Hi Ginger,

I be happy to tell you what the 2004 Vintage Guitar Price Guide thinks your guitar is worth but without more information it is difficult to tell for sure. There are over 50 models of Telecaster, most produced after 1982. The main USA made Telecasters are the Telecaster (1951-1982), Standard Telecaster(1982-85), American Standard Telecaster (1988-2000) and the American Series Telecaster (2000 to present). After 1982 Fender offered a dizzying variety of custom and artist models.

If you have an American Standard, the VG price guide suggests it is worth $850 US. I’ve got a mid 90’s Tele Plus and it’s value hasn’t changed much since the day I bought it. It’s a great recording tool and as long as it at least holds value I’m happy. Enjoy your instrument, SB

Hi Ginger, glad you like the Tele – good guitar to hold onto. A lot of good tracks on Kasabian’s album, too. If there are two wishes I could get from Fairly Oddparents:

1) Shut the Kasabian guitarist/songwriter from giving himself b-vox jobs.
2) Downgrade your mate as a guitar expert.

The ‘rare’ and ‘natural’ things he mentioned were actually the ‘common’ and ‘standard’ Tele arrangement of strings-through-body before they hit the bridge. Those metal rings are the ferrules.

You’ve got a nice guitar (non-rare) and a nice mate (non-expert). Nice enough slot to be in; could be worse things in life.

aah, I’ve just had a brainwave. Do you mean that there is a trem, and that the trem’s backplate is a wood veneer rather than plastic plate? I don’t think this would seriously lift value, in all honesty. If I’m completely up the wrong tree, do post and let me/us know.

Ginger, the serial matches your date. SB may come in with a value. What was that stuff about the rare strings on the back? To me, it read like either string-thru (totally standard) or a tremolo with a missing back plate (bit barmy). Didn’t understand it. Can you elaborate?