The Fender Custom Shop Limited-Edition Texas Telecaster Heavy Relic electric guitar evokes the tenacity of a bruised but unyielding survivor of hundreds of gigs in beer-drenched bars, derelict clubs and the occasional big-concert stage. The heavy relic treatment reveals a guitar that may have started its journey in an Olympic White finish before it was glammed up in gold-metal flake, perhaps bearing the scars forged by different musical styles, tastes and owners. As a result, the Texas Telecaster looks like it already has years of music in it, and so much more music to come.

Vintage appointments, such as a ’52-style U neck shape and vintage bridge, are offset by scorching Texas Special single-coils that can sting, wail and howl through just about any band mix or instrumentation. Depending on your amp settings, picking dynamics and guitar-volume manipulations, these pickups can go from bold and cutting clean tones to fierce overdrive and raging distortion. The Texas Telecaster can certainly stand its ground in a musical brawl, but it can also deliver the sweet tenderness needed for a true-blue love song.