2011 Fender Custom Shop ’51 Nocaster Relic – Butterscotch Blonde

The '51 Nocaster is one of the most universally loved models out there, and the Fender Custom shop have absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one!

The Nocaster stands out in Fender's catalog as a reminder of their humble beginnings; with the launch of the two-pickup Broadcaster in 1950, Fender were promptly issued a cease and desist from Gretsch, who already owned the rights to the name "Broadkaster" for a drum line. Fender would eventually decide on the Telecaster name towards the end of 1951, but for most of that year they didn't have a model name to fall back on, and with the cost of production a major concern for the young Fender company, they opted to just snip the "Broadcaster" name off their headstock decals, resulting in a short run of what would become known as Nocasters.

As a faithful reproduction of the original 1951 Nocasters, this model features a gorgeous 1-piece ash body with an aged, translucent Butterscotch Blonde finish, a 1-piece maple neck with a chunky "C" profile, and is fitted with perfectly aged, period correct hardware throughout and a lacquered Bakelite pickguard. What really bumps these guitars up a notch is the pickups; a pair of Custom Shop handwound '51 Nocaster pickups. The neck pickup is open and bell-like with excellent clarity while still sounding sweet as anything, while the bridge has all the midrange growl you could ever want, with plenty of low end spank, and a smooth top end. The combination of both pickups in the middle position results in an almost Strat-like "quack". It's no wonder that so many players consider these the best Tele-style pickups out there!

Overall in excellent all-original condition. Includes original Fender Custom Shop "Thermometer" case and COA.

Available at our Wellington store.