During the heyday of flower power in 1968, Fender introduced a couple of offbeat finishes to the Telecaster in an effort to connect with the zeitgeist.
A far cry from the Telecaster’s staid, utilitarian design of the 1950s, these new electric guitars were essentially the same as a regular model in terms of construction and electronics, but their Blue Flower and Paisley Red finishes immediately set them apart.
“Blue Flower bursts forth in a dazzling array of subtle purple and green patterns,” reads a Fender brochure. “Paisley Red pulsates with every beat and swirls in a blinding carousel of color forms and tones.”
Red Paisley (more of a pink colour, really) and Blue Flower finishes were also offered on the ‘50s-style Telecaster Bass – Fender’s first reissue model introduced in ’68 – although both options were discontinued by the following year, meaning original examples are rare.
Since then, Red Paisley-style instruments have popped up in the Fender line several times – notably the Japanese ‘90s Paisley Tele and ‘10s ‘69 Telecaster Pink Paisley models.
Flashing back to that late ‘60s lysergic magic, Fender is currently offering the Limited Edition American Acoustasonic Telecaster Pink Paisley in both left- and right-handed formats.
Built at Fender’s Corona factory in California, the American Acoustasonic Telecaster features a hollow body, providing ample resonance and natural, acoustic guitar-like projection.
Whereas regular Telecasters were traditionally built using fretted maple necks and maple necks with fingerboards made of either maple or rosewood, the Acoustasonic Telecaster employs a mahogany neck and ebony fretboard.
Having teamed up with acoustic guitar pickup specialists Fishman, Fender’s American Acoustasonic Telecaster is capable of producing a wide variety of sounds.
By using the guitar’s simple controls, ten different body style and tonewood combinations are selectable, courtesy of a Fishman under-saddle transducer, Fishman Acoustasonic enhancer, and Fender Acoustasonic Noiseless magnetic pickup.
Visit Fender for more information.
