Beaming with Vintage Vibe and Late-1960s Flower Power
In 1968, political strife and social upheaval were reaching a frenzied peak in the United States and abroad. But for the youth of the world, music was a unifying force that held it all together. The Fender Custom Shop ’68 Paisley Telecaster NOS celebrates Fender’s iconic solidbody electric guitar in all its psychedelic glory. Decked out in full paisley regalia, this colorful edition of the ’68 Tele represented the establishment’s embrace of Flower Power — or a cynical play to exploit it. (Fender was, after all, owned by CBS at that point.) Introduced the year before in the “summer of love,” the original vintage instruments have become quite sought-after. Meticulously handcrafted in the USA by Fender’s elite Custom Shop luthiers, the ’68 Paisley Telecaster NOS brings you a masterful re-creation of this blast from the past, complete with stunning visuals, off-the-charts playability, and eat-it-with-a-spoon tone.
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Vintage vibe with optimized tone and playability
The Fender Custom Shop ’68 Paisley Telecaster NOS captures all the vintage vibe of the real deal, in a gorgeous instrument with modern playability and optimized tone. It features a rift-sawn maple neck with a fast, satisfying ’60s Oval C neck carve, and a high-performance 7.25–9.5-inch vintage-modern compound-radius maple fingerboard. In the electronics department, a dynamic duo of hand-wound Custom Shop ’67 Tele single-coil pickups and modern wiring crank out legendary Tele bite and twang by the truckload. Premium tonewoods, top-drawer components, and painstaking attention to detail give you a guitar that may look a half-century old, but plays like a dream — and sounds amazing.
Rift-sawn maple neck for stability
So, what’s the big deal with rift-sawn necks? In a word: stability. Cut radially from quarter-sawn logs cut at a diagonal to the initial quartering cuts, rift-sawn necks are ultra-stable, with thinner grain that is less susceptible to warping and twisting than flat-sawn — or even quarter-sawn — necks. The result is a neck that is more impervious to changes in temperature and humidity. If you gig far and wide, you’ll appreciate this the next time you play Phoenix after a week in Miami. The stability and rigidity of rift-sawn necks also translate to better tone and increased sustain.
The NOS treatment
NOS stands for “New Old Stock.” In the pro audio industry, the term is commonly applied to electrical components like unused tubes or resistors of a certain vintage that are no longer in production. As for a NOS musical instrument such as a guitar, the descriptor generally refers to a new one, built to original specs with modern reproduction parts and vintage cosmetics. The Fender Custom Shop pioneered and perfected the “Relic” aging and finishing process, and these instruments are amazing, indeed. But perhaps even more intriguing is the NOS treatment. Whereas a relic’d guitar looks like a well-worn vintage instrument would today, a NOS guitar transports you back in time to another era, conveying the excitement of bringing home a new instrument and opening the case for the first time.
The Dream Factory
Since its founding in 1987, the Fender Custom Shop has been home to some of the the finest luthiers in the world. Whether you’re investing in a unique limited edition like this ’68 Paisley Telecaster NOS or having them build-to-order the Fender of your dreams, the Custom Shop earns its nickname — The Dream Factory — with every masterpiece they create. Custom Shop instruments are made from only the highest-grade, hand-selected materials, including impeccable tonewoods, high-end electronics, and premium hardware. And to protect your investment for many decades of playing enjoyment, your Fender Custom Shop instrument comes in a deluxe hardshell case, complete with a certificate of authenticity.
Fender Custom Shop Vintage Custom '68 Paisley Telecaster Features:
- 2-piece select alder body delivers potent sustain with a bright and snappy response
- Rift-sawn maple neck with a comfortable ’60s Oval C profile
- Maple fingerboard with a 7.25–9.5-in. compound radius for effortless low-position bending and buzz-free bends up high
- Custom Shop hand-wound ’67 Tele single-coil pickups deliver old-school twang and bite in spades
- Tele bridge with steel saddles captures traditional 3-barrel Tele charm
- Bone nut, nickel hardware, and premium tuners deliver strong resonance and tuning stability
- Premium nitrocellulose Relic finish will break in over time, just like a vintage Fender
- Handcrafted in Fender’s USA Custom Shop
- Includes Custom Shop hardshell case and certificate of authenticity
