumes. Belive it or not, you can get a thick heavy metal sound with this guitar (if you want that, though hum in the bridge is most desireable for this).

This guitar was set up very well. The action was medium, which is standard on Fenders. In order to get it lower, I needed to put nickel 9's on this baby. Pure nickel strings buzz considerably less than steel strings and allow for much lower action (which is what I prefer). However, keep in mind that the neck on this guitar is VERY thick -- much thicker than the originals from the 70's. The neck is almost as fat as the Jeff Beck siganture strat. It is the one thing about this guitar that I really dislike. Lots of people claim that a fat neck is better at reducing fatigue on the fretting hand, but I find that this fat neck is something I have to continually adapt to in various ways. I much prefer a slim, c-shaped neck. But overall, the factory set up here was surprisingly good (intonation was esepcially good) and the guitar appears to be a very well crafted instrument.

It seems pretty hardy. Though Fender puts pretty crappy strap buttons on their guitars. Get a good strap lock on yours.

I have been playing since 1983 and I have done some professionl touring in the US and Europe and gig with my band URBAN SUN weekly in the NYC area. This guitar is one of my two main gigging guitars (the other is a 1983 Ibanez Raodstar II strat copy). I love the look of this guitar as well as its superior tone. My only complaint is that the neck is too damned fat. With a slimmer neck, and factory provided sheilding, this would be a perfect guitar for funk, rock, blues, country, and just about any style that features electric guitar. Check this site for samples of the Tele in action:
http://www.urbansun.net
http://www.cdbaby.com/urbansun

Mexican made, purchased new, nice maple neck (quite thick),
black finish.Decent humbucker in the neck,with Fender engraved into it, standard single coil in the brige.
Oh, nice tuners too!

Sounds great. I have played Les Pauls, and this is almost as good, for tone. I play this through my Twin, and this guitar can really rock, Led Zep, AC DC!.
You can get plenty of guts, in the humbucker, it can do all styles.

It has a very bright sound on the treble selector.
Personally I prefer to have the switch in between, with the tone rolled down and you can that smooth, Santana sound!

I a big Stones fan, and this guitar can nail those Keef riffs.

Long live Keef!

Ok, this was a factory setup, and I really can't fault it.
The action is low, I think with 10 gauge strings. Most of the time I use 9's, and these are really making my fingers sore! Bless!

I have a 52 Tele Re-issue, and it plays totally different. Both have different necks. It has taken me a while to adjust myself to the thicker neck on this.

Very well built, for the price I paid. It does'nt feel as luxureus as the 52 Tele for some reason.

However, it is still bloody good guitar for the price.

No flaws.

Can't wait to use it at my next gig.

Never delt with Fender.

Been playing 5 years, after seeing a Stones concert.

Just found out Keef use to play one, so I had to have one!

This will be my main guitar now, it is a solid, well built instrument.

If it was stolen, I would be gutted. Really.
At #429, this was a real bargin, as they can retail much higher.

This is a Tele, with BALLS.

GO AND BUY ONE. NOW!!

More features than the average Tele. Cool-ass humbucker in the neck beefs it up! Complex, earthy sounds thanks in all positions. Runs the full range... tele twang to hard rock. Tone knobs, volume knobs, three way switch. Beefy alderwood body ant three tone burst finish! This is one cool guitar!

What sound ya want? Get it with this. Traditional tele twang or beefy humbucker... and in between.

Fantasict finish and set up. Best tele made according to some... not a factory assembly line feel at all. Feels like a Custom Shop tele. Very tight. Fantastic.

Alder body. Solid. Well build. A weapon of mass destruction if cranked through my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp! Very solid, very well build guitar!

Fender is the best. So is the local shop bought it from.

Best guitar I own. I have had nearly 15 guitars and this stands at the top. It is that good. Reissues are better than the original '72 Customs wiht more detail, better finish, etc. Plus much more affordable. Do yourself a favor... seek this out and buy it. You cannot go wrong.

