Post by Scott on Jan 21, 2012 15:33:03 GMT -7
The Fender Vintage 52 Hot Rod Tele Thread!
I believe we have a quite few Z-Talk members who bought themselves a Fender Vintage 52 RI Hot Rod Model...
I thought it might be fun to have a thread dedicated to this fantastic model, to share our info and opinions.
If you have a Hot Rod, please feel free to post some pictures or videos up, or list the mods you might have made, or your general opinion of this fine axe.
Anything Hot Rod related at all will do!
Still learning about this guitar, but having big fun on the way.
The Hot Rod Model was introduced in January of 2007.
Features
Thin-skin nitrocellulose finish
Premium ash body
1-piece maple neck
U-shape profile with satin finish on back
9.5" fingerboard radius
21 medium-jumbo frets
25.5" scale length
Nut width: 1.650"
Chrome hardware
Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners
Vintage-style Tele bridge with 3 compensated brass saddles
1-ply black pickguard
Custom Vintage Tele bridge pickup
Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini Humbucker neck pickup
3-position blade pickup selector
Master volume and tone controls
Setup with Fender Super 250R Nickel Plated Steel strings (.010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046)
Includes Vintage Tweed Case, Strap, Cable, and Meguair's care kit
It's made in the USA.
The Hot Rod '52 has a 'Premium Ash' three-piece body finished in Butterscotch Blonde.
The 'Premium' tag indicates a more stringent selection process is used.
The "Premium Ash" Fender uses on these models tends to vary in both weight and number of pieces.
A lucky few will be 1 piece! Some are 2 piece centre-joined, while others (most in fact) are 3 piece bodies.
This timber is considered 'best' for fifties-style Teles thanks partly to its appearance and also to its relatively scooped-mid, rich and lively twangin' tone when compared with alder.
The Hot Rod's total weight tends to vary between 7.5lbs to 8.5lbs.
To finish the body: Fender's uses its thin-skin nitro-cellulose 'lacquer' coat.
To finish the neck: Fender uses a 'Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer' for the front, and a 'Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer' for the back.
Vintage 3 barrel saddle, considered tonally 'best' for fifties Telecasters.
They are made of brass, and compensated to aid in the guitar's intonation.
Pickup Switching - 3-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup.
Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups.
Position 3. Neck Pickup.
The neck pickup rout is specifically for the mini-humbucker size. The rout is 84mm long X30mm wide X 18mm deep.
The Hot Rod uses 375k ohm pots as a compromise between 250k for single coil, and 500k for humbucker.
If the 375k ohm pots bother you, you can have the best of both worlds with the ToneShaper.
www.toneshapers.com/Default.aspx
The Hot Rod 52 RI has a Seymour Duncan SM-1n (neck) pickup: www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/specialized/mini-humbucker/sm1_vintage_min/
Application: Vintage-correct replica of classic Firebird pickup. Great for jazz, blues, rockabilly, classic rock and heavy rock.
Description: The sound is somewhat of a tonal cross between a single-coil and a humbucker. They're brighter and livelier than a full-size humbucker with more "bell tone."
The Alnico 5 magnet and moderate output coil windings make it an authentic tonal reproduction of the great sound of a classic Firebird�. Comes with vintage-style single-conductor hookup cable.
Duncan makes three flavors or standard production mini-humbuckers, that are not Antiquities.
Model: SM-1n (Vintage)
Magnet: Alnico V Bar
Cable: 1-Con Braid Shield
EQ: Treb:6 / Mid:4 / Bass:5
DC Resistance: Neck: 6.54 k
Resonant Peak: Neck: 7 KHz
Output: Moderate
Model: SM-2n (Custom)
Magnet: Ceramic Bar
Cable: Four Con.
EQ: Treb:6 / Mid:6 / Bass:5
DC Resistance: Neck: 8.52 k
Resonant Peak: Neck: 9 KHz
Output: Moderate
Model: SM-3n (Seymourized)
Magnet: Alnico V Bar
Cable: Four Con.
EQ: Treb:6 / Mid:5 / Bass:7
DC Resistance: Neck: 6.29 k
Resonant Peak: Neck: 7 KHz
Output: Moderate
Stats between the SM-1n (Vintage), and SM-3n (Seymourized) Mini-Humbuckers are very similar. The EQ figures suggest that the SM-3n has a fuller mid and low end response.
The SM-1n in the Fender Hot Rod '52 Telecaster, strikes a good balance between a full humbucker tone and the traditional single coil T neck pickup.
Seymour Duncan Mini Humbucker ( SM-1n Neck Pickup ), is a relatively low output, Alnico V design.
It's the kind of pickup you'd find in Gibson Firebirds or Les Paul Deluxes and is a popular mod for Tele players who want more balls from the front pickup.
(Keef and Ronnie fans in particular).
It's a vintage remake with modern upgrades...
