Kavanagh Customs

Quite possibly the most-recognised finish on Fenders? During the first two months of production (March-April 1954) the yellow centre of the sunburst finish on Fender instruments was not coloured or stained but was, instead, just the colour of the wood sealer used and the wood beneath.

We've done exactly the same with this body - there isn't any stain or colouring in the central "tone" of the finish; so the yellow colour you see is just the wood filler and alder.

Based on an original 1961 Fender Telecaster, this body is hand made from the highest quality hand-selected alder. As with all our work, the wood used in this body is from totally sustainable sources - we're not having anything to do with rainforest depletion!

The routing is the standard two single-coils Telecaster layout. All holes are drilled to connect the wiring up, so all you need to do is drop your neck, pickups and electronics in, string it up and play! The finish is nitrocellulose (a rare thing to find on guitars today: we're one of very few workshops still shooting genuine cellulose) and greatly adds to that great authentic vintage vibe. This really allows the sound from the guitar's resonance to ring out rather than being trapped under the thick layers of polyurethane that other manufacturers seem to prefer. To keep with the authentic 1950s theme, the sunburst finish on this body is totally hand-painted.

This would be the ideal starting point for that guitar project you've been promising yourself since last summer and would make a superbly authentic relic; particularly considering the nitrocellulose finish.

We can also additionally provide a relicing service for this item if you aren't happy doing such things yourself yet still want a true used vintage appearance, just contact us to find out more!

Please note that this is not a Fender product, nor is it made in a sweatshop in the Far East by children getting paid 10p a day - it's much, much better than that. Like all our items, it has been carefully hand built to exacting standards and dimensions to ensure the highest possible quality, and the perfect fit for Fender, Squier and 98% of the Fender-copy market. We comply directly with Fender's own neck pocket dimensions (see the diagram on the left), although there may still be a small amount of work necessary to ensure a perfect fit.

If you have any doubt over whether any of our work is suitable or not for you, drop us a line, we're always happy to help.

This body has been left completely undrilled to ensure that it is suitable for anyone and everyone's needs - you can fit any type of scratchplate you like without having empty holes left under the scratchplate, you can fit a three or four-bolt neck, you can fit the tremolo system of your choice without the need to worry if the screw and string spacing is compatible with your body, or if the holes in your neck and body will line up. The advantages are endless and most importantly: it guarentees compatibility with the rest of your guitar. Please note that our Telecaster bodies do not come with the string holes pre-drills as standard - making them ideal for top-loading bridges, or else a very easy task to modify in your own home to accomodate a through-body stringing bridge.

Don't see exactly the part you're after?

We can build it for you to your exact specifications - nothing is too weird or whacky!

Contact us for a totally free quote and a chat about your requirements, and click here to see our price lists for custom-builds.

We can also supply all the parts you need to complete your guitar project, from fretwire and string trees to custom-wound pickups and polishing cloths! We will be expanding our shop in the near future so that you can conveniently purchase all these items at once but for the moment, contact us and tell us what it is you're after and we will happily arrange or source the parts you need for you.