Fender Troublemaker Tele. Ice blue metallic. Parallel Universe Series Vol. I
The Troublemaker Tele is a very interesting and unique guitar for sure. It is part of Fender's new Parallel Universe series where the concept is to mix and match several elements from different Fenders (and Gibsons) and then incorporating all those ideas into one single guitar.
When looking at this guitar from a distance, the Troublemaker Tele does indeed look like a Fender Tele Deluxe.
For starters, you have a classic Tele Deluxe body shape, 2 tone/volume knobs, 3 way toggle switch and most notably the enlarged 70's style Fender headstock.
However, when looking at this guitar from up close, there are several big differences in construction compared to a Tele Deluxe.. or any type of Fender guitar.
The biggest difference for me is the body for sure. While the body is molded to look like a Tele Deluxe, the lack of contour + the mahogany wood gives me the impression of a Gibson Les Paul... taking the shape of a Telecaster Deluxe.
The bridge and saddle setup (tune o matic) has obviously been influenced off of Gibson guitars as well. Mixing this with Fender's 2 Shawbucker pickups + Rosewood fretboard + Mahogany body gives this guitar a very unique and different sounding tone that I've personally never heard from a Fender instrument.
I'd say that this is a type of guitar where you either REALLY like it.... or REALLY don't like it.
But for me, I was on the side of REALLY REALLY liking it.. I think it's a very forward-thinking approach to building and creating new guitars by Fender.
It shows me that Fender is indeed keeping up with the times and not afraid to venture out into new territories that other companies (cough Gibson..) are sometimes a bit reluctant.
Overall, I'd say that this Troublemaker Tele is an excellent quality guitar.
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Video Timeline:
- The History behind Fender’s “Parallel Universe” Series @ 1:10
- The Fender Guitar Influences of this Troublemaker Tele @ 2:15
- The Controversy Surrounding the “Parallel Universe” Series @ 3:15
- My First Impressions of this Troublemaker Tele @ 4:45
- Build Construction First Impressions @ 6:35
- TONE REVIEW/TEST @ 8:00
- The FINAL VERDICT and REVIEW @ 9:35
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**LINK OF GUITARS I'VE REVIEWED SO FAR:
docs.google.com/document/d/1N...
-------------------------------- THE REVIEW -------------------------------
Model:
- Fender Troublemaker Tele
Average Price
- $2000
Year:
- 2018 (2 years old from 2020)
Country of Origin:
- Made in USA
Tone Rating:
- 8/10
Guitar Build Quality:
- 9/10
Pros:
- Superb quality construction
- Unique tone. Not a Strat tone or a Tele tone or Tele Deluxe tone.. has its own individual sound
Cons:
- 8.5LBS? Might be "heavy" for some...... but for me, the heavier the better
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**MY GUITAR GEAR:
*Strings on MY Electric Guitars:
- D'Addario NYXL Strings (my favorite) = amzn.to/34NlWWm
- Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys (my 2nd favorite) = amzn.to/2GC2nZn
- Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (on my punk/rock guitars) = amzn.to/3lyOeei
*Strings on MY Acoustic Guitars:
- Elixir 80/20s (my all time favorite) = amzn.to/3nClz9M
- Ernie Ball Earthwoods (most well rounded) = amzn.to/3iLForx
- D'Addario Phosphor Bronze (best bang for your buck) = amzn.to/3jJqZxv
**MY RECORDING GEAR:
- My Camera = amzn.to/3nwzbn0
- My Mic = amzn.to/2GC0tYJ
- My Headphone = amzn.to/3nCdQZj
- My Speakers = amzn.to/3nG6Omi
- My Harddrive = amzn.to/30S3QBJ
- My Memory Card = amzn.to/34HFdZq
INSTAGRAM:
- @ everysingleguitars
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