I bought the Isbell Tele, then i put the Jimmy Page American rosewood neck on it and 64 custom fender pickups with a bakealite single ply black pickguard. Looks great and sounds amazing now.
Hmm thats interesting do they sell the necks separate on the jimmy page? On paper id imagine it's a similar neck, rosewood, vintage frets, 7.25 radius - what are your thoughts between the 2 necks?
@@Paul-D The Isbell neck is very good, but i can't get past the plastic trust rod ajuster at the top of the neck. Stratosphere Guitars had an American Jimmy Page Mirror Guitar Neck in dark Rosewood 7.25 with tuners for $799.00 fit perfectly. Looks like the custom shop Guitar that Jason Isbell really plays. Check out old video of his concerts and you see the real guitar with no plastic ajuster at the headstock.
You know what - now you mention it.... I can totally understand why you did that. Im amazed I didnt pick up on that as a little grievance also as ive mentioned it in the past on other guitars haha.
Some tasty playing there man! I remember seeing somewhere that the neck pickup is purposely voiced like a Strat pickup so makes sense you get the stratty tones. Absolutely love mine, it’s easily up there with my AVRI Strat.
Ahh that does make good sense then haha. I can see why, still definitely the tele id get for myself when I get to it on the list! Even with the fret concerns, a refret for my taste 18 months down the line isn't a deal breaker. Just inconvenient haha
Imo, this is how a Tele should sound. Full of life, zinginess, and classic Tele panache. Tbf it’s still a challenge to me distinguishing the “Stratiness” of the neck pickup. But these pickups are how I wish my Teles would sound, which I’ve got an Am Pro ii and i atm. Managed to try any of those recently? Just curious how this would compare against those sound wise!
Does sound good, unique, like what you listen for in a tele, You have a great one! People spend lots of time and money trying to find that tone in your tele, and your playing is very good. Awesome! Oh yea, and it’s light too! Hard to find!
Best Mexican tele ever made is the Baja 50's tele No longer made but can been found/bought used. They're getting scarce because they're the best MIM tele ever made.
I've had my Isbell Tele for close to a year now, and I did basically the same modifications you had -- cream pickguard, compensated saddles, white top hat switch. I got it used, and the dude before me also put in a Lollar Vintage in the neck. I'm kind of bummed I never got to hear the stock pickup, but I can't complain about the Lollar for sure. I also had some QC issues -- the frets were a tad uneven in places, there was a small bit of fret sprout, and the stock nut was pretty meh. I had a luthier fix up those things, now it plays absolutely wonderfully. It's funny you mention the frets -- I also have a PRS McCarty 594, and I didn't really notice the frets on the Tele all that much, even thought the PRS ones are definitely bigger. It wasn't until I recently got a Les Paul Special that I *really* understood what vintage frets were -- the frets on that guitar are tiny, and took quite a bit of getting used to!
Awesome, i wouldnt complain about a lollar. Ive loved every single lollar pickup ive ever tried, to the point i feel like a fanboy of them 😅😅 Yeh exactly when its just written down as vintage narrow on a spec sheet that could mean all kinds of things haha.
I kind of get where your coming from, for sure its not as straty as my own strat with 57/62s haha. But to my ear its definitely more up that street then a traditional tele neck pickup. Thanks for watching 🤘
I would say most people do like it, some dont. And of the ones that dont many of them convert sooner or later haha. But its all good - one thing we can all agree on is a bad relic job is horrendous.
@@Paul-D You’re exactly right. I’ve been a fan of “Relic” and “Road Worn” finishes since Fender started doing them. I can’t begin to tell you the number of people I’ve known over the years who were haters who eventually converted. I’ve been a fan from the start (even though I couldn’t afford one at the time), because I had the opportunity to play an actual 1953 Telecaster a year or so before the Custom Shop Relics first came out. That vintage Tele just felt, sounded, and looked amazing. The first time I saw a Custom Shop Relic in a store I thought it was another vintage Tele before I saw the tag on it. I actually got to play that Custom Shop Relic also, but of course I couldn’t afford it. However, at less than $2,500 it was significantly less expensive than the $10,000 vintage Tele (which would be worth at least three or four times that now). Honestly, in all the years since, that first Custom Shop Relic was still the closest thing I’ve ever played to the vintage 53 Tele. I still don’t own a Custom Shop Relic, but I’ve got three Fender Road Worns and they are definitely as close as you can get to the feel of a vintage guitar for the price.
