Vintage and Modern Collide
This customized '50s-style Classic Player Baja Telecaster has it all! With decades of combined guitar building experience, Fender Custom Shop Master Builders Dennis Galuzka, Gregory Fessler, and Chris Fleming were tasked with creating their own "dream list" of specifications for these new Classic series instruments. No ideas would be off limits, and no feature would be excluded in creating these customized and affordable guitars. What they came up with were features such as vintage-style hardware, custom wirings, custom '69 pickups, and unique neck profiles. This is the Classic Player Baja Telecaster with a soft V neck profile, 4-way switching, and custom pickups (a Twisted Tele in the neck with a Broadcaster in the bridge). Each individual instrument is the result of a collaboration between Fender's world renowned Master Builders and the company's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, offering Custom Shop features at a modest price.
When Leo Fender introduced the world to the original Telecaster in 1950, nobody could have possibly imagined just how this $169 "plank" body electric guitar would change the world of contemporary music. Even more surprising is the fact that after more than a half century, the "Tele" still looks as modern - maybe even radical - as it did when it was first introduced. Considering the fact that Leo Fender wasn't even a guitar player, you have to wonder just how this "magic" happened. Were the planets aligned just right? Was the design beamed into Leo's head by weird space aliens? No matter. The Tele is simply an inspired design. Since its introduction, guitarists in all musical genres have relied on the Fender Telecaster for its powerful tone and smooth playability.
Related Videos: Classic Player Baja Telecaster - Blonde w/ Maple Fingerboard
Solid ash body with a single-ply black pickguard
In the beginning, there was the Telecaster and the single-pickup Esquire, and they were only available in a blonde finish. Over the decades, Fender has made concessions to the changing musical styles and the needs of both novice and pro guitarists, which has led to an astonishing array of Telecasters with new colors, special finishes, and upgraded electronics. But with the Classic Player Baja Tele, you get an interesting blend of vintage style and modern innovations. The ash body is the classic Telecaster shape and is adorned with a single-ply black pickguard.
Vintage-style 3-saddle string-through-body Tele bridge
The original Teles came with bridge assemblies that consisted of three brass saddles rather than six individually adjustable saddles. Many connoisseurs of vintage Telecasters feel that the brass saddles - while making intonation a bit more difficult - is what gave the Tele that unmistakable twang. The Classic Player Baja Telecaster is equipped with a vintage-style 3-saddle string-through-body bridge for classic Tele tone and excellent sustain.
Two single-coil pickups and custom wiring setup
The original Tele pickups had more twang than any two "normal" guitars, thanks to the single-coil pickups in the bridge and neck positions. The Classic Player Baja Telecaster sports a Custom Shop Twisted Tele neck pickup and a Broadcaster bridge pickup. On top of the custom pickups, the Classic Player Baja Tele is wired with a special 4-position blade switch and a 2-position S-1 switch. This custom configuration gives you tonal options ranging from classic Telecaster to series and parallel out-of-phase tones, along with special fat tones and high-output settings.
S-1 Switch Up:
- Position 1: bridge pickup
- Position 2: bridge and neck pickups (in parallel)
- Position 3: neck pickup (standard Tele)
- Position 4: neck and bridge pickups (in series) (fatter tone than Position 2 and more output than Position 1, 2, or 3)
S-1 Switch Down:
- Position 1: bridge pickup
- Position 2: bridge and neck pickups (in parallel) out of phase
- Position 3: neck pickup (standard Tele)
- Position 4: neck and bridge pickups (in series) out of phase
Maple neck and fingerboard with soft "V" shape
Leo Fender wasn't a guitar player. In fact, he got his start repairing radios. So he had no idea that guitars weren't supposed to have maple necks. In time, those blond maple necks and fingerboards became a Fender trademark, though the company eventually offered rosewood fingerboards on most of its models. The Classic Player Baja Telecaster has a maple neck with a soft "V" profile making it a fast playing neck with a little extra bite.
Fender Classic Player Baja Telecaster Features:
- Custom Shop design at an affordable price
- Custom Shop designed neck plate
- Ash body
- 1-piece maple neck with a soft "V" shape
- Maple fingerboard with 9.5" radius and 21 medium jumbo frets
- Custom Shop Twisted Tele single-coil neck pickup
- Custom Shop Broadcaster single-coil bridge pickup
- Master volume and tone controls
- 4-position blade switch and 2-position push/push S-1 switch
- Vintage-style 3-saddle string-through-body Telecaster bridge
- Fender/Ping vintage-style tuning machines
- Chrome hardware
- Deluxe gig bag included
Note: This product is available in the United States only — no international sales.
