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Lot 32 THE TELECASTER
On 20th February 1951 the distributers and marketing arm of Fender Electric Instruments received a telegram from The Fred Gretsch Manufacturing Company informing them of what they viewed as a serious trademark infringement by Fender. The new twin pickup Fender guitar being marketed by the model name Broadcaster was an infringement on two Gretsch products - a banjo and a drum set - both of which were sold under the trademarked name Broadkaster. General Manager Donald Randall wasted no time in notifying his sales force, as well as Leo Fender, that the model name must be dropped, and a new model name found. It would quickly be changed to Telecaster. A hugely practical man, Leo Fender could not suspend shipping orders that his cash strapped company needed to fill. Until new decals could be ordered, Fender had the Broadcaster text cut off from the existing stock and only Fender applied to the headstock. It would be at least a month before the Telecaster name would show up on a Fender headstock. The few guitars that bore no model name would be later called Nocasters within the collecting community.
On 20th February 1951 the distributers and marketing arm of Fender Electric Instruments received a telegram from The Fred Gretsch Manufacturing Company informing them of what they viewed as a serious trademark infringement by Fender. The new twin pickup Fender guitar being marketed by the model name Broadcaster was an infringement on two Gretsch products - a banjo and a drum set - both of which were sold under the trademarked name Broadkaster. General Manager Donald Randall wasted no time in notifying his sales force, as well as Leo Fender, that the model name must be dropped, and a new model name found. It would quickly be changed to Telecaster. A hugely practical man, Leo Fender could not suspend shipping orders that his cash strapped company needed to fill. Until new decals could be ordered, Fender had the Broadcaster text cut off from the existing stock and only Fender applied to the headstock. It would be at least a month before the Telecaster name would show up on a Fender headstock. The few guitars that bore no model name would be later called Nocasters within the collecting community.
FENDER ELECTRIC INSTRUMENT COMPANY, FULLERTON, 1952
A SOLID-BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, TELECASTER
Closed20 June 2019
Price Realised
USD 150,000
More Information
Specialist note
Purchased in Spring 1977 by David Gilmour’s longtime guitar technician Phil Taylor from Frank Lucido’s California Guitar in Ventura, California, during the North American leg of Pink Floyd’s In The Flesh Tour, the guitar was subsequently sold to David Gilmour in 1983 and kept for studio use.