As early as 1950, Fender became the first company to successfully market solidbody electric guitars. Since then, the two-pickup, single-cutaway Telecaster has remained a simple, yet effective design that delivers versatile tones. There's a reason why players of all genres gravitate towards the Telecaster—its tone is transparent, dynamic, and straightforward. It seems to do everything well.
There's nothing quite like a good, played-in vintage Telecaster, and if you don't agree, this '66 Tele will make you a believer! We got it from Drew Emmitt who used it on stage with Leftover Salmon so you may have seen it at the Telluride Bluegrass festival! Its Olympic White finish has faded into a gorgeous butterscotch blonde, and it has a rosewood fingerboard. It is nicely lightweight at 6 lbs 14.2 oz.
At some point along the way, the body was routed to accommodate a humbucker in the neck position and a middle pickup. The middle cavity has been filled with Ash blocks, and the neck has been partially filled but left wide to accommodate experimentation with other pickups. The bridge cavity was never routed, so it's still in its original, unaltered state. Currently, there's a '60s neck pickup that may be original, and it has a flat-pole bridge pickup that is voiced more like an early-'50s blackguard bridge. The pickup resistance measures 7.02 k ohms at the neck and 6.88 k ohms at the bridge.
The bridge is original, but Drew set it up with intonated brass saddles, which makes the guitar much more suitable for recording and performance. He also had a new bone nut made for it, and the fingerboard has been refretted with medium jumbo frets. It plays like an absolute dream—the setup is perfect, and the finish on the back of the neck is worn smooth so it feels like bare wood. The neck dates to March of '66, and it is marked with a B. The carve is a nice C with perhaps a hint of V down the middle. The pots both date to the 9th week of '66, and the switch is a modern replacement. A treble bleed has been added, but the tone cap is original. The tuning machines are modern replacements from Gotoh, and Drew has it rigged up with a three-ply black Fender USA pickguard. Both strap buttons are set up for Schaller strap locks.
This 1966 Fender Telecaster is an excellent player with tons of mileage left in the tank—it's a beast! It has tons of mojo and no shortage of authentic vintage vibe. Dig the worn transition-era logo and f-stamped neck plate! You can spot some old sticker wear on the back, too. The good ones get played, and this one has been well-loved over the years. This 1966 Telecaster includes a modern Tweed G&G case and a '60s ash tray bridge cover.