The Pink Paisley Telecaster: Chicken Pickin' goes Psychedelic

In the late 60's country music was in decline and rock & roll had grown into a major cultural force. As a result, the Telecaster, Fender's premier country twanger, fell into disfavor and was not seen as "cool" among the period's rock bands. In what seemed like a somewhat desperate move, Fender, now owned by CBS, decided to make a "hippie" version of the venerable Tele. Taking what is described as "wallpaper" Fender applied a paisley pattern to the front and back of Telecasters in 1968 and 1969. These Teles were not only paisley, but the wallpaper was feathered into the edges of the guitar with a pinkish-red color. Pretty soon, they were known as Pink Paisley Teles. A blue floral design was also developed by applying floral wallpaper to the front and back of the guitar and feathering the edge with blue paint.


Sometime in 1969, Elvis Presley bought a Pink Paisley Tele and gave it to James Burton, his lead guitar player who became legendary for his work with Presley, Ricky Nelson, and many others. Though Burton had long been well respected in the guitar players' world, most rockers at the time had no desire to play a pink paisley axe. Dealers that had taken a chance on the model found the guitars the subject of ridicule and nearly impossible to sell. Many were sold at bargain basement prices just to get rid of them and others were even given away to customers who bought other items. The Blue Floral Tele fared a little better but it too was a failure in the stores so the experiment was discontinued in 1969.

For many years the '68/'69 Paisley and Floral Teles could be bought for much less than comparable Teles with standard finishes. Indeed many were stripped to the natural wood or painted other more standard colors. In the 1980's, mostly due to their uniqueness, the "Psychedelic Teles" started to become collectible, especially the Pink Paisleys. The demand was such that Fender Japan started making both the Pink Paisley and Blue Floral Tele reissues in 1984. Fender USA, having seen the power of the reissue market, started importing the Japanese versions.

The collectability rating of the original '68 and '69 Paisleys and Florals has been on the rise since the early 90′s to where they have become one of the most sought after Telecasters on the vintage market. Because so many were sanded down or stripped, finding one with an original finish is quite rare making them more valuable every year.