FS: 1984 Philip Kubicki blackguard 50s style Telecaster, formerly owned by Steven Kirby (Berklee professor, jazz guitarist)

[Bobby D]

A rare bird indeed. 1984 Philip Kubicki blackguard style Telecaster guitar. If you don't know about Kubicki, he worked at Fender in the late 60s and early 70s and is the luthier who built George Harrison's rosewood Tele, among other famous guitars.

 

Formerly owned and operated by noted jazz guitarist and professor at Berklee, Steven Kirby - I have added a photo of Kirby's CD release in the 90s with this guitar on the cover. He owned it from new, and used it for teaching and gigs for over 20 years. Tons of good vibes in this Tele...

 

This amazing instrument is an alder bodied tone machine with an amazing feeling modern C shaped maple neck. The neck and body finish are original. The guitar was recently refretted with 6105 type frets by Jim Mouradian (RIP) and the guitar has been cared for by him for many years. The tuners are Gotoh locking models. The original Fender bridge is likely from the early 80s. The pickups are Van Zandt Vintage Plus models and the center pickup is RWRP for noise cancellation in positions 2 and 4, and sound really great in this guitar. The control plate is a very rare Dimarzio model with the sun logo, and the knobs are early 50s rounded top Tele knobs.

 

While there are a few Kubicki necks out there, complete guitars built by the luthier are exceedingly rare. Both the body and neck are stamped and dated with the Kubicki stamp in multiple places.

 

I am the third owner of this instrument, bought it from one of Steven Kirby's students who purchased it directly from Steve, and it has been well played over the last 35 years. The neck feels incredible, is straight, and plays exceptionally well. The body is quite resonant and the guitar weighs right at 7.5 pounds. It is one of the best sounding and playing boutique Telecaster style guitars I have ever seen.

 

If you want an amazing playing boutique builder Telecaster guitar that already has quite a lot of REAL vintage character and vibe, this is a perfect guitar for you. It is easily on par with any master built relic or custom shop instrument, has a documented history, and was built by one of the greatest luthiers of the 20th century. Having a Tele built by the same guy who built George Harrison's guitar isn't a bad thing by any means.

 

$1800 shipped in the USA - $100 more for international shipping. Contact me if you have any questions. Trade value is $2k, I am looking for a superstrat type thing....