Fender Telecaster MIJ RARE TL-52EX Export Full V Neck Tele Sunburst 80s 90s

Description
This is a fairly rare one, a Fender TL-52EX in sunburst finish. The Japanese guitars with “EX” in the model were made for export. A previous owner at some point scratched off the “Made in Japan” designation (this model often had no serial number on the neck, and the only way to date them is if they have a date written on the neck heel, which this doesn’t). In general, these were made between the mid-80s and early-90s. (The “Axxxx” number on the bridge will not accurately date these guitars either.)

This model has a true V neck. It’s as chunky as a Fender U neck, but the back is not rounded. It has a pronounced V that can be felt all the way up the neck, unlike Fender’s modern “soft V” necks, where you only feel the V down by the nut. It’s a very unique profile, and will be awesome for some (I love how it feels), but not for others, as these do not feel at all like a modern Fender neck—after all they were made to emulate a guitar made in the 50s! The frets are not as thin as some vintage frets I’ve seen. They have some medium flattening and light grooving, but not enough to ruin the playing experience unless you’re a stickler about perfect frets.

The pictures of the neck pocket show the body and neck are both stamped “TL-52EX.” And, no, the various letters stamped in the pocket will not tell you anything. I believe the guitar is all stock except for the bridge pickup, which is a Seymour Duncan hotrail. These early MIJ guitars are high quality and rival or exceed that of many USA guitars. Looking through the old Fender catalogs you’ll find that some of these 52/54 models actually were outfitted with USA pickups. Cosmetically, pics show it is a player with some battle scars, don’t expect a closet queen here. Easy to handle at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. No case. I do a full cleaning and setup on all guitars. (Details on my setups and packing at bottom of listing.) Thanks for looking!

What You Get
-- Full setup, cleaning, and new strings.
-- FREE USA shipping.
-- 30-day return policy.
-- Ship within 1 business day--pro packing.

Guitar Setup
All setups are done by our in-house luthier. 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. Basses get the same treatment minus the string change. 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 10 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 "THERE IN ONE PIECE...How to Pack a Guitar" you will find it. Thanks.