There are quite a few Japanese guitars (countering American) that are as high quality or better even. Some of those luthiers there a a cut above. The American market favors the domestic models but as far as playability they’re not always the best. That goes same for some electronic components as well.
What's your criteria of "slightly cheaper" parts? If it's the monetary amount, then you're right about that, and I don't think it's a bad thing. But quality-wise, Japan-made Fenders and their Japan-made electronic parts are on par if not better than most American-made guitar and electronic parts you'll find at that price range and even the slightly more expensive ones. The neck of this guitar is smooth and the edge is rolled nicely compared to the more expensive American pro Tele's and Strats. Even the aerodyne Strat which is under $1000.00 feels more polished than the American pro. They're also well-setup and the sound is good.
Ritchie was a shredder when he came out, check out his first release, he’s an amazing guitarist, I’m talking Steve Vai type player, he’s definitely one of the greatest guitar players ever, don’t be fooled by his singer song writer stuff, he’s a badass.
Bryan Charles Very well said. Shredding was cool when I was a teenager in the 80s, but is something I have zero interest in now. Styles and tastes change sometimes for the better.
@@ShockBot127 I don’t have any links but you can find his first Shrapnel release, which he does some insane guitar work on. His alternate picking is flawless.
The nice thing about this guitar is Richie designed it specifically for himself. When you watch Richie play either solo or with The Winery Dogs the guitar he’s using is the exact same one you’re buying off the shelf at the store. He didn’t just license his name to Fender like a lot of other players do. I don’t have large hands and even I love the thick neck. Out of all my guitars, this is the one I reach for 99% of the time when I’m looking to play.
My local GC had the Merle Haggard Tele used for $6500. I sat with it for an hour and was very impressed. Since his death, the prices have been slowly climbing. Well over $7k now.
Speaking as a guy who mainly plays a Telecaster, the lack of a tone knob is a deal breaker. Why not use a push-pull pot for the series/parallel switch and leave the tone knob? Nice guitar, stupid feature as the tone control on a Telecaster does a lot for you, more so than on any guitar I've ever played and can even be necessary if plugging into an amp that isn't yours due to how bright these guitars can be.
@@Innaband I love them, I use two push pulls on my main Tele. Very useful and they don't muck up the guitar with switches. I rarely use tone controls on any other guitar but the tone knob on a Telecaster does so much.
I just wanted to comment on the one spec you mentioned about how the Japanese built Teles flatten the area by the output jack. So do the USA and Mexican built. It’s not quite as defined as this example but the fact there’s binding might cause a bit of an optical illusion since most telecasters aren’t bound so the edge is rounded a bit and not just squared off with binding. To test that theory, try putting a French curve on the lower bout in that area and see if there is space under the jack area on all teles you have currently in your inventory.
Timothy Mallon yup. I just got a 2019 player series telecaster in that penny color and it has that flat spot on the jack. Same bright maple neck with no abalone.
You left out the "Winery Dogs"! Richie on guitar, keyboard, and vocals, Billy Sheehan on bass and Mike Portnoy on drums. Look them up, they are fantastic. He also has a Signature MIJ Strat! It too is freakin amazing.
Came to say this. The Winery Dogs are amazeballs! Saw them at a tiny club in Jacksonville, FL and they killed. Plus, Richie plays with his fingers (not to mention being a total beast) so he has kind of a unique tone.
Played strat 15 years... bought this... sold strat after about a month. Still curious about modding to add tone nob and maybe some series parralel within the bridge pickup. Thanks for review was helpful in me taking the chance and ordering.
Fender has stepped up the entire manufacturing process at all of the factories. Ensenada and the Japanese contractors are producing some of the best value/quality guitars in the world right now. I bought the 60’s Baja Tele(very similar to 60’s Vintera) last year and I was blown away with the wood selection, electronics and QC. Every newer guitar from Fender I’ve got my hands on has been the same.
The japanese strats have always been excellent, the FujiGen strats are superb, I really want a Aerodyne black strat, I love Japanese guitars and own many.