For instance it has a 9.5-inch radius fingerboard as opposed to the 7.25" that the regular 52 reissues have.
It also has the Medium Jumbo frets instead of the smaller Vintage style frets.
She felt good in my hands, and also helped to make bending a little easier...
The feel of the neck is what I think made me prefer the Hot Rod, over the others tele's I played.
I am finding I like the 9.5-inch radius fingerboard, and it's just the right thickness for me.
Not a telephone pole, but not the 60's slim taper on my LP either.
Right in the middle.
I also love how rounded the fretboard is on the sides of the neck. So nice... My entry level Gibson LP has much sharper edges.
When your running with the wider neck, this is a nice feature for sure.
I was only shopping for a Tele, but it having a humbucker was not an initial requirement. Its just the way things worked out...
Now I love having the humbucker too. I feel like this guitar does from clean to mean extremely well.
(Or at least as mean as I need it to get.)
When I was buying my Tele from GC, the sales dude told me 'You know your buying the best sounding guitar we have in here...'
Don't know if it was standard sales BS or not, but still was fun for me to hear.
And the more I play this thing, the more I believe he may have been telling me the truth?
I think she is a keeper!
Here is the end of the body.
I believe I ended up with a two-piece (centered seam) 'premium ash' body, not a three-piece as Fender indicates.
Might have been an extra lucky grab?
I have heard that the best tops usually end up on guitars with clear or natural finishes.
Not sure if it's true...
I do know body defects are better hid under a thick coat of candy apple red paint, rather than Fender's thin-skin nitro-cellulose 'lacquer' coat. ;D
Video Reviews...
Vintage Hotrod 52 Telecaster
Fender Telecaster Hot Rod 52 review, using a Carmen Ghia
Flat out playing...
Fender 52 Vintage Hot rod Telecaster - Jason Hobbs
ztalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=zwreck&action=display&thread=39548
drzplayer (Jason Hobbs) wrote: Got a brand new 52 telecaster Vintage Hot Rod now.
It just sounds so much better with my Z-Wreck than my custom shop custom classic tele.
I liked this one better than the 52 reissue.... It had a little more mojo IMO...
I traded my fender custom shop custom classic tele for it... It blows it away, I'm not too convinced these days that custom shops are worth all that extra coin...
In the Z-Wreck this guitar kills my custom shop. Must be the pickups...
DR.Z ZWRECK Demo - Gibson Les Paul and Fender 52 Hot Rod Telecaster
Dave Weiner playing a Fender Hot Rod, through a Z-Wreck.
ztalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=zwreck&action=display&thread=39548
daveweiner wrote: I've got the 52 Hot Rod Tele into my Z Wreck daily. Just amazing tone.
I describe it like biting into the tastiest, juiciest, most wonderful buffalo wings you'd ever have! lol.
The mini bucker is what sold me on the Tele. It's truly mojofull!
Dr Z Prescription ES...Wamplers SLOStortion...52 Hot Rod Tele
Fender 52 Hotrod Telecaster
♫ Fireside Blues-Kenny St. King-Jeff Beck Strat & Hot Rod Telacaster-NEW 2012 Blues Music
Fender Wars! Jeff Beck Strat vs Hot Rod Telecaster by K St. King
Telecaster Stratocaster Blues - Kenny St. King-Jeff Beck Strat/Hot Rod Telecaster-2012 Blues Music
Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster
Francisco Abreu improvising with his Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster.
JAVIER AVILES - Guitar Song - FIRE ON MY GUITAR
Tone Tip: How to Achieve a Country Tele Twang.
A few post's from around the net, on the Hot Rod...
I liked the Hot Rod better because I like a traditional single coil pickup in the bridge and I just prefer mini-humbuckers because while they still drive an amp IMHO they clean up better (A little tamer I'd say than the full-sized HB, if that makes sense). That and I preferred the neck on the Hot Rod, rolled fingerboard edges and whatnot plus you get the cool tweed case.
The Hot Rod is top quality, top tone, top playability instrument.
It is very responsive to playing dynamic, plenty of twang on clean, and is also a rocker with OD. I can't get any bad sound of of it. The Tone control works extremely well on both clean and OD. The mini-humbucker has a tone of its own, not really full humbucker and not really Strat neck single coil - sort of a mix of both. Compared to regular humbucker, I'd say the mini-humbucker has a smoother attack with more sustain, more defined when you really crank up your amp. To put this in perspective for you, it's so easy just to stay on the neck mini-humbucker of the Hot Rod Tele for an entire song from end to end, including the solo part.
Good luck in your Tele quest !