Great videos I appreciate you sharing them. Would you say this is the exact same neck as the Chrissie Hynde? I believe they're both mid 60s I'm thinking of getting the Chrissie Hynde just putting some new pick ups in it.
I would say the neck on the Chrissie Hynde feels abit slimmer but that could be a placebo given it just looks more modern colour wise. Overall though even though i liked the CH I dont think its as good as the isbell.
The Isbell neck is very good, but i can't get past the plastic trust rod ajuster at the top of the neck. Stratosphere Guitars had an American Jimmy Page Mirror Guitar Neck in dark Rosewood 7.25 with tuners for $799.00 fit perfectly. Looks like the custom shop Guitar that Jason Isbell really plays. Check out old video of his concerts and you see the real guitar with no plastic ajuster at the headstock.
This is a sweet tele. I am torn between this one or getting a used American Vintage II 63 or an American Original 60s tele. I wonder what the tonal difference is between these three?
Its a great guitar, definitely keeps getting more expensive it seems…. But thats the world we live in eh! The riff is Ohio by crosby stills young and nash. Great track and sounds much better then my little version haha.
@@Paul-D thanks for the response. I have a bad wanting for a double bound Tele at the minute. I think I might go for a squier CV 60s custom for a cheaper route.
Hi. I'm wondering if you have had an opportunity to play (or work on) either the Jimmy Page USA-made Tele or an AVii '63 tele and, if so, how the Jason Isbell compares to them in terms of general playability/quality. I'm looking for a tele with a rosewood board and 7.25" radius. These seem to be the three best options. I have watched and learned from your videos for many months and I have come to really trust your opinons. You personally turned me on to both Eastman and the Road Worn 60s Strat. So, just wondering if you have any guidance here. Thanks so much and cheers from california. 🙏👍✌
Hi dude! Hopefully i can help abit here. So ive seen multiple recent Jason Isbell teles that have been properly heavy and the colour being lighter then this earlier run. Enough that id say if i was getting an Isbell id try and only get first/second year ones and not a recent new one. I only ever tried a jimmy page once and i did love it. But not much experience with them.
Well…. Since this vid ive had a couple experiences with more recent versions, and they are a slightly different colour and weigh twice as much it feels like!
Yeh pretty similar. Only difference really it does widen/fatten out a little more as you go up the neck more then a player series. But either way its a really lovely neck no complaints there other then the fret concerns haha
It is alot no doubt. But if you were to get similar spec USA or even customshop youd be paying alot more so its just one of them things you just fork out when your ready. I think used there around £1000 too.
Shijie TLV classic telecaster is about $900, and better than Fender telecasters costing over twice as much, as I know you'll agree when you play one. You really need to check-out Shijie T and S types, the absolute best for the money. Shijie does Fender type guitars like Eastman does Gibson type guitars - much better than the originals. There is a reason Shijie has a cult following, and I admit to being a member......cheers!
Wow if they compare to how eastman does gibson i really need to see them. Ive honestly never heard of them. Ill look now! Follow up; After doing some reading they seem like high quality fender type guitars but to your point on Eastman i cant agree on paper. There using in house pickups and wilkinson hardware. Eastman use Lollar/Gotoh far better known and more expensive. They use poly finish too rather then truetone or nitro varnish like eastman so i wouldnt quite say its the eastman of fender - still looking for that one haha. Look cool though
I can’t get past the price .. I will pay that for an American made but Mexico … you will loose at least 1k out the door .. mim resale is awful for the expensive ones like this. Great guitar .. price not great
Since this guitar released the vast majority of the used ones ive tracked because im sad like that, have sold for around £1000. So they seem to be doing okay on that score. But yeh, still expensive for sure and why i dont yet have one myself
Does sound good, unique, like what you listen for in a tele, You have a great one! People spend lots of time and money trying to find that tone in your tele, and your playing is very good. Awesome! Oh yea, and it’s light too! Hard to find!
