The Telecaster’s three-way wiring is simpler, and it also features new pickups named after the Sierra Nevada’s most popular tourist destination. The supplied gigbags are a little flimsy for anything more intensive than a quick trip to a rehearsal or local live show – thicker padding and more comfortable shoulder straps wouldn’t go amiss for those who carry their instruments on public transport, either. Unveiled in early December 2018, Fender’s American Performer Series seeks to offer just that, with nine new guitars and basses bristling with new features in a candy store of colours. Railway sleepers these jumbos decidedly are not – the fretwire is neatly installed and helps provide an easy, bend-friendly playing surface on both the Telecaster’s satin maple and Stratocaster’s bona-fide rosewood fingerboards. In the first of a series looking at the chord shapes and sequences used by the Beatles, we get inside the head of John Lennon and find a solid rhythm guitarist with an ear for original chord changes. Guitar.com is the world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar. The guitar-pop pendulum has certainly swung back towards Fender in recent years and their innate clarity and percussive quality means these instruments seem to be able to find space in any mix, no matter how dense or inorganic the surroundings. It's probably a nicely matched 2 or 3 piece body. In part two of our look at the chord shapes and sequences which define Paul Simon’s sound, we focus on his early years as a solo artist. Nevertheless, they seem to do their job and hold the tuning. All other Strat-isms are present and correct and the neck pickup in isolation is a particularly harmonically rich and enjoyable take on that classic Strat position-five tone that suits reverb and whammy-bar wobble – even if the guitar arrived with a rather stiff five-spring setup and the bridge flat to the body. © 2020 Guitar.com is a member of the media division of BandLab Technologies. There is also 'behind the nut' truss rod adjustment access and on the four screw neck plate you'll find the micro-tilt neck pitch adjustment system, enabling quick and easy adjustments compared with those on vintage Fenders. They are chrome plated. From teenage ‘indie’ beginnings, Johnny Marr has flourished into one of the finest guitar stylists in rock music. It is quite simply a superbly well made instrument, which while easing in a more modern direction still sounds, plays and feels so good that it just couldn't be mistaken for anything else. The August 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now. The most dangerous time of year for your wallets is here. Extreme boutique tones are on tap, unsurprisingly. The political uncertainty of recent times has seen the British pound hit record lows against the US dollar, and the prices of North American-made guitars and basses have risen accordingly. The neck has a much slimmer profile than some Tele die-hards will be familiar with, adopting Fenders 'C' shape and as a consequence will feel a little more modern, or dare I say it, less vintage, a sense complemented by a flatter radius of 9.5 inches instead of 7.25 inches. In summary, I am finding it extremely difficult to come up with anything I didn't like about the new American Standard Tele. This new compilation from Jack White’s Third Man Records is a treasure trove of 90s shoegaze and space-rock rarities from a set of Michigan bands indebted to the UK scene. The new Yosemite pickups are voiced bright and clear, for sure, but there’s enough power down at the bridge to satisfy snarling Jack White impersonators and enough clarity at the neck for ghostly Radiohead arpeggios. Yet, as trends have shifted over the years, making Leo’s original designs work hasn’t always been a breeze. The bridge pickup – admittedly a little nasal in isolation, but effective in a band context – can be softened without losing upper harmonics via judicious use of its dedicated Greasebucket-equipped tone control, while pulling the pot and bringing the neck pickup into the mix is a great secret weapon for slippery pseudo-Tele soul tones. On our review Stratocaster, we find a trio of new Yosemite single-coils. Check the video and hear for yourself. In summary, I am finding it extremely difficult to come up with anything I didn't like about the new American Standard Tele. Happily, there’s no imbalance here. Fender overhauls its most affordable USA-made instruments for 2019 with new pickups, a fresh lick of paint and plenty more besides. The Australian guitarist on her Gibson signature model, Flying Vs, fuzz and why she didn’t sweat the small stuff on new album, O. From upstart beginnings in the early 60s, Eric Clapton soon established himself as one of the decades’ most lauded players. Fender American Standard Telecaster Looking at a couple of hundred bucks in the other direction from the Standard, is Fender’s very own American Standard Telecaster.