The 2023 Fender FSR Traditional II 50s Telecaster CuNiFe in Butterscotch Blonde is a particularly unusual Made in Japan special-run Telecaster that combines classic early-Fender styling with a far more versatile SH pickup configuration.

Rather than using the standard pair of Telecaster single-coils, this FSR combines a full-size Fender Wide Range CuNiFe humbucker at the neck with a Custom Shop Texas Special Tele single-coil at the bridge. An ash body beneath the translucent Butterscotch Blonde finish completes a specification developed specifically to stand apart from the regular Made in Japan Traditional model.

Serial JD23027018 identifies this example as 2023 Japanese production.

This Pre-Owned guitar is offered in Mint condition and includes a hardcase.

At A Glance

Pre-Owned Condition Report

Mint Condition

This 2023 Fender FSR Traditional II 50s Telecaster CuNiFe is offered in Mint condition.

Mint represents an exceptionally well-preserved Pre-Owned instrument with little to no meaningful evidence of previous use and a presentation very close to original condition.

No faults, repairs or modifications have been supplied for this listing.

What’s Included?

✔ 2023 Fender FSR Traditional II 50s Telecaster CuNiFe
✔ Hardcase

✘ No Additional Accessories Included

Condition Notes

This individual Telecaster has been graded Mint, making it especially appealing for players or collectors looking for a particularly clean example of this relatively unusual Japanese Fender Special Run.

The Wide Range CuNiFe neck pickup and Texas Special bridge pickup are part of the original FSR specification, not aftermarket modifications.

Fair Deal Quality Control Assessment

This Pre-Owned Fender Telecaster has been inspected and assessed by the Fair Deal Music team before sale.

Our checks include the Wide Range CuNiFe neck pickup, Texas Special bridge pickup, three-way selector, master volume and tone controls, output socket, frets, maple fingerboard, neck condition, vintage-style tuners, three-saddle bridge, hardware, tuning stability and overall playability.

The included hardcase is also checked for basic usability.

Service / Setup Work

All Pre-Owned electric guitars at Fair Deal Music are set up and checked before leaving the shop.

Our assessment includes action, neck relief, fret condition, intonation, tuning stability, electronics, pickup balance, bridge setup, hardware and overall playability.

Please note that guitar setup can shift slightly during delivery because changes in temperature and humidity can naturally affect wooden instruments in transit.

Why Choose The Fender FSR Traditional II 50s Telecaster CuNiFe?

Genuine Wide Range CuNiFe Neck Humbucker

The biggest departure from a conventional 50s-style Telecaster is the Wide Range CuNiFe humbucker.

Fender revived the original CuNiFe magnet concept after decades away from production, giving this neck position a fuller, broader sound than a standard Tele neck single-coil while retaining impressive clarity and top-end definition.

Custom Shop Texas Special Bridge Pickup

The bridge position uses a Custom Shop Texas Special Tele pickup, wound for greater output and midrange presence than a typical low-output vintage Tele pickup.

It provides the familiar attack and bite of a Telecaster bridge position but with additional punch, helping it balance particularly well against the more powerful neck humbucker.

Ash Body

This FSR replaces the basswood body of the regular Traditional 50s model with ash.

Combined with the translucent Butterscotch Blonde finish, the ash grain becomes part of the appearance and reinforces the guitar's classic blackguard-inspired aesthetic.

Highly Useful SH Configuration

The neck humbucker and bridge single-coil give the guitar two genuinely contrasting voices.

Use the neck position for fuller lead work and richer clean tones, the bridge for sharper rhythm sounds and Tele bite, or combine the two for a broad middle position with characteristics neither pickup produces alone.

Made In Japan Construction

Fender's Japanese instruments have built a strong following for clean construction and consistently high finishing standards.

This special run adds a considerably more unusual electronics package to that proven MIJ foundation.

