Fender this morning released specs on what is undoubtedly one of the sexier instruments they’ve introduced this year––the new Spalted Maple Custom Telecaster, the latest edition to Fender’s Special Edition Series.
According to their website the guitar will feature a number of unique stats, not least of which is a gorgeous Spalted Maple veneer top, which sits atop a mahogany body, and comes fully adorned with cream binding on the body & neck. Other materials include a single-piece mahogany neck (w/slim “C” shape,) and a rosewood fretboard with super-flat 15.75″ radius (and 22 jumbo frets.)
The guitar will also deviate from traditional Tele electronics, sporting instead a pair of Seymour Duncan humbucker pickups––‘59 Reverse Polarity at the neck, Pearly Gates Plus at the bridge––3-way pickup switching, master volume control, and a master tone control with push/pull coil-tapping.
Other features will include oversized abalone dot inlays, graphite nut, 6-saddle strings-through-body bridge, cast/sealed tuners, and chrome hardware. Case not included, and no word on pricing at this time.
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March 26th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Is it me….or that finish uggggly?
Also, without a single coil in the bridge pickup…. it will never twang like a real tele.
This seems to be an attempt to go after the PRS market. I have seen similar models (although not maple) with the more attractive tiger stripe sunburst on them. Still not a “real” tele though….. I’ve seen these discounted at below $600 a year after their release (although those models were Mexican).
I’d rather see a thinline or chambered model with humbuckers to try and get more of a hollow body sound.
March 26th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Wow… goes to show how different taste can be, ‘cuz I think that top is gorgeous : )
Of course, as soon as you add humbuckers to a Tele it really morphs the guitar into something else entirely.
Funny, I was watching Ausin City Limits last night, and Coldplay was performing––the guitarist used a couple of different Telecasters with HBs (a Thinline & a ’72 Deluxe I believe,) and yeah, they didn’t sound anything like a traditional Tele, but they still sounded great.
March 26th, 2007 at 11:15 am
I like it! I’m not going to get one, but I like it. Basically it’s a Fender Showmaster line made with spalted maple. The showmaster, however, was only 400-700 bucks. I have a feeling this will break the 1000 range.
March 27th, 2007 at 5:34 am
I agree that the spalted top is phenomenally beautiful. Dean also makes some awesome spalted tops, as do smaller companies like Swing. However, that top and the SD humbuckers make me love this Tele. I mean that in a dirty, swamp-rock kind of way. Not so sure about the fact that it’s veneer, though. Spalted wood is created by damage (basically), so veneer seems like it’d crack easily. I guess they laminate the hell out of it for strength. Anyway, I still love it.
April 1st, 2007 at 6:15 am
Cary, I’m with you. I thought it was gorgeous. I also like the double humbucker – definitely makes it a more verstile guitar. If you are already a tele player and want a different kind of tele for more sounds this is the one.
I do agree with the guy that this is an attempt to keep Fender players from defecting to PRS. Good move IMO.
Don
June 4th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Looks like a winner….Ordered mine today!
June 4th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Nice! Make sure and let us know what you think… looks like a beauty :)
August 18th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I own one – it’s a beaut. Spalted Maple is a topical disease in the wood from being on the ground for a length of time, insects, etc… but when it’s treated, it stops that “discoloring/streaking” and is locked in. I’ve seen 4 of this model and every one of them looked very different.
Tonally – my goodness. Does everything a SG does except better with the sustain of a Les Paul (set neck in this puppy). Controls work well, the split coil is a nice touch to get you in the bacllpark of Fende twang and has a voice all it’s own. I spent 740 for mine and then tossed on some locking tuners as the tuning heads were blech. Do that, and this is a seriously nice guitar for the money.
October 10th, 2007 at 7:45 am
well. today i tried one.
well i liked the way it sound, it ballsy, but still retains a a certain clear “voice”. well forgive my bad english…the pu are very nice, ‘though they sound a little weak when tapped (but it’s normal).i thinking seriously to get one.
since the back of the nec is polyurethane finisched, can you tell me if a luthier can make it natural, without any finish(i like this way)???
March 8th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I got one today and i love it
May 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I picked one up. A great combination of features. Sustain is nearly as solid as a neck through I have. The pickups are toneful, but coil tapped less than a tele or strat for that matter. Very useful but not tele-jangly. The flat neck radius and jumbo pickups remind me of a Schecter or a Dean. If you can imagine that type neck, but telecaster thin with rolled edges and a nice fret job. The spalt is book matched and of course will be a different pattern with each one. Think snowflake one of a kind. It is sort of country, sort of metal, very well QA/QCed. It is close to having the best asortment of features of several guitars I have. Arch top, set neck Fender tele with Humbuckers. Wow, who would of thought?
July 28th, 2008 at 6:23 am
To get the natural feel on the neck, rub the with 400 then to 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper lubricated with mineral oil. Be gentle and take your time, result will be beautiful, could go up to 800 grit to get a very polished but natural feel. Get the mineral oil from any drug store, and paper from a hardware store.
February 14th, 2010 at 2:45 am
I bought this Tele because it looked so beautiful! Set up out of the box was very, very good. I had my doubts, because it’s ‘crafted in Indonesia’, but no worries: they’ve done a pretty good job. Very toneful pick-ups, great sustain and also a, in my modest opinion, Tele-like-twang when you use the coil tap.
My other Fender is a 50th Anniversary Strat American Standard, also plays like heaven. I don’t know which one I should choose if I had to make a choice and that fact tells a lot about the quality of the Tele, doesn’t it!
Just go out and play. The price of the Tele won’t stop you..in Europe only a bit over 700 euro’s! I almost couldn’t believe that.
February 14th, 2010 at 2:53 am
Almost forgot this: don’t buy one from the internet because every Tele body looks different and you might be disappointed in how your tele looks. Go to the shop and pick one with the spalted maple veneer you like.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
I just played one of these at musicians warehouse. I love it. It’s priced around $800-850. Not to bad. By the way, it does still “twang” as someone worded it. I didn’t think it looked great but everyone who doesn’t play guitar thought it looked awesome so are you playing for you or the fans i guess. I love the feel. The one I played had old strings on it and still felt good. Feels much better than a les paul or your standard tele.