![Fender Jason Isbell Custom Telecaster: Mick’s New Guitar [Sounds, Setup, Mods & More]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CGx88BCHUSQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Fender Jason Isbell Custom Telecaster: Mick’s New Guitar [Sounds, Setup, Mods & More]](/img/tr.png)
I bought the Isbell Tele, then i put the Jimmy Page American rosewood neck on it and 64 custom fender pickups with a bakealite single ply black pickguard. Looks great and sounds amazing now.
Hmm thats interesting do they sell the necks separate on the jimmy page? On paper id imagine it's a similar neck, rosewood, vintage frets, 7.25 radius - what are your thoughts between the 2 necks?
@@Paul-D The Isbell neck is very good, but i can't get past the plastic trust rod ajuster at the top of the neck. Stratosphere Guitars had an American Jimmy Page Mirror Guitar Neck in dark Rosewood 7.25 with tuners for $799.00 fit perfectly. Looks like the custom shop Guitar that Jason Isbell really plays. Check out old video of his concerts and you see the real guitar with no plastic ajuster at the headstock.
You know what - now you mention it.... I can totally understand why you did that. Im amazed I didnt pick up on that as a little grievance also as ive mentioned it in the past on other guitars haha.
@@Paul-D Thank you for saying that.
I’m trying to get one of those Isbell neck pickups. You wanna sell it?
Some tasty playing there man! I remember seeing somewhere that the neck pickup is purposely voiced like a Strat pickup so makes sense you get the stratty tones. Absolutely love mine, it’s easily up there with my AVRI Strat.
Ahh that does make good sense then haha. I can see why, still definitely the tele id get for myself when I get to it on the list! Even with the fret concerns, a refret for my taste 18 months down the line isn't a deal breaker. Just inconvenient haha
Imo, this is how a Tele should sound. Full of life, zinginess, and classic Tele panache. Tbf it’s still a challenge to me distinguishing the “Stratiness” of the neck pickup. But these pickups are how I wish my Teles would sound, which I’ve got an Am Pro ii and i atm. Managed to try any of those recently? Just curious how this would compare against those sound wise!
Ive never played the american pro 2 but i have had a professional and definitely prefer the Isbell.
Does sound good, unique, like what you listen for in a tele, You have a great one! People spend lots of time and money trying to find that tone in your tele, and your playing is very good. Awesome! Oh yea, and it’s light too! Hard to find!
Thanks, the tele belongs to a friend though i wish it was mine haha
great video man. Custom Teles are one of the coolest guitars around. definetely a keeper!
For sure they are - hope your good dude! Still envy your magnatone 😅
@@Paul-D oh yes it is sweet. How loud can you play in your place?? It is loud!
Usually im not much louder then about 85db at the most.
nice guitar, Fender Mexico makes some good stuff for sure
For sure, shame its so expensive now but what isnt lol
Best Mexican tele ever made is the Baja 50's tele
No longer made but can been found/bought used.
They're getting scarce because they're the best MIM tele ever made.
Yeh ive had a couple of those - they are tough to beat thats for sure. The only issue i had with the ones i had was they were pretty heavy.
I've had my Isbell Tele for close to a year now, and I did basically the same modifications you had -- cream pickguard, compensated saddles, white top hat switch. I got it used, and the dude before me also put in a Lollar Vintage in the neck. I'm kind of bummed I never got to hear the stock pickup, but I can't complain about the Lollar for sure. I also had some QC issues -- the frets were a tad uneven in places, there was a small bit of fret sprout, and the stock nut was pretty meh. I had a luthier fix up those things, now it plays absolutely wonderfully.
It's funny you mention the frets -- I also have a PRS McCarty 594, and I didn't really notice the frets on the Tele all that much, even thought the PRS ones are definitely bigger. It wasn't until I recently got a Les Paul Special that I *really* understood what vintage frets were -- the frets on that guitar are tiny, and took quite a bit of getting used to!
