Fender Custom Shop 70th Anniversary Broadcaster Journeyman Relic Nocaster Blonde
The world of guitars, and quite honestly – the world was changed in October 1950 with the first dual-pickup ‘electric Spanish’ guitar which was dubbed the Broadcaster. The guitar was innovative as it was beautiful, with an ash body and blonde finish, a sturdy maple neck with walnut skunk stripe to cover the truss rod, single-ply black pickguard and two clear-as-a-bell single-coil pickups. Revolutionary as it was, however, the Broadcaster was short lived—produced only for a couple months until January 1951 because of an already-existing trademark on the name held by the Gretsch guitar company.
For 2020 – the Fender Custom Shop has released four different finishes to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the groundbreaking instrument. The Limited Edition 70th Anniversary Broadcaster has a two-piece select ash body with off-center seam, available in four different Custom Shop aging packages—NOS Time Capsule, Journeyman Relic®, Relic and Heavy Relic—all finished in the original “flash coat” lacquer. The one-piece rift-sawn maple neck has a 1950 Broadcaster profile, 7.25”-9.5” vintage compound-radius fingerboard and 21 medium vintage frets. Other features include hand-wound ’50-’51 Blackguard pickups with ’51 modded “Nocaster” wiring (similar to the original, with blender pot and slightly brighter rhythm setting in the neck position). The guitar comes with a “case candy” kit containing a 70th anniversary neck plate, Fat ’50s control assembly and original Broadcaster sales flyer reprint. Also includes deluxe hardshell case, strap and certificate of authenticity.
Includes: Deluxe Hardshell Case, Certificate of Authenticity, Case Candy Kit (70th Anniversary Neck Plate, Fat ’50s Control Plate, Original Broadcaster Sales Flyer Reprint)
- Solidbody Electric Guitar
- Time Capsule Faded Nocaster Blonde Finish
- 2-Piece Offset Seam Ash Body
- ’50 Broadcaster “U” Shape Maple Neck
- 25.5″ Scale Length
- 1.630″ Width Bone Nut
- 7.25-9.5″ Radius
- 21 Medium Vintage Frets
- Custom Shop Hand-Wound ’50-’51 Blackguard Pickups
- 3-Saddle ’50 Broadcaster Bridge with Brass Barrel Saddles
- 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup With Blender, Position 2. Neck Pickup with Volume, Position 3. Neck Pickup with Volume, 10K Resistor and .001uF Capacitor.
- Dot Inlays
- Vintage-Style Tuners
- 1-Ply Black Phenolic PIckguard
- 6 lbs, 10 oz.
- .930” Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
- 1.010″ Neck Thickness at 12th Fret