Super nice guitar bro! Richie is awesome! The Winery Dogs are one of the most underrated super groups of all time! Your right Richie sounds alot like Cornell but shreds the blues all finger picking to! He never uses a pick... Not sure why his signature axe has a pickguard, Lol. But what a nice Fender and I'm a Gibson guy!
Bought that guitar a few months ago. Neck is big but not uncomfortable at all, im a shredder, kinda. And most of my guitars are modern. 2 ibanez, esp.. but i don't know. The fender rk tele is super comfortable to me. Love it. Best guitar i have.
Got my Baja Telecaster today! It's got a 50's neck which has the same thickness as Richie's, I don't hate it. The Baja has a four way switch and an S1. I found that I had to really dig in and snap the strings for more twang than my Strat.
1:18 "Onethousandfourhundredninetynine dollars"? That's currently very arbitrary 2,200€ or $2,300 in green money and I don't think that whopping 53% markup can be easily explained with anything else than opportunism.
This sort of "ding", flat surface on the output jack region, is not only restricted to Japan teles, this is actually found on most teles right from the very start. It's just sometimes not so profound.
I seen Tash Sultana play one of these live for her Lollapalooza performance, and thought damn that things is beautiful. I bought one, and I love it. You can get a really pretty clean tone out of the neck pickup.
That flat edge where the jack socket is, is vintage fender correct for a telecaster. My understanding is that it was done by hand though, by pushing the body against a belt sander or whatever, so they do vary on how 'extreme' the flat spot is. It's just so the jack cup sits flush. The binding does make it more noticeable though and many modern Fenders don't have it either.
Now that's is my favorite musicians guitar and I'm glad to say I own one. And you forgot to mention, winery dogs or he does not use picks anymore and he is amazinggg
As for "cheaper electronics", the question is "is a Made in Japan" pot cheaper or lower quality than the "Made in Korea" pots on USA Fenders?. (actually I think CTS pots are made in Taiwan, not Korea).
Correct no pots are currently made in the USA. Top Quality pots like CTS, Braun, spec their pots with tolerances, tappers, etc. and have them made in Taiwan.
Great review! I've got one of these and love it. The big fat neck inspires me in a different way which is fun. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this guitar to anyone.
Man, I played one of these a couple years ago and you aren’t kidding. This neck is the biggest neck I have ever played to date. I’ve heard of baseball bat necks (and I love big neck profiles), but this is next level big. Great tele tho!
Kotzen's legacy is much bigger than solo work and Mr BIG. Before Mr BIG Kotzen was also a member of Poison. He also worked together with Greg Howe and is co-founding member of Winery Dogs.
I own this model. Even if I was not a Huge Richie fan, I would have bought it anyway, just for the neck profile. If you have BIG hands, and not want to play a Les Paul, this is THE guitar. Very versatile guitar, great clean sounds, deep leads .... this is my MAIN guitar and have sold my Music Man Reflex and PRS CE 24 just because this one kills them all .... but for this price tag, not a case and not even a gig bag ?! come on Fender !
It’s an odd duck of sorts. The bridge humbucker is nice, but it really doesn’t sound like a Telecaster anymore. The neck pickup is a very good traditional sound. The series middle sound is really cool and something pretty different.
apparently those flat output jacks have been used on the original 50s tele bodies, I've seen a warmoth video where they compare those vintage and modern body shapes, very informative
Really great demo - you addressed all the things I wanted to know ; veneer or solid wood top; tones across the pick-up options. I'd suggest that Japanese electrical components are going to be better than USA made ones...
Nice I agree. I love strats. And the Mims are actually usually my preferred. Nothing confusing or gimmicky strange nuances. Usually is say...USUALLY when I pick up a Good old standard or FSR MIM I'm just at home. I guess it's all the different USAs they promo at much higher ratio pricing which I cannot quite afford, or feel the need...
I believe that 'flat' part in the binding in the area of the output jack is quite common for Telecasters with binding; Even the 'Custom' ones from the 60's had it, which I first remarked on Andy Summers'.
