Post by grayn on Mar 9, 2023 7:50:06 GMT
I have had an on-off relationship with the Telecaster, over the years. One particular model, that came out a few years back, that has always been on my radar but for some reason has never been acquired, is the the Fender '72 Telecaster Custom with Bigsby, Ltd Ed. Well today I managed to track down a preowned model from 2018, in the natural finish.
It is in pretty excellent condition, with only a few marks and a knock, that are not immediately visible. There are quite a few features on this model, that have always appealed to me. The natural ash and maple woods, the stylish 3-bolt, F-stamped neck plate, the Wide Range humbucker neck pickup and the Bigsby tremolo. The only thing I am not that keen on is the over-sized pickguard. I'd rather see wood grain than black plastic, any day.
Although no lightweight, this tele is no back breaker either and sits very well on both lap and strap. It's a well balanced guitar, with a solid feel of quality. The Classic Series Single-Coil bridge pickup has some very nice tele bite, which sounds great clean or pushing some amp overdrive. The neck humbucker has plenty of clarity too, with the extra thickness and warmth that you'd expect. They both sound good alone and together.
I guess a Bigsby on a Tele is a Marmite thing, that may put some players right off. And TBH, the B50 is not my favourite Bigbsy. I often find the tension bar on it can make operation, quite hard work. The saving grace on this guitar is that because the Tele bridge is not that high, the angle from tension bar to bridge is not too steep and not too much tension is applied to the bridge. This helps smoothness of operation. That being said, the range of pitch change is pretty limited, as you'd expect from this style of tremolo and it's not the most instinctive or reactive of systems. But for the style of music I intend to play, it does just fine. I may replace the spring with Reverend soft spring and will definitely put a Vibramate String Spoiler on.
Overall then, this is a cool Custom Telecaster, for not a huge cash outlay. It plays very nicely and sounds great. It very much looks the part too, IMO.
It is in pretty excellent condition, with only a few marks and a knock, that are not immediately visible. There are quite a few features on this model, that have always appealed to me. The natural ash and maple woods, the stylish 3-bolt, F-stamped neck plate, the Wide Range humbucker neck pickup and the Bigsby tremolo. The only thing I am not that keen on is the over-sized pickguard. I'd rather see wood grain than black plastic, any day.
Although no lightweight, this tele is no back breaker either and sits very well on both lap and strap. It's a well balanced guitar, with a solid feel of quality. The Classic Series Single-Coil bridge pickup has some very nice tele bite, which sounds great clean or pushing some amp overdrive. The neck humbucker has plenty of clarity too, with the extra thickness and warmth that you'd expect. They both sound good alone and together.
I guess a Bigsby on a Tele is a Marmite thing, that may put some players right off. And TBH, the B50 is not my favourite Bigbsy. I often find the tension bar on it can make operation, quite hard work. The saving grace on this guitar is that because the Tele bridge is not that high, the angle from tension bar to bridge is not too steep and not too much tension is applied to the bridge. This helps smoothness of operation. That being said, the range of pitch change is pretty limited, as you'd expect from this style of tremolo and it's not the most instinctive or reactive of systems. But for the style of music I intend to play, it does just fine. I may replace the spring with Reverend soft spring and will definitely put a Vibramate String Spoiler on.
Overall then, this is a cool Custom Telecaster, for not a huge cash outlay. It plays very nicely and sounds great. It very much looks the part too, IMO.