Tweed Dog Steve
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Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster fuses between the vintage and modern design. If you are a Tele player, you will like this guitar which has balanced vintage and modern features. The Seymour Duncan mini Humbucker in the neck position makes this guitar looks very cool and helps to give this Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster a unique tone. The flatter shape allows you to play a bit more aggressive without string buzz. MJ frets gives you a bit more grip in your lead playing. The U-shape design is very good for you to hang it. You can feel both the vintage and brand-new feel at the same time when you play with this guitar. The classic looks, modern tone and feel makes this Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster become a good options for the guitar player.
By the way, i love the fact to have a nitro-finished guitar and make it REAL road worn...
The 52 hot rod is a great guitar and it is Thin Skin. When you can see the finish sinking into the grain of the wood I would not call that a think poly undercoat.
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52 Hot Rod's are truly great guitars, definitely one of my favorite telecasters! I love the neck shape, the nitro finish, the mini-humbucker (sweet tone with that bite!) and the fuller twang on the bridge pickup. The only thing I added was putting in a .047 PIO cap, though it wasn't really obligatory as it was already just perfect just as it is. Mine kept me up all night when it 1st arrived, I'm certain you will enjoy yours as well. Hi, I just opened my 52 Hot Rod to double check and my bad, it was a .022 PIO cap that I put in. The stock one was a maroon colored .022uf cap.
Yes, Hot Rods are Thin Skins. It was a selling point in the Hot Rod's early years.
Plus I've played a couple and saw the finish sinking into the grain. The neck has a satin back and therefore shouldn't be too sticky. Nice guitars.
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I recently picked up a 2nd hand '52 Hot Rod and I love it. I had been GAS'ing for a Custom for ages (thanks to a friend of mine who has a '73 Custom that he has let me play for a few gigs) as I love the fat, warm tone from the neck pick-up. Now, I'm not suggesting that the tone I'm getting out of the Seymour Duncan Mini HB in the neck of my '52 Hot Rod is the same as that of a vintage wide range HB, but it sure is sweet and warm. I find myself using the neck pick up alone far more than I ever have with my standard Tele.
I actually started making my own version of the '52 Hot Rod' w/ my own twist on them B4 Fender started producing them. I had a brainstorm one day as I wasn't happy w/ the sound I was getting from a Tele's usual neck pup. So far, I've made around 10 of them for friends & clients. They're crazy about them...
I'll usually pair mine up w/ an Allparts (8.3k) Mini & a Dimarzio Virtual Hot T or an Area Hot T which lend themselves to each others output. Using CTS 300k pots w/ a .33 cap, I get good results. However lately, I'm finding it to be a bit dark sounding, so I went & purchased some 375k Alphas since checking here on the TDPRI, that Fender Spec calls for them.
I was considering using a 500k Vol w/ a TBX Tone, but I'm not quite sure what that would yield...? I don't want to overly-brighten the bridge pup any more than it already is. Or...maybe a 500k vol/250k tone?
______________________________________________
Absolutely love mine. Got It in black second hand 18 months ago. Instantly loved the neck and finish but had a few issues:
1. G string really high near the nut. This caused it to play sharp when playing there. Had to file the groove out a bit to make it sit lower. Fine now.*
2. Strings breaking on the brass saddles. Had to remove burrs with fine sand paper. Seems better now - have only snapped a b string but that was at the saddle too. The joy of vintage saddles!
3. Couldn't get balance between pickups - *Neck muddy and bridge too harsh.*
Lowered neck pup almost flat - maybe 1mm proud of scratch plate. This helped a lot but bridge still too bright.*
I found the solution to making this guitar sound great with a bit of fiddling. Here it is:
Set the amp up for the neck mini-humbucker pickup so it sounds crisp and just right. *This means more treble than you would normally dare with a tele.*
Next, switch to the bridge pickup and roll the tone down until it sounds sweet - it should be about half way or on 5.*
The great thing is that the tone circuit doesn't seem to affect the neck humbucker until you turn it lower than 5 so it will not affect how that sounds.*
What you have now is the neck sounding nice and clear with the ability to make it warmer with the tone, and a bridge pickup with a huge range of useable tones from low to 10 on the tone. At 10 it's very, very bright but still good for some funky stuff.*
There you have it - my guide to hot rod
Nirvana. Might not not work for you but certainly does for me.*
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This is the perfect guitar that blends the looks of a vintage telecaster and the feel and sound of a modern hard rock guitar. When I wanted to play old roots rock stuff, I picked up my '65 or '68 teles, or similar guitar, and when I wanted to push the Marshall envelope I went for a fat fretted Jackson or Charvel. At the time, in the 1980s, there was no guitar that could be both things.
I would have to boost my big amps with pedals and then play at high volumes to make an old tele push the air through a big setup (mine being 4x12s), but the Hot Rod goes big and fat like a humbucker right from the get go and sounds more like my Les Paul Custom than my vintage telecasters. The only downside to the hot rod teles and the Am. Std. teles is that they don't have a lot of twang in the lead pickup in the clean mode, but that's the reason Fender has the twang model with the '52 reissue or stuff like the '62 and '63 reissues, and the woman tone and balls to the walls sustain with the '52 hot rod, thus the moniker.