Model: 2002 Telecaster Custom '72 "Keef RiffHard" reissue model
Hard maple neck with 21-fret laminated maple fingerboard with black plastic dots, chunky vintage jumbo frets and truss-rod bullet adjuster at the nut's end as well with 3-bolt neck fixing screws
Single-coil "vintage '70s Tele" reissue bridge pickup
"Wide Range" reissue neck Humbucker
2 volumes and 2 tones per pickup
3-way toggle switch
Vintage "Kluson" '70s-style tuners
Solid Ash Body


all the awesome features reminiscent of that legendary "Keef"-style snarling riffs ever heard!

This beautiful reissue Telecaster model beefs it up when plugged into a good tube-valve amp (e.g. Soldano, Marshall, MesaBoogie, Bogner, Peavey) and it will be able enough to produce a big, crunchy tone, identical to the legendary '72 Telecaster Custom owned by the well-known Stones' guitarist Keith Richards, almost famous for his eccentric "snarling" style in most of the Rolling Stones hits, like i.e. "Satisfaction".
Especially attractive is the "Wide Range" pickup, particularly when it was mixed with the single-coil Tele bridge pickup. Both pickups offered a wide range of tones, and, subsequently, the original '72 Tele Custom, made at the Fullerton factory during 1972, one of these years that Fender was then owned by the mighty CBS, looked a little bit fatter than the reissued model, now made at the Ensenada's state-of-the-art facility, Baja California, Mexico, and at the Fujigen factory in Japan.

Although the Wide Range neck humbucker and the singe-coil bridge pickup will both be able enough to respond to any styles of music (Rolling Stones music included!), however, I prefer to give to this good vintage reissue model a more American Deluxe Power Fat Tele? vibe by replacing the Wide Range by a DH-1 neck pickup and the bridge single-coil by a Vintage Noiseless? Tele bridge pickup and install a Fender/Fishman Powerbridge for shimmering acoustic tones. For that careful operation (to mix the Powerbridge with the magnetic pickups) the important is to install a second toggle switch to the lower horn's edge and to add two more controls (volume, tone) for the Powerbridge.

Though it's not especially cheap for many guitarists, the '72 Telecaster custom is almost comfortable to play, and I'm sure that Keith will be very happy to listen those Rolling Stones fans playing with this faithful classic reproduction all the "snarling" riffs that helped him to become one of the most important rock guitarists of that particular period and to develop by itself its very own personal style.

I've never owned this Tele but I've heard many Rolling Stones hits played by Keef RiffHard himself with his legendary classic rock axe, so I don't have a particular customer support for that instrument.

I strongly recommend this awesome '72 Tele Custom to all the "Rolling Stones" fans wordwide, the fact that "Keef" used a similar guitar during the entire '70s period, and I'll be sure that a truly cynical aficionado can buy an almost truly classic Telecaster at a relatively affordable price!

this guitar is fantastic. it is an original 1972 tele custom, of course it's us made. this guitar out plays me new les paul in every catagory. i bought it in pieces and threw it together plugged it into my mesa and it blew me away.

it has a mean crunch with the distortion but switch to the clean and it is the warm mellow jazz sound.

as it is an original the paint is warn off in a few spots, but who really cares. i refinished all the frets and bridge. the tunning pegs have been replace but they are still oringinal.

i used this guitar in a concer with the intent of playing it for 1 or 2 songs but once i started playing it i never set it down again.

overall i am in love with this guitar. and who can argue with paying 200 bucks for it?? it is my new found love.

I own the '72 TeleCustom Reissue made in Mexico 2002. It's got all the features of the orignal '72 Tele Custom, with the exception of slightly narrower string slots on the tuners and different specs from the original wide-range humbucker.I dig the toggle switch and 2-volume and 2-tone controls. I picked up the sunburst model.The pickguard/finish give this guitar a look of such bad-ass attitude that I love.The deal is though, that this guitar plays as good as it looks.

