Fender 68 Tele Thinline ABLK Relic

Fender 68 Tele Thinline ABLK Relic review

The Fender 68 Tele Thinline ABLK Relic is a limited 2022 Fender Custom Shop instrument with a T-style Thinline body, two single-coil pickups, and a Bigsby B5 vibrato. Its listed price is 5555, with no currency specified in the supplied details. The model has been available since March 2022 and carries item number 533035. This assessment is based only on the published specifications. No customer reviews are available, so it makes no claims about owner experience, reliability, or how the guitar feels and sounds in practice.

Body, finish, and construction

The two-piece body is made from selected ash and includes an F-hole, the opening associated with the Thinline design. The supplied specifications identify the finish color as both Black and Aged Black. The more detailed finish description calls it Journeyman Relic, so Aged Black is the more specific color designation in the product data. No top material is listed.

Journeyman Relic describes the stated finish treatment, but the specifications do not explain the extent or placement of its wear details. Buyers should check product images or confirm the exact finish condition with the seller if that distinction matters. The guitar is made in the USA and is identified as a Fender Custom Shop model. It was part of a limited run for 2022.

Neck and playing dimensions

The neck is made from rift-sawn maple and has a 1960s-style oval C profile. Its maple fingerboard has a 9.5-inch radius and 21 frets, listed as size 6105. The scale length is 648 mm, equivalent to the familiar 25.5-inch format, and the nut measures 41.8 mm wide.

These measurements describe a traditional full-scale electric guitar layout, with a moderately curved fingerboard and a medium-width nut. They do not, by themselves, establish whether the neck will suit a particular player. Profile shape, fret dimensions, and finish can all affect individual preference, and the supplied data does not provide further measurements such as neck thickness at specific fret positions.

Pickups, controls, and bridge

The pickup set consists of two hand-wound Twisted Tele single-coil pickups. Fender specifies modern Tele wiring, a three-way pickup selector, and separate volume and tone controls. The specifications do not provide pickup resistance, output level, switching details beyond the three-way selector, or any measured tonal data. It is therefore possible to describe the pickup configuration, but not to make a grounded judgment about its sound or noise performance.

A Bigsby B5 vibrato is paired with a Tele-style bridge fitted with brass saddles. This setup combines a vibrato unit with the specified Tele bridge hardware, but the data does not state the range of pitch movement or how the system performs under heavy use. The tuning machines are Schaller F-style units. Hardware is nickel-plated, and the pickguard is three-ply White Pearl.

Included items and practical details

A case and certificate are included. The separate listing fields confirm that a case is included and a bag is not. The sales unit is one piece. The available information does not identify the case type, describe the certificate, or provide the instrument's weight, setup measurements, or string gauge. Those details should be checked with the seller before purchase if they are important to the decision.

• Body: Two-piece selected ash with an F-hole
• Neck and fingerboard: Rift-sawn maple neck, maple fingerboard, oval C profile
• Scale and frets: 648 mm scale, 9.5-inch radius, 21 size 6105 frets
• Electronics: Two hand-wound Twisted Tele single-coil pickups, three-way selector, volume and tone
• Bridge and tuners: Bigsby B5 vibrato, Tele bridge with brass saddles, Schaller F-style tuning machines
• Finish and accessories: Journeyman Relic in Aged Black, case and certificate included

Technical assessment

The specifications present a defined combination: a lightweight-style Thinline format with an ash body and F-hole, a full-scale maple neck, two Tele-style single-coil pickups, and Bigsby vibrato hardware. The detailed neck and fret measurements are useful when comparing dimensions, while the named pickup and bridge components identify the main hardware choices. However, the supplied information does not establish weight, acoustic behavior, tuning stability, setup quality, or tonal character. At a listed price of 5555, those points warrant confirmation through an in-person inspection or direct seller information. Based on the documented details alone, this is a U.S.-made, limited-run Custom Shop Tele-style guitar with a specific vintage-inspired configuration, rather than a product whose performance can be verified from customer feedback.