Nacho Guitars 2025 Blackguard Early 50s Telecaster Blonde Mint

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

Nacho Baños spent 25 years gaining hands-on experience with original Blackguard Telecasters before building his own. Over those decades he amassed an extensive collection of original instruments, self-published The Blackguard Book — a massive and meticulously researched book that is now highly collectible — and formed Nachoguitars in 2010, producing guitars in batches of 30 by Baños and a team of three builders.

As Nacho describes his operation: "We are an old world vintage guitar shop." What that means in practice is that every Nachocaster is built using air-dried old-growth tonewoods, 10-coat nitrocellulose lacquer applied exactly as Leo Fender did in the 1950s, and pickups wound specifically for each individual instrument. 

If you're had a 50s Telecaster in your hands, you'll agree that Nacho guitars are the closest thing to the real article.

This 2025 example is mint — virtually unplayed, complete with every accessory Nacho ships with his instruments: the Nacho-branded tweed hardshell case, Certificate of Authenticity, USB thumbdrive containing footage of the guitar's construction, bridge cover, spec sheet, and T-shirt. The T-shirt is always missing from these guitars, this is a cool bonus!

The body carries the internal date stamp "Thaddio 3/6/52" and the neck "TG 11/22/52" — Nacho's internal dating convention that replicates the handwritten date codes found on original early-1950s Fender instruments, a deliberate detail that extends the authenticity to areas the buyer will only discover when looking closely.

The early 1950s Blackguard-style pickups read 7.59k neck and 9.81k bridge — the bridge reading notably hotter than the neck, correct and consistent with the asymmetric voicing that period Telecaster pickups delivered. The middle switch position on a Nachocaster is not the standard neck-plus-bridge blend of a modern Telecaster — the electronic configuration includes a powerful humbucking mode in the middle position, with neck pickup plus both pickups in series plus bridge pickup, all with tone control. This middle position produces a fat, full, hum-cancelling sound that is significantly different from either pickup alone and from any standard Telecaster wiring. Switchcraft 3-way switch, bone nut, vintage-style tuners, brass saddle Tele-style bridge, ash body in butterscotch blonde nitrocellulose lacquer, medium soft V maple neck at .89" at the first fret and 1.0" at the twelfth. Action set at 2/32" on both strings at the twelfth fret. At 6 lbs 13 oz this is correctly weighted for a period-spec early-50s Telecaster. Mint condition throughout.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Color: Blonde Butterscotch
• Finish Original?: yes
• Finish Condition: Mint
• Weight: 6lbs 13oz
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Nut Width: 1-5/8"
• Neck Thickness At 1st Fret: .89"
• Neck Thickness At 12th Fret: 1"
• Fretboard Radius: 9.5"
• String Spacing At Bridge: 2.151"
• Body Length: 15-3/4"
• Lower Bout: 12-5/8"
• Waist: 8-3/4"
• Upper Bout: 10-3/4"
• Body Depth/Thickness: 1-3/4"
• Overall Length: 38-1/4"
• Pickguard Color: black
• Pickguard Original?: yes
• Pickguard Condition: Mint
• Pickguard Screws Original?: yes
• Neck Material: maple
• Neck Profile: Medium Soft V
• Neck Condition: Mint
• Neck Repairs: none
• Neck Finish Original?: yes
• Neck Date: TG 11/22/52
• Neck Markings: TG 11/22/52
• Neck Plate Color: nickel
• Neck Plate Material: metal
• Neck Plate Original?: yes
• Neck Screws Original?: yes
• Tuner Brand And Model: vintage style
• Tuners Original?: yes
• Changes To Headstock For Tuners?: none
• Tuner Condition: Mint
• Tuner Markings: none
• Tuner Screws Original?: yes
• Truss Rod Cover: none
• Nut Material: bone
• Nut Repairs: none
• Nut Original?: yes
• Inlay: black dot
• Fretboard Material: material
• Fretboard Condition: Mint
• Fretboard Repairs: none
• Fret Condition: near mint
• Fret Repairs: none
• Fret Count: 21
• Body Material: ash
• Body Condition: Mint
  
• Body Date: Thaddio 3/6/52
• Body Markings: Thaddio 3/6/52
• Body Repairs: none
• Bridge Brand: Nacho Tele style
• Tremolo Or Fixed Bridge?: fixed
• Bridge Original?: yes
  
• Saddle Material: brass
• Saddles Original?: yes
• Bridge And Saddle Screws Original?: yes
• Bridge Condition: Mint
• Switch Brand: switchcraft
• Switch Type: 3 way
• Switch Condition: Mint
• Switch Original?: yes
• Switch Tip Color: black
• Switch Tip Original?: yes
• Neck Pickup Brand: early 1950s Blackguard style Tele neck
• Neck Pickup Original?: yes
• Neck Pickup Reading: 7.59k
  
• Neck Pickup Markings: none
• Neck Pickup Condition: Mint
• Neck Pickup Screws Original?: yes
• Neck Pickup Cover Color: chrome
• Neck Pickup Cavity Condition: Mint
• Bridge Pickup Brand: early 1950s Blackguard style Tele bridge
• Bridge Pickup Original?: yes
• Bridge Pickup Reading: 9.81k
• Bridge Pickup Condition: Mint
• Bridge Pickup Screws Original?: yes
  
• Bridge Pickup Cavity Condition: Mint
• Solders Original?: yes
• Wiring Original?: yes
• Control Cavity Cover Original?: yes
• Control Cavity Condition: near mint
• Potentiometer Count: 2
  
• Potentiometers Original?: yes
• Potentiometer Condition: Mint
• Output Jack Plate Color: nickel
• Output Jack Plate Condition: Mint
• Output Jack Plate Original?: yes
• Screws Original?: n/a
• Output Jack Original?: yes
• Knob Color: chrome
• Knob Count: 2
• Knobs Original?:
• Knob Condition: Mint
• Case Brand: Nacho branded tweed
• Case Original?: yes
• Case Condition: near mint
• Case Smells?: none
• Accessories Included: Tshirt, bridge cover, COA, USB thumbdrive, spec sheet
• Action 1st String At 12th Fret: 2/32"
• Action 6th String At 12th Fret:  2/32"
• String Gauge: 10-46
• Documentation: COA
• Smells?: none
  

Shipping Policy
By completing your purchase you are agreeing to this shipping policy. Shipments require signature on delivery, no exceptions. Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely. If there is damage, retain all packing materials intact, photograph them immediately, and send the photos to .

Stringed Instruments: Multiple shipping speeds are available for orders on our website — Ground, 2 Day, 3 Day, and Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb orders: customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used.