Fender Telecaster Deluxe
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| Fender Telecaster Deluxe | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Fender |
| Period | 1972–1981, 2004–present |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Bolt-on |
| Scale | 25.5" |
| Woods | |
| Body | Alder or Ash |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fretboard | Maple or rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Classic Series: Vintage Style Strat Strings-Through-Body Hardtail Bridge Classic Player: Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo |
| Pickup(s) | Most commonly 2 Fender Wide Range humbuckers. Other pickup configurations are also available. |
| Colors available | |
| Classic Series: Black, 3-Color Sunburst, Walnut, Olympic White (FSR) Other colors may be available | |
The Fender Telecaster Deluxe is a solid-body electric guitar originally produced from 1972 to 1981, and re-issued by Fender multiple times starting in 2004.[1] Designed to compete with Gibson's Les Paul as rock music grew heavier in the 1970s, the Deluxe differs from most Telecaster models by featuring two humbucker pickups, each with its own volume and tone controls, and a larger pickguard.[2]
History
[edit]The popularity of hard rock in the late 1960s led Fender to re-think its strategy of exclusively using single coil guitar pickups,[2] as they were not perceived as being suitable for the thick sound and extended sustain favored by heavy rock guitarists using double-coil "humbucking" pickups. Consequently, Fender hired former Gibson employee Seth Lover, the inventor of the humbucker, to design a humbucking pickup for use in a number of Fender guitars. The result was the Wide Range humbucker, and it was used in a variety of different Telecaster models, including the Custom and Thinline. The Deluxe, originally conceived as the top-of-the-line model in the series, was the last of these to be released, in 1973.[3]
The "humbucker" Telecasters failed to draw potential customers away from competition like Gibson's Les Paul model, and the Telecaster Deluxe was discontinued in 1981. By the 1990s, however, the model found popularity with a new generation of guitarists, including Thom York of Radiohead, Graham Coxon of Blur, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, and James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins, and Fender subsequently released multiple reissue models beginning in the 2000s.[1] The first such model was the brand's "'72 Telecaster Deluxe" reissue, which was followed shortly by three new variants, the "Classic Player Telecaster Deluxe with Tremolo", which had a Stratocaster-style tremolo bridge like the original Deluxes; the semi-hollow "Classic Player Tele Thinline Deluxe", which combines Thinline and Deluxe features; and the "Classic Player Telecaster Deluxe Black Dove", which used "Black Dove" single-coil pickups.[1]
In 2022, Fender released the "American Vintage II 1975 Telecaster Deluxe", which was the first Deluxe model to be manufactured in the United States since the original production run—previous reissues had been made in Mexico or Japan. The Vintage II Deluxe also saw the return of vintage-spec Wide Range humbuckers, which had been discontinued in 1979 and replaced by humbuckers using alnico and ceramic magnets.[4]
Multiple signature models based on the Telecaster Deluxe have been made by Fender, including for Deryck Whibley of Sum 41, John 5, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, and Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters.[1]
Features
[edit]The Deluxe is unique among Telecasters in that the neck has an enlarged headstock similar to the brand's Stratocaster models manufactured in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.[2] The main difference between the Telecaster Deluxe and Stratocaster necks from this period is that the Telecaster Deluxe neck used medium jumbo frets while the Stratocaster necks featured narrower fret wire. The Telecaster's neck also features the "Micro-Tilt" angle adjustment device located in the heel of the neck,[2] similar to other Fender models of the period.
The body shape was similar to other Telecaster models of the era, with one minor difference – a Stratocaster-style "belly cut" contour was added to the back of the guitar.[2] The Deluxe also had the same "glitch" in its shape as the other Telecasters – a slightly less-pronounced curve where the upper bout meets the neck joint, compared to earlier (and later) Telecasters. This was attributed to more modern routing machines installed in the production line at the time. The 2004 re-issue differs from the original in that it does not have the 1970s "notchless" body style.
The Deluxe features 2 Seth Lover-designed Wide Range humbuckers with "CuNiFe" (Copper/Nickel/Ferrite) rod magnets in the place of pole-pieces. This design yielded a brighter and clearer sound more similar to that of single coil pickups. They were wound with approximately 6,800 turns of copper wire, yielding a DC resistance of approximately 10.6 kΩ (compared to a standard Gibson P.A.F. humbucker typical DC resistance of 9 kΩ).
Most Deluxes produced have a "hard-tail" fixed bridge with Stratocaster-style string saddles, although for the first couple of years of production a vibrato bridge could be ordered with the guitar – this was the same bridge used on most Stratocasters.[1] As this was not a standard option, models with the vibrato bridge are quite rare. Fender reintroduced the Tele Deluxe with bent steel FENDER FENDER marked saddles, while the originals from the 70's until 1981 were made of cast Mazac. (a zinc alloy).
The volume/tone knobs used on the early Deluxes were very similar to those used on Fender's "Blackface"/"Silverface" range of amplifiers with a chromed "skirt" tip on the top, however in the late 1970s these were replaced with black knobs identical to those used on the Stratocaster.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Owens, Jeff. "Absolute Power: The Telecaster Deluxe". Fender.
...developed in 1972 and introduced in 1973.
- ^ a b c d e Brakes, Rod. "CBS Fender Telecasters: what you need to know". guitarworld.com. Guitar World. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ^ Brosnac, Donald, ed. (1986). Guitars Made by the Fender Company. Bold Strummer. pp. 15–16. ISBN 9780933224063.
- ^ Laing, Rob. "Fender American Vintage II 1975 Telecaster Deluxe review". musicradar.com. Music Radar. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
External links
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