I love the Telecaster, and I’ll tell you why. When I asked my wife for a stack of cash to by a really nice tele, she told me to kick rocks. I then asked her “is that your final answer?” She stated that I had over a half dozen, and I should play those. So I told her “fine! I’ll just make my own.” She told me to knock myself out. I knocked myself out, and became a luthier!!! It’s WAY more fun than just buying them, and I owe it to the Telecaster.
Same. I get comments from everyone who sees it. But every time i see the Texas tea I wonder if I should have gotten that instead. Great guitar either way
@ I hear ya. I thought the same thing because every time I saw a UA-cam vid it was always about the tea. But personally i didn’t find it appealing which I guess put me in the minority. But different strokes for different folks as they say. I also like the rosewood fretboard so I’m happy I went my own way rather that getting something that wasn’t appealing to me. You’re right, the Ultra is a beautiful guitar regardless of which color.
I own this guitar now, like this actual one... I converted it to an Esquire, custom wiring, swapped the bridge pickup, and added a three-ply parchment/black/parchment Esquire pickguard. It’s perfect now.
@@DiogenesNephew They also rattle a bit, because they’re so rigid, they don’t hold to the body between the screws. You could add masking tape underneath to the perimeter, but yeah, best to ditch it altogether.
I have a 330. I would love to know what Austin makes of Rickenbacker guitars . The rosewood on mine is ,I think , Caribbean rosewood , and it's absolutely beautiful 👌
Fret eraser's do a great job of polishing frets without damaging the fret board and no metal shaving stuck to the pick-ups, eliminating time consuming masking.
For everyone who came down with sticker shock.....This has more features-a LOT more- than Teles did in Da Golden Age,and for significantly less money.The $250 you'd have paid in 1958 for a new Tele with tweed case works out to $2200 in today's money,and people didn't carp about it.They just saved up.I did.
You get more for your money used. I'd suggest waiting for a used squier and you'll be able to find something that sat in a closet for 3 months before it was sold back. Good luck.
I was where you were years ago, wanted a Martin but had to settle for a Sigma (which sounded great by the way), later I wanted a Gibson les paul but had to settle for an Epiphone but look at me now. I own a Martin D-41, a brand new Martin D-45 that I lucked into on musiciansfriend .com for $2800 off, a Fender American professional strat I bought new for 20% off, and after I get this tax return I'm getting a $2500 to $3000 Gibson les paul and the Fender Telecaster in this video. The point is that you will get there but it will take 2 things: time and work. To get ahead, and I had a long way to go from being raised in a 4 room rat infested shack with no running water and an outhouse, to where I am today. It was hard but I married and had 2 kids and used this philosophy to give them the world and eventually things I wanted along the way: work all the overtime you can get and be the one the boss can rely on to work the dirty jobs. Many a night I would come home after 16 hours wore out. Ease off in the summer some but work like a dog through the cold months. I worked hard sweaty dangerous work in the coal mines through my youth, so if I could do it then so could you. Smiling faces from a happy family and the toys I picked up along the way were definitely worth it.
Mathematician sounds great, many people don't realize that math is fun. Honest to God, a lot of people do puzzle books to work the mind, but I have an old algebra book that is 1st and 2nd year high school algebra and I go through it chapter by chapter doing the problems, then I start over. It's just like solving puzzles.
Locking tuners absolutely make your tuning stability better if you have a trem. That is because when you use the trem the string wound around the tuning post would get looser and when the trem returns to level position the windings around the tuning posts might not get as tight as before.
Great review as always! This is quite a nice guitar - well finished with very nice options and design. I'd love to have one. Sadly, I'm not much of a noiseless fan. Sounds good with the S1 switch engaged.
This has to be one of the best sounding guitars on Your channel ever, i normally not a tele guy, but theese comfort cuts and binding, and sound.... If i could afford i would get this one :) And a hss cobra blue strat, this guitar breaks my heart, because i cannot afford it, my first guitar was a hss dark blue Korean Squier, and i miss it alot, unfortunately Fender does not make dark blue guitars anymore..
When I first saw the ad, I thought these were just black with white binding. Which is my favorite Telecaster finish, ever. But this is even cooler, I think. I just love white binding on Telecasters.
There is long waiting time for tele Texas tea finish. I ordered mine from GC in Nov. 27, and run thru many issues. First, I received display model that had few scratches, so I returned it in the same day, and specifically ask for New one non opened. I wasn’t in rush since I went to Europe for Christmas and New Year. I was so excited when I got email from GC that is ready for pick up. I finally got it on Jan. 4. The supposedly to be new guitar appeared to be in worse condition that previous one. Very visible Seam lines on the back and even on front, vertical cracks run above the pickguard. The box indicated few other GC addresses before ends up in my hands. No plastic covers on pickups, all tags attached to headstock dirty, scratches on the back. I still want this model but in new condition. I lost hope to get it from GC.
* Nnalujim this is common from GC and sad. One of the few places I don’t order guitars from. Will always drive to find a store to see it first hand. Sweetwater is my go to for online ordering of guitars.
