Fender Telecoustic Review

Yesterday my new Fender Telecoustic arrived.  I was more than plesantly surprised as I unpacked it from the box. The guitar is an Acoustic-Electric. The top is made of spruce and has really great bracing. The sides and back are fiberglass. The neck is a bolt on Telecaster neck with Rosewood fingerboard. The tuners are standard tuners. There is a nice little electronics set up of a BG3N pre amp with Tuner built in. This is one incredible guitar. I chose the Black finish with white binding. This is a very loud guitar when unplugged. It has a nice acoustic balance. Not over powering and not weak! When finger picked this guitar has some absolutely beautiful tones. With a pick this is a really nice strong toned guitar. I played unplugged for a good while and then plugged into both my amp a Fender Super Champ XD and then into the board of my recording studio with no effects added. Plugged in I felt like I was playing one of Glenn Frey of the Eagles guitars. I was absolutely amazed at how gorgeous this guitar sounds! The neck is fast which I truly enjoy and the action is perfect for my style of play. I have heard some folks say that this is a head stock heavy guitar but mine seems to be perfectly balanced. This may have been solved in the new design. The only issue that I see which is really no big deal are the strap buttons. They are a little small but a few Grolsch rubber washers will solve any issues that might arise. I was extremely excited to see that this fit into an extra Fender Deluxe gig bag that I have. The verdict 5 stars out of 5. Fender has made an incredibly nice guitar for the budget conscious person. In my case it is for a guy who is more of an Electric player than an acoustic guy. This guitar is fun to play and sounds great! I can see many hours playing this up in our beloved North Country!

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Some direction changes

I have decided to make some changes to my blog. I am going to start posting some weekly articles on such topics as Recording/mic techniques to live sound reinforcement. This might help some folks and then again it might not. With each post I will have diagrams to assist in some of the techniques. On another note, I will be starting my luthier certification so when I retire back home to the North Country in 6 years there will be a reasonable place to get gear fixed AND teach folks how to do basic guitar maintenance. That said, the first article which I will publish will be on Monday's blog. It will cover close in miking of smaller tube amps in the studios to get different ambient sounds from several different mics.
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Great Birthday!

I have been off the net the last week because we had my parents down and to celebrate my birthday. It was a really nice time and A totally spoiled me. She gave me a beautiful Gator Pedal Tote that I have wanted for some time and a case for my Boss BR1200CDR case to cover my Studio and a Stewart MacDonald String Action Gauge for doing my set ups. Needless to say I was really really excited because I am able to keep my pedals all nice and clean and protected. I am also able to do accurate setups on my guitars with this new gauge. I am always touched because A is so thoughtful about the gifts she gives me. Today in her class she was talking with her professor and she was telling her because I am so good to her she has no problem supporting my "guitar habit"...LOL She is an incredible lady and I am a very lucky man! I love you A!!!
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The Twang Factor

I have always thought that Teles were a really cool guitar. The only problem is that in my younger days they were not considered cool guitars. The bands I played in back in the 80s(Yes, I am dating myself) all had Jacksons, Hamers,ESP and LPs. I was a Strat man and then one day in the not so distant past I became a Teleman. There is just something so elegant about the design of a Tele the simplicity of design, clean lines that makes this one sweet guitar. The big thing that really makes me love my Teles is what I call the Twang Factor. I have found that depending on my mood the more I fiddle around with the tone knob the more intrigued I am. My Strat is a wonderful guitar, but it quacks..it sounds great but in many ways it blends into the  mix..not bad...but then again not good. My Tele, now that is a whole different story. I love to slowly creep up the tone knob a little bit at a time and before you know it...the Twang factor hits. What is the Twang Factor? It is that gorgeous distinctive tone that only a Tele can make!
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Great Sessions

There is nothing in the world like having a great recording session. Tonight I was down at Indian River South Studio and laying down the tracks to a song that I wrote years ago but never got around to recording.  I got all the drums recorded, the bass line down on the first take and two guitar parts down. i was really pleased because I got the perfect rhythm tones from both my Tele and Strat, which gave this song such beautiful depth. When I came out of the studio and got settled in with my wife she knew that I had a really great session. It is strange recording an album solo and not having bandmates to share a good night like this with. On the other hand, there is a sense of pride knowing that I wrote and created this song all by myself. It is a pure joy to be able to create something and then see it to fruition. I just have to lay down the vocals and the lead guitars and then it is final mix and I will be even happier.
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Acoustic Guitars

I have primarily been an electric guitar player my whole life. My brother was responsible for getting me into guitars. He bought a beautiful Ventura dreadnought D30 back in 1978. That is the guitar I learned to play on. When he graduated from school and went off to make his way in the world he took his beautiful guitar and that was when I turned to electrics. Well the years went by and in 1991 my brother was killed in a car accident. His fiancee Linda gave me his beautiful guitar. I have been carefully preserving this guitar and have not played it much because I am so afraid of ruining the only thing I have of my brothers. Recently my gorgeous wife A, said I could get any guitar that I want. At first I was thinking of getting a Stratocaster. But, seeing how I already have one and how I am really a Tele man, I opted not to get one. I have instead decided to get a Fender Telecoustic guitar. It is a sweet little gem with a spruce top a Tele neck and a nice set of onboard electronics so it is an acoustic/electric guitar. I am looking forward to getting this beautiful guitar and now being able to take my music anywhere in the Dacks. Thanks A, for being so awesome and letting me live the dream with you!
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The Forgotten Art of Customer Service

I have always been a firm believer of the old addage you get what you pay for. In this day and age of internet sales and big box stores it is really great when a company which is rather large goes out of their way to ensure accuracy and superior customer service. I deal with a few companies on line for the majority of my musical gear due to our current location (no music stores around). The company that I deal with the most is American Musical Supply . AMS has always gone above and beyond when I have dealt with them. Today is a perfect example. I placed an order with them back in October and received a price match of 20% off and Fender product. I made my order and all was well with the world. Today, I noticed that the 20% was never taken off of my order. As if they were reading my mind, I get a call from AMS customer service and what do they say? We are sorry that we did not take the 20% off. We have refunded that amount to your credit card and you will receive an additional 20% off of any guitar on your next order. This is why I love this company. They didn't have to do this! I would have been happy with the money that is being refunded. This is a fantastic company and I can't give them enough praise! Thanks AMS!!!

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Appreciating the gift of playing

I have always been a musical person. From the time I could grasp the theory of an instrument to this day I have always loved music. I recently injured my shoulder and have been put into the position of not being able to play for a while. It really gives you a new perspective on what a true gift it is to be able to play. While my shoulder mends I will work on the vocals for my recording that I have done so far. It is not the way I envisioned recording my album...I like to lay down everything then finish up with vocals but now a new method. I just hope that everyone out there in the North Country really appreciates this wonderful gift we all have.
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Happy New Year!

Well, it is now officially 2010. I just want to wish everyone out there in the North Country a very Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! May your Teles sound even better than last year!
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