Holy crap, I've been looking to see what the pots are in this guitar so I could make my own.I can't find it anywhere! You sir rock I can cleary see it's a single 250k pot!
I haven't read every single comment here so forgive me if I'm not the first to say this: Not to be nit-picky but the "Telecaster" on the headstock isn't in parentheses - those are "quotation" marks, and yes, I've always sorta thought the way Fender does that is cool! ps, do you know how the neck thickness compares to a "Nocaster" - those are ball-bats too. I've never measured one but the reported thicknesses I've seen are very similar to what we have here - they're not for everybody, for sure Nice review and I enjoy your work. Carry On!
Hope you’ll feature more Fender Japanese signature guitars such as the Haruna Ono Telecaster which is sought after by both musicians and collectors these days!
I’d still trust the Japanese made pots though. I wouldn’t knock the guitar for not having CTS and Switchcraft. The MIJ parts are probably on par with or better than the CTS stuff.
The ALPS rotary switch actually busted on mine, damn near impossible to find a replacement, even Fenders service department couldn't get me one! So I added a tone a control in place of it and installed a 4 way selector to do series/parallel.
I don’t see something from Japan as inferior to a USA model. I’m going to guess they have better quality control. Unfortunately i don’t think this one is worth that much. Maybe a 1000$
Phillip Pitts my experience is that Japanese guitars are better than American guitars on average. That said, my favorite guitars in my collection are my fender strat and Gibson les Paul. I tend to play the guitars I buy at brick and mortar stores before buying them so I ended up with great American guitars, but if I were ordering blind off the internet, I’d go Japanese.
I’ve had a few MIJ Fenders and even the early Japanese Squiers were great quality. It does look strange to see a plastic switch in a high end guitar but I’m sure it’s well made and not like the ones in a $120 guitar. I’ve swapped pickups in most MIJ models I’ve had but it wasn’t because they stopped working, just a matter of personal preference.
I played tons of those over the years, reason being, I really wanted to get one, but I just could not deal with the chunky neck. Sure, it is comfortable and actually really playable, but no, the neck is just still too thick for my taste. After a few months, I went back to the music store, and tried another one and thought I might like the chunky neck a little more, but always the same thing, it was just too thick, I could never get use to it
It's good to see another Michael Kelly player!!! I have a 53DB and a triple 50. The triple 50 has a compound radius as well, and it's very comfortable to play. I use the triple 50 and my 72 tele thinline reissue the most out of all of my guitars.
Great video. When you’re giving the tech-specs for Fender guitars it would be great to include the fretboard radius. It can be the determining factor for some buyers. Especially with Japanese guitars.
In Japan they still use those crappy all plastic selector switches? I have a MIJ Jackson Pro DX2 from 96 and the clicking mechanism of it broke, it felt as if you were to break it when changing positions. Got it replaced with an Oak Grigsby; they do last a while without problems as another 07 MIJ Jackson I've had also had one of those and it was just fine, but that one clearly had seen a lot less use.
Love your videos man. I always learn stuff about different guitars. I have a rule about not gigging anything more than $1,000 although I have broken that occasionally, but not more than 1500...lol. So, I'll probably never pull the trigger on your stuff. But love your videos.
hi, can you also do a review or demo, that guitar Paired with the Richie Kotzen RK5 v2 fly rig pedal?,,, would love to hear the combination of the two & take a closer look,, coz that's whats he's also using live, tnx
Recently played an early custom shop Broadcaster (maybe a Nocaster), baseball bat neck. Prefer 60s slim but just depends on the guitar. Keep it up Trogly.
Hi. Would like to know if you had hum/buzzing problems with the bridge pickup. Went to pick mine up and it was buzzing like a nest of angry bees and thats on a clean sound plus the grounding only works when touching the control pots but not the bridge and strings. Plus the Chopper T is a humbucker and its not suppose to hum. Shop is changing to another piece for me but I've read of several similar problems online. Would like to know of your experience on. Thanks.
