Ed Bickert’s Blonde Fender Telecaster, 1965

[Fear the Reaper]

Well said. +1 Tim Lerch

Here's my thinking on the guitar.

First Ed was one of the few who was irrevocably associated with a single guitar. This is not just a guitar he owned and played some. As far as I know it is the only guitar he played in public from the mid 60's until the end of his career.

Second, it is the guitar that proved that a solid body was a viable instrument for jazz and it established the Tele as the de facto standard for that purpose.

Third, it has completely transparent history right down to when and why it was modified.

Four, it was used to make some magnificent music.

Five, Ed is a Canadian icon, in many ways it is Ed, not Lenny Breau who is the both the father of Canadian jazz guitar and the carrier of the torch who never moved away Canada. Just that last part makes him a very special hero to Canadians. So it's value is undoubtedly higher in Canada than anywhere else.

And finally six, the seller is not only reputable but also has an association with this guitar going all the way back to the beginning including having done all the mods.

Probably the player I would most like to see with it is Tim Lerch.

[mr. beaumont]

I'll donate 5 bucks to the "Let's Help Tim Get Ed Bickert's Guitar" fund.

[pcjazz]

I'll donate 5 bucks to the "Let's Help Tim Get Ed Bickert's Guitar" fund.

No, let’s keep it in Canada where it belongs. I don’t usually advocate putting instruments in glass cases but I would make an exception for this one. It’s “only” a telecaster after all, anyone who wants one can get a good one for small money. But it’s Ed’s tele and should be in the Canadian Museum of Civilization or some such, where all can see it. That’s where I’d put my 5 buck donation (CAD though, not USD).

[Jim Soloway]

It's sold.

[Hammertone]

... As far as I know it is the only guitar he played in public from the mid 60's until the end of his career. ...

Yeah, Ed's tele is cool beans, for sure. He also had a '30s Super 400 w/added McCarty pickup assembly, an ES-175 and an L-5C w/JS pickup (see my post above), which got plenty of play. All lovely guitars!

No, let’s keep it in Canada where it belongs. I don’t usually advocate putting instruments in glass cases but I would make an exception for this one. It’s “only” a telecaster after all, anyone who wants one can get a good one for small money. But it’s Ed’s tele and should be in the Canadian Museum of Civilization or some such, where all can see it. That’s where I’d put my 5 buck donation (CAD though, not USD).

Yes! Unfortunately, the institutional second-raters up here do not have the capacity for such wisdom.

[jads57]

Well Jim Soloway you were correct! I hope it went to a worthy owner. I’m just of the mind set that instruments should be played and not traded like a stock portfolio.
Even as a young kid when I saw Eric Clapton’s Firebird 1 for sale at We Buy Guitars in N.Y.City for $1100. I thought they were nuts, Lol!

[alltunes]

looks like it sold

[Tal_175]

I suspect it's a JGO lurker.

[Jim Soloway]

Well Jim Soloway you were correct! I hope it went to a worthy owner. I’m just of the mind set that instruments should be played and not traded like a stock portfolio.
Even as a young kid when I saw Eric Clapton’s Firebird 1 for sale at We Buy Guitars in N.Y.City for $1100. I thought they were nuts, Lol!

I absolutely agree that it should be played. I can assure you that if I had bought it, it would have been played every day.

[medblues]

The Twelfth Fret had a limited run of this guitar's reproduction (without the relicing) that had tempted me but it was limited and not repeated.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I consider it to be the most iconic Canadian guitar ever and probably one of the three or four most iconic guitars in the history of jazz.

…as do I! But unless the buyer is a legend of similar status and/or never changes anything on it, its market value will fall steadily from the date of its first post-EB work.

This is a sad situation for any buyer who wants to play it regularly. The thrill of playing EB’s guitar every day is palpable - but the more one of us plays it, the more expensive it gets because of the (negative) market value of our provenance.

[YOGA64]

That is so cool. Wonder what gauge strings he used. It does say he had a plain G.

I'd like to know as well....

[Cunamara]

In an interview in Guitar Player Magazine, Ed stated that he used 10–46. I have heard other people mention that he used Ernie Ball strings.

Two of my favorite jazz guitarists with tones that I liked the most (Ed Bickert and Jim Hall) both used light gauge strings, and Jim also sometimes used a plain G. So much for the typical jazz guitar idea that 13s are necessary for good tone. It seems like both Ed and Jim used a light touch and turned the amp up.

[Jim Soloway]

In an interview in Guitar Player Magazine, Ed stated that he used 10–46. I have heard other people mention that he used Ernie Ball strings.

Two of my favorite jazz guitarists with tones that I liked the most (Ed Bickert and Jim Hall) both used light gauge strings, and Jim also sometimes used a plain G. So much for the typical jazz guitar idea that 13s are necessary for good tone. It seems like both Ed and Jim used a light touch and turned the amp up.

That's my recipe as well but you really can't get heavy handed with that setup or you can get some awful noise explosions.

[DRS]

Sold
That guitar is up there with Robbie's bronzed Strat and Neil's Old Black as an example of iconic Canadian guitars. Obviously, those guitars being rock star guitars are worth a lot more. But I love Ed and that is - in the collector's world - an affordable collectible. I don't know who bought it but I could see a guy like Randy Bachman pouncing on it.

The price converted into Canadian $ with Ontario sales tax would be almost $50K CDN which is a lot of money to me so I'm out.
But some guys drop that on accessories to their Porsches. It's relative.

When ever I see these mid 60 Teles I kick myself because in 1985 I was in a music store and had to make the choice between a 1965 Tele that looked just like Ed's for $600 and a new Ibanez PL1220 in bright red for $550. The store offered financing on new guitars but not used.
I didn't have $600 cash so I bought the wrong guitar

[Litterick]

Globe and Mail: Canadian jazz great Ed Bickert’s guitar sold to anonymous buyer for US$32,500

The Telecaster attracted interest from both American and Canadian buyers. “There was a real respect for the instrument,” said Twelfth Fret’s Chris Bennett. “I had people telling me they’d love to take the guitar on, but there’s a whole aura to it.”

According to Bennett, a professional guitarist and a vintage guitar expert, the jazz guitar market differs from the rock guitar scene, where celebrity instruments are flipped indiscriminately. “If someone were to get up on stage and play Ed’s guitar, people would expect something special and particular,” Bennett said. “Personally, the guitar has more mojo than I could deal with.”

[alpop]

Just saw this video:

[Dave24309]

I liked how he trimmed his string ends and tucked them under the strings on the headstock. They didn't extend beyond the headstock and didn't poke anything. Clever!

[Dave24309]

Here's the headstock photo... Interesting string management.

[jads57]

A true guitar hero and a testament to the genius of Leo Fenders design,as well as Seth Lovers PAF!

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I liked how he trimmed his string ends and tucked them under the strings on the headstock. They didn't extend beyond the headstock and didn't poke anything. Clever!

Aren't those the vintage split tuners you can just stuff the end down into?

[Dave24309]

Good point. They're wrapped through the middle and look locked somehow. I wonder if anyone at Twelfth Fret knows how he did it? Anyone familiar with this method? It MUST improve tone....

[wintermoon]

? why not just cut them @ the tuning post?

[Cunamara]

Aren't those the vintage split tuners you can just stuff the end down into?

A-yup! That's what I do on my Fenders and my GB10. No finger pokes, doesn't tear up my gig bags and looks so much better. I am always baffled that it is not the standard for every tuner.

[jumpnblues]

Me three!