Vintage Fender Telecasters
These early 1970s Fender Telecaster are very popular on the vintage market right now. They're a great way to get in to a vintage, original factory Fender guitar without spending your whole retirement savings to get one. Fender was still building these standard Telecasters the old way with a just few changes. These guitars still have four bolt necks, truss rod adjustments at the heel and a standard heel date stamp just like the 1960s.
Subtle Differences
The main difference between these early 1970s Teles and a Tele made before 1969 is the finish combination that Fender used. Oddly enough, Fender used both Nitrocellulose and Polyurethane. Prior to 1969, the finishes were almost exclusively Nitrocellulose. It's likely that the change was made because Polyurethane is both easily applied and much more durable than Nitro. Another manufacturing difference that may not be so obvious is the change from cloth to plastic covered wire for the electronics. The new wire was cheaper and more durable than cloth so I can see why it would be an attractive option for Fender's owners at the time.
