Fender Custom Shop Artisan P90 Koa Telecaster

When you’ve got the looks, you’d better show them off! The Fender Artisan Telecaster takes iconic Custom Shop style to new heights with some of the most desirable exotic woods in the world, premium modern build quality and classic tone.

Construction

The Artisan Tele’s clear-cut highlight is of course the stunning AAAA koa top. Making up the rest of the body is a chambered Fiji mahogany, where you’re getting the best of both classic Fender light weight and an alternative wood choice.

Continuing the exotic trend is a gorgeous nitro finish AAAA flamed maple neck designed to wear in as you play over time. The refined ’60s oval “C” neck shape meets the standards of modern builds – in contrast to most retro-inspired Custom Shop Fenders. 

Topping the neck is a 12”-16” compound radius ebony fretboard embedded with jumbo frets. Overall, the Artisan provides a seamless contemporary playing experience, also boosted by the reverse Nocaster bridge with RSD saddles to keep tuning and intonation super stable.

Sound

Single coil/P90 pickup configurations are a rare sight and deliver a unique blend of openness and grit. The hand-wound Custom Shop ’51 Nocaster is loaded – in other words, overwound – to push the amp harder than the standard pickup could ever do, while remaining highly articulate. The Custom P90 is even dirtier than the high-output single coil and blooms nicely for lead tones.

Specifications

Body

• Series: Artisan
• Country Of Origin: US
• Color: Aged Natural
• Body: Chambered 2-Piece Fiji Mahogany with AAAA Figured Koa Top
• Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Body Shape: Telecaster

Neck

• Neck Material: Roasted AAAA Flame Maple
• Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Neck Shape: ’60s Oval “C”
• Scale Length: 25.5″ (648 mm)
• Fingerboard: Round-Laminated Ebony
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5″ to 12″ Compound Radius (241mm-305mm)
• Number of Frets: 21
• Frets Size: Jumbo
• String Nut: Bone
• Nut Width: 1.650″ (42 mm)
• Position Inlays: Mother-of-Pearl Dot

Electronics

• Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Loaded ’51 Nocaster
• Neck Pickup: Custom Shop P-90
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
• Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade
• Pickup Configuration: SS

Hardware

• Bridge: Reverse Nocaster with RSD Saddles
• Hardware Finish: Chrome
• Tuning Machines: Vintage Style with Tortoise Shell Buttons
• Pickguard: 1-Ply Tortoiseshell
• Control Knobs: Knurled Dome