It’s a beautiful guitar and I know what those pickups really sound like. I don’t know if it’s my phone or if the demo of it plugged in was through a cheap little $20 practice amp lol
These are beautiful. I’m surprised by weight variations (AMS) from 7lbs 10oz to 8lbs 7oz. If you were shopping one, would you shoot for heavier or lighter? Just curious
Why wouldn't they put a 4 way switch for the in series thing and leave a tone knob in? The Baja circuit is basically that if you ignore the S1 switch to get an out of phase sound. No tone knob on a tele = no deal.
Reverb: reverb.com/item/31461762-fender-kotzen-tele-2017-2-tone-sunburst?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly
Episode Guide:
0:13 - Ritchie Kotzen
1:04 - Special Features
2:30 - Fancy Electronics
3:25 - First Impressions
4:44 - Inside Look / Specs
9:44 - Tone Demo
12:24 - Tone Talk
14:13 - Final Thoughts
There are quite a few Japanese guitars (countering American) that are as high quality or better even. Some of those luthiers there a a cut above. The American market favors the domestic models but as far as playability they’re not always the best. That goes same for some electronic components as well.
What's your criteria of "slightly cheaper" parts? If it's the monetary amount, then you're right about that, and I don't think it's a bad thing. But quality-wise, Japan-made Fenders and their Japan-made electronic parts are on par if not better than most American-made guitar and electronic parts you'll find at that price range and even the slightly more expensive ones. The neck of this guitar is smooth and the edge is rolled nicely compared to the more expensive American pro Tele's and Strats. Even the aerodyne Strat which is under $1000.00 feels more polished than the American pro. They're also well-setup and the sound is good.
Ritchie was a shredder when he came out, check out his first release, he’s an amazing guitarist, I’m talking Steve Vai type player, he’s definitely one of the greatest guitar players ever, don’t be fooled by his singer song writer stuff, he’s a badass.
Bryan Charles Very well said. Shredding was cool when I was a teenager in the 80s, but is something I have zero interest in now. Styles and tastes change sometimes for the better.
True !
Would love to. Any links by chance?
@@gregs8685 totally agree with you
@@ShockBot127 I don’t have any links but you can find his first Shrapnel release, which he does some insane guitar work on. His alternate picking is flawless.
FINALLY! A quality review on this thing!
@@chaz2912 I don't own one but I've had my eye on it for awhile. Couldn't really find many quality reviews on YT
And he also plays with with winery dogs. One of my favorite supergroups
The nice thing about this guitar is Richie designed it specifically for himself. When you watch Richie play either solo or with The Winery Dogs the guitar he’s using is the exact same one you’re buying off the shelf at the store. He didn’t just license his name to Fender like a lot of other players do. I don’t have large hands and even I love the thick neck. Out of all my guitars, this is the one I reach for 99% of the time when I’m looking to play.
I absolutely love Kotzens, they sound fantastic! I have 3 teles and one strat, best tele fender ever made in my eyes.
this is the best review of richie kotzen telecaster on UA-cam. Thank you.
I'm glad to see that someone recognizes Richie's greatness other than me! He's an excellent singer and a beast of a guutarist.
My local GC had the Merle Haggard Tele used for $6500. I sat with it for an hour and was very impressed. Since his death, the prices have been slowly climbing. Well over $7k now.
Speaking as a guy who mainly plays a Telecaster, the lack of a tone knob is a deal breaker. Why not use a push-pull pot for the series/parallel switch and leave the tone knob? Nice guitar, stupid feature as the tone control on a Telecaster does a lot for you, more so than on any guitar I've ever played and can even be necessary if plugging into an amp that isn't yours due to how bright these guitars can be.
Tele Caster I was thinking the same thing with the push/pull knobs
@@Innaband I love them, I use two push pulls on my main Tele. Very useful and they don't muck up the guitar with switches. I rarely use tone controls on any other guitar but the tone knob on a Telecaster does so much.
Tele Caster I have them on one of my Les Pauls, even though I mainly play my tele or my Flying V at shows.
Agree he should’ve had a 4 way switch instead
o gee....do you know Kotzen? ...he made that guitar how he use it...
