Pac Man

Once again, Fender never fails to entice us with novelty. This Player II Telecaster would perform equally well without the Pac Man graphics. Then again, should we be buying Fenders in view of what it's doing to others?

Pic: Fender

75th UII

In the mean time, Fender has some 75th Anniversary stuff going & this Ultra II Tele is quite a stunner. That flip-flop finish is something that I like. As you can see, these are not meant to emulate the traditional Tele single coil tones as the bridge pickup is a humbucker (Fender's own Fastlane pickup). This one also sports a compound radius, together with the D-profile neck, the guitar moves away from traditional specs. Downright desirable but it's gonna be costly.

Pic: Fender

Jr for Tele

Still wondering what took so long for Seymour Duncan to make this available. Anyway, this is the JB Jr. for Tele. The Strat version had been available for a while & it's time everybody's Tele get to experience this sonic pleasure. 

I have a soft spot for the JB, it's my first Seymour Duncan humbucker but I got it installed in the neck position 😅 This made way to the bridge a long while later but realized, I needed a TB version because the guitar in question was an Ibanez (featuring a Lo-Pro Edge bridge). Along the way, I tried many other Duncan humbuckers but the JB has that signature midrange thrust that's so suitable for my brand of metal music. 

EDIT: This might not be a completely new product but a revision of the existing model. Awaiting confirmation.

Pic: SD

Muscle T

Seriously, I don't know what's trending in the Tele Universe these days but DiMarzio has answered a call for more hard-hitting tele tones. The Muscle T models here serve to appease those gain fiends but we wonder if these players would resort to a Tele for such needs. In any case, notice that the bridge PU's pole pieces are staggered. The neck version is rather excessive in the top end with bass frequencies nearly wiped out. The reason for doing so - to enhance the Tele tone in this position which many considered lacking in definition. I can attest to this as I always look forward to beef things up in this department.

Pics: DiMarzio

Monster Hunter something

Fender Japan has this collab release with Monster Hunter World called the Rathalos Tele. Seriously, I am clueless when it comes to all these... just feel that these guitars are cool as heck 😅 

This one has those claw marks & cost a little more than its mark-less counterpart. Like $1K more. OK so it comes with a hardcase as well.

Pics: Fender Japan

Review quickie: Seymour Duncan Five-Two

This is a quirky pickup by Seymour Duncan. The Five-Two here refers to the magnets used in this pickup - Alnico II for the E-B-G strings & Alnico 5 for the D-A-E strings. This model is offered for both Tele & Strat applications. 

Likes

• clarity
• warm cleans
• thick distorted tones

Dislikes

• rather sensitive to pickup height adjustments

If there's any magic manifesting from this hybrid magnet design then it's proving its worth. The Five-Two has very good articulation across the frequencies despite the EQ chart suggesting a scooped setting. In clean mode, it sounds warm with an impressive midrange presence, again, contrary to what the EQ documented. I love this pickup for its lead / solo applications; it sounds very humbucker-ish without becoming mushy at high gain / drive levels. If you wish for a commanding lead tone without resorting to the ceramic discourse, then this pickup is it. I feel that it's rather sensitive to pickup height adjustments, more apparent in distorted settings.

Rating: 90%

Let Larry Basilio convince you:

Seymour Duncan: Five-Two

Availability: Davis GMC

List: $130

Pics: Seymour Duncan

Ghost

The latest Fender John 5 Telecaster is called Ghost; pale complexion with a tinge of blood. Perfect. It has a pair of DiMarzio D Activators on board so it means business when it comes to distortion. Not my thing but I like the blank fretboard.

Pic: Fender

Gold (Foil) @ Swee Lee

Fender Gold Foil models are in at Swee Lee but it's the Tele ($1,799) & Jazz bass ($1,899) in the mean time. That JB is interesting isn't it? A single pickup guitar when traditionally, it features two pickups.

Pics: Fender

Antigua Friday

The Telecaster is just a simple wonder. It's one of those guitars that lets you focus on playing rather than being bothered by features. My beef with the Tele is the slab body design. These days the rear belly cut is present in many design but the elbow relief is quite absent in majority of the Tele models. These days, I prefer lesser frets on a Fender so the 21 you see here is a personal preference. More frets letting you play better is a juvenile philosophy.