You can call Fender Musical instruments customer service about this. Their number is 800-856-9801 I've been dealing with them over 20 years. They're always helpful,& can probably solve your problem. They're on Pacific time, so if it 1pm on East Coast it's 10am there. Hoping this helps.🎶👌
Nice Tele for those who are willing to consider specs that are not 100% Traditional / Vintage. Not sure about value for money at the increased retail prices, though adjusting for inflation they are not too different from top of the range Teles in the 50’s and 60’s. I would have retained the Elites truss rod wheel adjuster, and used stainless steel frets. I think every Tele should have the S1 switching. Being a lefty the Ultra series is not an option for me. I have a lefty Elite Strat, Professional Strat and Professional Tele. I have added locking tuners to the Professionals as they make so much sense and it is a no drill upgrade (they pop right into the holes of the original non-locking tuners).
Back in my day the best American stats and teles came with custom shop pickups.I don’t think the new fender pups sound bad at all but guitars are getting very hi-tech.
Thanks buddy you're awesome! I have an old deluxe with a silver spegetthi logo no border. Older logos include gold with black border and silver with black border.
This is the first video I’ve seen of this finish where you can see it’s not just black. Really cool finish. I won’t pay $1900 for it, but a cool finish nonetheless
Glad they came out with these Ultras. Was able to pick up a 2019 brand new American Elite 4 under twelve hundred bucks on a clearance. I like the change to the truss rod wheel at the bridge on the elites and the 4th generation noiseless pickups.
Agree about the arm contour. When will fender start adding them to teles? So uncomfortable to play standing up. If the kotzen tele didn’t have that baseball bat neck and no tone pot, that would be my go to.
Great Review! What a beauty! Those pickups have really high measurements. I was hoping that you'd measure the resistance of the pickups in the Series mode. Might be a 13 ohm Humbucker!
The Elite was silver and raised, on mine anyway. However I’m going to buy this new one, in white. Fender should use dowel pins in their necks, X pattern.
I’m amazed no-one reviewing this guitar talks about the no-load tone pot feature more. I have this exact guitar. That feature makes a HUGE difference to the tone and every review I’ve seen other than yours completely ignores it. Anyway.. I’ve’ have Fender teles and hated them .. but this one is a keeper. Maybe for reasons that make it a non-trad tele (and I still am looking for one) but this is a take anywhere - do anything (country to blues to metal) guitar. People wonder why this demands such a premium but that’s why for me.
Oh it's dangerous! Got my first players series tele in Surf Pearl. Thought I was going to just return it until I saw the finish and ran through the gloss maple fretboard. If you haven't tried maple you definitely need to. Plus the wear on Maple is a killer look.
I used to play Strats but always wanted a Tele, after playing one in a recording studio in Atlanta GA. When I finally bought mine in 1995, (The one in the studio was ancient U neck butterscotch/black pick guard) mine has the old "Soft C" neck, it's like butter, fast, easy to play, etc. I don't own any more Strats, now. But you may prefer them to Teles. Just try a Tele.
There is Anderston Music (if I spelled it right) on YT. They demo a lot of guitars. I found this after watching some of their vids on various Fender guitars, they also do comparisons like a Squire version, vs Mexican vs various US built,up to Ultra. Check them out.
I've always really liked body binding on Telecasters, so that's a cool development. The rosewood fretboard is actually a very useful addition for a Telecaster specifically, as it somewhat mitigates the ear-stabbing shriek that often accompanies the otherwise lovely tone of these guitars.
I bought the arctic pearl white one. Waiting for it to get here. I want the Texas tea version, but figured most people will buy that one. I hope I like it. Your reviews was great!
i have the earlier iteration, being an American Deluxe J-bass. it has the silver logo...This line from Deluxe to Elite, now to Ultra i by far my favorite. They keep enough tradition, yet they add advances. A client left his "new at the time" Am Deluxe Tele cherry burst, S1, compound radius, and unlike the Ultra, it has a micro tilt adjustment on the neckplate....a really nice feature to get the angle just how you want it, without shims. That guitar was like butter, and felt like it had always belonged in my hands.
Really like the new cut on the body. Still I'm not totally sold on how much of an overall improvement it is over the Elite. Yes I said it!! Feel a few of the "deleted" items or changes Fender made were more fir cost cutting. The it's neck with its C-D shape is more time consuming to manufacture, which equals more $$. So is the "dial" truss rod adjustment more costly to make. Both are Fantastic!! Music Mann has been using that style for decades and is a great thing to have for any guitarist on the road in changing climates. Also should be noted it was only the 2018-19 Elite models that had the Ebony fingerboard. Earlier 2016-17 models did have Rosewood. Kinda get a chuckle with Fender saying "New for the Ultra". When in truth it's about Cites changes. Finally the New Noiseless Pickups sound great but also sound different. Folks would be wise to play an Elite and Ultra side by side to see what they prefer. Very very nice guitar but with some big discounts out there may want to check out the Elite as well. Seen some crazy good pricing .