If I had to go tele again but I had to push this setup (which is what I have used that belongs to my drummer below), the hot rod could keep up with any dual humbucker tele (or dual humbucker guitar or any stripe) out there and the flat radius of that model could keep up with Jackson Soloists/Dinkys and Ibanez RGs and allow very low action for easier sweep picking technique.
Your guitar is a great guitar in a lot of ways and its flatter radius makes for a faster neck with lower action (if you choose to) and its tone is on fire. It's about being, well, a hot rod but it's really quite the opposite of a vintage tone. It has a humbucker, and one hell of one may I add, in the neck and a hot rod American telecaster pickup in the lead position which is all about growl. If you have a chance, try out a vintage spec Fender tele and you will see the difference. The '52 hot rod was made for those who wanted the basic vintage look but the shred-ability of a flatter neck and more midrange and output of a more modern guitar (post-1980s or since the advent of the DiMarzio Super Distortion and EMG 81 humbucker).
That being said, Roy Buchannan had so much expression in his fingers that he did an interview with guitar player and made a Les Paul Custom sound just like his vintage telecaster. Keith Richards then showed how he could make his Gibson ES-335 sound just like his twangy butterscotch telecaster.
And that 9.5 radius neck... That makes a huge difference. For years all I had and all Fender had were the round 7.25" inch radius necks (same dimensions as the current '52 reissue tele) and it was rather hard to crank the action down without choking out while bending. When Fender went to 9.5" inches for the radius on most guitars in later years as well as beefier frets, I got a flat radius American Standard Stratocaster and Telecaster and they felt radically different. Being able to change the action, if desired, and not worrying about choking out notes led to a different experience. So while both the '52 reissue and '52 Hot Rod look alike, one is very true to the vintage feel and sound and the other a very modern feeling (and sounding) instrument. The Hot Rod neck is every bit as fast as the now popular American Standard necks Fender has hit a nerve with. The Hot Rod, like its name, is faster than the original, and quite a bit louder and plays in the same sonic territory as my humbucker equipped guitars. This thing has midrange written all over it! You get the balls of Gibsons and countless superstrats but trade it for losing some, or all, of the original high end twang. Anyway, I just saw this on TDRPI if one doesn't know the difference between the midrange dominated Hot Rod/Am Std/Bardens/EMG vs. the original scooped mids and high end twang of vintage style tele pickups. Twang is not for everybody though but what I personally prefer in a tele.
Anyway, when you have higher output and focus on midrange, this may be the better look for a hot rod. Fender put a wolf in sheep's clothing with the '52 hot rod and if I were to get another guitar, especially to drive big, bad Celestion equipped stacks, the hot rod could melt the glasses on your face!
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The guitar plays so nice, that I knew right off the bat. But it took me a while to realize the Hot Rod Tele has its own identity when it comes to tone. As soon as I stopped trying to make it sound like a Strat or a Les Paul (or a standard Tele for that mater), I started to really appreciate what it naturally sounds like and attempted to adjust my amp/effects to suit its sound. For example, now I leave the BJ's "fat" switch OFF, but I bump up the Volume (gain) +1 higher that I normally do with the Strat. And I am using totally different settings on my OD peddle than I would use on my Strat.
Now I absolutely love the tones I'm getting from the Hot Rod Tele.
This guitar does NOT have an identity crisis! What it DOES have is an arsenal of great tones.
I like that it can "do" approximations of Start and Les Paul type tones and because it doesn't nail them perfectly, the Hot Rod's sounds never become cliche!
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I love mine. The neck size and shape is perfect for me. The combination of pickups make this a very versatile guitar.
I think they are really great value... I did change to Callaham saddles.
______________________________________________
These are great guitars. In my opinion, they combine cool vintage vibe with some nice modern appointments (eg fingerboard radius).
I absolutely love the neck carve on mine. I really enjoy the stock mini hum as well.
______________________________________________
The Seymour Duncan neck pickup is a pleasant surprise. Very full and pleasant sounding. I prefer it to the bridge pickup in that 52 Hot Rod. The flatter neck and larger frets (than compared to a 51 Nocaster) feel good. I think this guitar is a nice deal. I recently purchased a Custom Shop '51 Nocaster. Big thick neck. Feels just great. Am getting a whole new outlook on electric guitars -- because up until this time I have owned Strats only. The Tele is quite a guitar. What sound. Already improving my skills because the Tele demands precise playing technique. You can count the 52 Hot Rod among the very good guitars. An honor to play.
More reviews on the Hot Rod...
www.harmonycentral.com/products/45130
www.gear-review.co.uk/reviews/Tele_HR/index.htm
en.audiofanzine.com/tlc-shaped-guitar/fender/American-Vintage-Hot-Rod-Series-Telecaster-52/user_reviews/
I believe we have a quite few Z-Talk members who bought themselves a Fender Vintage 52 RI Hot Rod Model...
