Fender Custom Shop S23 Limited Edition Nocaster Thinline Relic Guitar, Aged Black

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

We're stoked to bring you another beautiful creation from our friends over at the Fender Custom Shop! This stunning Nocaster Thinline Relic is part of a group of eleven very special one-of-a-kind instruments we took home at the Fender Custom Shop Spring & Summer 2023 Event.

This is probably the most unique instrument in our Custom Shop Event haul. It's based on the infamous, nameless "Nocaster" that Fender released just after they lost the rights to the name "Broadcaster" for their premier electric guitar model in the very early 1950s, and just prior to coining the name "Telecaster". However, it is also equally based on a "Thinline" model, which is a semi-hollow Telecaster variant not introduced for another 15-20 years. It's a true odd duck in all the best ways, and spans the entirety of the Tele's history. If all that wasn't enough, this one is also equipped with a classy Bigsby vibrato unit!

It's finished in a timeless aged Black and comes with a gorgeous one-piece 5/4 quartersawn maple neck, and an excellent medium relic pattern that remains tasteful whilst having the worn-in look and feel of a well-loved guitar. The resonant semi-hollow ash body and quartersawn maple neck come together for the familiar tonal recipe found on all of your heroes' classic Telecaster instruments. The aging on the nitro lacquer is simply perfect.

The "Large C" neck profile on this one is an absolute beast. At .85 to .99, it fills the hand nicely with some beautiful beefiness and works great in combination with the unique 7.25 - 9.5" compound neck radius and narrow-tall 6105 frets. Part of the aging on this guitar is the sanded neck back, which allows for a more natural-feeling, smooth playing experience without the usual stickiness of a new gloss finish.

The electronics package on this one is a little different than usual while remaining pretty straightforward. The "Fat 50s" wiring changes the way the volume and tone pots interact with each other, giving you a different degree of functionality to the knob sweeps than you would usually get on a modern setup. This allows rolling off of the volume or tone pot without losing body to your sound. This mod works great with the '51 Nocaster pickups, which scream, twang, whine and cry with all of the ferocity of those early-era pickups!

You know you're getting a special instrument in your hands any time you pick up something built by Fender's Custom Shop team, and this guitar is sure to not only meet but exceed your expectations.

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