@@hchoe741 Yes and No. Fender dropped the price of the Elite a few months back. Last couple of years they were priced at $1899.-$1949.00. Figured something was up when they started clearing them out over the summer. Know Trogly isn't a huge fan of the Elite style truss rods looks with the wheel at the end of the neck and cutout. After having a couple of guitars with it..... Damn it grew on me ,so easy to adjust, and quick. In my perfect world all guitars would have them. Yet again , it's costly so they're mostly on higher end guitars ... Sigh Cheers
My first guitar was a Tele style body guitar from some company called "infinity", the color was so good. Like this one, it looked black but when you shone the light on it it had this dark pine flaky green that made it worth it for me.
I have a barrel on mine, my 5 way switch had a top hat in the package. I put my old barrel cover on the new switch, as the top hat didn t fit the new switch as well. Maybe the selector rod was thinner than the factory 3 way.
Nice video! Didn’t realize it would be routed for a humbucker at the neck. Any opinions on installing one? Love the looks! But I’m a huge fan of a humbucker in the neck position.
A good review. I know I wouldn't want to buy this one from you though with you tearing it apart and than stealing pieces from the case, but to each his own. I appreciate the review though. Some of the best angles of the guitar I've seen. And now I definitely want one.
Austin those two smaller screws 7:30 are an interesting feature which is rather uncommon on Teles. Danny Gatton modified his bridge plate and screwed the front down like that. My G&L ASAT had an intermittent buzzy vibration until I screwed the front of the plate down. The strings really rang out afterwards. The barrel knobs 8:40 can be strengthened by filling the void around the slot with epoxy, a coiled wire of the correct gauge or a machined ring as seen in my pic at the left over there. 👈🏻 It took awhile to find my little barrel knob on the stage after an exuberant flip of the switch. Crawling around with a flashlight half blind and my ass stickin' up in the air it got a laugh, "All part of the show folks". Oh, and a word to the wise; never bend over in front of a drummer. 👉🏻 🙄
And mine came with a completely loose output jack. And it was Plek’d. Sweetwater. Have had awesome luck with them but not on this one. Trying to decide if I should keep it, it’s not that great.
The logo on my 92 Tele USA is silver. Fender went to gold,& old spaghetti logo for US made guitars around 2000/2001.(if I remember correctly) I didn t even know they had a "new" Elite line(they had Elite Basses,Strats,Teles in early 80s, they only lasted 2 yrs. My bassist had an Elite Precision Bass, I've played an old Elite Strat ,very cool. The Elite Teles I saw, looked like crap, it's like Fender was trying to make them look like Les Pauls. Still they're very collectible now.).
I've been eyeing the Tele Professionals, the way I see it, being a Gibson guy, is that the Ultra is the same as the Modern Gibson. Can't see too many people buying into them. The only hype I really see with these is that kick a** Texas Tea colour. That finish is a winner! I'm sure it will make onto other models eventually. \m/
Didn't Chuck Berry sing about a "coffee colored Cadillac" in his song Nadine? You never ever saw a "coffee colored" car or anything else until this guitar. Texas Tea metallic sparkle... sweet. The body has a "belly cut" contour too - like a Strat.
From Leo: Good review. Nice guitar. You touch on the misconceptions about locking tuners. Thank you. Any perception of "tuning stability" for locking tuners is due to eliminating the time for all the windings to settle. They do not lock the gearing. If a person learns to string any tuner like Martin guitars, they all have the benefit of a locking tuner. None of my guitars have over 1/2 a turn of string around the post and most do not have locking tuners. Keep up the good work
Was just wondering what you were using to get that awesome dirt tone. 18.35. Love that tone. I brought this tele back in February. Texas Tea. I love it. Its my 1st tele though It's quieter than my stratocaster. I don't have nothing to compare it too. Is it normal for tele to be quieter than other guitars,
Nice colour but I won't be trading in my '52 reissue for one any time soon. The extra contouring & neck heel aren't my bag, nor is the "diving board" (as I call it) 22 fret neck. What you said about it being a shame they didn't bevel the top slightly ..the Ritchie Kotzen signature model had that . And just to clarify , Austin, the original Fender spaghetti logo was silver.
To me, the cool finish is the only real selling point here. A lot of the "high end" features on this like the modern neck carve, compound radius, and comfort cuts can be had on import guitars at half the price - Schecter PT, Charvel San Dimas Style 2, etc. At a price near $2k, Fender should at least be offering stainless steel frets.
When the fretboard radius is curved more from the first fret up to the 12th fret for more comfort in playing chords and where it flattens out after the 12th fret for more single note soloing it's called a compound radius.
This is actually the exact guitar I am getting. Traded out from my 2017 American Pro Strat, which I loved, but. . . I mean its a strat that is really good, but I already have like several american strats, and I've never owned a tele. And I am from texas so texas T for me.
