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1955 Fender Telecaster Neck

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
That does not appear to be a "completely original" 1955 Fender Telecaster neck too me, based on the pic's.
 

fakejake

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Sep 3, 2010
Messages
1,274
That does not appear to be a "completely original" 1955 Fender Telecaster neck too me, based on the pic's.

Hey Al, could you elaborate? I'm always curious to learn more about these things. :salude
 

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Hey Al, could you elaborate? I'm always curious to learn more about these things. :salude

Hard to be too specific as the photo's are not as clear and detailed as they should be for this. In hand it may present better. But, that said, I have handled many early 50's Teles and Strats and that looks off to my eye, as an untouched original. I'd like to see the end and truss rod adjust nut, as well as the heel and back of the neck. The nut looks off, but that might be pics, the decal looks too pristine as does the finish, considering the fret wear and fingerboard wear, which looks odd and unnatural. In the pics the frets look too big whereas the vintage wire was quite small and narrow. Most regrets chipped the board as the frets were slid into the sides of the neck and pulling them would chip the maple or rosewood along the fret slot. With that level of wear a regret is not unheard of, yet no chips, and the finish appears check free and glossy everywhere but the wear spots?

The headstock wear and discoloration is odd and the tuner bushings show no effects of age that are usual for this vintage in that condition. They almost look new with none of the darkening I see so often on the press in bushing collars of even super clean examples. I'd like to see clear, detailed shots of the back of the headstock, as the shaping is quite singular and unique to the 50's.

Just my impressions based on the photo's and as I said in hand it may present a different story. These things have a long, decades and decades old history of being forgers and altered and I don't trust any handful of nondescript pictures to tell the whole story. In these cases caution dictates a more thorough investigation. Just my thoughts.

… and it is gone, which only adds to the questions.
 

fakejake

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
1,274
Hard to be too specific as the photo's are not as clear and detailed as they should be for this. In hand it may present better. But, that said, I have handled many early 50's Teles and Strats and that looks off to my eye, as an untouched original. I'd like to see the end and truss rod adjust nut, as well as the heel and back of the neck. The nut looks off, but that might be pics, the decal looks too pristine as does the finish, considering the fret wear and fingerboard wear, which looks odd and unnatural. In the pics the frets look too big whereas the vintage wire was quite small and narrow. Most regrets chipped the board as the frets were slid into the sides of the neck and pulling them would chip the maple or rosewood along the fret slot. With that level of wear a regret is not unheard of, yet no chips, and the finish appears check free and glossy everywhere but the wear spots?

The headstock wear and discoloration is odd and the tuner bushings show no effects of age that are usual for this vintage in that condition. They almost look new with none of the darkening I see so often on the press in bushing collars of even super clean examples. I'd like to see clear, detailed shots of the back of the headstock, as the shaping is quite singular and unique to the 50's.

Just my impressions based on the photo's and as I said in hand it may present a different story. These things have a long, decades and decades old history of being forgers and altered and I don't trust any handful of nondescript pictures to tell the whole story. In these cases caution dictates a more thorough investigation. Just my thoughts.

… and it is gone, which only adds to the questions.

Awesome, thanks a lot Al for sharing your knowledge :peace2
Indeed, it is odd that the pics have gone, which suggests you were right :hmm
 

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
I don't know, that's the thing. There was not enough info supplied other than some supposed experts authentication and pictures that raised more questions than answers. I am always suspicious about low post newbies who post this crap, because in almost every single case it is a bad attempt at a pump and dump. That this one is so far out of the country makes me believe that is what it was. I always get crapped on when these things show up, yet I haven't been wrong about the intention of these posts yet.

Where do you get such a clean 1955 neck, DOWN UNDER? Who down there is pulling these necks off, I would suppose, a clean 1955 Tele? It is so easy to fake parts, over the whole guitar and has become quite the thing to hook the unwary. No one down there needs to come to the Les Paul Forum to get a price for this, unless they are fishing for a buyer. And no one needs to pull the post after questions are raised. THAT is what makes me suspicious about intent.

The more learned vintage gurus could have given better assessments, as I am not. Joe B would know, but then anytime he weighs in he gets creamed too.
 

Unbound Dot Neck

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Joined
Jun 14, 2004
Messages
1,623
Both my 55 / 56 necks are crafted by XA ~ date
Primo size

There was only a pencil date on the OP
:salude
 
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