1965 Sonic Blue Fender Telecaster
Dan Orkin of Reverb.com gives the lowdown on Fender’s rare 1965 custom colour Telecaster
By the mid 60s, Fender was offering most of its key models in a suite of vibrant, California-tinged customfinish options. This rich palette no doubt helped establish the classic image of the brand and its instruments – think of beachbound rockers dashing to the coast with a surfboard in one arm and a guitar that matched the hue of their Chevy in the other.
While custom Fender finishes are more commonly associated with Strats and even Jazzmasters and Jaguars, there were certainly Telecasters rolling off the Fullerton line in this era, carrying shiny new finishes with names like Dakota Red and Shoreline Gold. These guitars were available via custom order and were rare commodities at the time, and are even rarer on today’s vintage market.
According to the Reverb sales database, the most common finish for 60s Strat purchases (beyond the standard Sunburst) is Olympic White followed by Lake Placid Blue and Candy Apple Red. Sonic Blue, which strikes a lighter shade than the other blues, is one of the rarer Fender finishes – an original 60s Telecaster with a Sonic Blue finish would be something of a holy grail on the current vintage scene.
Vintage Prices
Typically, run-of-the-mill 1965 Telecasters with a blonde finish sell in the region of £4,500 to £6,500. The finest examples in the best condition can often go for more. Those with a custom finish such as Olympic White or Candy Apple Red typically sell for around 25 to 40 per cent more. With an even rarer finish such as Sonic Blue, the increase in value over the standard examples would be even higher. Were a Sonic Blue ’65 Tele to sell today, the expected price would likely be in the £15,000 to £18,000 range. If this hypothetical guitar carried a maple fretboard, the price might be even higher.
Alternative Buying Options
If you’re interested in buying a 60s style Telecaster with Sonic Blue finish, your first stop would likely be the Fender Custom Shop, which could construct a build to such a specification. There are, of course, many boutique guitar builders specialising in Fender-esque instruments who could also handle the order. Some names to consider include Nash, Whitfill, Danocaster, Kirn, Crook, and many others. These sorts of luthier-built guitars can be pricey, but are a good option if you’re after particular specs.
On the lower end of the price spectrum, Fender makes a Tele called the Classic Player Baja 60s Telecaster, which is produced with a Sonic Blue finish and retails for £725 (although used examples crop up on Reverb for less). If you’re not stuck on the finish, the Fender and Squier catalogues have many other Tele options to choose from. As is always worth noting with any sort of Fender design, finding the components you’d need to construct your own partscaster build has never been easier. In fact, at the time of writing, there are several Sonic Blue Telecaster bodies currently for sale on Reverb that are ready to be fleshed out with a neck, pickups and hardware set of your choice.