I thought it might be fun to have a thread dedicated to this fantastic model, to share our info and opinions.
If you have a Hot Rod, please feel free to post some pictures or videos up, or list the mods you might have made, or your general opinion of this fine axe.
Anything Hot Rod related at all will do!
Still learning about this guitar, but having big fun on the way.
The Hot Rod Model was introduced in January of 2007.
Features
Thin-skin nitrocellulose finish
Premium ash body
1-piece maple neck
U-shape profile with satin finish on back
9.5" fingerboard radius
21 medium-jumbo frets
25.5" scale length
Nut width: 1.650"
Chrome hardware
Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners
Vintage-style Tele bridge with 3 compensated brass saddles
1-ply black pickguard
Custom Vintage Tele bridge pickup
Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini Humbucker neck pickup
3-position blade pickup selector
Master volume and tone controls
Setup with Fender Super 250R Nickel Plated Steel strings (.010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046)
Includes Vintage Tweed Case, Strap, Cable, and Meguair's care kit
It's made in the USA.
The Hot Rod '52 has a 'Premium Ash' three-piece body finished in Butterscotch Blonde.
The 'Premium' tag indicates a more stringent selection process is used.
The "Premium Ash" Fender uses on these models tends to vary in both weight and number of pieces.
A lucky few will be 1 piece! Some are 2 piece centre-joined, while others (most in fact) are 3 piece bodies.
This timber is considered 'best' for fifties-style Teles thanks partly to its appearance and also to its relatively scooped-mid, rich and lively twangin' tone when compared with alder.
The Hot Rod's total weight tends to vary between 7.5lbs to 8.5lbs.
To finish the body: Fender's uses its thin-skin nitro-cellulose 'lacquer' coat.
To finish the neck: Fender uses a 'Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer' for the front, and a 'Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer' for the back.
Vintage 3 barrel saddle, considered tonally 'best' for fifties Telecasters.
They are made of brass, and compensated to aid in the guitar's intonation.
Pickup Switching - 3-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup.
Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups.
Position 3. Neck Pickup.
The neck pickup rout is specifically for the mini-humbucker size. The rout is 84mm long X30mm wide X 18mm deep.
The Hot Rod uses 375k ohm pots as a compromise between 250k for single coil, and 500k for humbucker.
If the 375k ohm pots bother you, you can have the best of both worlds with the ToneShaper.
www.toneshapers.com/Default.aspx
The Hot Rod 52 RI has a Seymour Duncan SM-1n (neck) pickup: www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/specialized/mini-humbucker/sm1_vintage_min/
Application: Vintage-correct replica of classic Firebird pickup. Great for jazz, blues, rockabilly, classic rock and heavy rock.
Description: The sound is somewhat of a tonal cross between a single-coil and a humbucker. They're brighter and livelier than a full-size humbucker with more "bell tone."
The Alnico 5 magnet and moderate output coil windings make it an authentic tonal reproduction of the great sound of a classic Firebird�. Comes with vintage-style single-conductor hookup cable.
Duncan makes three flavors or standard production mini-humbuckers, that are not Antiquities.
Model: SM-1n (Vintage)
Magnet: Alnico V Bar
Cable: 1-Con Braid Shield
EQ: Treb:6 / Mid:4 / Bass:5
DC Resistance: Neck: 6.54 k
Resonant Peak: Neck: 7 KHz
Output: Moderate
Model: SM-2n (Custom)
Magnet: Ceramic Bar
Cable: Four Con.
EQ: Treb:6 / Mid:6 / Bass:5
DC Resistance: Neck: 8.52 k
Resonant Peak: Neck: 9 KHz
Output: Moderate
Model: SM-3n (Seymourized)
Magnet: Alnico V Bar
Cable: Four Con.
EQ: Treb:6 / Mid:5 / Bass:7
DC Resistance: Neck: 6.29 k
Resonant Peak: Neck: 7 KHz
Output: Moderate
Stats between the SM-1n (Vintage), and SM-3n (Seymourized) Mini-Humbuckers are very similar. The EQ figures suggest that the SM-3n has a fuller mid and low end response.
The SM-1n in the Fender Hot Rod '52 Telecaster, strikes a good balance between a full humbucker tone and the traditional single coil T neck pickup.
Seymour Duncan Mini Humbucker ( SM-1n Neck Pickup ), is a relatively low output, Alnico V design.
It's the kind of pickup you'd find in Gibson Firebirds or Les Paul Deluxes and is a popular mod for Tele players who want more balls from the front pickup.
(Keef and Ronnie fans in particular).
It's a vintage remake with modern upgrades...
For instance it has a 9.5-inch radius fingerboard as opposed to the 7.25" that the regular 52 reissues have.