Hate to add a negative, but i was so excited on this guitar. I purchased tele Ultra Texas tea, for a 2k plus guitar I was very disappointed. First off quality control is lacking, the volume knob fell right out, it was never tightened. The N1 switching pops LOUDLY as I used. The pick guard is not steel but a cheap plastic that has a chalkboard feel, when my finger nails moved on it it actually made my hair stand. The guitar arrived out of tune, yet worst the set up was bad, intonation was off, big difference in open and 12th fret on several strings. Lastly the frets were not smoothed as I rubbed a stocking over my hand up n down neck it snagged on several positions. Very disappointed as I wanted to add to my collection. Unfortunately I experienced a similar issue with the Fender Elite strat a few years ago and sold that one. Cmon Fender.
Hmmmm, at first, I didn't think I liked the gold flake in the black finish, but now, the more I look at it, the more I think I have to have it. Great!!! Like I really needed to spend over 2 grand on another guitar.
of all the fender teles I've played, the ultra is the worst feeling one. I spent an hour with one at a GC and it was just a huge let down. I wish they would just release the 2012 era american standard series again. Clearly, this is all just my opinion, but that is when the standard line was the best and the Elite was the best top tier production model to me. Glad you seem to enjoy your's tho!
Great video! I’m not trolling I promise but I’m curious why you’re keeping the truss rod wrench? I’ve collected a drawer full over the years and just assumed everyone else has too.
I wish Fender would move the volume pot back a little to give more room to the switch. And I would have liked to see how the no-load pot affects the ohm reading.
dugbert5 some guys do a little mod to the control plate to move the Volume position back just enough to maintain cover over the hole by the Volume knob. So the hole ends up oval but still covered. A round file or a machinist buddy can get 'er done for you.
reverb.com/item/29685490-video-2019-fender-american-ultra-telecaster-texas-tea?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly
0:15 - What Is Ultra?
0:29 - What's New? Ultra VS Elite
3:20 - First Impressions
6:19 - Inside Look
15:29 - Tone Talk
17:41 - Tone Demo
19:49 - Final Thoughts
21:48 - Condition
23:05 - Blacklight
23:27 - Case + Candy
I love the Telecaster, and I’ll tell you why.
When I asked my wife for a stack of cash to by a really nice tele, she told me to kick rocks.
I then asked her “is that your final answer?” She stated that I had over a half dozen, and I should play those. So I told her “fine! I’ll just make my own.”
She told me to knock myself out.
I knocked myself out, and became a luthier!!!
It’s WAY more fun than just buying them, and I owe it to the Telecaster.
Youre like the Doug Demuro of guitars
Hahaha soo true
He really does show all the quirks and features lol
He's one shirt short
Holy cow he is
Guess that's better than a Hoovie Hooptie Guitar review ? Lol
That's gotta be the coolest new finish I've seen from fender. Cant wait to see one in person!
I got the Tele in Texas Tea. The color in person is even more stunning.
Out of all the new Fender Ultra Teles, I'm digging that Texas Tea finish the most!
I’m a purist. Cannot go past the butterscotch blonde!!!
Ya totally groovy
That finish is stunning. Now, imagine that guitar with a back route and no pickguard... Sign me up.
I just bought the ultra tele in ultraburst. Love the guitar. Beautiful sound. Easy and smooth to play.
Same. I get comments from everyone who sees it. But every time i see the Texas tea I wonder if I should have gotten that instead. Great guitar either way
@ I hear ya. I thought the same thing because every time I saw a UA-cam vid it was always about the tea. But personally i didn’t find it appealing which I guess put me in the minority. But different strokes for different folks as they say. I also like the rosewood fretboard so I’m happy I went my own way rather that getting something that wasn’t appealing to me. You’re right, the Ultra is a beautiful guitar regardless of which color.
Man ... !!! That is almost perfect. The " Texas Tea " is beyond comparison.
Absolutely fabulous looking Telecaster, I am really surprised you are selling it to be honest, it’s a keeper for me.
This is by far my favorite guitar in my collection. The D neck profile just feels sooo smooth. The quality and over all feel just amazing.
That looks so sweet!!!! The price is ridiculous but I gotta get me one I live that Texas tea finish
I own this guitar now, like this actual one... I converted it to an Esquire, custom wiring, swapped the bridge pickup, and added a three-ply parchment/black/parchment Esquire pickguard. It’s perfect now.
That aluminum pickguard is horrible on the fingernails
@@DiogenesNephew They also rattle a bit, because they’re so rigid, they don’t hold to the body between the screws. You could add masking tape underneath to the perimeter, but yeah, best to ditch it altogether.
I’d love to see a pic of this if you still have it
@@toskafloah I do. Not sure how I could show you though.
Nothing like making it your own! 🤙🏻
Can always respect tasteful mods.
I have a J Mascis tele on its way to me that's going to get a makeover.
Rickenbacker glosses their rosewood necks...I'd love to see you do a RIC review...( or a Gretsch)
I have a 330. I would love to know what Austin makes of Rickenbacker guitars . The rosewood on mine is ,I think , Caribbean rosewood , and it's absolutely beautiful 👌
Fretboard not neck
Sorry that annoys me so much though
Fret eraser's do a great job of polishing frets without damaging the fret board and no metal shaving stuck to the pick-ups, eliminating time consuming masking.