I just wanted to comment on the one spec you mentioned about how the Japanese built Teles flatten the area by the output jack. So do the USA and Mexican built. It’s not quite as defined as this example but the fact there’s binding might cause a bit of an optical illusion since most telecasters aren’t bound so the edge is rounded a bit and not just squared off with binding. To test that theory, try putting a French curve on the lower bout in that area and see if there is space under the jack area on all teles you have currently in your inventory.
Timothy Mallon yup. I just got a 2019 player series telecaster in that penny color and it has that flat spot on the jack. Same bright maple neck with no abalone.
You left out the "Winery Dogs"! Richie on guitar, keyboard, and vocals, Billy Sheehan on bass and Mike Portnoy on drums. Look them up, they are fantastic. He also has a Signature MIJ Strat! It too is freakin amazing.
Came to say this. The Winery Dogs are amazeballs! Saw them at a tiny club in Jacksonville, FL and they killed. Plus, Richie plays with his fingers (not to mention being a total beast) so he has kind of a unique tone.
Played strat 15 years... bought this... sold strat after about a month. Still curious about modding to add tone nob and maybe some series parralel within the bridge pickup. Thanks for review was helpful in me taking the chance and ordering.
Beautiful guitar
Fender has stepped up the entire manufacturing process at all of the factories. Ensenada and the Japanese contractors are producing some of the best value/quality guitars in the world right now.
I bought the 60’s Baja Tele(very similar to 60’s Vintera) last year and I was blown away with the wood selection, electronics and QC. Every newer guitar from Fender I’ve got my hands on has been the same.
The higher priced Mexican ones are excellent value.
My Mexican Brad Paisley is the sweetest playing Tele I’ve ever owned. It doesn’t hurt that the neck is so comfortable.
The japanese strats have always been excellent, the FujiGen strats are superb, I really want a Aerodyne black strat, I love Japanese guitars and own many.
I noticed that, the Player Series strat I had cleaner finish and fret ends than my 2015s MiM strat.
Super nice guitar bro! Richie is awesome! The Winery Dogs are one of the most underrated super groups of all time! Your right Richie sounds alot like Cornell but shreds the blues all finger picking to! He never uses a pick... Not sure why his signature axe has a pickguard, Lol. But what a nice Fender and I'm a Gibson guy!
Love the videos! keep it up man. Also I played that tele at Sweetwater and it played well and sounded great!
Great video. As a fellow Gibson guy Austin this is a guitar that has been on my radar for along time. Thanks for all the info!
Bought that guitar a few months ago. Neck is big but not uncomfortable at all, im a shredder, kinda. And most of my guitars are modern. 2 ibanez, esp.. but i don't know. The fender rk tele is super comfortable to me. Love it. Best guitar i have.
Got my Baja Telecaster today! It's got a 50's neck which has the same thickness as Richie's, I don't hate it. The Baja has a four way switch and an S1. I found that I had to really dig in and snap the strings for more twang than my Strat.
it's not the same thickness....
1:18 "Onethousandfourhundredninetynine dollars"? That's currently very arbitrary 2,200€ or $2,300 in green money and I don't think that whopping 53% markup can be easily explained with anything else than opportunism.
Good review. I owned one. Was really nice just didn’t use it that much in the end. Kind of miss it.
Nice demo! With double guitar! Very good vid and nice channel
just saw you shipped the shirt. thanks man. cant wait to rep the show and rock that shirt :)! ill send you some pictures of it in action!
This sort of "ding", flat surface on the output jack region, is not only restricted to Japan teles, this is actually found on most teles right from the very start. It's just sometimes not so profound.
Late Chris Cornell, Richie kotzen and Ian thornly from big wreck are like brothers from another mother 😁
You personally know them?
richie took more guitar lessons, chris took more singing lessons and ian went to both, lol
I seen Tash Sultana play one of these live for her Lollapalooza performance, and thought damn that things is beautiful. I bought one, and I love it. You can get a really pretty clean tone out of the neck pickup.
