Fender 61 Telecaster Relic AOW

Fender 61 Telecaster Relic AOW review

The Fender 61 Telecaster Relic AOW is a USA-made, Custom Shop Telecaster-style guitar with an aged Olympic White finish and a relic treatment. Its listed specifications combine a two-piece selected alder body, a quartersawn maple neck, and a flat-laminated rosewood fingerboard. The model is identified as a Summer 2021 Favorites Custom Shop instrument, and it has been available since September 2023. The supplied product information lists a price of 5,999, without specifying a currency.

There are no customer reviews available for this product. The assessment here is therefore limited to the stated materials, hardware, electronics, and included accessories. The specifications do not establish how this particular guitar sounds, feels, or performs in use, and the finish description alone cannot confirm the appearance or degree of aging on an individual instrument.

Body, neck, and playing dimensions

The body is made from two selected pieces of alder, with no separate top. Fender specifies a quartersawn maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard with a flat-laminated construction. The neck profile is a '60s oval C, while the fingerboard radius measures 9.5 inches. These details describe the neck's shape and fingerboard curve, but they do not provide a neck thickness measurement or other dimensions that would allow a more precise comparison with a specific player's preferred setup.

The instrument has a 648 mm scale length, equivalent to the familiar 25.5-inch Telecaster scale, and 21 narrow-tall 6105 frets. A bone nut is specified. Narrow-tall frets offer a distinct contact profile compared with wider fret types, but fret condition, leveling, and setup are individual matters that the product data does not address. There is no stated factory action, string gauge, or relief measurement.

The Olympic White finish is described more specifically as Aged Olympic White, with a Relic finish. Relic refers to the intended aged presentation, rather than providing a measurable account of wear or a promise that every instrument will show identical details. The three-ply cream pickguard is a separate visual feature listed in the specifications. The supplied description does not identify the finish material or explain the specific aging process.

Pickups and controls

The pickup layout is SS, meaning one single-coil pickup at the bridge and one at the neck. Fender lists a hand-wound OBG Original Blackguard pickup in the bridge position and a Twisted Tele pickup at the neck. These model names and their positions are provided, but there are no output readings, wiring diagrams, or recorded sound samples in the available data. Any judgment about tone would require listening to the instrument or testing it directly.

The control system uses modern Tele wiring with a Greasebucket tone circuit and a three-way switch. The switch provides the stated three-position selection, while the Greasebucket circuit is the specified tone-control design. The product information does not describe the exact control layout or explain how the circuit is configured in this model, so those details should be confirmed with Fender or a dealer if they matter to a purchase decision.

Bridge, tuning hardware, and included items

The bridge is a '60s Telecaster design fitted with compensated brass barrel saddles. The saddle material and compensated design are confirmed features; the data does not provide adjustment ranges or a statement about the setup on the individual guitar. Vintage-style tuners and a wing string tree complete the listed tuning hardware. No tremolo is fitted, which is consistent with the fixed-bridge arrangement described here.

The package includes a deluxe hardshell case, a strap, and a Certificate of Authenticity. A case is listed as included, while a separate bag is not. Sales are specified as one piece. The instrument is made in the USA, and its item number is 553097.

What the specifications establish

On paper, the Fender 61 Telecaster Relic AOW is a specific combination of a '60s oval C neck, rosewood fingerboard, 21 narrow-tall frets, two hand-wound single-coil pickups, and a fixed brass-saddle bridge. Those details make the model's construction and equipment clear. They do not establish weight, balance, pickup output, setup quality, or the character of the relic finish on the exact unit offered for sale. Buyers should verify those points, along with the listed price and included accessories, with the seller before ordering.