This Fender Custom Shop ’52 HS Telecaster Relic in Faded Nocaster Blonde is an exceptionally cool take on a vintage classic. The standout feature is the Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbucker in the neck—fat, warm, and full of character—giving this Tele a tonal dimension far beyond the standard recipe. Pair that with the hand-wound Broadcaster bridge pickup, and you’ve got a guitar that delivers everything from the familiar bright, cutting Tele bite to thick, singing lead tones with real low-end authority. It even handles jazz voicings with a surprising richness.
One feature that immediately makes a difference is the reversed control plate. If you’ve never used one before, it’s hard to appreciate just how practical it is until you play it. Having the volume knob right under your pinky makes on-the-fly adjustments effortless, and it even allows for subtle manual tremolo effects without contortion. The pickup selector being placed farther back also means no accidental switching during aggressive right-hand playing—a small tweak that feels like a major upgrade.
The neck is a slimmed-down Nocaster U profile, offering a great middle ground: more substance than a ’60s C but without the full baseball-bat heft of a true Nocaster carve. It’s a comfortable, welcoming feel for players with average-sized hands who want something chunky but approachable. With 6100 frets and a 9.5" radius, playability is smooth and consistent across the entire fretboard—bends, chords, runs, you name it.
Finished in Faded Nocaster Blonde—the quintessential Fender look—this guitar oozes vintage style. The ultra-light swamp ash body, combined with the single-ply black pickguard, gives it an aesthetic that could have stepped right out of a black-and-white photo from the early ’50s. It’s classic, clean, and unmistakably Telecaster.
The Music Gallery has proudly represented the Fender Custom Shop since its inception in 1987, maintaining a deep inventory of roughly 50 Custom Shop pieces at all times. Whether you’re after a Strat, Tele, Precision, or Jazz Bass, we’re ready to help you find—or design—the perfect instrument.