That flat edge where the jack socket is, is vintage fender correct for a telecaster. My understanding is that it was done by hand though, by pushing the body against a belt sander or whatever, so they do vary on how 'extreme' the flat spot is. It's just so the jack cup sits flush. The binding does make it more noticeable though and many modern Fenders don't have it either.
I need this as my first Tele 💯. Great review. Very informative.
Richie was also kicked out of Poison for boinking Bobby Dahl's girlfriend
Beat me to it. They basically chucked his guitar over the arena back lot fence. But sure can play.
Isn't rikki rockett's fiancé?
@@BoyAditya my bad...U R correct, Boy!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikki_Rockett
@@guitarocd9984 lmao
Funny how that pissed them off seeing that they write about screwing everything that moves.
Now that's is my favorite musicians guitar and I'm glad to say I own one.
And you forgot to mention, winery dogs or he does not use picks anymore and he is amazinggg
As for "cheaper electronics", the question is "is a Made in Japan" pot cheaper or lower quality than the "Made in Korea" pots on USA Fenders?.
(actually I think CTS pots are made in Taiwan, not Korea).
Trogly is always US>Rest of the world, in quality, but QC has been going down for Fender and Gibson in the past 10 years.
Correct no pots are currently made in the USA. Top Quality pots like CTS, Braun, spec their pots with tolerances, tappers, etc. and have them made in Taiwan.
I bought this guitar a few years ago (minus the neck) and added a Warmoth Wizard neck. It's a joy to play daily.
Great review! I've got one of these and love it. The big fat neck inspires me in a different way which is fun. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this guitar to anyone.
That is a great guitar!
Wow blown away with that Telecaster, what a really great looking guitar too.
Jim Root telecaster next please
@Return of the Native what are you talking about?
I have this guitar. It's perfect. And it's so beautiful. So beautiful.
Man, I played one of these a couple years ago and you aren’t kidding. This neck is the biggest neck I have ever played to date. I’ve heard of baseball bat necks (and I love big neck profiles), but this is next level big. Great tele tho!
Richie is easily the top five most talented guitar player/musicians on the planet today. Total beast. Love my Kotzen Tele.
I just wired these 2 pickups into a Tele with a 4way switch, so it gives the same 'series' tone. Great sounding pickups! I'd buy one.
Kotzen's legacy is much bigger than solo work and Mr BIG. Before Mr BIG Kotzen was also a member of Poison. He also worked together with Greg Howe and is co-founding member of Winery Dogs.
That neck pickup is amazing
That belly cut is nothing compared to a Jim Root
I own this model. Even if I was not a Huge Richie fan, I would have bought it anyway, just for the neck profile. If you have BIG hands, and not want to play a Les Paul, this is THE guitar. Very versatile guitar, great clean sounds, deep leads .... this is my MAIN guitar and have sold my Music Man Reflex and PRS CE 24 just because this one kills them all .... but for this price tag, not a case and not even a gig bag ?! come on Fender !
My guitar teacher has one of these, and it's awesome. The thick neck was so nice it convinced me to go with a 100-105 boat neck on my tele I built.
agree on tuff dog comparison- hot pickups- maple front etc
I need one of these in my life. It’s an absolute beauty!!
It’s an odd duck of sorts. The bridge humbucker is nice, but it really doesn’t sound like a Telecaster anymore. The neck pickup is a very good traditional sound. The series middle sound is really cool and something pretty different.
apparently those flat output jacks have been used on the original 50s tele bodies, I've seen a warmoth video where they compare those vintage and modern body shapes, very informative
Really great demo - you addressed all the things I wanted to know ; veneer or solid wood top; tones across the pick-up options. I'd suggest that Japanese electrical components are going to be better than USA made ones...
You should do a review on a MIM Fender 60’s Classic Series Lacquer 3-Color Sunburst Stratocaster, I really wanna see your take on it.
Nice I agree. I love strats. And the Mims are actually usually my preferred. Nothing confusing or gimmicky strange nuances. Usually is say...USUALLY when I pick up a Good old standard or FSR MIM I'm just at home. I guess it's all the different USAs they promo at much higher ratio pricing which I cannot quite afford, or feel the need...
