1953 Fender Telecaster, Blonde

An incredible 1953 Fender Telecaster, finished in Blonde previously belonging to renowned collector Mac Yasuda.

This is a superb example with excellent provenance. It was purchased by Mac Yasuda in the early 1970s where it remained in his collection until March 2000 when it was sold to a UK collector. It remained with him and his family to the present day, and we are delighted to now bring it to market.

One striking feature of this guitar is the grain of the Ash body which seems to perfectly encircle the control plate. A stunning unique feature and a true testament to the uniqueness of these guitars - it has to be one of the most beautiful features we’ve seen on a Tele of this era. Coupled with the darker, “wheaty” hue of the perfectly worn Blonde finish this guitar presents remarkably well, and we’d go so far as to say, it’s up there with the best looking Telecasters we have seen.

The neck is pencil dated by Tadeo Gomez himself - TG 1-20-53, with the body marked Tad 1-19-53 in the neck pocket. The guitar blacklights correctly, and overall the finish has the most wonderful patina. The neck is perfectly worn giving it that desirable silky smooth finish that is an absolute joy to play.

The neck profile is the perfect rounded C with just a hint of V in the first position. Decades of play wear has resulted in the most tactile of necks… make no mistake, I can attest to this being a very hard guitar to put down!

Spec wise we have the correct 12th fret dot spacing for the year, correct decal, correct Bakelite pickguard that has developed some attractive striping typical of the period. Hardware is all present and correct. It has the correct open-shell/no-line Kluson tuners, Phillips screws throughout (besides the flat head pickup height adjustment screws), correct Pat Pend bridge with stamped serial number, correct brass saddles with flat bases, correct short chrome knobs and control plate and Pat No. round switch tip. Both pickups are correct reading a healthy 6.57k at the bridge and 5.17k at the neck.

Electrically, it retains the correct CRL 1452 switch, correct Clarostat volume pot coded 140 233, dating to week 33 of 1952, and the correct tone pot although the code is under solder. The caps are correct: ZNW1P1 .1MFD 150 VDC neck position cap and ZSW155 .05MFD 150 VDC C-D tone cap. The factory wiring is the post-blend style, with the tone control available on both bridge and neck positions, plus the darker no-tone neck pickup setting.

Tonally, this is everything you hope for from a blackguard Tele. Acoustically the body is incredibly resonant and lightweight, which is responsible in part for a lively, open and immediate response and playing experience. This translates to plenty of snap and twang from the very healthy output bridge pickup. That’s what these early models are so great at doing, and whether you’re looking for country twang or punchy rock and blues this one has you covered. The neck pickup is warm, clear with a bell like chime. It is a hugely dynamic guitar and it feels every bit as good as the spec suggests.

All in all, a superb early 1953 Blackguard Telecaster with excellent originality, excellent provenance and desirable features. It’s a genuinely inspiring instrument to play and we are delighted to offer it for sale, complete with a centre-pocket “knuckle-breaker” tweed case and original ashtray.