On my own, I try to take what i love about the music i listen to and bring it together somehow.My bands are the Beatles & Stones, Zeppelin and the ABB, and Ac/Dc and the Velvet Underground.That should create an idea of my kind of style in music, whatever that may be. On the other hand,I play/jam with another guitarist, bassist, and drummer. The TeleCustom gives me everything i need and does so very well.At first, i was prone to using the bridge pickup because i love the way it sounded.But now i use all of the settings, from thin and cutting to fat and round it's all there for me.The single coil is noisy but who would be surpirsed with that.I love the punch i get from this guitar as well.Probably the only thing i don't like is the volume imbalance between pickups.I use the TeleCustom with a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and get great clean sounds, and decent overdriven tones. I do use a Jekyll/Hyde Overdrive and H20 Liquid Chorus/Echo.Those VisualSound pedals, i really dig them.However, with just guitar & amp the TeleCustom shines.

The TeleCustom was set up very well from the factory with a medium low action.I adjusted the humbucker to my needs and it's killer.All in all the action, fit & finish were right on. And on top of that, i picked up a floor model which bumped the price down.

I play this guitar on my own everyday for various amounts of time. I rehearse with my band at least twice a week.And we plays shows once a week.This guitar holds up very well.I probably would use this w/out a backup, but i have California Fat Tele in case i need it.The tuners on this guitar keep me in tune very well.The other guitarist in my band has a Gibson Sg Special.He really is re-tuning after every song and sometimes during the song.Either his tuners are in need of changing, or he's got to take another look at his tuning techniques.
But anyway, anyone could depend on this guitar.

i never had to deal with the folks and Fender and i have no desire to contact them.

I've been playing for 6 years, started when i was 11.Always trying to get better of course, and always listening to great music.It seems as though not too many kids my age are into the bands i love.But ya know, you let people do what they want to, even if their guitars begin to sound like drums.Anyway, i love the TeleCustom.It gives the what i need to play with creativity of the beatles, attitude of the stones,Ac/Dc, and the VU, and pure musicianship of Zeppelin and the ABB.Newer bands i'm into are the Black Crowes and the Strokes.i love the guitarists all of those bands.I also own a California Fat Tele which is great, and the Hot Rod Deluxe.I love everything about this guitar besides the volume difference between the pickups, which isn't even a big deal.If this guitar was stolen, i'd buy a used one probably, or maybe even a new one b/c i do love it.Compared to the Sg Special in my band, my TeleCustom really kicks in every way.For what i'm doin with music, the TeleCustom is exactly what i need/want.

i believe enough has been written about this tele that i don't need to elaborate further about the features. i will say this - there ain't nothin in this world that beats a tele neck. mine's a 99 mex, bought new in 2002 (i guess it had been laying around sam ash warehouse for awhile). i bumped up the action a little (it was too low from the store) and then of course had to re-set the intonation, which was pretty much a breeze, although the old 3 piece tail seems a little iffy as far as it being stable...but once the strings are on and its tuned up, the tail never slips. i agree with the one guy that isn't real fond of the tin tray - but hey - its a tele, it comes with a tin tray. the 3-way P/U switch is kinda sucky, but thats a minor problem and a minor repair.

i play everything but rap and polka. i play rhytym and lead. i get every sound i need. i play through a fender deville 4-10. i keep the volume controls on the guitar between 6 and 7, unless i'm really looking to clean the wax out of a few ears - and adjust the volume on my amp accordingly. for me and for the sound i like, it just sounds better at 6/7 than 10.

the P/U switch sucks. a couple of the little string cups fell out when i first re-strung it. replacing the switch is a nothing, and the cups were a nothing to fix either. it came with 9's. i use 10's. i may put fatter frets on someday. otherwise, i have no complaints.

its a tele. i ain't gonna get rid of it cause i love it. its reliable and dependable....the mack truck of guitars, yet plays like a rolls-royce.

never called fender

i've been playing since i was 12. the original 72 tele custom came out when i was 20. so i've been playing a long time. i've been mostly an acoustic guy, due to the fact that i was married and raising kids and had no money for an electric and amp all that stuff. well, the kids are raised and i'm divorced, so i'm making up for lost time and this tele is getting me there faster than grass through a goose. i own a martin jc-16gte, a tama model 120, a fender P-bass. i have a genz-benz UC4, and the deville. i feel like a real guitar player with this baby in my hands.