It also has the Medium Jumbo frets instead of the smaller Vintage style frets.
She felt good in my hands, and also helped to make bending a little easier...
The feel of the neck is what I think made me prefer the Hot Rod, over the others tele's I played.
I am finding I like the 9.5-inch radius fingerboard, and it's just the right thickness for me.
Not a telephone pole, but not the 60's slim taper on my LP either.
Right in the middle.
I also love how rounded the fretboard is on the sides of the neck. So nice... My entry level Gibson LP has much sharper edges.
When your running with the wider neck, this is a nice feature for sure.
I was only shopping for a Tele, but it having a humbucker was not an initial requirement. Its just the way things worked out...
Now I love having the humbucker too. I feel like this guitar does from clean to mean extremely well.
(Or at least as mean as I need it to get.)
When I was buying my Tele from GC, the sales dude told me 'You know your buying the best sounding guitar we have in here...'
Don't know if it was standard sales BS or not, but still was fun for me to hear.
And the more I play this thing, the more I believe he may have been telling me the truth?
I think she is a keeper!
Here is the end of the body.
I believe I ended up with a two-piece (centered seam) 'premium ash' body, not a three-piece as Fender indicates.
Might have been an extra lucky grab?
I have heard that the best tops usually end up on guitars with clear or natural finishes.
Not sure if it's true...
I do know body defects are better hid under a thick coat of candy apple red paint, rather than Fender's thin-skin nitro-cellulose 'lacquer' coat. ;D
Video Reviews...
Vintage Hotrod 52 Telecaster
Fender Telecaster Hot Rod 52 review, using a Carmen Ghia
Flat out playing...
Fender 52 Vintage Hot rod Telecaster - Jason Hobbs
ztalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=zwreck&action=display&thread=39548
drzplayer (Jason Hobbs) wrote: Got a brand new 52 telecaster Vintage Hot Rod now.
It just sounds so much better with my Z-Wreck than my custom shop custom classic tele.
I liked this one better than the 52 reissue.... It had a little more mojo IMO...
I traded my fender custom shop custom classic tele for it... It blows it away, I'm not too convinced these days that custom shops are worth all that extra coin...
In the Z-Wreck this guitar kills my custom shop. Must be the pickups...
DR.Z ZWRECK Demo - Gibson Les Paul and Fender 52 Hot Rod Telecaster
Dave Weiner playing a Fender Hot Rod, through a Z-Wreck.
ztalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=zwreck&action=display&thread=39548
daveweiner wrote: I've got the 52 Hot Rod Tele into my Z Wreck daily. Just amazing tone.
I describe it like biting into the tastiest, juiciest, most wonderful buffalo wings you'd ever have! lol.
The mini bucker is what sold me on the Tele. It's truly mojofull!
Dr Z Prescription ES...Wamplers SLOStortion...52 Hot Rod Tele
Fender 52 Hotrod Telecaster
♫ Fireside Blues-Kenny St. King-Jeff Beck Strat & Hot Rod Telacaster-NEW 2012 Blues Music
Fender Wars! Jeff Beck Strat vs Hot Rod Telecaster by K St. King
Telecaster Stratocaster Blues - Kenny St. King-Jeff Beck Strat/Hot Rod Telecaster-2012 Blues Music
Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster
Francisco Abreu improvising with his Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster.
JAVIER AVILES - Guitar Song - FIRE ON MY GUITAR
Tone Tip: How to Achieve a Country Tele Twang.
A few post's from around the net, on the Hot Rod...
I liked the Hot Rod better because I like a traditional single coil pickup in the bridge and I just prefer mini-humbuckers because while they still drive an amp IMHO they clean up better (A little tamer I'd say than the full-sized HB, if that makes sense). That and I preferred the neck on the Hot Rod, rolled fingerboard edges and whatnot plus you get the cool tweed case.
The Hot Rod is top quality, top tone, top playability instrument.
It is very responsive to playing dynamic, plenty of twang on clean, and is also a rocker with OD. I can't get any bad sound of of it. The Tone control works extremely well on both clean and OD. The mini-humbucker has a tone of its own, not really full humbucker and not really Strat neck single coil - sort of a mix of both. Compared to regular humbucker, I'd say the mini-humbucker has a smoother attack with more sustain, more defined when you really crank up your amp. To put this in perspective for you, it's so easy just to stay on the neck mini-humbucker of the Hot Rod Tele for an entire song from end to end, including the solo part.
Good luck in your Tele quest !
Tweed Dog Steve
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Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster fuses between the vintage and modern design. If you are a Tele player, you will like this guitar which has balanced vintage and modern features. The Seymour Duncan mini Humbucker in the neck position makes this guitar looks very cool and helps to give this Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster a unique tone. The flatter shape allows you to play a bit more aggressive without string buzz. MJ frets gives you a bit more grip in your lead playing. The U-shape design is very good for you to hang it. You can feel both the vintage and brand-new feel at the same time when you play with this guitar. The classic looks, modern tone and feel makes this Fender Vintage Hot Rod 52 Telecaster become a good options for the guitar player.