Best looking Tele yet IMO...👍🇦🇺🐨
For everyone who came down with sticker shock.....This has more features-a LOT more- than Teles did in Da Golden Age,and for significantly less money.The $250 you'd have paid in 1958 for a new Tele with tweed case works out to $2200 in today's money,and people didn't carp about it.They just saved up.I did.
A rational comment. Thanks.
Black gold texas t. Jed clampett model. Love it. Get it?
This was really interesting dude! Keep doing what you do!
I love the look of a bound tele
Not usually into teles but that Texas oil color is badass!
I absolutely love the color of this guitar I saw one the other day in person and they look incredible they really do
I have a Tele, maple body, maple neck, Texas special in the bridge, Gibson burstbucker in the neck. The best Fender I've ever played.
Daniels, what is the neck shape (C,V,other), radius, fret size and model. I appreciate your help.
im loving these, but my wallets still waiting for a new squier
You get more for your money used. I'd suggest waiting for a used squier and you'll be able to find something that sat in a closet for 3 months before it was sold back. Good luck.
I was where you were years ago, wanted a Martin but had to settle for a Sigma (which sounded great by the way), later I wanted a Gibson les paul but had to settle for an Epiphone but look at me now. I own a Martin D-41, a brand new Martin D-45 that I lucked into on musiciansfriend .com for $2800 off, a Fender American professional strat I bought new for 20% off, and after I get this tax return I'm getting a $2500 to $3000 Gibson les paul and the Fender Telecaster in this video. The point is that you will get there but it will take 2 things: time and work. To get ahead, and I had a long way to go from being raised in a 4 room rat infested shack with no running water and an outhouse, to where I am today. It was hard but I married and had 2 kids and used this philosophy to give them the world and eventually things I wanted along the way: work all the overtime you can get and be the one the boss can rely on to work the dirty jobs. Many a night I would come home after 16 hours wore out. Ease off in the summer some but work like a dog through the cold months. I worked hard sweaty dangerous work in the coal mines through my youth, so if I could do it then so could you. Smiling faces from a happy family and the toys I picked up along the way were definitely worth it.
@@darrellbrock4788 Your career inspires a few blues tunes. Glad I took the route of a mathematician. I get to practice guitar in my office too.
Mathematician sounds great, many people don't realize that math is fun. Honest to God, a lot of people do puzzle books to work the mind, but I have an old algebra book that is 1st and 2nd year high school algebra and I go through it chapter by chapter doing the problems, then I start over. It's just like solving puzzles.
save ya money! $140 fire fly on its way here
My '77 Dodge Aspen had a very similar finish, an entrancing black/gold metallic colour. Lovely!
Locking tuners absolutely make your tuning stability better if you have a trem. That is because when you use the trem the string wound around the tuning post would get looser and when the trem returns to level position the windings around the tuning posts might not get as tight as before.
It's a gorgous tele.
The finish, hardware and material.
But the price... it's a bit steep for what it is.
I saw texas tea in person. Incredible.
Great review as always! This is quite a nice guitar - well finished with very nice options and design. I'd love to have one. Sadly, I'm not much of a noiseless fan. Sounds good with the S1 switch engaged.
This has to be one of the best sounding guitars on Your channel ever,
i normally not a tele guy, but theese comfort cuts and binding, and sound....
If i could afford i would get this one :)
And a hss cobra blue strat, this guitar breaks my heart, because i cannot afford it,
my first guitar was a hss dark blue Korean Squier,
and i miss it alot, unfortunately Fender does not make dark blue guitars anymore..
You better check again! They got one bro.
I like your demo!! I could listen to the quite real raw tone.
When I first saw the ad, I thought these were just black with white binding. Which is my favorite Telecaster finish, ever. But this is even cooler, I think. I just love white binding on Telecasters.
There is long waiting time for tele Texas tea finish. I ordered mine from GC in Nov. 27, and run thru many issues. First, I received display model that had few scratches, so I returned it in the same day, and specifically ask for New one non opened. I wasn’t in rush since I went to Europe for Christmas and New Year. I was so excited when I got email from GC that is ready for pick up. I finally got it on Jan. 4. The supposedly to be new guitar appeared to be in worse condition that previous one. Very visible Seam lines on the back and even on front, vertical cracks run above the pickguard. The box indicated few other GC addresses before ends up in my hands. No plastic covers on pickups, all tags attached to headstock dirty, scratches on the back. I still want this model but in new condition. I lost hope to get it from GC.
* Nnalujim this is common from GC and sad. One of the few places I don’t order guitars from. Will always drive to find a store to see it first hand. Sweetwater is my go to for online ordering of guitars.
You can call Fender Musical instruments customer service about this. Their number is 800-856-9801 I've been dealing with them over 20 years. They're always helpful,& can probably solve your problem. They're on Pacific time, so if it 1pm on East Coast it's 10am there. Hoping this helps.🎶👌
That's why you don't buy shit from GC. Common knowledge.
