In 1982 Fender came up with the idea of recreating vintage guitars, otherwise known as American Vintage Reissues (AVRI). Between 1982 and 1984 they produced these guitars in their Fullerton, California shop using exact tooling and machinery methods that guitars were made in the 1950’s and 1960’s, every guitar was handmade. The Fullerton reissues are regarded as the best guitars Fender made since the 50’s and 60’s. This is another early Fullerton 52 Reissue Blackguard Telecaster. SERIAL NUMBER: 1262. COLOR: Butterscotch Blonde Nitrocellulose Finish. WEIGHT: 9lbs 0.8ozs (4kg/110g). This Blackguard is in very good vintage condition, 100% original with no modifications, has been well taken care of. It is one of the earliest 52 reissues that the collector has ever seen. The body has a nice Butterscotch Blonde nitro finish. There are marks and a few finish chips on the body, notice the dow plugs on the back of the body and how it is the same as the original 50s Blackguards. The chrome hardware is still very shiny. Notice the gray bridge pickup and the yellow and black plastic wiring. This is 100% original as Fender did not start making black bobbin-cloth wiring pickups until a few months after this guitar was made. Pot codes have two different codes; The volume pot is stamp 137813 denoting the CTS Co. dated the 30 some odd week of 1981. The tone pot is stamped 1378209 denoting CTS dated the 9th week of 1982. CRL 1452 3-way switch. All the screws have a nice patina to them. What’s exciting about this guitar is the neck. This neck was built by famous Fender Master Neck Builder Herb Gastellum. His ink stamped name is located at the butt. His craftsmanship on Fender necks is incredible. Herb created necks for Fender for 56 years, from 1961 to his retirement in 2017. There is some beautiful checking on both sides of the headstock, decal is on top of the finish. The neck has a little bit of wear on the first three frets and down at the butt. There is some wear on the underside of the neck along the first few frets. This does not affect the playability of the neck; in fact, it feels smooth as buttah. Neck has a 7.25 radius, U shape profile. Frets have a little wear, but plenty of life left. This is an incredible 52 reissue Blackguard waiting to find its new home. This Blackguard comes with its original Duck Foot Tweed case in good vintage condition with keys, Certificate of Authenticity dated on April 6, 1982, unused six saddle bridge, ashtray bridge cover, guitar strap, cable, unopened polishing cloth. In addition, we are including an original 1982 Fender catalog presenting the Fullerton 52 Blackguard on its first year of issue. We have included a copy of Nacho Banos’s book “The Blackguard Book” with the serial number matching to the guitar, #1262, sealed and unopened. Please note the book in the photo is another copy as we are not opening the actual sealed book. This 412-page book shows every detail on how Blackguards were made between 1950-1954 and is considered the encyclopedia of knowledge on Blackguards Telecasters. As always please see all photos for more detail and ask any questions prior to bidding. All items examined however not inspected further than with the naked eye. If you require any additional pictures to determine condition or authenticity or have any further questions, please reach out to us prior to bidding in the auction at least 48 hours prior to the auction day. To ensure you know what you are bidding on and that you want the item please do not bid on any item in this or any auction without inspecting it yourself or sending someone to inspect it for you to ensure you know what you are bidding on and have personally confirmed the condition and description yourself. We make every effort to look over and picture all items but do not offer any warranties or guarantees of our titles or descriptions for any item in this or any other sale. Bidder is responsible for inspecting any items they bid on themselves or sending a professional to examine them for them prior to bidding and as such, absolutely no returns or refunds will be given due to any error in title, descriptions, or pictures. If you do not have a stable internet connection, are unsure how to operate the technology, tend to experience glitches while on the internet, or do not feel fully confident bidding online PLEASE DO NOT BID ONLINE. All accidental bids made during a live auction are real bids and we cannot cancel any bids during a live auction. Bidders are responsible for paying for any items they win under their bidding profile. If you make an accidental bid BEFORE the auction day, please call Invaluable to have them cancel the bid as we do not have access to do this. If you have any other questions, please call us at 207-890-8937 and we will answer any questions you have to the best of our ability.