Fender 68 Tele Black Paisley Relic

Fender 68 Tele Black Paisley Relic: technical review

The Fender 68 Tele Black Paisley Relic is a USA-made Custom Shop electric guitar with an alder body, a maple neck and fretboard, and a pair of single-coil pickups. Its specifications combine a vintage-style bridge and a 7.25 to 9.5-inch fretboard radius with ModernTele wiring and a 60s Oval C neck profile. The finish is Black Paisley, and the package includes a case and certificate.

This assessment is based solely on the supplied specifications. No customer reviews are available, so there is no user feedback to draw on for conclusions about sound, setup, comfort, reliability, or the appearance of the relic finish in person. The listed price is 5666, with no currency specified in the product information.

Body, neck, and fretboard

The body is alder, with no separate top listed. The neck is described as rift-sawn maple, and the fretboard is round-laminated maple. Together, these details identify the main woods and construction choices, but they do not establish the guitar's finished weight, tonal response, or sustain. Those qualities cannot be confirmed from the materials list alone.

The neck profile is a 60s Oval C, with a listed depth range of.850 to.920 inches. Nut width is 41.8 mm. These measurements provide a useful outline of the neck dimensions, although they do not convey how the profile feels in the hand. The fretboard has a compound radius, moving from 7.25 inches to 9.5 inches. That is a measurable feature, but the supplied data does not specify a preferred playing style or explain how the radius is set up on this individual instrument.

The guitar has 21 frets, identified as 6105 fret wire. Its scale length is 648 mm, or about 25.5 inches. The listing does not provide string gauge, action, fret condition, or setup measurements. Those details can affect playability and should be checked on the actual instrument rather than inferred from the model specifications.

Pickups and controls

The pickup system is listed as SS, meaning a single-coil pickup in the bridge position and another in the neck position. The bridge pickup is a Custom Shop 67 Tele model, while the neck pickup is a Custom Shop Twisted Tele model. Fender supplies no output measurements, frequency response, or detailed pickup construction data here, so comparisons of brightness, output, or noise performance would go beyond the available information.

Controls consist of one volume knob, one tone knob, and a three-way switch. The wiring is identified as ModernTele. That gives a basic picture of the available controls and switching, but the source does not describe the precise electrical values or the function of each switch position. A prospective buyer should consult Fender's wiring documentation if those specifics matter.

Bridge, tuners, and finish

Hardware includes a vintage Tele bridge, nickel-finished hardware, and Schaller F-style machine heads. No tremolo is fitted, which is consistent with the listed fixed bridge arrangement. The pickguard is clear. The finish is Black Paisley, with the model identified as a 1968 Relic. The specifications do not explain the relic treatment or document the amount and placement of finish wear, so photographs or an in-person inspection are needed to judge those details.

The product data gives both "Limited Run: 2021" and "Available since: April 2022." These appear to refer to separate listing details, but no further explanation is provided. The item number is 525349. The sales unit is one piece, and the listing confirms that a case is included while no separate bag is included. A certificate is also specified.

What the specifications establish

• Construction: Alder body, rift-sawn maple neck, and round-laminated maple fretboard.
• Dimensions: 648 mm scale, 41.8 mm nut width, 21 frets, and a 7.25 to 9.5-inch fretboard radius.
• Electronics: Two single-coil pickups, ModernTele wiring, a three-way switch, and volume and tone controls.
• Included items: Case and certificate; no bag is listed.

On paper, the Fender 68 Tele Black Paisley Relic is defined by its Custom Shop components, maple neck and fretboard, two specified single-coil pickups, and fixed vintage-style bridge. The information is substantial enough to identify its core configuration, but it does not verify the instrument's weight, setup, condition, or sound. Buyers should confirm those points, along with the exact finish and relic details, before purchase.