Nice Tele for those who are willing to consider specs that are not 100% Traditional / Vintage. Not sure about value for money at the increased retail prices, though adjusting for inflation they are not too different from top of the range Teles in the 50’s and 60’s. I would have retained the Elites truss rod wheel adjuster, and used stainless steel frets. I think every Tele should have the S1 switching. Being a lefty the Ultra series is not an option for me. I have a lefty Elite Strat, Professional Strat and Professional Tele. I have added locking tuners to the Professionals as they make so much sense and it is a no drill upgrade (they pop right into the holes of the original non-locking tuners).
Back in my day the best American stats and teles came with custom shop pickups.I don’t think the new fender pups sound bad at all but guitars are getting very hi-tech.
Looks nice but dang these ultra casters are pricey!
There’s no Fender that’s worth more than 1k.
Tyler Stelluti that all depends on peoples ideas of value
$200 in 1960 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1,738.82 in 2019. Therefore, the price has essentially stayed the same for the last 60 years.
Blame the bank of Israel for controlling and manipulating the ecomony.
@@stevewilson3838 🤣🤣
This is my favorite, in a few years I may pickup a used one. Great review man!
All these new fenders you've been showing off are making me want to take a trip to Guitar Center just to look around. Have a good day.
That's the whole idea
@@keriwilliams8980 I know, and I'm broke.
Thanks buddy you're awesome! I have an old deluxe with a silver spegetthi logo no border. Older logos include gold with black border and silver with black border.
im so hype for ur jazzmaster reviews
edit: dang son that s1 adds some Beef. like serious brisket
I love this channel! You’re so interesting to listen to and have an infectious enthusiasm, thank you :-)
Just bought mine. Beautiful in every way. ❤️
This is the first video I’ve seen of this finish where you can see it’s not just black. Really cool finish. I won’t pay $1900 for it, but a cool finish nonetheless
There is an amazing deal on musiciansfriend.com where you can get an open box for 1500. I just got one and it’s amazing!!
Glad they came out with these Ultras. Was able to pick up a 2019 brand new American Elite 4 under twelve hundred bucks on a clearance. I like the change to the truss rod wheel at the bridge on the elites and the 4th generation noiseless pickups.
I would love to watch a video like this about the Professional II Tele, great video btw! Great info
Played one of these at the shop the other day. Very nice. Also the thinline version and again, very nice guitar.
There is also 1200 grit polish paper. That would work the scratch off the fret board!
Agree about the arm contour. When will fender start adding them to teles? So uncomfortable to play standing up. If the kotzen tele didn’t have that baseball bat neck and no tone pot, that would be my go to.
Same
Great Review! What a beauty! Those pickups have really high measurements. I was hoping that you'd measure the resistance of the pickups in the Series mode. Might be a 13 ohm Humbucker!
First time watching. Best review of a guitar I've seen so far... great job!!1
The Elite was silver and raised, on mine anyway. However I’m going to buy this new one, in white.
Fender should use dowel pins in their necks, X pattern.
I’m amazed no-one reviewing this guitar talks about the no-load tone pot feature more. I have this exact guitar. That feature makes a HUGE difference to the tone and every review I’ve seen other than yours completely ignores it. Anyway.. I’ve’ have Fender teles and hated them .. but this one is a keeper. Maybe for reasons that make it a non-trad tele (and I still am looking for one) but this is a take anywhere - do anything (country to blues to metal) guitar. People wonder why this demands such a premium but that’s why for me.
Love the finish but wish the Strat came with a rosewood neck. Otherwise, a good excuse for getting my first Telecaster.
Oh it's dangerous! Got my first players series tele in Surf Pearl. Thought I was going to just return it until I saw the finish and ran through the gloss maple fretboard. If you haven't tried maple you definitely need to. Plus the wear on Maple is a killer look.
I used to play Strats but always wanted a Tele, after playing one in a recording studio in Atlanta GA. When I finally bought mine in 1995, (The one in the studio was ancient U neck butterscotch/black pick guard) mine has the old "Soft C" neck, it's like butter, fast, easy to play, etc. I don't own any more Strats, now. But you may prefer them to Teles. Just try a Tele.
Any chance of you trying the Vintera series? Please try one of those 70s Vintera Strats or get an original 70s Strat!
There is Anderston Music (if I spelled it right) on YT. They demo a lot of guitars. I found this after watching some of their vids on various Fender guitars, they also do comparisons like a Squire version, vs Mexican vs various US built,up to Ultra. Check them out.
I've always really liked body binding on Telecasters, so that's a cool development. The rosewood fretboard is actually a very useful addition for a Telecaster specifically, as it somewhat mitigates the ear-stabbing shriek that often accompanies the otherwise lovely tone of these guitars.
yup love me the Rosewood fretboard so lovely and great tone. My Suhr Modern has a rosewood fretboard and mellows the tone compared to ebony fretboard.
Decal looks new, gold w no outline and almost looks raised? I like it!
