Luscious custom-shop touches for modern playability and tone!

The Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster takes the best of old and new Fender craftsmanship to create a fantastic guitar built for the serious player! Visually very accurate to the look of a '52 Telecaster, it has a list of sought-after Custom Shop upgrades to make any Tele player drool. It's got a top-of-the-line thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that ages quickly and beautifully as well as letting the natural tone of the wood shine. The neck has been streamlined for smooth playability with a satin-finish back, 9.5" fingerboard radius, and medium-jumbo frets. The three brass saddles on the vintage-style Tele bridge are compensated to allow for more accurate intonation. And a Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini-Humbucker at the neck and a custom-wound Tele bridge pickup deliver the hot tones called for in modern music.

The rest of its features are true-blue '52 Tele, like the American Vintage model it's based on: a premium ash body, one-piece maple neck with U-shape profile, Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners, a one-ply black pickguard, and chrome hardware.

The U.S. Vintage Hot Rod Series from Fender offers new instruments with specs, looks and features that make them feel as if you were the third owner of a vintage instrument. Here's your chance to own that beautiful player's guitar, but in brand new shape and freshly set-up from the Fender factory!

Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster Electric Guitar Features:

• Thin-skin nitrocellulose finish
• Premium ash body
• 1-piece maple neck
• U-shape profile with satin finish on back
• 9.5" fingerboard radius
• 21 medium-jumbo frets
• 25.5" scale length
• Nut width: 1.650"
• Chrome hardware
• Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners
• Vintage-style Tele bridge with 3 compensated brass saddles
• 1-ply black pickguard
• Custom Vintage Tele bridge pickup
• Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini Humbucker neck pickup
• 3-position blade pickup selector
• Master volume and tone controls
• Setup with Fender Super 250R Nickel Plated Steel strings (.010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046)
• Includes Vintage Tweed Case, Strap, Cable, and Meguair's care kit

It's a vintage Tele with modern tonal teeth!! Order yours now!

Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster Electric Guitar

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Average of 27 User Ratings

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HR 52 Tele

Posted by greaserx9 from AZ on Feb 20, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: Garage Rat

Reviewer's Play Style: Southern Rock, Blues, Surf, etc

I love this guitar. I own or have owned LP's, Strats, SG's, Firebird's & 335's. This one ranks near the top. Sweet, smooth neck and twangy tele sound. This guitar is near perfect in my opinion. Finish is top notch. Only complaint... the case. It sure is pretty, I don't think it's made well. Needs a better garage to park such a nice hot rod.

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52 Tele Hot Rod

Posted by Jeff from Toledo, Ohio on Feb 19, 2009

Experience w/product: I have heard about it

Reviewer's Background: Recording Musician

Reviewer's Play Style: Classic/Blues

I wanted to wait for a while before I submitted a review. I wanted to make sure I was having a lasting relationship with this guitar and not just a new guitar in the rack feeling. This is without a doubt the best Fender guitar I have ever owned. I have had 3 strat's, 4 tele's, and a hand full of other Fender guitars and they all have come and gone. This is a serious tone machine. I have not found a style that can't be played on this. I usually tend to play more blues to classic rock, but I have played this for jazz and metal. The finish was awesome, I like the thin coat nitro and mine has a lot of grain showing. The set up out of the box was good but I still took some time to set it to my specs before I took it for a spin. The pickups in this guitar are a huge selling point. The Duncan neck pickup gives such a great tone and when it is pushed just a little it brings out that classic/blues sound that most of us have been searching for. The bridge pickup is pure tele tone with a little added boost, turn back the tone knob about half way and you get an amazing creamy sound. I am for the most part a Gibson Les Paul guy, which has been my go to guitar for recording for a very long time. I also have a PRS McCarty Soapbar that I have recorded with. "Also a amazing guitar". I have been playing and recording for over 30 years,but I feel like a kid again with a new toy with this one. I just can't wait to pick it up and see where it takes me.

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52 tele

Posted by telewash11 from Maine on Feb 5, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: 9 Years playing guitar 3 years of band

Reviewer's Play Style: METAL punk rock blues

The first time I played it. I said wow. The maple neck is very smooth and plays amazing. The tone is for the best ears. It is great!!! This guitar operates great with no to about medium gain. Although you can put crank it up I think that this guitar isn't made for that. My other guitars are a Epiphone Les Paul, Schecter omen 6, Squier Affintity Strat and Washburn X 50 and this guitar is best out of all of them

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Great guitar, price is okay

Posted by Not Easily Impressed from Kansas City, MO on Oct 27, 2008

Experience w/product: I have used it

Reviewer's Background: touring pro

Reviewer's Play Style: variety (casino band)

I travel on the casino circuit, and the singer and I like to stop at local music stores and try new instruments. We played this last weekend at a boutique type store and we both quickly concluded that it was the best guitar in the store. The pickups are each great on their own and good in combination. I don't think there's any type of music you couldn't play on this. I am ordering the SD neck pickup from this guitar to put in one of my own teles. The build and setup are first rate on this guitar - I just picked it up and started playing w/o being conscious of the instrument, which is the mark of a good fit. This ranks with any boutique guitar, and is priced like a boutique tele. I think these prices are ridiculous, but this guitar is right in line with what the market yields for this type of guitar. If an Anderson or Suhr is worth it, then this guitar is worth it. First rate instrument.

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Fender's Flagship Hot Rod

Posted by Teletwister from Virginia on Oct 9, 2008

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: Hobby

Reviewer's Play Style: Twang and Blues

I have had this guitar for 6 weeks. I believe this is Fender's flagship Hot Rod guitar. I play this through a reissue Bassman and just a touch of Boss' Giga Delay. It's a great sound. The neck is perfect. Fender does not make enough guitars with a thick neck and a 9.5 radius. This is the best telecaster Fender makes that is not a custom shop or a Fender special run. The neck pick up is clean, the bridge rips, and with the pickup switch in the middle; the combination of the two is a funky, clean, great Tele Sound!

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Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster Electric Guitar

Read 27 Reviews

Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster Electric Guitar

Read 28 Reviews