Review quickie: Fender (Japan) Telecaster Jr

The Junior models are supposed to be Japan exclusive but these are available here. 'Junior' here is not a travel version of the Telecaster where everything shrinks. In this case, the instrument itself is only about 94% of its standard incarnation in terms of dimensions. The scale length is also reduced to 24" which is nothing new to Fender as the Jaguar is also sporting the exact scale length & it's a standard-sized guitar. Pickups are in-house Junior Collection Modified Single Coil Pickups.

Likes

• well built, no skimpy fixture
• responsive tuners
• impressive clarity from both pickups
• light
• bone nut (well-cut, no choking)

Dislikes

• light
• pickups lack low end punch
• price

The reduced overall dimensions of this Tele means it's not for everyone, especially those of us who are used to the standard sized version. Note that the instrument's weight & pickup performance contribute to both the hits & misses of this guitar's performance. It's a fantastic extended gigging guitar if weight considerations is your thing. You can virtually strap this on for the entire day without taxing your spine. However, the lack of substantiality in this department turns the guitar into an overtly bright sounding instrument. Even unplugged, you can hear how bright it is when strummed. This is compounded by the bright-sounding pickups. If twang is your thing then this in heavenly. But if you wish for this guitar to cover a bit more musical territory, a swap in pickups might be necessary. That said, the clarity from the default pickups are outstanding. 

Since I own the Jaguar, I'm not affected by the neck's playability of this Tele. In fact, I do not feel marked differences between the two guitars. The body might be the main influence in making you feel the instrument is indeed smaller than its counterparts. 

I must say that the price of this instrument is unreasonable. It's a hair short of $1.5K & it's actually a diminished version of a Telecaster; shouldn't that be abridged by a diminished price tag as well? In view of no special highlight or features of the Junior series (in-house pickups, in-house hardware, no exotic grade wood, etc. ) in general, this is a terrible value-for-money consideration. You are better off getting a Mexican Telecaster if you wish for a no-nonsense Telecaster experience at this price point.

Final rating: 80%

Fender: Junior Collection Telecaster (Japan)

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

Price: $1,499 (bag included)

Junior appearances

Fender Japan Junior models are now available at Swee Lee. Here are the breakdown of prices:

• Stratocaster: $1,499
• Telecaster: $1,499
• Jazzmaster: $1,549
• Jazz bass: $1,549

I'm doing a re-think in the mean time with regards to the purchase of any one of these models. A shorter-scaled Jazzmaster? But the Jaguar is already a shorter-scaled offset model with no compromise in body size. Shorter-scaled Jazz bass? Same thing - the Mustang bass is already a shorter-scaled offset bass. Shorter-scaled Strat / Tele? You won't get the exact snap of the standard 25.5" versions. Hmm...

Pic: Gearnews

Green goodness

This is my shred Tele so to speak. It sports a low action, lower than some of my Ibanez guitars & yes, it's a little buzzy at the upper frets but it's not fret buzz, it's due to the low action.

This was brought out for some attention due to the dead parts you see above. The 3-way selector is so rusty, it won't budge even after using a generous amount of contact cleaner. These are expendables & we shouldn't hold back from replacing them, especially in this dire condition. Same goes for the volume pot you see there. 

And a fresh set of strings to end things on a good note. Next time it's out, it will undergo a cosmetic make-over. That won't be soon. 

JV

Fender released the JV Modified series this 2022 to re-live the 80s Japanese vibe. The irony of it all - back then, the Japanese were trying to keep up with American standards but today, they hold these in high regards. Those of us who were destined to handle / own one in person would know that these instruments hold their own when it comes to quality & tone. Some things to note:

• Bodies are basswood
• Special switch to activate neck pickup regardless of which pickup combo you're in
• Locking tuners - look like the Magnum-Lok Gotohs but Fender might have something totally their own 
• Medium jumbo frets
• Thick, soft V profile neck. The last soft V profile I came across that was a joy to play (because the V wasn't intrusive) was an Edwards. Hope this version is comparable

Pic: Fender International

Price watch (22)

Swee Lee has the black version for $249. OK, so it's the nostalgic brown version with the silk blanket that looks very well taken care of (I think it's Canadian) but it's more than 2x the price of what you can get for new.

Similar price issue here; when it was still available at Swee Lee, it was $1,399. 

