Fender Japan debuts limited-edition Thinline Telecaster models with literal 'F'-holes

Forget what you think you know about the phrase “hot streak”, because Fender Japan’s dizzying, definition-changing electric guitar-producing efforts this year have been nothing short of exceptional.

Miyavi’s Telecaster, Kenji Hino’s Jazz Bass, Daiki Tsuneta’s Swinger, Hama Okamoto’s Katana and Heather Brown’s Esquire have been the brand’s standout releases so far this year, and offered up a catalog of quirky aesthetics and unorthodox specs.

Now, Fender Japan has sought to push the cosmetic boat out even further, and debuted a pair of limited-edition Thinline Telecasters that boast one particularly eye-catching appointment: a Fender logo f-hole – a literal 'F'-hole, if you will.

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Arriving in two distinct iterations, the first Thinline Tele is available in luxurious Mystic Ice Blue, Arctic Pearl and Penny colorways, and features an ash body.

A U-shape maple neck and 9.5”-radius fingerboard, topped with 21 Narrow Tall frets and a bone nut, can be found on the spec sheet, which also has room for black dot inlays, knurled Flat-Top knobs and a three-saddle vintage-style strings-through-body bridge.

In the electronics department, the Tele comes loaded with a pair of vintage-style single-coil pickups, controlled by a three-position blade switch and a master volume and master tone control. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

What is out of the ordinary, however, is that f-hole. As opposed to featuring the age-old design, Fender Japan have attempted to reinvent the wheel and have instead included a body cut-out in the shape of the brand’s instantly recognizable spaghetti 'F' logo.

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The 'F'-hole can also be found on the second Tele, which ditches the contemporary finishes and features in favor of an elegant 5mm-thick quilted maple top and 5A rank flame maple neck. 

Fender Japan’s special-occasion axe also celebrates the brand’s 75th Anniversary by way of an appropriately engraved four-bolt neck plate.

Otherwise, it’s business as usual for the souped-up Tele, save the introduction of gold hardware, black binding and a one-ply tortoiseshell pickguard, as well as the appointment of two Custom Shop Twisted Tele single-coils.

As is the case with all of Fender Japan's instruments, the Thinline Telecasters are unavailable to those who reside outside of the country, much to our dismay. If you're still keen on checking them out despite the bad news, head over to Fender Japan.