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Guitarist, John 5, Lights-up Signature Telecaster® and Acoustic Guitars!
Fender's 60 Cycle Hum News
2004-05-03

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You’ve been playing and touring your two Fender® Custom Shop Signature Series Telecaster® guitars. How have they been working out?

Ever since rehearsals for the last tour, I’ve been using the two Custom Shop guitars. I use one for a D tuning and the other for E tuning. Through the whole tour, they’ve held up perfectly. Everything else I’ve been using, I’ve had problems with. But, I’ve never had one problem with these guitars. They sound perfect and stay in tune just fine. They’re really road dogs. That’s for sure!

You couldn’t imagine a Tele® guitar with that kind of heavy, heavy, heavy sound. That’s what I’ve always wanted and it’s totally working.

Do you notice a huge difference between the two models?

They both have their own vibe. I use the J5:Bigsby® mainly and the J5:HB for alternate tunings. The rhythm pickup on the J5:Bigsby sounds great for jazzier tones. But, I've found myself using them equally lately. They both sound awesome!

Tell me a little about your Telecaster guitar collection.

I love them so much. I’ve got close to 20 and they’re really nice, old Telecaster guitars. I have a ’69 Thinline that looks like it came right off the rack. I have a ’66 Esquire, ’75 Custom, ’68 Tele with a maple cap. They’re gorgeous!

Do you use them in your session work?

I use them only when I’m recording and I put them right back in the case when I’m done. I like to record songs just for my own enjoyment. I give them to my friends and stuff like that. I’m going to record a song today. I think I’m up to number eight. It’s a lot of fun.

Do you use session players?

I play banjo, bass and guitar. And, of course, I use my drummer friends that are around to lay down the drum parts. It’s just fun for me. Because later in life, when I’m not playing hard rock anymore – I’ll probably play some country.

I heard that you lit the stage up with Les Paul a few months ago…

I was playing in New Jersey and I heard word that Les Paul was playing in New York City. So, I went down to the club as soon as I got off stage. I even changed in the car. I got there and met Les Paul, and he asked if I wanted to get up and play. He didn’t know who I was, but he heard that I was in some semi-successful band.

They were playing standards that they all knew. I was really nervous because I didn’t know any of their songs. I had my American Vintage ’52 Telecaster and he said “Oh, you have one of THOSE (laughs).” My ’52 is nicknamed “Lucille” because it’s ALWAYS with me. I love it and won’t go anywhere without it.

So, I started playing and using all my tricks. The crowd started clapping during the song and Les was shaking his head. I stopped and started walking off the stage, when he asked me to come back on stage. He said, “I’ve played with Beck, Page and Clapton. But, you impress me son!" He asked me back to play his Christmas show. It really was one of the greatest days of my life! I was on cloud nine for a long time!!!

How do you work the J5 Acoustic into your music?

The acoustic is great, because I love the cutaway first of all. It’s really easy to play. I don’t care who you are; acoustic guitars are always harder to play than electric guitars. But, this one is really easy to play and has a great sound. It fits just like my Telecaster guitars do. It’s great for writing and recording. I love the guitar, especially the headstock (which matches his Custom Shop Telecaster guitars)! I’m very proud to have my name associated with it.

Alright… last question. What’s in your CD player?

Good question! Let me eject it because I’m driving. Ah… you know what it is? "Les Paul, the Millennium Collection." Isn’t that funny?

Note: This article was reprinted with permission from Fender.com. For more great articles and feature stories like these, please visit the 60 Cycle Hum news at Fender 60 Cycle Hum News