Actually, I got it last Friday, but just getting around to posting this. Now you know why I've been selling a bunch of pedals...

I'd been looking at used '72 RI Thinlines off and on for a few months, but hadn't pulled the trigger on one for one main reason: With my spousal "one in , one out" agreement, I would have to get rid of an existing guitar. The logical one was the Squier Cabronita I bought a year ago, but I didn't want to give it up since it's my only guitar with a Bigsby vibrato. But while poking around on Reverb.com a couple of weeks ago, damned if I didn't come across a nice Thinline WITH A BIGSBY!! Problem solved! Not only that, but it was not the usual natural or sunburst finish--it was from a special Thinline production run in custom colors back in 2002. This one is Daphne Blue, but they also made them in Candy Apple Red, Surf Green, Shell Pink and Lake Placid Blue at that time. The Bigsby is not a factory installation but an aftermarket unit from ZZ Guitarworks. Looks to me like they started with a Bigsby tailpiece and then modified & re-badged it, adding a bridge assembly of their own design. It doesn't require any drilling of the guitar body to install--it's held in place by the bottom strap button plus the string tension across the bottom roller. Sounds like it would be kind of flimsy, but it seems very solid. I wouldn't try what Steve Vai does at around 0:40 into THIS CLIP, but for my modest vibrato needs, it's quite stable enough.

Not only that, but the Fender Wide Range RI pickups in the guitar had been upgraded by Curtis Novak to the configuration of the original '72 Wide Range humbuckers, which used individual threaded rod magnets rather than the typical humbucker construction with a bar magnet under steel pole pieces. It's a pretty expensive modification (Novak charged about $150 per pickup for the mod, as I understand) but imparts great clarity & string definition, as well as nailing the unique tone of the originals.

I really love the look & feel of the guitar. It's in great condition and I love the color. I dialed in the saddle heights and intonation, and the guitar plays very well. The sound of the Novak-modified WRHBs definitely lives up to the claims. They sound to me like a middle ground between single coils and humbuckers--very open and chimey, with more girth than a single coil; not the power and warmth you'd expect with a classic PAF-style humbucker, but with greater note articulation and a brighter top end. And through an overdrive pedal into my Allen Sweet Spot, the tone is to die for. And I really don't notice any loss of sustain from the conversion from the stock string-through configuration to the top-loader design needed for the Bigsby. Just a really cool guitar and not something you see every day!

Below are several photos posted by the seller. I haven't taken shots of my own yet, so these will have to do.

P.S. If anybody is interested in that Squier Cabronita....sorry, it's already sold!

72_tele_thinline_RI_in_case.jpg 72_tele_thinline_RI_body.jpg 72_tele_thinline_RI_bigsby.jpg 72_tele_thinline_RI_bridge.jpg 72_tele_thinline_RI_mounting_plate.jpg