Six rosewoodTelecaster prototypes were made by Fender in 1968, and at least half of them ended up in the hands of renowned musicians. The first, which was once owned by none other than Elvis Presley, is currently for sale.
Eddie Miller, the Fender representative in Nashville at the time, has provided a verification letter attesting to the authenticity of the guitar.
The description for the Tele’s listing states, “The letter is dated September 16, 1969, and as you can read, it states that at the time, Nashville producer Scotty Turner was in possession of the guitar.”
It was one of six prototypes, and Elvis received the first one in its exact form (the others went to Steve Cropper and George Harrison).
Although the Rosewood Telecaster was first sent to a select group of players in 1969, factory production didn’t begin until these early models. Along with the Telecasters, a rosewood Stratocaster that was made with Jimi Hendrix in mind but never given to him is now on display at Well Strung Guitars in New York.
On January 30, 1969, The Beatles performed on the Apple rooftop, and Harrison is credited with using his Rosewood Tele.
Elvis played his own Rosewood Tele for a few months before deciding its 9lbs 9oz weight was too much for him. That’s understandable; even for a King, that’s a heavy Tele load!
In the end, Presley returned the guitar to Eddie Miller; it is assumed that Turner received it at that point. The guitar’s pots were made in 1964, and the original hard case is included, according to the description. You can have it for $295,000 with free shipping.
Here’s the original Listing of the 1968 Fender Telecaster on Reverb.com:
“We are beyond honored to present to you this 1968 Fender Rosewood Telecaster, built for the King himself, Elvis Presley! The guitar comes with documentation, including a verification letter from Eddie Miller, who was the Fender Rep in Nashville then. The letter is dated September 16, 1969, and as you can read, it states that at the time, Nashville producer Scotty Turner was in possession of the guitar. It was one 1 of 6 prototypes, with this first exact guitar going to Elvis (one of the others went to George Harrison, another to Steve Cropper). Elvis used the guitar intermittently over a period of a few months, but ultimately deemed it to be too heavy, and sent it back to Eddie Miller. Just an incredible piece of musical history!! And beyond its incredible story, the guitar itself plays and sounds fantastic! The pots date to 1964. As you can imagine, it’s a very rich and full sounding Tele, with big sustain. The neck plays like butter, with low action down the fretboard. All the photo’d documentation is included, along with the original hard shell case! Please feel free to reach out with any questions..
Weight- 9lbs 9oz
Nut Width- 1.63″
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