This is certainly not just another 70s Tele, folks! 

This 1974 Fender Telecaster has the cool factor of a factory Black finish over Olympic White combined with a killer refret job that makes it a superb playing and looking Fender!

At borderline featherweight for a 70s Fender, this 7 1/2 lb beauty is incredibly well-balanced and quite resonant acoustically, with the aforementioned refret bringing a whole new level of playing enjoyment and performance to the table. The neck carve is on the slimmer side of medium with a very even and smooth taper and more of a hybrid C/D shape as often found on the mid 70s examples.

This guitar does dip its toes into player-grade waters, mostly by way of a replaced neck pickup, aftermarket pickguard and switch tip, and a replaced neck plate. The neck stamp on the butt end of the neck reveals the more complex date and manufacturing codes found on many Fenders after 1972 - 1303 4313, where the 5th digit (4) represents the year 1974.

The bridge pickup, bridge, saddles, and wiring harness are original to the guitar. Pot codes indicate the guitar was likely completed near the end of 1973 or sometime into 1974, where the potentiometers were purchased in large quantities and tend to find their way into guitars many months and even a year plus beyond acquisition by Fender.

Where the guitar makes up for some of its changes is in the factory Black finish. As often was the case during this time period, Fender would finish Telecaster bodies in batches in their most common colors. If a custom order finish came through, they would simply pull a factory Blonde or Olympic White finished body and paint over it. All signs point to this being the case. You can see elements of that undercoat primarily on the lower bout forearm area and in some spots on the back. Peeking into the neck pocket also reveals a bit of the "base coat" with a clean paint stick line of black over it. Black was still a relatively uncommon finish in the early 70s for traditional Telecaster models, so it's always nice to see one come through the shop!

Tonally speaking, the bridge pickup delivers classic tele clarity with great balance. The neck pickup's fairly higher output gives it a fatter, darker tone that blends quite nicely with the bridge pickup when both are engaged.

Condition: Very Good+. Signs of light wear throughout the body with various nicks, scuffs, and small dings. The new fretwork is impeccable and setup with fantastic with medium-low action.

Priced with aftermarket Fender tweed hardshell case.

• Factory Black over Olympic White finish
• Maple neck w/ F stamped tuners - Neck stamp '1303 4313'
  
• Replaced neck plate
• Slim/Medium C neck profile: .83" @ 1st fret / .90" @ 12th fret
• Pro refret by Laurent Brondel w/ Jescar 55090 fretwire and a new nut
• Replacement neck pickup: 8.49k
• Original bridge pickup: 5.83k
• Original bridge with steel saddles
• Original wiring harness: 1 MEG Volume pot code '304 7336' / 1 MEG Tone pot code '304 7337')
  
• Replacement pickguard
• Replacement switch tip
• Weight: 7lb 8oz