Fender 1987-88 Rare Early Made in Korea Ash Telecaster Top Load TL-354 MIK 41067
Description (more pics below)
This is a 1987-'88 Fender Telecaster made in Korea in Blonde finish. This 35-year-vintage "E" series is in excellent playing and cosmetic condition. Features:
This is a 1987-'88 Fender Telecaster made in Korea in Blonde finish. This 35-year-vintage "E" series is in excellent playing and cosmetic condition. Features:
— One piece ash body, all maple neck
— C-profile, 9.5" radius neck w/ vintage frets
— Top load bridge, stock Gotoh branded tuners
This guitar is a pretty rare example of the first years of production by the Young Chang factory in Korea. The E1 + 6-digit serial in silver script confirms this. You can feel the quality craftsmanship of this instrument (neck fits in its pocket like a glove). It very closely resembles a top loader Japanese Tele I had in the past. In fact, neck heel says “TL-354,” (see pic) which is a Japanese FujiGen model that looks similar to this guitar. So this seems to be a transitional model. This guitar appears bone stock, except perhaps for the metal jack and the CTS volume pot. The Gotoh tuners and dual string trees are stock.
It’s got some 50s attributes like the 5-screw pickguard and thin frets. However, the neck is a modern 9.5” radius. Also it has a rare slightly greater width at the nut than most Tele’s (see neck measurements below). Neck feels a bit flatter and wider than your average Tele (a 10” radius gauge actually sits flatter on the neck than a 9.5”). The top load bridge is something Fender did for a short time in the 50s. Those that like them say their tone has more pop and bite, and they have less string tension.
Cosmetically, the guitar is very clean with no big dings or scratches. It has mild scuffing like normal play wear and small marks (see pics). Frets are in A+ condition. I’m gonna assume this is an ash body because the transparent finish shows some nice woodgrain underneath and weight is 8 pounds, 1 ounce. Also I can’t see any body seams, so apparently one piece, but do your own research. Also the piece of lumber used for the neck shows really nice straight wood grain along its length—and super dark skunk stripe (see pics). This Tele offers a lot and it holds its own against many Japanese and USA guitars. I do a full setup and expert packing: details below. Thanks for looking.
Neck Measurements:
Width at nut: 1.70”, Width at 12th fret: 2.01”
Thickness (front to back) at nut: .832”, Thickness at 12th fret: .850"
— C-profile, 9.5" radius neck w/ vintage frets
— Top load bridge, stock Gotoh branded tuners
This guitar is a pretty rare example of the first years of production by the Young Chang factory in Korea. The E1 + 6-digit serial in silver script confirms this. You can feel the quality craftsmanship of this instrument (neck fits in its pocket like a glove). It very closely resembles a top loader Japanese Tele I had in the past. In fact, neck heel says “TL-354,” (see pic) which is a Japanese FujiGen model that looks similar to this guitar. So this seems to be a transitional model. This guitar appears bone stock, except perhaps for the metal jack and the CTS volume pot. The Gotoh tuners and dual string trees are stock.
It’s got some 50s attributes like the 5-screw pickguard and thin frets. However, the neck is a modern 9.5” radius. Also it has a rare slightly greater width at the nut than most Tele’s (see neck measurements below). Neck feels a bit flatter and wider than your average Tele (a 10” radius gauge actually sits flatter on the neck than a 9.5”). The top load bridge is something Fender did for a short time in the 50s. Those that like them say their tone has more pop and bite, and they have less string tension.
Cosmetically, the guitar is very clean with no big dings or scratches. It has mild scuffing like normal play wear and small marks (see pics). Frets are in A+ condition. I’m gonna assume this is an ash body because the transparent finish shows some nice woodgrain underneath and weight is 8 pounds, 1 ounce. Also I can’t see any body seams, so apparently one piece, but do your own research. Also the piece of lumber used for the neck shows really nice straight wood grain along its length—and super dark skunk stripe (see pics). This Tele offers a lot and it holds its own against many Japanese and USA guitars. I do a full setup and expert packing: details below. Thanks for looking.
Neck Measurements:
Width at nut: 1.70”, Width at 12th fret: 2.01”
Thickness (front to back) at nut: .832”, Thickness at 12th fret: .850"
What You Get
-- Full setup and cleaning.
-- FREE USA shipping.
-- 30-day return policy.
-- Ship within 1 business day--pro packing.
-- Full setup and cleaning.
-- FREE USA shipping.
-- 30-day return policy.
-- Ship within 1 business day--pro packing.
Guitar Setup
Setup includes new strings (9s or 10s depending on what the nut is cut for), overall polish, cleaning any gunk off fingerboard, oiling neck, and polishing frets when necessary. We spray out any pots that are noisy, turn the truss rod (if necessary) and set string height at low-to-medium action depending on string buzz present. Since setup is highly subjective you may need to get it set to your particular needs by your personal luthier. Thanks!
Packing
I use quality boxes, thick bubble wrap, and peanuts to pack guitars. I have a very high rate of successful guitar and bass shipping (meaning few damaged instruments). I have been doing this 15 years and know how to pack well--with or without a hard case. I wrote a detailed story with photos on how I pack a guitar, which you can find on my StillKickinMusic site blog. If you Google "Still Kickin - How to Pack a Guitar" you will find it. Thanks.
Setup includes new strings (9s or 10s depending on what the nut is cut for), overall polish, cleaning any gunk off fingerboard, oiling neck, and polishing frets when necessary. We spray out any pots that are noisy, turn the truss rod (if necessary) and set string height at low-to-medium action depending on string buzz present. Since setup is highly subjective you may need to get it set to your particular needs by your personal luthier. Thanks!
Packing
I use quality boxes, thick bubble wrap, and peanuts to pack guitars. I have a very high rate of successful guitar and bass shipping (meaning few damaged instruments). I have been doing this 15 years and know how to pack well--with or without a hard case. I wrote a detailed story with photos on how I pack a guitar, which you can find on my StillKickinMusic site blog. If you Google "Still Kickin - How to Pack a Guitar" you will find it. Thanks.
