Fender Guitar Buyer: Vintage 1957 Fender Telecaster

I'm on the road a lot as a Fender guitar buyer! This vintage 1957 Fender Telecaster came up for sale last year outside of Abilene, Texas. As I viewed the three low quality cell phone pictures of this beauty, I could tell that it was a very nicely preserved vintage Fender guitar. The tweed on the case wasn't frayed; the metal "Fender" logo plate wasn't bent; and the latches still had working springs. I checked the map to see how far I would need to drive to inspect this guitar in person. A 12 hour roadtrip one way from Birmingham, AL? That's nothing!

The seller and I spoke by phone about the Fender Telecaster 1957 once a day for about three days to nail down the details. She told me that she purchased this Fender Telecaster in the late 1950s brand new as a birthday gift for her husband. My jaw dropped. She continued by saying that her husband passed away over twenty years ago but that she had no reason to sell the guitar until now. She was downsizing and selling her house. She wanted the proceeds from the sale of the guitar to go to her two children. 

What is this Fender Telecaster 1957 worth?

She had a guitar appraisal for the Fender Telecaster 1957 from a vintage guitar store and knew exactly what she had. It was for sale for about six months before I called her. As with many used or post-market items, the Telecaster is worth the highest amount a player is willing to pay for it. She said she wanted to sell in person with no shipping, so I said that wouldn't be a problem. I'm always willing to travel for the guitars I want to buy. She said that she would consider a fair offer, and I was delighted to hear that mine was her highest. She graciously accepted and I loaded up the car. If you're looking for where to sell Fender guitars from the 1950s and 1960s, I might be the buyer you're looking for: Sell a Fender guitar. 

I arrived in the beautiful town of Abilene at about noon the next day to check out the Fender Telecaster 1957. Upon inspection, I found that the Telecaster was amazingly well preserved and even had an old set of flat wound strings still on it. It took us about twenty minutes to count out the fat stacks of cash to buy the guitar and we both laughed about how it felt a little like doing a drug deal. When we finished counting, I asked if we could take a picture together with the guitar so I could preserve the memory. 

After I left her house, I drove out into the country a bit to find a good spot to photograph the guitar. The title picture was taken about 20 minutes after buying this Fender Telecaster. I'll never forget this amazing trip! I'm always looking for clean vintage Fender guitars including Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters, and Jaguars. You can contact me here to sell a vintage Fender guitar.