Know what you are selling

I came across this listing  last weekend - seller was selling an 'Ibanez electric guitar 'as titled. However, we see different models depicted including a non-Ibanez.

So I prompted him & it entailed in the above conversation. Folks, it's important to know what you have when you are letting it go. If you are unsure, state it as such. Highly likely, there will be someone who knows & you will get your details from that source. My concern when trawling the after-market is that my fellow enthusiasts gets the maximum probability of selling his / her pre-loved gear. Ambiguous / doubtful details don't help. More often that not, I will recommend others your listing if I think you have a good one or your gear is a value-for-money deal.

This is another example; depicted is the Fender Blue Flower Telecaster, not a Paisley. The Pink Paisley version looks like this:

Some seller will edit their listing upon prompting, others will stand their ground. We are not here to tell others to mend their ways (or errors in this case), we are just being helpful. One more time - it's a small gear community we have here, we are better off helping one another.

Pic: behngipseng

Acoustasonic Player

The Acoustasonic models are a big hit for Fender despite them being above the midprice range. With the Player version (seen above - Acoustasonic Player Telecaster), it's no hiding the fact that they are cashing in on the popularity. This Mexican version shaved $800 off the list price. It will first attract the interest of those who had dismissed the Acoustasonic based on price per se. After witnessing the goodness first hand, they might just do an 'upgrade' along the way. The uninitiated will of course venture into the Acoustasonic territory as things are seemingly more 'affordable' with the Player models. So it's win-win for Fender.

Pic: Fender

75th

 

The 75th Anniversary Telecaster is now in stock at Swee Lee (List: $1,299 bag included). 

I'm not too into any commemorative guitars but having said that, I own the Fender 50th Anniversary Strat 😁 The Strat in question was a well made instrument, it sounds awesome as well & more importantly, it was conceived to reflect the Strat heritage so some specs were of historical intention unlike the 75th Anniversary Tele we see here. However, this guitar is definitely an above-average player (at least the one that I handled personally). The construction & fitting are ace. That matching headstock-body finish is a very classy touch as well. Between this one & a Japanese counterpart, it's a very difficult choice if you are into vale-for-money considerations. 

Pics: Fender / Futuremusic

Boxer T

More Fender Boxer series of instruments are now available at Swee Lee. Recent arrival - Boxer Telecaster (List: $1,729 bag included). If you wish to re-live the '80s, this might be it but I doubt this was available  back then here. Nevertheless, it's an opportunity to try & embrace the Japanese craftsmanship. 

Pic: Fender Japan

Duncanized offset

Today is an I wanna play a thick neck day but not a Gibson. The only non-Gibson guitar with a thick neck that I own is this Offset Telecaster. It will rival any 50s neck Gibson around while keeping that Fender C-profile in tact. The only difference here is a rounder C carve bordering on a U. I dislike carrying this guitar around because it's heavy. Due to its offset body outline, it won't fit into other, better padded bags to offset (no pun intended) the weight. The feeble strap of the default Fender bag dug into my shoulder with every walking pace.

New pickups: Seymour Duncan Vintage P90 (n) & Five-Two (b); a deserving & much needed change for the tone I embrace. I reserved a separate appraisal for these two so just a brief mention here.

La Bella 9s for today. If you are interested, do visit TYMC.

Rash

It's Tele Tuesday! Got this out for a re-string & some playing time. I like the tones from the Duncans here (Hot Rails / Hot Tele). Despite being a hot humbucker, the Hot Rails still manifests good twang at lower distortion settings. The neck pickup is one of the clearest sounding in all my Teles, perhaps it's benefitting from the 500K pots. A set of D'Addario 9s, of course.

This is kinda strange; I didn't know a rusty screw would leave a rash mark on the pickguard. It's like the surrounding area was infected by the rust. As you can see, I've replaced it with a new one. In fact, I  replaced all pickguard screws today. Confession: I'm actually not into the sunburst finish but when I saw this on a Tele, I just had to have it. This American Standard Tele is my first ever Fender bought in 1998 when Swee Lee was still located at the rear end of Level 3, Bras Basah Complex. The unit is now occupied by Art Friend's extension space. I simply favour the Tele more than the Strat when it comes to Fender - the reason why I have more Teles in the mean time.