1993-94 Fender Telecaster Custom TC-72, Made in Japan - Natural Ash

Epic Axes is a musician-driven showroom in Los Angeles. Each guitar is personally selected, inspected, and tested to ensure top performance - only instruments we would play ourselves become part of our collection.

Made in Japan during the golden-era FujiGen production years, this Fender Telecaster Custom TC-72 is a super vibey and character-filled example of Fender Japan craftsmanship from the early ‘90s. Finished in Natural Ash, the guitar has that classic vintage-inspired Tele Custom look with beautiful visible grain and tons of old-school attitude.

Overall, the guitar is in good vintage condition for its age. There are various signs of honest natural wear throughout the instrument including small finish dings, scratches, tiny dents, and cosmetic marks consistent with over 30 years of use. Nothing excessive or structurally concerning, just real player wear that gives the guitar a broken-in feel and authentic vintage personality.

The electronics and pickups are original, and the guitar delivers exactly the kind of tone you’d hope for from a great Japanese Telecaster Custom: punchy bridge bite, warm neck tones, and that unmistakable Fender clarity and snap.

The frets are in good condition for their age with even wear throughout. No deep grooves, dead spots, or major issues, the guitar plays smoothly across the neck with a comfortable broken-in feel.

One especially cool aspect of this guitar is the hardware patina. Over the years, parts of the hardware have naturally aged and developed oxidation/rust patina. We intentionally decided not to polish it away because it genuinely fits the instrument incredibly well aesthetically. It gives the guitar a true vintage vibe and adds a lot of visual character rather than taking away from it. The overall look feels very organic and authentic, like a well-loved old Tele that’s actually been played.

These early ‘90s Fender Japan Telecasters continue to gain popularity for good reason, fantastic build quality, lightweight resonant bodies, comfortable necks, and consistently great tones. This one has all of that plus a ton of visual personality.

A seriously cool MIJ Telecaster with tons of vibe, honest aging, and absolutely killer sound.

The following work has been done: full fretboard cleaning, fret polish, pickup height adjustment for balance and clarity, and a fresh set of D’Addario 10-46s installed. String height at the 12th fret on the low E is right at 2.2 mm - set for comfortable playability. 

Body

• Construction: Solid body, bolt-on neck
• Wood: Ash (sen)
• Finish: Natural, gloss polyurethane
• Pickguard: Black Telecaster Custom-style pickguard
• Weight: approx. 7.8–8.8 lbs
• Contours: Traditional Telecaster slab body

Neck

• Material: Maple
• Joint: Bolt-on
• Profile: Vintage-style “C”
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Radius: 7.25"
• Frets: 21 vintage-style frets
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Nut: Synthetic bone
• Nut Width: approx. 42 mm / 1.65"
• Neck Finish: Gloss polyurethane

Hardware

• Bridge: Vintage-style 3-saddle Telecaster bridge with brass saddles
• Tuners: Fender Japan vintage-style tuners
• Knobs: Vintage-style black amp-style knobs
• Switch Tip: Black
• Strap Buttons: Standard Fender style
• Hardware Finish: Chrome with natural vintage patina and oxidation

Electronics

• Pickups: Fender Japan Telecaster Custom (original)
• Controls:
  • Volume (master)
  • Tone (master)
• Switching: 3-way selector switch
• Output Jack: 1/4" mono
• Configuration: SH

Other

• Model: TC-72 Telecaster Custom
• Year: 1993–1994
• Made in: Japan (FujiGen)
• Origin: Fender Japan domestic production
• Serial: Made in Japan / MIJ era serial
• Electronics: Original factory electronics and pickups
• Neck Condition: Straight neck with comfortable action
• Fret Condition: Good vintage condition with smooth playability and even wear throughout
• Cosmetic Condition: Honest vintage wear with small finish dings, scratches, dents, and natural signs of use consistent with age
• Hardware Condition: Naturally aged hardware with vintage-style oxidation/patina adding character to the instrument
• Tone: Classic Telecaster Custom twang with warm neck tones and articulate bridge attack
• Case: Basic soft gig bag included