This Limited Edition Super Heavy Relic 51 Tele has all the vibe of a well-loved vintage T, both visually and tonally. Fender's ability to artfully relic a guitar to this degree is pretty impressive - every ding, scratch, worn spot, etc...is quite convincing in person.

More than just a visual thing, a guitar's relic finish can have a pretty profound impact on how a guitar ultimately feels in-hand. Sure, the rift sawn maple neck feels nicely broken in due to the worn finish on the back of its chunky 10/56 V carve, but when we say feel we mean the way the notes feel under your fingers - the way the guitar responds.

Does the guitar fight you? Does it reveal every flaw in your technique or does it work with you? Do you have to work to get something out of it? That sort of thing...we're happy to report this guitar has a beautiful dynamic range, just like the great old Teles have, and has just enough fight in it to let you dig in when you want to. There's a sweet, rich top end that isn't "spiky", it's quite loud unplugged, and the notes jump off the board with minimal right hand effort.

The Duncan Seth Lover humbucker and Fender Blackguard Tele bridge pickup sound fantastic, no doubt in part to the "dual stack" 250/500 wiring (meaning, the humbucker and single coil each have the right value pot when in use). Fat, clear, twangy...it's exactly what you want in a 50s style, maple neck Tele (in our opinion). There's an open quality to those 50s guitars and this Custom Shop T nails it.

Dings and scratches in and of themselves don't account for much, we get that. It's really about the woods used, the pickups, and the skill of the builder. That said, when you add an expert level relic job to a beautifully made, high quality guitar, the results are pretty intoxicating.