Awesome, i wouldnt complain about a lollar. Ive loved every single lollar pickup ive ever tried, to the point i feel like a fanboy of them 😅😅
Yeh exactly when its just written down as vintage narrow on a spec sheet that could mean all kinds of things haha.
@@Paul-D yup, Gibson calls them "medium jumbo" and they are anything but!
Great looking and sounding guitar. Though being a Strat player I don’t hear the Strat neck pickup. Its not nasally enough for me. 😉👍🏻
I kind of get where your coming from, for sure its not as straty as my own strat with 57/62s haha.
But to my ear its definitely more up that street then a traditional tele neck pickup.
Thanks for watching 🤘
@@Paul-D yes definitely Paul. It’s a lot more Straty than most Teles 👍🏻
Tele s are cool finally been a strat guy for years now looking for a tele
The later runs of these are apparently way heavier so thats something to look out for. Nobody wants a 10lb tele haha
Looks great. I just cannot understand who likes the "relic worn" finish. I don't need Fender to do that for me, I am a very capable person!
I would say most people do like it, some dont. And of the ones that dont many of them convert sooner or later haha. But its all good - one thing we can all agree on is a bad relic job is horrendous.
Me!! I do 💯🔥
@@Paul-D
You’re exactly right. I’ve been a fan of “Relic” and “Road Worn” finishes since Fender started doing them. I can’t begin to tell you the number of people I’ve known over the years who were haters who eventually converted.
I’ve been a fan from the start (even though I couldn’t afford one at the time), because I had the opportunity to play an actual 1953 Telecaster a year or so before the Custom Shop Relics first came out. That vintage Tele just felt, sounded, and looked amazing. The first time I saw a Custom Shop Relic in a store I thought it was another vintage Tele before I saw the tag on it. I actually got to play that Custom Shop Relic also, but of course I couldn’t afford it. However, at less than $2,500 it was significantly less expensive than the $10,000 vintage Tele (which would be worth at least three or four times that now). Honestly, in all the years since, that first Custom Shop Relic was still the closest thing I’ve ever played to the vintage 53 Tele. I still don’t own a Custom Shop Relic, but I’ve got three Fender Road Worns and they are definitely as close as you can get to the feel of a vintage guitar for the price.
I’ve had mine for a few months and I definitely love it but I’m playing the Eastman T59 far far more .
a fellow T59 owner! Yes id be playing the Eastman more too hahaha
Great videos I appreciate you sharing them. Would you say this is the exact same neck as the Chrissie Hynde? I believe they're both mid 60s I'm thinking of getting the Chrissie Hynde just putting some new pick ups in it.
I would say the neck on the Chrissie Hynde feels abit slimmer but that could be a placebo given it just looks more modern colour wise.
Overall though even though i liked the CH I dont think its as good as the isbell.
@@Paul-D ok awesome. I tried a CH at guitar center and loved it.l so much. Best neck I've ever felt. Maybe it's the 7.25 I'm digging.
The Isbell neck is very good, but i can't get past the plastic trust rod ajuster at the top of the neck. Stratosphere Guitars had an American Jimmy Page Mirror Guitar Neck in dark Rosewood 7.25 with tuners for $799.00 fit perfectly. Looks like the custom shop Guitar that Jason Isbell really plays. Check out old video of his concerts and you see the real guitar with no plastic ajuster at the headstock.
Your ADHD is showing.
You still have the stickers on the neck plate 😄
It doesnt belong to me haha
This is a sweet tele. I am torn between this one or getting a used American Vintage II 63 or an American Original 60s tele. I wonder what the tonal difference is between these three?
That is a tough choice my friend! They’ll be noticeable differences between each of those pickups for sure.
Great video man. I love the binding on the body of that tele. What is the riff you are playing at 2:10?
Its a great guitar, definitely keeps getting more expensive it seems…. But thats the world we live in eh!
The riff is Ohio by crosby stills young and nash. Great track and sounds much better then my little version haha.
@@Paul-D thanks for the response. I have a bad wanting for a double bound Tele at the minute. I think I might go for a squier CV 60s custom for a cheaper route.
