Paging Bassasin - ancient Japcrap Tele

[Dave Vader]

I've had this tele for the last twenty years or so, picked it up for 25 quid in a junk shop and fell heartily in love with it.



It only ever had the word 'telecaster' on the headstock which looked to have been done in letraset and what seems to be the remains of a badge rather than a decal or inlay next to it. I had it refretted, bone-nutted and seymour duncan hotrailed for big loud noises, and have used it pretty constantly ever since. I always thought it was home-made, especially since it seems to have been refinished in some kind of fence-paint.
The body is a 3 layer ply (not really ply then) and the neck is 3 piece as well.

Then I came across another one for a tenner at a car boot sale, and realised it was an actual japanese production instrument - which clearly means it would have an impossible to find out history and would have had a million different badges on the headstocks.



I hacked that one up even more and gave it to my stepson for his 14th birthday 11 years ago.



Anyway, I saw something that looked like it on a vintage and rare site for about £550 the other day, and thought I maybe should have left it stock.
The closest I have found to it is badged as a National Finger Talker
https://drowninginguitars.com/2015/04/26/the-finger-talker-1972-national-telecaster-ft440-2-tc-51-guitar/

I'm just curious to find out a bit more about the history of these cheapy teles, as they are lovely, but I had always assumed them to be pretty much worthless. Any information you have would be much appreciated (I'm looking at you Jon).

[Dave Vader]

Just to add, it originally had a pair of chrome lipstick tube pickups in it, before I put the hot rails in.
Wish I'd kept them, they were fun.