Comparison Against Popular Alternatives

FSR CuNiFe Telecaster vs Standard MIJ Traditional 50s Telecaster

The normal Traditional 50s Telecaster uses a basswood body and two vintage-style Tele single-coils. This FSR upgrades to ash and substitutes a Wide Range CuNiFe neck humbucker plus Custom Shop Texas Special bridge pickup, making it considerably more versatile and distinctive.

FSR CuNiFe Telecaster vs Fender Telecaster Custom

A traditional Telecaster Custom also combines a Wide Range-style neck humbucker with a Tele bridge pickup, but typically uses the larger Custom pickguard and a more elaborate four-control layout. This FSR keeps the much simpler standard Telecaster control plate and 50s-inspired blackguard appearance.

FSR CuNiFe Telecaster vs American Vintage II Telecaster

The American Vintage II is focused on recreating a historically specific Fender design. This FSR deliberately mixes vintage styling with a non-traditional SH electronics package and is therefore better suited to players wanting broader tonal range.

FSR CuNiFe Telecaster vs American Professional II Telecaster

The American Professional II provides a modern USA-made professional specification with its own pickup and neck refinements. The Japanese FSR offers something more unusual: vintage-style hardware, ash construction and the distinctive CuNiFe/Texas Special combination.

Who Is It For?

Blues And Blues-Rock Players

The CuNiFe neck pickup provides a fuller lead voice than a conventional Telecaster, while the Texas Special bridge retains enough bite for expressive rhythm and driven tones.

Rock Guitarists

The neck humbucker handles gain particularly well, while the bridge single-coil provides plenty of definition for riffs and rhythm work.

Country And Americana Players

The Texas Special bridge pickup retains the fast attack and articulation central to classic Telecaster playing.

Indie And Alternative Musicians

The contrasting pickup voices give the guitar a broad palette for pedal-based rigs, moving easily between brighter textures and much thicker neck-pickup sounds.

Fender Japan Collectors

The combination of FSR status, Japanese manufacture, ash body and genuine Wide Range CuNiFe pickup gives this model greater enthusiast interest than a standard-production Traditional Telecaster.

Suitable Genres And Uses

• Blues
• Blues rock
• Classic rock
• Country
• Americana
• Roots rock
• Indie
• Alternative
• Pop
• Soul
• Lead guitar
• Rhythm guitar
• Studio recording
• Live performance
• Pedal-based rigs
• Valve amplification

Why Is A CuNiFe Wide Range Pickup Special?

The original Fender Wide Range humbucker was developed in the early 1970s and used CuNiFe — copper, nickel and iron — magnetic material rather than the more common bar-magnet construction found in many conventional humbuckers.

Fender eventually discontinued original CuNiFe Wide Range production, and authentic CuNiFe versions remained unavailable for decades before Fender successfully reintroduced the material.

The appeal is a combination of humbucker fullness with an unusually clear, open top end. In a Telecaster, that makes the neck position particularly effective for players who want extra body without losing all of the articulation normally associated with Fender single-coil instruments.

Story & Context

Fender's Telecaster dates back to the beginning of the 1950s and remains one of the simplest successful electric-guitar designs ever produced.

The Made in Japan Traditional series takes visual and construction cues from historic Fender models while combining them with Japanese manufacture.

This particular FSR — Fender Special Run — version takes the Traditional 50s idea in a much less conventional direction.

Instead of the normal basswood body and twin single-coil electronics, the dealer-exclusive specification uses an ash body, Wide Range CuNiFe neck humbucker and Custom Shop Texas Special bridge pickup.

The result visually resembles the classic blackguard Telecaster formula, particularly in Butterscotch Blonde, while providing a tonal range more closely related to Fender's later humbucker-equipped Tele designs.

Serial JD23027018 confirms this individual example was manufactured in 2023.

Technical Specifications

Power Requirements

No battery or external power supply is required.

Both the Wide Range CuNiFe humbucker and Texas Special bridge pickup are passive. Connect the guitar to a suitable amplifier, pedalboard, modeller or recording interface using a standard 1/4" instrument cable.

Why Buy Pre-Owned From Fair Deal Music?

