1955 Fender Telecaster (White-guard, Flat-pole Pickup, OHSC) Fender

A highly desirable Fender ‘white-guard’ Telecaster from 1955. This particular example is all-original and features the coveted ‘black-guard’ specification bridge pickup with flat pole-pieces. This is coupled beautifully with a soft V-shape neck and light and reasonant feel of the entire instrument. 

 

Overall the cosmetic condition of the guitar is very good and features very little wear over its original blonde nitrocellulose finish. The majority of this wear is confined to some chips along the edges of the body and some partial finish lifting on the back. The finish on the neck is in excellent condition and shows very little wear besides some common chord positions on the fingerboard and minor imperfections along the edges of the frets. The decal is also completely intact and presents clearly. All the hardware has minimal tarnishing and is completely original and functioning properly. All of these aethetic characteristics result in one of the cleanest 1955 Telecasters currently available. 

 

The standard wiring of the 3-way switch in 1955 deviates from the known present-day Tele wiring and is as follows: Position #1 – bridge pickup with tone control, Position #2 – neck pickup with tone control, and finally Position #3 – neck pickup with no tone control and a predefined ‘dark’ setting with an inbuilt capacitor. On this particular guitar the capacitor for Position #3 has lost capacitance over time and thus this setting is quieter than it should be. To keep with originality of the instrument, it has not been replaced, but can easily be done if need be by the instrument’s future owner. 

 

The instrument is currently setup with Ernie Ball Power Slinky 11-48 strings and a medium/low action with excellent playability across the neck. 

 

Included in the sale is the original tweed rectangular hard-shell case with plush red interior in good original condition. A rare opportunity to secure a phenomenal example of a golden-era Telecaster. 

 

 

Year: 1955.

Finish: Original Blonde Nitrocellulose.

Body Material: Ash.

Neck Material: Maple.

Fingerboard Material: Maple.

Neck Profile: Mid-1950s soft V-shape.

Neck Details: Black dot inlays in maple fingerboard.

Pickups: Two original single-coil Telecaster pickups. The bridge pickup features Black-guard specification flat pole-pieces.

Electronics: Standard 1955 Telecaster. 3-way switch, master volume and tone control.

Hardware: Original nickel hardware. Also included is the original bridge cover.

Modifications / Repairs: None.

Cosmetic Condition: Overall very good cosmetic condition. 

Tech Notes: Currently setup with

Weight: 3.74kgs (8.24lbs)

Case Details: Original Tweed Rectangular Hard-shell Case.

Serial Number: 8221.

Made in: USA.