By George!

We get back to where we once belonged with this limited edition Telecaster that evokes a legendary rooftop gig from 30 January 1969

- Neville Matrten

Almost 50 years since The Beatles brought London’s West End to a standstill with a free concert on the roof of their Apple building in Savile Row, and where George Harrison debuted an unusual dark-brown Telecaster, Fender is issuing a limited edition model to honour George, the gig and that guitar.

The legendary instrument, put together by Roger Rossmeisl (of Rickenbacker design fame) and Phil Kubicki (who went on to create the fantastic Factor basses), was the prototype of a short run or two of instruments that has become hugely collectable. Built from solid East Indian rosewood it was a sultry looking creation that reflected its recipient perfectly: dark, handsome, and understated, but under that subtle exterior lurking a top-class music maker. Fender gifted it to Harrison for his 25th birthday, the same day Eric Clapton presented George with the Leslie cabinet that he used on the Let It Be solo itself (the ‘single’ version).

Of course there have been rosewood reissues before, including the brilliant 80s ones from Fender Japan; and master builder Paul Waller’s stunning 2013 recreation with specs taken direct from Harrison’s own instrument. But this limited run of 1,000 is special in its own right: after the latest CITES regulations rosewood will be scarcer than ever; the model has received a couple of popular player updates including a flatter radius ‘board, bigger frets and chambering to reduce weight; and it’s pretty realistically priced, too.