Electric Guitar Review

More good stuff from Fender: the company has announced a rather intriguing new signature model for its 2007 lineup––the G.E. Smith Signature Telecaster.

The guitar, which was created in cooperation with G.E. Smith, decade-long bandleader from Saturday Night Live, is apparently intended to be a mash-up between a Fender lap steel from the ’40s and a classic ’50s era Tele.

The instrument is expected to feature a pair of American Vintage Tele Single-Coil pickups, with the bridge position sunk right into the wood––in the style of an early Champion lap steel––with other unique features including lap steel-inspired fretboard inlays, and what Fender calls its Special Extra Deep “U” Shape maple neck.

In a related interview on Fender’s website Smith states––

“What I’ve tried to do over the years, and in particular with this guitar, is to make it capable of being really fat-sounding, as well as doing all the chicken-pickin’ and the classic Telecaster things that you think about. But with that pickup in the wood like that, you get this resonance and this fattened-up lower end and low midrange that’s really cool.”

The G.E Smith Signature Telecaster will also feature a premium ash body with Nitrocellulose finish, 7.25“ neck radius, 21 vintage style frets (read thin,) master volume & tone controls, 3-way pickup switching, ”Cut-Off“ vintage style Tele bridge with 3 brass saddles, Fender/Gotoh vintage style tuners, chrome hardware, and a vintage tweed hard case.