The Relic Guitar Studio

• Style: Pre-CBS Body for Fender Telecaster
• Wood: Two-piece Swamp Ash (American) or Two-piece Alder (Japanese).
  Light-weight One-piece American Swamp Ash also available at £345 on request.
• Finish: Sonic Blue Nitrocellulose (worn)
• Routing: Standard Telecaster two-pickup
• Weight: approx. 4lbs (1.8kg)
• Price: £215.00 (alder); £260.00 (swamp ash)

Sonic Blue was originally from Cadillac's nitrocellulose paint supplies (as Lake Placid Blue was at the time) and offered as an official Fender custom colour between 1960 and 1972 (and now appearing in Fender's modern reissue guitars). As with the Shell Pink finishes from the same era, Fender production was very inconsistent with the use of undercoats, although Sonic Blue most often had a white primer undercoat. The photographs above show how this undercoat offers a visual contrast between the Sonic Blue and the raw wood where relicing and aging has been applied.

Although Sonic Blue, like Fiesta Red, on Telecasters is relatively unusual it was still a very popular custom option for Telecaster guitarists during the 1960s who wanted the uniqueness of an unusual colour but without surrendering the Telecaster sound their music had become dependant on. As a result we are pleased to be able to offer a very accurate incarnation of these original 1950s and 1960s bodies with genuine nitrocellulose, finished in the exact same fashion as the originals were, then reliced to reveal the wood and undercoat (if requested) beneath. Available in either two-piece alder or swamp ash these bodies are contoured and shaped precisely for the vintage.

Our bodies are built to a very high standard and are specifically intended for vintage guitar restoration or relic cloning. Our bodies are finished in genuine nitrocellulose (without any polyurethane or plastic-based undercoats or Fullerplast), and using original paints and mixing formulas where possible to ensure boutique-quality and a 'road worn' feel. They are built and worn using careful study and comparison with original worn vintage guitar. This means that their contours, shape, colour tones, and markings (both in construction and relicing) are as close as possible to original vintage parts, and as authentic as (if not more so) any other vintage reissue or relic replica guitar on the market today.

Pre-CBS Fender guitars only had clear top coats applied to custom colours, metallic and sunburst finishes. Others were left without a top coat unless specifically requested when the guitar was ordered from the factory, this is often sighted as the cause of the extreme fading (or tinting in the case of the lighter Olympic White bodies) of colour in vintage guitars that still retain their original lacquer. In this respect our products deviate slightly from authenticity for the sake of modern reliability, with a very thin layer of clear nitrocellulose applied to all of out bodies (and more to those which would have had these clear coats in the first place). The majority of this is removed again during the aging process, and all of our bodies can be specified without any at all, but it does add just a touch more protection from sun and heat damage to the colour finish.

All of our guitar bodies, necks, accessories, parts, and hardware are aged to customer specification, so if you want a very heavy relicing effect akin to something that's spent its life being dragged behind a truck, we can do that! Equally if you only want a very light almost-NOS effect, that's just as possible. Just let us know and we'll make sure we meet your requirements. The only exceptions are extra-heavy (Gallagher-style) relics, or exact-match relics, where there's a lot more work involved. We are also able to offer a customisation service so if you don't see the finish you want, or the routing you want, just drop us a line to let us know your requirements and we will be happy to discuss the options available to meet your particular project guitar needs. We can also provide all of the hardware, parts and plastics you need to complete your custom relic guitar, either as separate items or in kit form, just ask.

Compatibility

click diagram to zoom in

Our replacement Telecaster guitar bodies are of the same high quality as the authentic guitars and parts that were being produced in Leo's workshop more than forty years ago, and aged to appear as if they really are a product of that era. They are intended as authentic vintage reproductions for replacement or repair of genuine vintage instruments, or as part of your own replica vintage guitar project.

It goes without saying that these guitar bodies are fully compatible with original vintage Fender Telecaster hardware and components, as well as more modern American Fender reissue parts.

Unless otherwise requested, our replacement Telecaster bodies are produced and sold pre-drilled in five key areas:

• Four holes in the neck pocket for Standard Vintage Fender neck positioning. The neck pocket adheres to standard Fender dimensions so it will accept most Fender and aftermarket replacement Fender Telecaster necks.
• Two holes for the scratchplate at the top horn and beside the lower edge of the bridge. These mounting hole positions are standard amongst all of the major variations of American pickguard, which leaves the body able to accept the era-correct scratchplate of your choice and provides key alignment points to allow you to drill the other mounting holes necessary for your specific pickguard.
• Two holes for the control plate.
• Four holes for mounting the bridge which are spread at 2 9/16" to accommodate genuine vintage bridges and more modern American Fender reissues.
• Six string-through holes (behind the bridge mounting points) at a 2 5/32" spread.

If you are at all unsure about compatibility with other parts you already own, or may be considering for your guitar project, please send us a message and ask and we'll be happy to advise further.

Unless otherwise stated, the prices quoted above (£215.00 & £260.00) are for the body only, regardless of any other items which may appear in the photographs on this page alongside the body. All parts, hardware, components, and plastics you need to complete your relic guitar project are available separately.

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