Brass-ed

Installed brass saddles into my Fender TL-Rose. These are the Gotoh version & they are tilted as such by default. This is of course to address the intonation issues of the traditional Tele saddles. 

The benefit of having brass is that it adds more sting into the tone. I hear the difference but only more apparent in clean/ semi-driven tones. Once the overdrive kicks in at full tilt, you'd hear the drive more than the brass. My take in this is, if you play predominantly clean tones, it's worth the hassle. Otherwise, stick to the default units. 

Rosy re-string

This has to be my shred Tele; action is super low on this one. I'm actually making full use of the smaller, shorter frets which allow for a lower action. The overall satin finish on this one also spurs me to play faster. I bought this at Davis GMC when there were many Japanese Fender models in store. Good to know that they are bringing in more of such Fenders soon. 

If you take a closer look, I've swapped out the original M-type string retainer for this rounded, modern version. The former pushed the strings way down, strings are touching the headstock bit just after the nut. This helped with the elevation issue & it's more responsive to tuning as well.

Unexpected combo but what a pair! These Seymour Duncan pickups simply compliment each other. Despite being labelled as a Vintage Stack, the neck pickup can keep up with the bridge Hot Stack in terms of drive & distortion. Also, these stack models don't wimp out in terms of clarity which is essential for me. 

La Bella strings this time & they are good strings indeed. Note that these feature coloured ball ends & not to me mistaken for D'Addarios.

Fender: TL Rose- string retainer

 

That's how the original string retainer looks like; it's the vintage type with a very steep break angle, it sat flushed against the surface. I couldn't slip the strings sideways, the string must be threaded through so this increases the chances of the surface being scratched.

When it comes to 'Fender', many of us are bent on keeping the features original but I simply can't stand the fact that such details offer me nothing in terms owner attachment; it makes me feel really dumb having something there which I did not approve of. So that string retainer, however 'true' it was to its original incarnation, made way for the more contemporary Fender American Standard version; the rounded contact surface means tuning is smooth & snag free.

The vintage conundrum

On some days, I believe vintage pickups has the best sustain-inducing goodness money can buy. The sweet overdrive is also one that highlights clarity to propel one's playing. On other days, I feel they are severely under-performing as far as my needs are concerned. Their lack of drive saturation without external enhancements is a sheer put off for me. 

These vintage-type pickups in my Fender TL-Rose are such a conundrum. In a single sitting, I love & hate them but more often than not, they would bow out for other preferred substitutes. I'd say that vintage type pickups suit players with limited overdrive adventure; I'm definitely not that type of a player. Even for a guitar that is removed from any extremist imagery as the Telecaster, I just have to have pickups that sway my way.

Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend with their favourite instruments.

Fender: TL-Rose

I would like to end the Sunday on this note- my real birthday present is the Fender TL-Rose seen here.

No, I'm not a George Harrison fan who insist on owning an inaccurate repro for nostalgia's sake. The Beatles were singing the tunes of my father's time. I grew up on a healthy dose of Depeche Mode. Yes, the Japanese Fender you see here is an inaccurate reproduction of the original model, instead of rosewood engulfing the guitar in its entirety, the body sports a rosewood front & rear; the sandwiched wood in question is basswood. No, I'm not a fan of a very arched fretboard radius as well but this guitar plays well in my hands. In fact, the rather thin neck was what drove me to bring it home despite not being a fan.

I'm taking this opportunity to announce the demise of Fender Japan. That's right, Fender Japan is history. FMIC had bought over whatever Japanese stake there was to offer & they are now running the show. They have removed many duplicate models in the Japanese catalog & those which are too similar to the international offerings will suffer the same fate. Many former Japanese models have been renamed & tweaked (in terms of specs) to show the world that these are 'new' instruments emerging from the acquisition. Do you think they will sport a 'new' price tag? We very well know the answer to this question.

All in all, today is still not my birthday.