Fender 72 Telecaster Deluxe Reissue MIM Reviews 5

I recently bought the walnut model of the '72 Telecaster Deluxe Re-issue. I've played guitar for about 13 years now. I currently play a Fender Jazz Bass in one of the two bands I'm in but am using this for home recordings as sort of a catch all guitar. I'm recording some soul music, some softer Damien Rice-esque type of music, and some progressive modern rock like the band The Receiving End of Sirens.

I bought this guitar from a guy off of craigslist for 400 bucks... (an amazing deal) and he had played it only a few times and decided he didn't really need it. He had boughten it for his son to have a new electric... not knowing his son had actually bought himself the same model.

www.myspace.com/alphachildren

Sound is buttery, very smooth. A healthy amount of bass response which i like. I tend to lean more towards Les Paul's because i like the bass response but this guitar kinda gives me the best of both worlds for the price. I feel like the warmth in the pickups and the brighter body styles of the teles just work well together.

The stock setup on this guy is not ideal... The action is a bit high... and i really had to play with the humbucker height to get the sound i want... but in reality I think everyone should spend the time with their electric guitars to play with both of these and see what suits both your play style and what really works for the guitar. My only real complaint is based on personal taste... i'm not big on gloss necks.

Construction pretty solid. I would just be careful, some of these models come with a flaw where the high E string tends to sit off of the fretboard. Before ever purchasing one of these make sure to look down the neck and confirm that the alignment is on.

I give this guitar two thumbs up. I think that it really lends itself to a catch all guitar. I also personally really liked the walnut finish and thought it was beautiful. The sound is great, the feel is great once you get the action where you want it, and it really is just a comfortable guitar.

john borba rated this unit 5 on 2010-04-26.

I picked up this reissue a month ago from the local dealer in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada for 900 Cdn dollars, and haven’t put it down. It is my new favorite axe. I made the mistake of my life selling my ‘78 tele deluxe in 1982 and have been waiting for a reissue.

Out of the box the fit and finish jumped off the page - it gleams. Black on black, maple and chrome.... hummmmm..... very sexy. Although tunned down for shipping, the set up and intonation were bang on when tunned up to pitch. The neck is fast and slinky, and frets are all spot on - no buzzing or high spots. Tough to play any slide on this axe without raising the action. It’s very, very fast. This guitar was made to push amplifier tubes - no stinging treble tele leads - lots of grit and grind outta the two big hummers. Having played the blues semi professionally for more than 25 years through strats and a variety of overdrive pedals, I won’t require any more wall warts or OD pedals! I turned it up through my clean channel on my 30 watt tube Delta Blues and its got the most subtle bit of crunch. Selecting the neck pick up, rolling off the tone knob and its tone is thicker than cream. Switch to the bridge and its classic drive. Kicking the drive channel, and there’s still more tone - its like a fat kid crunching on a smartie. Plugging direct into the PA board, the guitar still carries its tone through the solid state circuitry, but with less options for pick attack and some diminished warmth with solid state wiring. Pugged into my Berhinger V2 this guitar is outstanding - the '72 Tele Deluxe screams - in a really great sort of way! Through my 1970 deluxe reverb it’s just heaven.....

Down sides are few - the tuners are vintage so the gear ratio is low - hey this IS a reissue and technology has changed in everything - including tuners. A small problem with a loose pick up was immediately repaired by the dealer. This is a heavy guitar. Not for those with soft shoulders, but it is nicely balanced.

Lost of less than complimentary things have been written about the first runsd of Mex made Fenders. I own a doxen guitars of various makes in both middle and high end price points, and this is the third one MIM Fender I have purchased. They are good guitars and represent good value for money. The 72 tele deluxe reissue is no exception. Besides, who wants to take their classic axe into to bar with all the smoke and risk having some bar fly spill stuff on it? This is a great guitar, well constructed with superb sound for a guitar in this price range. The gig bag is very nice, but a hard shell case is warranted at this price point.

In summary, this is a very affordable, well made, great sounding reissue blues/ classic rock guitar for intermediate and serious players alike. Consider changing the tuners. Well done Fender!

Dwight O\'Hane rated this unit 4 on 2004-08-03.

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