Special-run Japanese Fender guitars can be particularly attractive on the Pre-Owned market because many were produced for specific dealers or territories and are difficult to replace once the original run has sold out.

This model is an excellent example: the combination of ash body, genuine CuNiFe Wide Range pickup and Texas Special bridge pickup is substantially different from the normal Traditional 50s specification.

At Fair Deal Music, every Pre-Owned guitar is individually checked and assessed before sale, helping customers buy discontinued, limited and second hand instruments with greater confidence.

Fair Deal Music Verdict

★★★★★ 5/5

The 2023 Fender FSR Traditional II 50s Telecaster CuNiFe in Butterscotch Blonde is one of the more interesting variations on the Japanese Traditional Telecaster formula.

Visually it still delivers the blackguard-style Butterscotch Blonde look, but the electronics transform what the guitar can do. The Texas Special bridge retains genuine Tele bite, while the Wide Range CuNiFe neck pickup brings a much bigger, richer voice for leads, clean chords and overdriven playing.

Best suited for: Blues, rock, Americana and versatile live players who want traditional Telecaster looks with greater neck-pickup power.

Customers usually upgrade from: Fender Player Telecasters, standard MIJ Traditional instruments and conventional vintage-style Teles.

Most commonly paired with: Valve amplifiers, boosts, compressors, overdrive, delay and spring-style reverb.

Our tip: Spend time setting the amplifier around the neck CuNiFe pickup first, then use the guitar's volume and tone controls to dial the Texas Special bridge into the same rig. The contrast between the two pickups is one of this model's greatest strengths.

Showroom feedback: It looks close to a traditional Butterscotch blackguard Tele at first glance, but the CuNiFe neck pickup makes it a completely different proposition once plugged in.

Why Buy From Fair Deal Music?

When you buy from Fair Deal Music, you're choosing one of the UK's most established, independent family run music retailers since 1987.

Our knowledgeable musician-led team can help you choose the right instrument whether you're buying your first serious guitar, upgrading an existing setup or searching for something unusual within the Pre-Owned market.

You can buy with confidence thanks to:

• Expert advice from knowledgeable musicians
• Carefully checked new and Pre-Owned equipment
• Birmingham showroom
• More than 6,000 Excellent customer reviews
• Secure ordering
• Fast UK delivery
• Friendly support before and after your purchase
• Decades of experience with new and second hand musical equipment

Trade In. Trade Up. Save More.

Thinking about upgrading? Your next guitar could cost less than you think.

Fair Deal Music buys and part-exchanges a wide range of guitars, basses, amplifiers, keyboards and other musical equipment.

Your existing gear could help reduce the cost of this Fender FSR Telecaster. Contact our team for a no-obligation valuation and we'll be happy to discuss your options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What year is serial JD23027018?

The JD23 prefix identifies 2023 manufacture in Japan.

Is the CuNiFe pickup factory fitted?

Yes. The Wide Range CuNiFe neck humbucker forms part of this Fender Special Run specification and is not an aftermarket modification.

What bridge pickup does it use?

It uses a Fender Custom Shop Texas Special Tele bridge pickup.

Is the body ash or basswood?

This FSR uses ash. That is one of the key upgrades over the regular Made in Japan Traditional 50s Telecaster, which uses basswood.

Is this a conventional two-single-coil Telecaster?

No. It uses an SH configuration with a Wide Range CuNiFe humbucker at the neck and Telecaster single-coil at the bridge.

Does it need a battery?

No. Both pickups and all controls are passive.

Is the hardcase included?

Yes. This Pre-Owned example is supplied with a hardcase.

Is the original dealer gig bag included?

Only the supplied hardcase has been confirmed for this individual guitar. No original gig bag has been stated as included.

Can I request a closer look before purchasing?

Yes. Our Request a Video Demo option is particularly useful for this model if you'd like to see the ash grain through the Butterscotch Blonde finish and hear the contrast between the CuNiFe and Texas Special pickups.