In the summertime of 1965, nothing in nation music was hotter than the uncooked and visceral sound of Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, powered by Tom Brumley’s candy pedal metal and Don Wealthy’s twangy Telecaster. Collectively, they outlined the “Bakersfield Sound,” and each nation lead guitarist in the present day can hint a few of their enjoying again to these concepts.

Between late 1964 and mid ’66, Wealthy performed a Customized Tele with a gold-sparkle end that has since change into one of the vital electrical guitars within the historical past of nation music, partially as a result of it was used when the band recorded “I’ve Bought a Tiger by the Tail,” “Buckaroo,” and “Collectively Once more,” then carried out at Carnegie Corridor on March 25, 1966. Sixty years in the past, it disappeared.

Delivered to Owens together with an identical Jazz Bass in late ’64, its earliest documented use was on a January ’65 episode of “The Jimmy Dean Present” in New York Metropolis. The ultimate recognized pictures of its use date from April 26, 1966, throughout the taping of episodes 15-18 of “The Buck Owens Ranch Present” in Oklahoma Metropolis. The maple fretboard had a singular grain sample on the sixteenth fret, which makes it instantly identifiable.

Additionally one of many first to make use of floor mirror glass as an alternative of metalflake to create the glint end, it was a staff effort led by designer George Fullerton and guitar builder Ronnie Beers. Manufacturing unit information together with noticed proof present that by late ’64, that they had made only one Jazz Bass and 5 Telecasters with the end – for Wealthy, Owens, Fullerton, Forrest White, and one which remained at Fender.

Invoice Carson, a Western-swing guitarist who examined devices in dwell settings and helped Leo design the Strat, later remembered, “We experimented with floor glass and polyester compound, utilizing a two-nozzle gun that sprayed each without delay. You needed to be on the cash as a result of about 45 seconds after the compound was utilized, the end obtained laborious as a diamond.”

Fender Customized Store co-founding Grasp Builder Mark Kendrick examined two of the Teles and notes they have been constructed utilizing grain-filled ash our bodies that got a light-grey undercoat and the polyester/crushed-glass combination as a high coat. They’re among the many earliest Fenders to make use of a maple-cap fretboard and “transition model” headstock brand. The our bodies are sure high and again with a black and white “checkerboard” plastic that Fender information attribute to Roger Rossmeisl.

Finally, the experiment was ended on account of difficulties conserving the glass suspended within the poly lengthy sufficient to spray it, together with the mess made by glass shards within the overspray.

Carson later laughingly remembered, “Don favored the truth that the additional weight meant that he may hit a notice on Labor Day and you possibly can nonetheless hear it ringing at Christmas.” Fullerton’s son, Geoff, added, “As I keep in mind, the end on my father’s was painfully tough. He mentioned that was one of many complaints about these guitars. No person needed to the touch them.”

It follows that the end may have broken their custom-made Nudie stage fits.

So, what occurred to Wealthy’s guitar? There are a couple of possible eventualities…

It might have been returned to the manufacturing facility. In Could of ’66, Fender began manufacturing of a alternative set – two Telecasters and a Precision Bass – with a silver metalflake end. They have been delivered to Owens that summer time. And whereas Owens stored his gold-sparkle Tele, Wealthy’s household doesn’t keep in mind conserving his. Conversely, his son, Vic, remembers that his father adored the alternative silver-sparkle Tele, and his mother and father mentioned buying it.

Alternatively, the guitar could have been broken, destroyed, or disassembled for elements. A number of remaining Buckaroos recount different devices utilized by the band that met such a destiny – normally in incidents associated to bass participant Doyle Holly’s stage antics. Ominously, the silver-sparkle Tele utilized by Wealthy has a neck plate with a serial quantity that dates to late ’64. Is that this the one remaining artifact of the gold-sparkle Telecaster? Maybe a nostalgic reminder scavenged from the guitar he performed so briefly?

One other risk raised by a number of individuals with data of the Owens operation was that the guitar could have been stolen from Owens’ recording studio in Bakersfield. Between excursions, the devices have been saved of their instances alongside one wall of the primary room. The studio was continuously booked, safety was lax, and there was little to stop anybody from strolling out with devices.

As a ultimate enigmatic footnote, amongst Fender information is a typewritten notice dated August 22, 1966, from manufacturing supervisor George Fullerton to his boss, Forrest White, saying, “We discovered one of many outdated Telecasters that belonged to Buck Owens and it was repaired and shipped by Greyhound to the bus terminal in Bakersfield to the eye of Don Wealthy.”

Was this the ’55/’56 white-guard Tele that Wealthy performed between 1960 and ’64? Or was it the early black-guard owned by Owens? What was the restore? If it was one of many gold-sparkle Teles, why did Fullerton confer with it as “outdated”? We could by no means know.

Neither Owens nor Wealthy ever commented publicly on the destiny of his gold-sparkle guitar. And finally, its disappearance is probably not vital. Past his music, there are valuable few artifacts of Don Wealthy’s profession. And as followers of music, artists, and their devices, we take pleasure in pointing at one thing and saying, “It began there.”

Particular due to Justin Norvell, Chase Paul, and Chris Gumbleton at Fender/Customized Store, and Jim Shaw on the Buck Owens Personal Basis.
Joe Spann spent 9 years as a touring/recording musician and is the creator of Spann’s Information to Gibson 1902-1941. Since 2015, he has been the appraiser at Gruhn Guitars.

The handwritten notes of George Fullerton present that on or about December 2, 1964, he approved manufacturing to start on 5 Customized Telecasters with ash our bodies, sparkle end, matching peghead end, maple necks with a maple cap, black body-edge binding and “checkerboard” edge trim. The end idea was delivered to Fender by their lacquer salesman, who had seen it in a Nevada on line casino. Here’s what we learn about them in the present day.

The Don Wealthy Telecaster

Present whereabouts unknown. Probably broken in an onstage accident on the Melodyland Theater in Anaheim on Could 24, 1966. Two days after that present, Buck Owens visited Fender’s manufacturing facility and ordered the better-known “silver sparkle” set to interchange the mirror-glass set.

The Buck Owens Telecaster

At present held at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, in Bakersfield. Probably broken in the identical incident on the Melodyland Theater, it has been closely rebuilt with a alternative neck, attachment plate, and pots that each one date to mid 1966. In a manufacturing facility memo dated August 22, 1966, George Fullerton wrote, “We discovered one of many outdated Telecasters that belonged to Buck Owens and it was repaired and shipped by Greyhound to the bus terminal in Bakersfield to the eye of Don Wealthy.”

The George Fullerton Telecaster

Fullerton’s private guitar bought by Gruhn Guitars in 2003 and was on show at Songbirds Museum earlier than proprietor David Davidson stepped away from the group to co-found Nicely Strung Guitars, the place it now resides. On a number of events, it has been confused with the Don Wealthy guitar.

The Forrest White Telecaster

Bought by White in 1978, it’s at the moment in personal palms.

The Fender Manufacturing unit Telecaster

At present on the Fender Customized Store, this guitar was by no means bought. John Web page remembers seeing it in Freddie Tavares’ workplace way back to 1978. It was additionally displayed on the 2001 NAMM present in Nashville, with some mistakenly assuming it was the Buck Owens or Don Wealthy guitar. – Joe Spann

This text initially appeared in VG’s October 2025 concern. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.