Here we have a Glas Customs Telecaster build inspired by the earliest blackguard instruments, finished in aged Blonde with a single-ply black guard and maple neck. At only 6.6 lbs, it is feather-light, resonant and immediate, with the dry attack and acoustic liveliness that make a great early-style Tele so addictive.
Built entirely by hand in Los Angeles as part of the Glas Golden Era Collection, the finish aging, fretwork, wiring, assembly and final setup were completed over approximately four to six months. This is not intended as a forensic museum replica. It is a piece of functional art built to capture the spirit of the earliest Telecasters while remaining dependable enough for serious stage and studio use.
The lightweight ash body is finished in thin nitro and relic’d throughout, retaining the stripped-down character of an early blackguard without leaning too heavily into traditional butterscotch. The finish, hardware, guard and neck have all been aged together, giving the guitar a cohesive and naturally road-worn appearance.
The maple neck is also finished in nitro and features a substantial full V profile. This is a proper handful rather than a slim modern carve, with the depth and shoulder expected from a strong early-’50s neck. The fingerboard edges have been hand rolled, the nut hand finished, and the vintage-style frets professionally dressed and polished. The result is a large but comfortable neck that feels naturally broken-in rather than bulky or awkward.
The pickup pairing was created specifically for this guitar. The bridge is a one-of-one Arcane custom-wound ’50s Tele pickup, voiced exclusively for this build. It is paired with an Arcane ’42 Experience neck pickup, designed to deliver greater clarity and openness than a traditionally dark Tele neck unit.
Together, the set delivers a strong early-Tele bridge voice with plenty of attack, authority and upper-mid bite, balanced by a clearer and more articulate neck position. The middle setting remains open, woody and highly usable without becoming compressed or muddy.
The electronics include:
- One-of-one Arcane custom-wound ’50s bridge pickup
- Arcane ’42 Experience neck pickup
- CTS matched 450G potentiometers
- Full vintage cloth wiring
- Three-way selector switch
- 0.1µF paper-in-oil capacitor
- TonePros 4-point output jack (modern)
- Genuine vintage solder
The 0.1µF paper-in-oil capacitor gives the tone control the broad, deep sweep associated with early Fender wiring, with the PIO construction selected as a boutique interpretation of the original circuit.
The aged bridge is fitted with traditional steel saddles, keeping the response bright, direct and firmly rooted in early Tele character. The control plate, hardware and single-ply black guard have all been aged to match the rest of the instrument.
Set up with 9–42 strings, low action and accurate intonation, the guitar feels fast, direct and unusually alive beneath the hands. At 6.6 lbs, it responds to a light touch, rings clearly unplugged and plays like hot butter.
Now, relics aren’t for everyone. But these builds aren’t museum clones. They’re pieces of functional art made to riff on the golden era with purpose: vintage tone, old-school looks and high-performance reliability. Every component is assembled by hand, and every detail is reviewed and tested before leaving our shop.
Condition
This guitar is listed in Excellent condition. The nitro checking, finish wear, hardware aging and cosmetic marks are intentional and form part of the Glas relic process.
Neck Specifications
- Maple neck
- Nitro finish
- Profile: Full ’50s V
- Radius: 7.25"
- Frets: Vintage-style
- Scale length: 25.5"
- Nut width: Approximately 42mm
- Hand-rolled fingerboard edges
- Hand-finished nut
- Professionally dressed and polished frets
- Heel-adjust truss rod, fully functional
- Strings: 9–42
The guitar ships in the pictured relic’d G&G tweed hard case with deep red lining, ready to play straight out of the case.
If you would like to see more pictures, please check us out online, as we are limited to how many we can display on this platform.
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