The Telecaster Thinline and Telecaster Deluxe had a pair of humbuckers, that was not what players wanted at that time during the 70’s. The “model” they wanted was already in use by such influencial guitarists as Mike Bloomfield, Albert Lee, and Keith Richards, all of whom were playing Telecasters that had been customized with a humbucking pickup in the neck position.

In 1972, Fender offered that single-coil and humbucker configuration but gave it the confusing name of Custom Telecaster.

It did not have the bound body of the earlier Telecaster Custom, and Fender further confused the two models by referring to the new model in literature as the Telecaster Custom.

Although it seemed to be the perfect combination of Fender and Gibson sounds, it never caught on with players and was discontinued in 1980.