This is a 1983 Fender Telecaster that was owned and played by Bob Dylan for many years. It was built for him by Fender, and his name was stamped into both the neck heel and neck pocket when it was made.
Dylan is known to have loved the Telecaster model from American instrument maker Fender, he used a number of them for decades and continues to play them right through to the current day.
The Fender Telecaster is one of the most famous electric guitars ever made, as well as the first mass-produced solid-body electric.
The Fender Telecaster
There can be little argument that the Fender Telecaster is one of the most important guitar designs of the 20th century. It was developed by Leo Fender and his small team in Southern California in the late 1940s and early 1950s, then released for sale in 1951.
At this time, hollow body electric guitars were commonplace, and the concept of a solid body electric guitar, that is a guitar without a hollow body and sound holes, was still relatively new and unproven. Some derisively called the Telecaster the “boat paddle” or the “snow shovel” after it was released
The Telecaster, sometimes just called the Tele, would be the world’s first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar. It revolutionized the burgeoning world of rock n’ roll and become the de facto choice of many of the great musicians of the 1950s and beyond.
Soon, the Telecaster would be joined by the Fender Stratocaster, and other instrument makers would join the dray producing models like the Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG, and a series of models from Gretsch, Rickenbacker, and countless others.
The Telecaster remains in production today across a number of variants, it’s still a popular choice with many guitarists, and many (if not most) professional players will have at least one Telecaster in their collection due to its unique sound and tone.
The Ex-Bob Dylan Fender Telecaster Shown Here
As mentioned in the introduction, the guitar you see here formerly belonged to Bob Dylan. He’s said to have owned and played it for many years, before gifting it to amplifier technician and highly-regarded musician Cesar Diaz.
This Telecaster was built for Bob Dylan and owned by him for a number of years, it was then gifted by him to Cesar Diaz who would tour with him as a guitar player for over 50 shows across two tours.
Diaz worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Patti Smith, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and others over the course of his career. He joined Dylan in 1986 and toured with him and the band, playing over 50 shows together on the 1990 Neverending Tour and the 1991 Second Fastbreak tours.
The guitar is now being offered for sale by Julien’s. It comes with a tweed hardshell case with a faded red plush interior, a copy of Diaz’ Letter of Provenance, four images of Bob Dylan playing a similar Telecaster. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
All images supplied courtesy of Julien’s – Copyright 2024©
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