By the way, i love the fact to have a nitro-finished guitar and make it REAL road worn...
The 52 hot rod is a great guitar and it is Thin Skin. When you can see the finish sinking into the grain of the wood I would not call that a think poly undercoat.
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52 Hot Rod's are truly great guitars, definitely one of my favorite telecasters! I love the neck shape, the nitro finish, the mini-humbucker (sweet tone with that bite!) and the fuller twang on the bridge pickup. The only thing I added was putting in a .047 PIO cap, though it wasn't really obligatory as it was already just perfect just as it is. Mine kept me up all night when it 1st arrived, I'm certain you will enjoy yours as well. Hi, I just opened my 52 Hot Rod to double check and my bad, it was a .022 PIO cap that I put in. The stock one was a maroon colored .022uf cap.
Yes, Hot Rods are Thin Skins. It was a selling point in the Hot Rod's early years.
Plus I've played a couple and saw the finish sinking into the grain. The neck has a satin back and therefore shouldn't be too sticky. Nice guitars.
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I recently picked up a 2nd hand '52 Hot Rod and I love it. I had been GAS'ing for a Custom for ages (thanks to a friend of mine who has a '73 Custom that he has let me play for a few gigs) as I love the fat, warm tone from the neck pick-up. Now, I'm not suggesting that the tone I'm getting out of the Seymour Duncan Mini HB in the neck of my '52 Hot Rod is the same as that of a vintage wide range HB, but it sure is sweet and warm. I find myself using the neck pick up alone far more than I ever have with my standard Tele.
I actually started making my own version of the '52 Hot Rod' w/ my own twist on them B4 Fender started producing them. I had a brainstorm one day as I wasn't happy w/ the sound I was getting from a Tele's usual neck pup. So far, I've made around 10 of them for friends & clients. They're crazy about them...
I'll usually pair mine up w/ an Allparts (8.3k) Mini & a Dimarzio Virtual Hot T or an Area Hot T which lend themselves to each others output. Using CTS 300k pots w/ a .33 cap, I get good results. However lately, I'm finding it to be a bit dark sounding, so I went & purchased some 375k Alphas since checking here on the TDPRI, that Fender Spec calls for them.
I was considering using a 500k Vol w/ a TBX Tone, but I'm not quite sure what that would yield...? I don't want to overly-brighten the bridge pup any more than it already is. Or...maybe a 500k vol/250k tone?
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Absolutely love mine. Got It in black second hand 18 months ago. Instantly loved the neck and finish but had a few issues:
1. G string really high near the nut. This caused it to play sharp when playing there. Had to file the groove out a bit to make it sit lower. Fine now.*
2. Strings breaking on the brass saddles. Had to remove burrs with fine sand paper. Seems better now - have only snapped a b string but that was at the saddle too. The joy of vintage saddles!
3. Couldn't get balance between pickups - *Neck muddy and bridge too harsh.*
Lowered neck pup almost flat - maybe 1mm proud of scratch plate. This helped a lot but bridge still too bright.*
I found the solution to making this guitar sound great with a bit of fiddling. Here it is:
Set the amp up for the neck mini-humbucker pickup so it sounds crisp and just right. *This means more treble than you would normally dare with a tele.*
Next, switch to the bridge pickup and roll the tone down until it sounds sweet - it should be about half way or on 5.*
The great thing is that the tone circuit doesn't seem to affect the neck humbucker until you turn it lower than 5 so it will not affect how that sounds.*
What you have now is the neck sounding nice and clear with the ability to make it warmer with the tone, and a bridge pickup with a huge range of useable tones from low to 10 on the tone. At 10 it's very, very bright but still good for some funky stuff.*
There you have it - my guide to hot rod
Nirvana. Might not not work for you but certainly does for me.*
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This is the perfect guitar that blends the looks of a vintage telecaster and the feel and sound of a modern hard rock guitar. When I wanted to play old roots rock stuff, I picked up my '65 or '68 teles, or similar guitar, and when I wanted to push the Marshall envelope I went for a fat fretted Jackson or Charvel. At the time, in the 1980s, there was no guitar that could be both things.
I would have to boost my big amps with pedals and then play at high volumes to make an old tele push the air through a big setup (mine being 4x12s), but the Hot Rod goes big and fat like a humbucker right from the get go and sounds more like my Les Paul Custom than my vintage telecasters. The only downside to the hot rod teles and the Am. Std. teles is that they don't have a lot of twang in the lead pickup in the clean mode, but that's the reason Fender has the twang model with the '52 reissue or stuff like the '62 and '63 reissues, and the woman tone and balls to the walls sustain with the '52 hot rod, thus the moniker.
