2020 FENDER CS BROADCASTER 70TH ANNIVERSARY

A superb left-handed Broadcaster from the Fender Custom Shop, to mark the 70th anniversary of the model in 2020, in very good condition.

Originating when Fender was still a babbling company, the Broadcaster, along with the Esquire (its single-pickup counterpart), was one of the very first solid body guitars marketed by Fender as early as 1950 – a new kind of instrument that clearly stood out from the archtops and flat-tops that were the norm until then. In February 1951, the model was still in its infancy when RTEC, the exclusive distributor of Fender instruments, received a letter from Gretsch – a warning of a possible dispute over the “Broadcaster” name, Gretsch effectively owning the term “Broadkaster “under which they marketed a series of banjos and drum sets. Anxious to prevent Fender from having any trouble in courts, Don Randall, the sales manager, took the initiative and had the decal “Broadcaster” appearing on the headstock of the instruments removed. Thus, for a few months, the Broadcasters were sold without their model name, which earned them the nickname “Nocaster”. However, Don Randall will quickly find a new name for the model, probably inspired by the transition from the age of radiophonic broadcasting to that of television which occurred at the same period, and thus the “Telecaster” was born – an emblematic model from Fender, from the spring of 1951. During its short existence, the Broadcaster will all the same have managed to anchor in the musical landscape first of all the very idea of a solid body guitar, and then above all the name of Fender, already renowned for their lapsteels, as a manufacturer of quality six-string guitars – thanks in part to the support of several renowned guitarists, including that of Jimmy Bryant, considered one of the most virtuoso players of post-war America and later known by the nickname “Mister Telecaster” as he contributed to the promulgation of the instrument from its beginnings.

The anniversary model is a true copy of the original – ash body with a Blonde finish and the famous “black ‘guard” plate, maple neck topped with the Fender “spaghetti” logo, all expertly reliced by the Custom Shop. Mounted with identical wiring to the first Broadcaster, which consists in a three-position selector with in the first position the neck pickup connected to a circuit that highlights the low frequencies, in the second position the neck pickup connected only to the volume control without tone control, and in third position the two microphones connected to the volume control, the second potentiometer serving as a blend adding to the sound of the bridge pickup that of the neck pickup. For anyone wanting a more intuitive control circuit, Fender has also supplied a pre-wired plate with standard Telecaster wiring. Complete professional setup done in our workshop, ready to play.
Sold in its original case, with Fender COA, tags and goodies.