It gets the job done. For sure try and find a 2008-2013ish model. Ive forgotten how many CVs ive had now and they are always the best 🤘🤘
This summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio!
You got it 😎🤘🤘🤘
@@Paul-D I just LOVE early Neil Young, he was in his best creative form in the 70s.
Hi. I'm wondering if you have had an opportunity to play (or work on) either the Jimmy Page USA-made Tele or an AVii '63 tele and, if so, how the Jason Isbell compares to them in terms of general playability/quality. I'm looking for a tele with a rosewood board and 7.25" radius. These seem to be the three best options. I have watched and learned from your videos for many months and I have come to really trust your opinons. You personally turned me on to both Eastman and the Road Worn 60s Strat. So, just wondering if you have any guidance here. Thanks so much and cheers from california. 🙏👍✌
Hi dude! Hopefully i can help abit here. So ive seen multiple recent Jason Isbell teles that have been properly heavy and the colour being lighter then this earlier run. Enough that id say if i was getting an Isbell id try and only get first/second year ones and not a recent new one.
I only ever tried a jimmy page once and i did love it. But not much experience with them.
I prefer the three-colour sunburst..the current tobacco sunburst is not as nice..the guitar is great..l bought mine new in 1967
Thats awesome! To think you still have it and enjoy it all these years on
Does the clear coat relic with acetone and show bare wood? Or is it a thick urethane undercoat?
Good question - to be honest i would bet there is a urethane undercoat, but maybe not as thick as you’d find on other guitars.
Wonder how it compares to the SH performer at now the same price .
Well…. Since this vid ive had a couple experiences with more recent versions, and they are a slightly different colour and weigh twice as much it feels like!
how's the neck profile? slim, thick, or baseball bat?
Slap bang in the middle. Not tiny like a squier and not huge like a baja.
@@Paul-D probably modern C like Fender player. dig your demo, sound fantastic and good playing.
Yeh pretty similar. Only difference really it does widen/fatten out a little more as you go up the neck more then a player series. But either way its a really lovely neck no complaints there other then the fret concerns haha
@@Paul-D that's a very familiar neck. thank you sir.
I'd buy one in a second if every guitar they ship wasn't "beat up". There must have been an explosion at the factory.
Do you mean the factory relicing or that lots of them are arriving actually damaged lol
@@Paul-D It was a joke. I am not a fan of new guitars that are sold distressed.
@@billkallas1762
Then don’t buy one.
Your loss.
its almost exactly what i want but i cant bring myself to pay over a grand for a mexican tele
It is alot no doubt. But if you were to get similar spec USA or even customshop youd be paying alot more so its just one of them things you just fork out when your ready. I think used there around £1000 too.
Shijie TLV classic telecaster is about $900, and better than Fender telecasters costing over twice as much, as I know you'll agree when you play one. You really need to check-out Shijie T and S types, the absolute best for the money. Shijie does Fender type guitars like Eastman does Gibson type guitars - much better than the originals. There is a reason Shijie has a cult following, and I admit to being a member......cheers!
Wow if they compare to how eastman does gibson i really need to see them. Ive honestly never heard of them. Ill look now!
Follow up;
After doing some reading they seem like high quality fender type guitars but to your point on Eastman i cant agree on paper.
There using in house pickups and wilkinson hardware. Eastman use Lollar/Gotoh far better known and more expensive.
They use poly finish too rather then truetone or nitro varnish like eastman so i wouldnt quite say its the eastman of fender - still looking for that one haha.
Look cool though
I can’t get past the price .. I will pay that for an American made but Mexico … you will loose at least 1k out the door .. mim resale is awful for the expensive ones like this.
Great guitar .. price not great
Since this guitar released the vast majority of the used ones ive tracked because im sad like that, have sold for around £1000. So they seem to be doing okay on that score. But yeh, still expensive for sure and why i dont yet have one myself
Nice but I can’t stand that relic BS😖😖😖😖😖
Love a relic.
Does sound good, unique, like what you listen for in a tele, You have a great one! People spend lots of time and money trying to find that tone in your tele, and your playing is very good. Awesome! Oh yea, and it’s light too! Hard to find!