Vintera Road Worn '70s Telecaster Deluxe

On the bench today is the Vintera Road Worn '70s Telecaster Deluxe in Olympic White

A guitar that already looks kind of beat up. Has an amazingly comfortable neck to play. Large headstock with bullet truss rod. Absolutely wonderful sounding pickups. Mine sits on a guitar stand in my shop next to my amp shelves so I can always see it and it is ready to play. The guitar to me is like an old friend or cherished member of my family. This is the Vintera Road Worn '70s Telecaster Deluxe.

What did I mean in the title by the statement – “The Guitar That Never Was?”

Very few if any of the original Fender 70s Telecaster Deluxe were made with a Nitro finish. I have differing answers/sources on this. I have asked Fender directly for clarification. Most sources I have found said the guitar was primarily always made with the shiny gloss polyester finish.

Why does this matter?

Fender has released the Vintera version of the guitar in a nitro finish both on the body and the neck – all very unusual – and primarily because Fender guitars leaving Mexico production have polyester finishes and not Nitro. I am not complaining – I like the dulled finish of the nitro on the guitar.

Regardless – I think this is a phenomenal guitar and one of my top three in my collection.

Here are some specifications on the guitar.

Body: Alder, Road Worn Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Neck Material: Maple, Finish: Road Worn Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• 3 Bolt Neck
• Neck Shape: Medium "C"
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
• Number of Frets: 21
• Frets Size: Medium Jumbo
• String Nut: Synthetic Bone
• Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)

• Bridge Pickup: Fender Wide Range Humbucking
• Neck Pickup: Fender Wide Range Humbucking
• Tuning Machines: Fender Vintage "F" Stamped

New the guitar goes for $1199 and used runs $675 to around $950.


The finish job on this guitar is excellent. I know that relic’ing a guitar is a divisive subject. That is cool – everyone has their own preferences and opinions. Mine is I like this particular guitar and how it is has been finished.

There is discoloration in the paint that is really well done. The checking is what you would expect from a guitar that has been around being played since 1973.

I love the MJT aged bodies but hate having flakes of paint constantly coming off the body when I handle it. I realize this is what would be happening if it was a truly natural aged guitar. With this guitar Fender lightly sanded and applied nitro over the paint free areas so the flaking stops.

As I said before the neck with the nitro satin feels and plays wonderfully. The neck specifications of a 9.5-inch radius, 21 frets, and 25.5 inch scale length offer up a historically correct neck experience.

The guitar is an incredible value for what it is sold for when compared to the US made Fender American Vintage II 1975 Deluxe Telecaster that runs $2499 new and used $1200 to $1700.