If I had to go tele again but I had to push this setup (which is what I have used that belongs to my drummer below), the hot rod could keep up with any dual humbucker tele (or dual humbucker guitar or any stripe) out there and the flat radius of that model could keep up with Jackson Soloists/Dinkys and Ibanez RGs and allow very low action for easier sweep picking technique.
Your guitar is a great guitar in a lot of ways and its flatter radius makes for a faster neck with lower action (if you choose to) and its tone is on fire. It's about being, well, a hot rod but it's really quite the opposite of a vintage tone. It has a humbucker, and one hell of one may I add, in the neck and a hot rod American telecaster pickup in the lead position which is all about growl. If you have a chance, try out a vintage spec Fender tele and you will see the difference. The '52 hot rod was made for those who wanted the basic vintage look but the shred-ability of a flatter neck and more midrange and output of a more modern guitar (post-1980s or since the advent of the DiMarzio Super Distortion and EMG 81 humbucker).
That being said, Roy Buchannan had so much expression in his fingers that he did an interview with guitar player and made a Les Paul Custom sound just like his vintage telecaster. Keith Richards then showed how he could make his Gibson ES-335 sound just like his twangy butterscotch telecaster.
And that 9.5 radius neck... That makes a huge difference. For years all I had and all Fender had were the round 7.25" inch radius necks (same dimensions as the current '52 reissue tele) and it was rather hard to crank the action down without choking out while bending. When Fender went to 9.5" inches for the radius on most guitars in later years as well as beefier frets, I got a flat radius American Standard Stratocaster and Telecaster and they felt radically different. Being able to change the action, if desired, and not worrying about choking out notes led to a different experience. So while both the '52 reissue and '52 Hot Rod look alike, one is very true to the vintage feel and sound and the other a very modern feeling (and sounding) instrument. The Hot Rod neck is every bit as fast as the now popular American Standard necks Fender has hit a nerve with. The Hot Rod, like its name, is faster than the original, and quite a bit louder and plays in the same sonic territory as my humbucker equipped guitars. This thing has midrange written all over it! You get the balls of Gibsons and countless superstrats but trade it for losing some, or all, of the original high end twang. Anyway, I just saw this on TDRPI if one doesn't know the difference between the midrange dominated Hot Rod/Am Std/Bardens/EMG vs. the original scooped mids and high end twang of vintage style tele pickups. Twang is not for everybody though but what I personally prefer in a tele.
Anyway, when you have higher output and focus on midrange, this may be the better look for a hot rod. Fender put a wolf in sheep's clothing with the '52 hot rod and if I were to get another guitar, especially to drive big, bad Celestion equipped stacks, the hot rod could melt the glasses on your face!
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The guitar plays so nice, that I knew right off the bat. But it took me a while to realize the Hot Rod Tele has its own identity when it comes to tone. As soon as I stopped trying to make it sound like a Strat or a Les Paul (or a standard Tele for that mater), I started to really appreciate what it naturally sounds like and attempted to adjust my amp/effects to suit its sound. For example, now I leave the BJ's "fat" switch OFF, but I bump up the Volume (gain) +1 higher that I normally do with the Strat. And I am using totally different settings on my OD peddle than I would use on my Strat.
Now I absolutely love the tones I'm getting from the Hot Rod Tele.
This guitar does NOT have an identity crisis! What it DOES have is an arsenal of great tones.
I like that it can "do" approximations of Start and Les Paul type tones and because it doesn't nail them perfectly, the Hot Rod's sounds never become cliche!
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I love mine. The neck size and shape is perfect for me. The combination of pickups make this a very versatile guitar.
I think they are really great value... I did change to Callaham saddles.
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These are great guitars. In my opinion, they combine cool vintage vibe with some nice modern appointments (eg fingerboard radius).
I absolutely love the neck carve on mine. I really enjoy the stock mini hum as well.
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The Seymour Duncan neck pickup is a pleasant surprise. Very full and pleasant sounding. I prefer it to the bridge pickup in that 52 Hot Rod. The flatter neck and larger frets (than compared to a 51 Nocaster) feel good. I think this guitar is a nice deal. I recently purchased a Custom Shop '51 Nocaster. Big thick neck. Feels just great. Am getting a whole new outlook on electric guitars -- because up until this time I have owned Strats only. The Tele is quite a guitar. What sound. Already improving my skills because the Tele demands precise playing technique. You can count the 52 Hot Rod among the very good guitars. An honor to play.
More reviews on the Hot Rod...
www.harmonycentral.com/products/45130
www.gear-review.co.uk/reviews/Tele_HR/index.htm
en.audiofanzine.com/tlc-shaped-guitar/fender/American-Vintage-Hot-Rod-Series-Telecaster-52/user_reviews/