2019 Fender Custom Shop Ltd. Ed. Pink Paisley Telecaster Thinline (relic)
So this is my first Fender Custom Shop guitar, and I must say, I'm completely blown away by the quality of this product. I've owned a number of fine Fender instruments previously, but the workmanship and attention to detail of THIS guitar definitely surpasses anything Fender I've held in my hands previously. From an appearance standpoint, the unique color scheme and the relic details literally all over this guitar speak to the true artistry and experience of Fender's Custom Shop staff, many of whom are female (especially the pickup winders...).
From a playing standpoint, this guitar feels as good as it sounds--surprisingly lightweight; ultra clean & low action all the way up and down the arrow-straight neck; also, massive tonal diversity coming from the two Custom Shop pickups... I did a comparison to two other stock Fender guitars I own, and these pickups were clearly louder and clearer without adjusting anything. The bridge pickup is certainly the treble lead, but it's not ice-picky in terms of its ultimate high end; more of a high/mid-range to give plenty of punch or snarl, if wanted, and yet, it's also capable of remarkable, Rickenbacker-ish sparkly clean tones. The neck pickup is warmer, but not muddy or whimpy. Blend the two and you've got something special. It's just a rock-solid piece of visual and tonal art to hold in your hands. Anyway... Enough with the superlatives.
Because of the recent sale of my rare White Paul Weller Tribute Rickenbacker to a discriminating buyer from Copenhagen, I was able to splurge on this last of the batch 2019 Paisley Thinline Telecaster model. Literally, this was THE LAST NEW '19 anywhere in the world at that time. How do I know? Because there were a only few other new Custom Shop Paisley Thinline models to be found, but they all had darker/redder finishes (not as much to my liking), were from a 2020 run, and all cost at least $1500 more for the same guitar as my '19. Timing can be everything...
This remarkable guitar comes with a host of factory/Custom Shop goodies including a COA and a really cool "shop floor traveler" document beginning in 2017 which shows the gradual progress of the guitar's construction over two years, both contained in a tri-fold black dossier; a Custom Shop relic ashtray bridge cover; an optional relic pearloid pickguard (shown in the main pic below); a 30 page Custom Shop guitar brochure; an owner's manual; a Custom Shop leather strap; a CS sticker; Custom Shop pics; case keys; various warranty and registration materials, and; a top of the line Custom Shop logo-embroidered tweed case. The Fender Custom Shop certainly knows how to lay it on thick, and this guitar package is just that... $5000
From a playing standpoint, this guitar feels as good as it sounds--surprisingly lightweight; ultra clean & low action all the way up and down the arrow-straight neck; also, massive tonal diversity coming from the two Custom Shop pickups... I did a comparison to two other stock Fender guitars I own, and these pickups were clearly louder and clearer without adjusting anything. The bridge pickup is certainly the treble lead, but it's not ice-picky in terms of its ultimate high end; more of a high/mid-range to give plenty of punch or snarl, if wanted, and yet, it's also capable of remarkable, Rickenbacker-ish sparkly clean tones. The neck pickup is warmer, but not muddy or whimpy. Blend the two and you've got something special. It's just a rock-solid piece of visual and tonal art to hold in your hands. Anyway... Enough with the superlatives.
Because of the recent sale of my rare White Paul Weller Tribute Rickenbacker to a discriminating buyer from Copenhagen, I was able to splurge on this last of the batch 2019 Paisley Thinline Telecaster model. Literally, this was THE LAST NEW '19 anywhere in the world at that time. How do I know? Because there were a only few other new Custom Shop Paisley Thinline models to be found, but they all had darker/redder finishes (not as much to my liking), were from a 2020 run, and all cost at least $1500 more for the same guitar as my '19. Timing can be everything...
This remarkable guitar comes with a host of factory/Custom Shop goodies including a COA and a really cool "shop floor traveler" document beginning in 2017 which shows the gradual progress of the guitar's construction over two years, both contained in a tri-fold black dossier; a Custom Shop relic ashtray bridge cover; an optional relic pearloid pickguard (shown in the main pic below); a 30 page Custom Shop guitar brochure; an owner's manual; a Custom Shop leather strap; a CS sticker; Custom Shop pics; case keys; various warranty and registration materials, and; a top of the line Custom Shop logo-embroidered tweed case. The Fender Custom Shop certainly knows how to lay it on thick, and this guitar package is just that... $5000
