Post by ruger9 on Dec 18, 2020 10:42:44 GMT -7
These have been available for awhile, but haven't seen many reviews from owners. I played the SILVER telecaster in a local shop awhile back, but wasn't a fan of silver sparkle.... then the BLACK sparkle Esquire came out, so I gave it a shot...
this isn't a full review, I just got it today. But here's a few observations:
Light as a feather. I had to contact Fender (awaiting a reply), because the neck on this guitar does not feel like the one on the silver sparkle Paisley Telecaster I played at the local shop. I remember LOVING that neck, but this one seems bigger. You would THINK they'd be the same, since it's BRAD'S neck, but IDK. Maybe my memory is faulty (wouldn't be the first time)... we'll see what Fender has to say about it.
Other first-20-minute-observations:
-the bridge pickup sounds really good. It can definitely rock if you want it to. But it can also chicken pick.
-the neck pickup is indeed quieter than the bridge- I'd say by 25%. At home it's quite noticeable, but it's less noticeable at gig levels... not sure that would be a deal breaker for me. The TONE of the neck is nothing to write home about, to me. It sounds like a clear, weak, Strat neck pickup. While you can set your amp to sound great with the neck pickup, IF you set the amp for the bridge pickup, THEN switch to the neck, I think you will be underwhelmed.
-this is the most interesting thing, and I think will be the love/hate that makes people decide if they like this guitar:
The middle position sounds like a STRAT. It does not sound like the middle position on a tele. It sounds like the bridge/middle position on a Strat... it does a good "Sultans of Swing" tone. Some might consider that very versatile, especially for a cover band situation. And I know people for years have tried to get the tele middle position to sound more Strat-like (the Jerry Donahue tele has wiring for this)... so some people will probably really dig it, others who like the tele's middle position will likely not.
I love the body, and I love the bridge pickup. Not sure about the neck profile yet. As for the weak neck pickup, since I use the bridge 90% of the time in my band, and the middle the other 10% (I rarely use the neck pickup for the music we play), this SUPER LIGHT tele would actually be great for my cover band. But it's not the guitar I would pick up at home, simply because I use the neck pickup ALOT at home. So, not sure this guitar is "for me".
Almost makes me want to wait until The Stratosphere is selling these bodies w/o necks, and use it to build a partscaster out of...
this isn't a full review, I just got it today. But here's a few observations:
Light as a feather. I had to contact Fender (awaiting a reply), because the neck on this guitar does not feel like the one on the silver sparkle Paisley Telecaster I played at the local shop. I remember LOVING that neck, but this one seems bigger. You would THINK they'd be the same, since it's BRAD'S neck, but IDK. Maybe my memory is faulty (wouldn't be the first time)... we'll see what Fender has to say about it.
Other first-20-minute-observations:
-the bridge pickup sounds really good. It can definitely rock if you want it to. But it can also chicken pick.
-the neck pickup is indeed quieter than the bridge- I'd say by 25%. At home it's quite noticeable, but it's less noticeable at gig levels... not sure that would be a deal breaker for me. The TONE of the neck is nothing to write home about, to me. It sounds like a clear, weak, Strat neck pickup. While you can set your amp to sound great with the neck pickup, IF you set the amp for the bridge pickup, THEN switch to the neck, I think you will be underwhelmed.
-this is the most interesting thing, and I think will be the love/hate that makes people decide if they like this guitar:
The middle position sounds like a STRAT. It does not sound like the middle position on a tele. It sounds like the bridge/middle position on a Strat... it does a good "Sultans of Swing" tone. Some might consider that very versatile, especially for a cover band situation. And I know people for years have tried to get the tele middle position to sound more Strat-like (the Jerry Donahue tele has wiring for this)... so some people will probably really dig it, others who like the tele's middle position will likely not.
I love the body, and I love the bridge pickup. Not sure about the neck profile yet. As for the weak neck pickup, since I use the bridge 90% of the time in my band, and the middle the other 10% (I rarely use the neck pickup for the music we play), this SUPER LIGHT tele would actually be great for my cover band. But it's not the guitar I would pick up at home, simply because I use the neck pickup ALOT at home. So, not sure this guitar is "for me".
Almost makes me want to wait until The Stratosphere is selling these bodies w/o necks, and use it to build a partscaster out of...