I bought the arctic pearl white one. Waiting for it to get here. I want the Texas tea version, but figured most people will buy that one. I hope I like it. Your reviews was great!
i have the earlier iteration, being an American Deluxe J-bass. it has the silver logo...This line from Deluxe to Elite, now to Ultra i by far my favorite. They keep enough tradition, yet they add advances. A client left his "new at the time" Am Deluxe Tele cherry burst, S1, compound radius, and unlike the Ultra, it has a micro tilt adjustment on the neckplate....a really nice feature to get the angle just how you want it, without shims. That guitar was like butter, and felt like it had always belonged in my hands.
Really like the new cut on the body. Still I'm not totally sold on how much of an overall improvement it is over the Elite. Yes I said it!!
Feel a few of the "deleted" items or changes Fender made were more fir cost cutting. The it's neck with its C-D shape is more time consuming to manufacture, which equals more $$. So is the "dial" truss rod adjustment more costly to make. Both are Fantastic!! Music Mann has been using that style for decades and is a great thing to have for any guitarist on the road in changing climates. Also should be noted it was only the 2018-19 Elite models that had the Ebony fingerboard. Earlier 2016-17 models did have Rosewood. Kinda get a chuckle with Fender saying "New for the Ultra". When in truth it's about Cites changes.
Finally the New Noiseless Pickups sound great but also sound different. Folks would be wise to play an Elite and Ultra side by side to see what they prefer.
Very very nice guitar but with some big discounts out there may want to check out the Elite as well. Seen some crazy good pricing .
What's funny is that the ultra line is more expensive than the elite line despite those omissions.
@@hchoe741 Yes and No. Fender dropped the price of the Elite a few months back. Last couple of years they were priced at $1899.-$1949.00. Figured something was up when they started clearing them out over the summer.
Know Trogly isn't a huge fan of the Elite style truss rods looks with the wheel at the end of the neck and cutout. After having a couple of guitars with it..... Damn it grew on me ,so easy to adjust, and quick. In my perfect world all guitars would have them. Yet again , it's costly so they're mostly on higher end guitars ... Sigh
Cheers
My first guitar was a Tele style body guitar from some company called "infinity", the color was so good. Like this one, it looked black but when you shone the light on it it had this dark pine flaky green that made it worth it for me.
I'm loving the riffing on this episode!
That is one of the sexiest guitars ever!! 🤩
That is known as a barrel top switch, as opposed to the top hat switch that you're thinking of.
I have a barrel on mine, my 5 way switch had a top hat in the package. I put my old barrel cover on the new switch, as the top hat didn t fit the new switch as well. Maybe the selector rod was thinner than the factory 3 way.
Wonder what the read would have been on the middle position with the S1 engaged!
always loved tellies,love the texas tea color.
So close to buying one... just a beautiful guitar. Need the Texas Tea.
I have a 2007 american deluxe jazz bass and the logo looks identical in shape but its definitely silver
Have a jazz too
Nice video! Didn’t realize it would be routed for a humbucker at the neck. Any opinions on installing one? Love the looks! But I’m a huge fan of a humbucker in the neck position.
A good review. I know I wouldn't want to buy this one from you though with you tearing it apart and than stealing pieces from the case, but to each his own. I appreciate the review though. Some of the best angles of the guitar I've seen. And now I definitely want one.
I love that color but that is just too much cash. I look forward to eyeballing these on the used marked in a couple of years tho.
Austin those two smaller screws 7:30 are an interesting feature which is rather uncommon on Teles. Danny Gatton modified his bridge plate and screwed the front down like that. My G&L ASAT had an intermittent buzzy vibration until I screwed the front of the plate down. The strings really rang out afterwards.
The barrel knobs 8:40 can be strengthened by filling the void around the slot with epoxy, a coiled wire of the correct gauge or a machined ring as seen in my pic at the left over there.
👈🏻
It took awhile to find my little barrel knob on the stage after an exuberant flip of the switch. Crawling around with a flashlight half blind and my ass stickin' up in the air it got a laugh, "All part of the show folks".
Oh, and a word to the wise; never bend over in front of a drummer. 👉🏻
🙄
And mine came with a completely loose output jack. And it was Plek’d. Sweetwater. Have had awesome luck with them but not on this one. Trying to decide if I should keep it, it’s not that great.
Very comprehensive review cheers Paul , Liverpool UK
Great review. Thanks for your insight!
I love the Texas Tea finish,just beautiful!👍👍
The logo is silver, I own an Elite Stratocaster and I can confirm that.
I second that: I have the Elite Jazz V and my logo is silver too.
My mocha has a gold logo
The logo on my 92 Tele USA is silver. Fender went to gold,& old spaghetti logo for US made guitars around 2000/2001.(if I remember correctly) I didn t even know they had a "new" Elite line(they had Elite Basses,Strats,Teles in early 80s, they only lasted 2 yrs. My bassist had an Elite Precision Bass, I've played an old Elite Strat ,very cool. The Elite Teles I saw, looked like crap, it's like Fender was trying to make them look like Les Pauls. Still they're very collectible now.).
