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Old 12-04-2011, 08:10 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Chugiak, Alaska
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trek1500 View Post
Being a little melancholy I started watching You Tube videos of the Beatles and one of my favorite is George playing a Rosewood Telecaster in "Let It Be"..

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfK3u485lGs

I wish Fender would reissue this beautiful guitar! I would probably rush out and get one!
Well, I've never been an electric guitar guy, so I could be mistaken, but I don't recall that ever being a production model for Fender. My understanding of it was that it was a prototype that Fender gave to Harrison, but it never went on sale to the general public.

The R&D luthiers at these large scale guitar manufacturers tend to build a lot more one-off prototypes that never go into production than most players realize - the prototypes get built essentially as talking points for the staff management meetings, where they get passed around and played and discussed and debated. Most never get to the next step of becoming part of the product line, simply because it costs money to tool up for something different, and to promote it to the public.

Particularly if they get displayed at trade shows like the NAMM show but don't generate enough interest.

So most guitar factories I've visited have got quite a few prototypes laying around. They often get given away or sold at a discount to performers and other friends of the company.

Anyway, if I'm wrong and that rosewood Telecaster DID go into production for a while, I'm sure someone with a better knowledge of the Fender product line will set me straight. But my impression is that it was a one-off.


Wade Hampton Miller
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