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Post subject: California Series Telecaster ID Help
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 5:29 pm
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Hobbyist
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Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2014 2:52 pm
Posts: 7
I just picked up this Tele as part of a trade, and I am trying to ID the body. The person who traded it me said they were not the first owner, but the only change they had made was to replace a white guard with a black one (he brought me the white guard and it has the same number of screw holes as the black one).

The neck is pretty clearly a California Series neck from 1997. The logo looks right, the label at the base of the neck seems right, and the neck feels great.

I am trying to figure out if the body is a matching California series with changes, or the body from a different guitar.

The date on the body is a little hard to read, but seems to say Jan 1998, which could work with a 97 neck.

What is throwing me:
1. The neck PU is not a Humbucker or a Strat pick-up. I thought they were the only 2 choices for this guitar. I don't haven enough experience to ID this pick-up (anyone?)
2. The bridge is a Vintage sized 3 saddle-bridge instead of a 6-saddle bridge. The bridge is properly marked Fender Pat Pend and fits perfectly.
3. I believe the bridge pick-up should be a Tex Special, but I don't know enough to be able to ID whether the bridge pick-up is a Tex Special or not.


So is this just a California series Tele with the bridge and neck pick-up changed or something different? Any help or ideas from the great and powerful ones on the board? I don't post a lot but I read this board all the time and I'm constantly blown away by how much you people know.

Thanks

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Post subject: Re: California Series Telecaster ID Help
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:58 am
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:53 am
Posts: 4241
Since there are no answers from the great and powerful ones, here's my tuppence:

Those pics of the body set no alarms ringing - the stamps and the routing (for neck humbucker) seems OK for what it should be.

Some mods have been done, as you say. Did someone refinish the body (that spill over the Jan ?? 199? stamp is a bit odd)?
Oh, shoudn't the bridge pup originally be a Tex Mex, not Tex Special?

All this IMHO, not as an expert statement.

And you'd probably get the original specs by contacting consumerrelations@fender.com with that serial number.


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Post subject: Re: California Series Telecaster ID Help
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:17 am
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Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:40 pm
Posts: 746
oooo!!! ooo!!! jmattis I wanna be a great and powerful one at least for a minute!! ;O)

Ok no goofin..... THe serial number tracks back to
Fender part number 10-1702-341 California Fat Tele in Vintage White-- completed 7/30/1998 sold to a dealer in Idaho shortly thereafter.
Cheers!!
rob
Here's the specs for the tracking:
************************************
Model Name: California Fat Telecaster®
Model Number: 010-1702-(Color#)
Series: California Series
Body: Alder (Made in US, Painted in Mexico, Assembled in US)
Neck: One Piece Maple (Made in US, Painted in Mexico)
Fingerboard: Maple (9.5” Radius/241 mm)
Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver Frets
Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)
Width @ Nut: 1.6875” (43 mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Machine Heads: Fender/Gotoh Vintage Style Tuning Machines
Bridge: U.S. Vintage 6-Saddle Tele Bridge
Pickguard: 3-Ply White/Black/White
Pickups: 1 Tex-Mex Tele Neck Humbucking Pickup,
1 Tex-Mex Tele Bridge Pickup
Pickup Switching: Special 5 Position Blade
Positions:
1. Neck Humbucking Pickup
2. Tapped Neck Humbucking Pickup (Front Coil)
3. Bridge and Neck Pickups
4. Bridge and Tapped Neck Humbucking Pickup
5. Bridge Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
U.S. Made Electronic Components
Colors: (306) Black,
(309) Candy Apple Red,
(332) Brown Sunburst,..Add $50.00,
(340) Fiesta Red,
(341) Vintage White,
(Polyester Finish)
Strings: Fender Super 250L’s (.009 to .042) Nickel Plated Steel pn#073-0250-003
Other Features: Tinted Satin Finish
Transition Fender Decal
Truss Rod Adjusts at Headstock
(Made in US, Painted in Mexico)
Source: U.S./Mexico
Accessories: Deluxe Fender Gig Bag
U.S. MSRP: $849.99
INTRODUCED: 1997
DISCONTINUED: 1/1999
DISCONTINUED COLORS:
WRENCH SIZES:
COMMENTS:
NOTICE: Product Prices, Features, Specifications and Availability Are Subject To Change Without Notice

_________________
______________
rob Schwarz
Director,Fender Customer Service
Proudly serving Fender Customers
for over 30 years

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Post subject: Re: California Series Telecaster ID Help
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 2:52 pm
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Rock Star
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Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:10 pm
Posts: 5646
Location: Gateway to the West
"ROB The Great and Powerful" comes through again! I guess you been using the Schwarz! Sorry I couldn't resist!
:mrgreen:
T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.


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Post subject: Re: California Series Telecaster ID Help
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 8:28 pm
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Rock Icon
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Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:34 pm
Posts: 10760
Location: Athens, Greece
This guitar was the precursor to the US Fat Tele.

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The differences between the two guitars are subtle: while the California model sports a 21-fret neck with a gold transitional decal, 3-saddle bridge and Tex-Mex pickups, the Hot-Rodded American boasts a 22-fret neck with BiFlex truss rod and MicroTilt adjuster, an easyglider string tree and a spaghetti headstock decal, an AlNiCo 5 single coil paired with a chrome-covered Atomic humbucking pickup and an American Series bridge assembly with stainless steel block saddles.

In 2000 the one-piece maple neck option was dropped and three years later this model was taken out of production.


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