@@bluesingmusic3443 my 2003 fat strat is silver
I've been eyeing the Tele Professionals, the way I see it, being a Gibson guy, is that the Ultra is the same as the Modern Gibson. Can't see too many people buying into them. The only hype I really see with these is that kick a** Texas Tea colour. That finish is a winner! I'm sure it will make onto other models eventually. \m/
Didn't Chuck Berry sing about a "coffee colored Cadillac" in his song Nadine? You never ever saw a "coffee colored" car or anything else until this guitar. Texas Tea metallic sparkle... sweet. The body has a "belly cut" contour too - like a Strat.
Ultra body and pickups, Elite neck and wiring, that's the ultimate combination
From Leo: Good review. Nice guitar. You touch on the misconceptions about locking tuners. Thank you. Any perception of "tuning stability" for locking tuners is due to eliminating the time for all the windings to settle. They do not lock the gearing. If a person learns to string any tuner like Martin guitars, they all have the benefit of a locking tuner. None of my guitars have over 1/2 a turn of string around the post and most do not have locking tuners. Keep up the good work
Why do people thumbs down this? I mean this is so awesome.
Was just wondering what you were using to get that awesome dirt tone. 18.35.
Love that tone.
I brought this tele back in February.
Texas Tea. I love it. Its my 1st tele though
It's quieter than my stratocaster.
I don't have nothing to compare it too. Is it normal for tele to be quieter than other guitars,
Electrosocket Jack cup installed!
I don't normally like black guitars, but that finish looks pretty awesome.
Dude, the tell is ok, but that mocha burst jazz master is beautiful!
Nice colour but I won't be trading in my '52 reissue for one any time soon. The extra contouring & neck heel aren't my bag, nor is the "diving board" (as I call it) 22 fret neck. What you said about it being a shame they didn't bevel the top slightly ..the Ritchie Kotzen signature model had that . And just to clarify , Austin, the original Fender spaghetti logo was silver.
To me, the cool finish is the only real selling point here. A lot of the "high end" features on this like the modern neck carve, compound radius, and comfort cuts can be had on import guitars at half the price - Schecter PT, Charvel San Dimas Style 2, etc. At a price near $2k, Fender should at least be offering stainless steel frets.
....and better pickups.....and an option for a chunkier neck
I have this tele and it DOES have stainless steel frets
If this had the stainless frets I would have bought it already.
Would have loved to see you document the mocha burst, which is similar to the gold burst Gibson used on the bill kelliher guitars
I got the jazzmaster in that finish. Definitely WAY more sparkly than Gibson’s Goldburst - sadly
The guitar youtube channel demoed that one, great looking finish.
When the fretboard radius is curved more from the first fret up to the 12th fret for more comfort in playing chords and where it flattens out after the 12th fret for more single note soloing it's called a compound radius.
Love the idea of the no-load tone control. Wonder why that’s not more universal.
This is actually the exact guitar I am getting. Traded out from my 2017 American Pro Strat, which I loved, but. . . I mean its a strat that is really good, but I already have like several american strats, and I've never owned a tele. And I am from texas so texas T for me.
I got the ultra tele in blue with parchment scratchplate and maple neck looks and plays amazing
Hate to add a negative, but i was so excited on this guitar. I purchased tele Ultra Texas tea, for a 2k plus guitar I was very disappointed. First off quality control is lacking, the volume knob fell right out, it was never tightened. The N1 switching pops LOUDLY as I used. The pick guard is not steel but a cheap plastic that has a chalkboard feel, when my finger nails moved on it it actually made my hair stand. The guitar arrived out of tune, yet worst the set up was bad, intonation was off, big difference in open and 12th fret on several strings. Lastly the frets were not smoothed as I rubbed a stocking over my hand up n down neck it snagged on several positions. Very disappointed as I wanted to add to my collection. Unfortunately I experienced a similar issue with the Fender Elite strat a few years ago and sold that one. Cmon Fender.
Beauty. Gonna get one! Excellent review thx.
Hmmmm, at first, I didn't think I liked the gold flake in the black finish, but now, the more I look at it, the more I think I have to have it.
Great!!! Like I really needed to spend over 2 grand on another guitar.
of all the fender teles I've played, the ultra is the worst feeling one. I spent an hour with one at a GC and it was just a huge let down. I wish they would just release the 2012 era american standard series again. Clearly, this is all just my opinion, but that is when the standard line was the best and the Elite was the best top tier production model to me. Glad you seem to enjoy your's tho!
Love It! Killer looks, rich sounds Great review. Thanks Trogly
man i love teles..this is just beautiful...wish i could afford a lefty :D
Great video! I’m not trolling I promise but I’m curious why you’re keeping the truss rod wrench? I’ve collected a drawer full over the years and just assumed everyone else has too.
I wish Fender would move the volume pot back a little to give more room to the switch. And I would have liked to see how the no-load pot affects the ohm reading.
dugbert5 some guys do a little mod to the control plate to move the Volume position back just enough to maintain cover over the hole by the Volume knob.
So the hole ends up oval but still covered.
A round file or a machinist buddy can get 'er done for you.
@@Riverdeepnwide Thanks, I also like the plates with the slanted switch.
It had no effect on the ohm reading so I cut that segment out
They need to add the Texas tea color to the other series
I have it on my stratocaster so yeah they do