A 1955 Fender Telecaster solid body electric guitar, serial #6915, in butterscotch blond. Owned and played by John Porter, musician and producer who’s worked with a wide range of artists from Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh, and The Smiths –– all of whom have used this Telecaster on their records.

John originally purchased his so-called “Lucky” Telecaster from Pete Townsend’s guitar tech, Alan Rogan. It was featured on Porter’s work with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh, and Lucky Peterson.

According to Porter, Johnny Marr also played it on nearly every Smiths track Porter worked on, its chiming sound often attributed to guitarist Marr’s Rickenbacker. Marr used this guitar on the first Smiths record, and perhaps its most famous contribution to Smiths music history is that it was to record the slide guitar part on The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?”

The guitar features a 25.5” scale length maple neck with a 21 fret maple fingerboard and black dot position marker inlays. The neck has a pencil date of 6-55, indicating a mid-1955 production date. The neck plate bears the serial "6915" which fits within the 1955 model year. The ash body has a vintage-style bridge, a black pickguard, and was red and routed for a neck humbucker when Porter acquired it. Porter had it entirely refinished back to butterscotch by luthier Roger Giffin. There is still red present in the neck pocket and the rout has not been filled. Some electronic components have been changed including the pickups and volume potentiometer; switch and tone pot appear era-correct. Partially re-wired with enamel coated wire.

Includes modeled Fender hardshell case and a copy of Vintage Guitar Magazine from February 2008 which features this guitar (identified as a 1954 model).

Guitars & Instruments