CRL 1452: Pickup Selector for the First Fender Guitar
CRL 1452 was the 3-way pickup selector for the first Fender guitar manufactured in 1950
Electroswitch Electronic Products has manufactured all CRL 1452s since 1992 in Raleigh, NC, USA
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Buy New
Electroswitch Factory Direct (Min qty 500)
Mojotone US$13.00
Mouser Electronics $15.94 (500)
The Art of Tone $16.99
Master Electronics $17.72
Online Components $17.72
Warmoth Custom Guitar Parts $18.00
Tone Shaper $19.99
Swinger Parts $25.65
StewMac $28.06
DiMarzio $28.99
Allparts $31.99
WD Music Products $42.30
Next Gen Musical (Canada) CAD$33.99
Solo Guitars (Canada) CAD$32.99
Bare Knuckle Pickups (UK) £21.30
Six String Supplies (UK) £19.95
Axesrus (UK) £22.98
Tube Amp Doctor (Euro Zone) €29.00
Goldo Music (Euro Zone) €34.00
Muztek (Korea) 40,000원
(Prices last updated 2-27-2025)
Catalogs
CRL 1452 in catalogs
Determine Age
Manufacturers
1922 Central Radio Laboratories founded (2)
The original manufacturer. Later, its name was shortened to CRL, also known as Centralab
1925 Globe-Union acquires CRL/Centralab (2)
The CRL 1452 was designed and manufactured starting in 1939
1980 North American Philips acquires CRL/Centralab (3)
Engraves extra upside-down alpha characters on the backs of the CRL 1452s
1992 Electroswitch Electronic Products acquires CRL/Centralab
Redesigned the CRL 1452 and manufactures it out of the Raleigh, NC plant
Sources
1. Duchossoir, A.R., The Fender Telecaster, 1st ed., Hal Leonard Publishing Company, 1991,ISBN 978-0-7935-0860-0, p. 63.
https://www.book-info.com/isbn/0-7935-0860-6.htm
2. Fehring, Thomas H., The Magnificent Machines of Milwaukee and the Engineers Who Created Them, January 2022 edition, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2022, ISBN-10: 1542549167, p. 257-9.
https://milwaukee.countycat.mcfls.org/Record/.b39745107
3. This Month in History: Centralab Electronics | Johnson Controls