1950 Fender Broadcaster, Blonde

A superb piece of Fender history, this 1950 Fender Broadcaster #0080 is a fantastic early example from the very dawn of Leo Fender’s solidbody revolution. Having remained in the same ownership since 1981, this Broadcaster was previously owned by Martin Barre, who acquired it from Paul Hamer in the 1970s.

The ash body was refinished a long time ago, certainly before the current ownership and known to pre-date 1981. The grain is particularly attractive, and the body retains all the early Broadcaster tooling details, including the long drill-hole wiring channel from neck pickup to the bridge pickup cavity, seen before Fender introduced the later doughnut and channel route to make production/assembly easier.

The neck is everything you’d hope to see from this period, with the maple truss rod plug, single round string tree, correct Broadcaster decal, and router hole behind the D tuner present and correct. As is sometimes the case with Broadcasters there are no pencil dates or signatures, which is consistent with other examples. The profile is a lovely soft V, perfectly proportioned and very comfortable in the hand. It has been refretted with larger fret wire, the nut has been replaced, it's been oversprayed a long time ago and there is honest wear from years of use, giving that silky feel players know and love.

The bridge pickup measures just over 9k, which is not unusual for the Broadcaster period. There’s real weight and substance in the bridge position without losing clarity or string to string definition, with a nicely balanced top end and plenty of rich midrange behind it. Bringing the neck pickup in via the original blend circuit gives some superb rhythm sounds, adding warmth and roundness while still retaining definition. On its own, the neck pickup is beautifully bell-like, warm and rounded, offering a softer character that contrasts perfectly with the punch and drive of the bridge pickup.

The bridge pickup is a copper baseplate version typically seen from '51 onwards. The bobbins fluoresce correctly under blacklight. It retains its string wrap and black and white cloth leads. The chrome covered neck pickup appears correct. The Broadcaster blend circuit is still intact, with the early three-way layout of dark neck preset, neck with tone control, and bridge with blend control, along with the correct CRL switch, wax paper .05 capacitor, 15k resistor, Stackpole solid-shaft pots, and period cloth wiring. There is some messy soldering, but the overall loom appears correct.

The tuners are mixed, with three 'PAT applied,' no line, closed shell Klusons typically seen from '51, and 3 later '50s single-line, Pat No. open shell Klusons made between '58-'60, all with correct slot-head screws. It retains its black Bakelite guard, tall dome knobs, round Pat Pend switch tip, correct bridge with flat-bottom brass saddles, neck plate, strap buttons and correct slot-head screws throughout.

All in all, this is a fantastic early Broadcaster with huge historical importance, excellent provenance, and all the right early-production quirks that make these first-generation Fender solidbodies so desirable. A serious collector’s piece, but also still a wonderfully alive and inspiring guitar to play. Comes complete with the original 'thermometer' case.