Robert Clark I am with you man, I totally agree.
It's got some spank to it. I like the dual guitar parts in the playing demo. Well done sir.
fuckin love your persistence and your passion, I appreciate you man.
This is the most beautiful Telecaster I’ve ever seen, are they still awailable in that color and gold hardware ?
The first comment was hello not first
We did it boys
AUA-camAccount thank you
Congrats. An achievement worthy of recognition. Can we start a revolution?
00UncommonSense00 it’s already begun
Best Telecaster on market, maybe ever. Best ive seen. Ive been a Fender dealer since 1992!
I have one of these and I absolutely love it
I thought this was a very good review of the new LP. From Epiphone! Very honest and not a bit snarky! Thanks! Good job.
I believe that 'flat' part in the binding in the area of the output jack is quite common for Telecasters with binding; Even the 'Custom' ones from the 60's had it, which I first remarked on Andy Summers'.
you should try an alternate reality powercaster, roasted maple neck, p90 and humbucker with 24.75 scale length, more gibsony
That thing sounds awesome - perhaps the best Tele ever ..... Robert Baker playing his was one of his best videos!
Been in love with this model since first hearing the first Winery Dogs record. I'd kill to get my hands on one.
My homeboy got this, fuckin' sic guitar! Beefy is right. Richie! Everything he is/does is incredible.
I love the yellow to fade black...id love any guitar in that color...
Always wanted an RK tele, aside from his strat
How about turning up your amp when demonstrating the clean tones. Let it ring out.
Holy crap, I've been looking to see what the pots are in this guitar so I could make my own.I can't find it anywhere!
You sir rock I can cleary see it's a single 250k pot!
I haven't read every single comment here so forgive me if I'm not the first to say this: Not to be nit-picky but the "Telecaster" on the headstock isn't in parentheses - those are "quotation" marks, and yes, I've always sorta thought the way Fender does that is cool!
ps, do you know how the neck thickness compares to a "Nocaster" - those are ball-bats too. I've never measured one but the reported thicknesses I've seen are very similar to what we have here - they're not for everybody, for sure
Nice review and I enjoy your work. Carry On!
Hope you’ll feature more Fender Japanese signature guitars such as the Haruna Ono Telecaster which is sought after by both musicians and collectors these days!
Sounds like it's being played through an oatmeal box. Tone???
Mesa boogie mark v 25 is what he uses I believe
@@bipbipletucha Wow! Still sounds like sh*t.
I’d still trust the Japanese made pots though. I wouldn’t knock the guitar for not having CTS and Switchcraft. The MIJ parts are probably on par with or better than the CTS stuff.
Agreed
The ALPS rotary switch actually busted on mine, damn near impossible to find a replacement, even Fenders service department couldn't get me one! So I added a tone a control in place of it and installed a 4 way selector to do series/parallel.
Im digging this a lot! Super gorgeous guitar
Oh my! The strap buttons have been changed? Value is out the window! I’ll give you 20 dollars😁. Just kidding! Really been enjoying your videos!
I don’t see something from Japan as inferior to a USA model. I’m going to guess they have better quality control. Unfortunately i don’t think this one is worth that much. Maybe a 1000$
Phillip Pitts my experience is that Japanese guitars are better than American guitars on average. That said, my favorite guitars in my collection are my fender strat and Gibson les Paul. I tend to play the guitars I buy at brick and mortar stores before buying them so I ended up with great American guitars, but if I were ordering blind off the internet, I’d go Japanese.
Japanese guitars blow away the American ones, always have.
I’ve had a few MIJ Fenders and even the early Japanese Squiers were great quality. It does look strange to see a plastic switch in a high end guitar but I’m sure it’s well made and not like the ones in a $120 guitar. I’ve swapped pickups in most MIJ models I’ve had but it wasn’t because they stopped working, just a matter of personal preference.
