Fender Ultra Luxe Vintage '60s Telecaster Custom

Does this high-end mix of the classic and the contemporary succeed?

- BY ROB LAING

THE ULTRA AND Ultra II succeeded Fender's Elite range as the manufacturer's highest-end California-made production six-strings, with its most contemporary specs, including neck heel and rear body contours. Fender's Vintage Ultra Luxe instruments now combine that with some aged class.

The new Ultra Luxe Vintage '50s and '60s models debut Fender's new Heirloom aging to the lacquer. From a distance, you'd be forgiven for not even noticing that these guitars are relic'd at all — beyond the duller sheen, that is; instead there's hairline checking to be found in the nitro finishes across the body and neck to simulate the effect of decades of environmental temperature changes on the finish. It's like an old guitar that's been played and loved but not fully "road worn." It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a more subtle alternative to heavier-relic guitars.