I played tons of those over the years, reason being, I really wanted to get one, but I just could not deal with the chunky neck. Sure, it is comfortable and actually really playable, but no, the neck is just still too thick for my taste. After a few months, I went back to the music store, and tried another one and thought I might like the chunky neck a little more, but always the same thing, it was just too thick, I could never get use to it
greveost o
Michael Kelly teles are fab, I have a 55 DB the top is beautiful, it has compound radius neck, real nicely voiced pickups,
It's good to see another Michael Kelly player!!! I have a 53DB and a triple 50. The triple 50 has a compound radius as well, and it's very comfortable to play. I use the triple 50 and my 72 tele thinline reissue the most out of all of my guitars.
Great video.
When you’re giving the tech-specs for Fender guitars it would be great to include the fretboard radius. It can be the determining factor for some buyers. Especially with Japanese guitars.
In Japan they still use those crappy all plastic selector switches? I have a MIJ Jackson Pro DX2 from 96 and the clicking mechanism of it broke, it felt as if you were to break it when changing positions. Got it replaced with an Oak Grigsby; they do last a while without problems as another 07 MIJ Jackson I've had also had one of those and it was just fine, but that one clearly had seen a lot less use.
Love your videos man. I always learn stuff about different guitars. I have a rule about not gigging anything more than $1,000 although I have broken that occasionally, but not more than 1500...lol. So, I'll probably never pull the trigger on your stuff. But love your videos.
I've got an early one of these, love it!
hi, can you also do a review or demo, that guitar Paired with the Richie Kotzen RK5 v2 fly rig pedal?,,, would love to hear the combination of the two & take a closer look,, coz that's whats he's also using live, tnx
Recently played an early custom shop Broadcaster (maybe a Nocaster), baseball bat neck. Prefer 60s slim but just depends on the guitar. Keep it up Trogly.
You could install a 4-way pickup switch to do the series-parallel thing then you could have a tone control too.
Hell ya
jimmy page dragon/ mirrored telly, pleaseeee
Hello
French Onion
Hello!
Hello there!
Can you review Jim roots Strat plz😎?
Hi. Would like to know if you had hum/buzzing problems with the bridge pickup. Went to pick mine up and it was buzzing like a nest of angry bees and thats on a clean sound plus the grounding only works when touching the control pots but not the bridge and strings. Plus the Chopper T is a humbucker and its not suppose to hum. Shop is changing to another piece for me but I've read of several similar problems online. Would like to know of your experience on. Thanks.
I was watching a video of R.K. The other day, and though to myself I would love to see him do a collaboration with Sound Garden
It’s a beautiful guitar and I know what those pickups really sound like. I don’t know if it’s my phone or if the demo of it plugged in was through a cheap little $20 practice amp lol
He uses an axe fx I believe but he’s mediocre at guitar playing
You should also check out Kotzen's signature Fender Stratocaster.
I had one and sold it. The guitar weighed 10.5 lbs. If I could find one that weighed 8 lbs, I’d definitely buy again
I have the Kotzen tele and love the neck profile, but ooh that tough dog looks like a nice companion. How's the neck in that? Just as beefy?
These are beautiful. I’m surprised by weight variations (AMS) from 7lbs 10oz to 8lbs 7oz. If you were shopping one, would you shoot for heavier or lighter? Just curious
Hey trogly’s! I wondered if you could review one of the indonesian made fender special edition custom telecasters? Great video today!
I've been looking for a decent review of one of those for a while with limited success. I sure hope Austin picks one up
Why wouldn't they put a 4 way switch for the in series thing and leave a tone knob in? The Baja circuit is basically that if you ignore the S1 switch to get an out of phase sound. No tone knob on a tele = no deal.
im pretty sure this will be my next guitar...been looking at it for a while..
What is a fretboard radius on it? Is it flat, normal 9.5 or vintage 7.25 which is more relevant for beefy neck?
I didn’t see any “parentheses “ on the head stock
I think that's what Americans call quotation marks.
@@cydonia9342 Nah, I just flubbed the word and didn't realize it haha
@@Trog Ah well, we all make mistakes haha. Cool video tho!
I've always like the Tele but have never owned one.. this one is a beauty