And I want oh so badly. I've been imagining a guitar just like it and then I saw it a couple of weeks ago and decided I wanted one immediately. too bad my financial sitch is holding me back ... for now.
@@jensbjorklund6584 Jim Root used to play a flathead teles, his signature models are reflections of them. Yes, flathead tele is a custom shop model but it is commonly known as an "off the rack" shred tele.
Hey Darrell, I was at Guitar Center today and I heard your voice. Actually it was a couple of teenagers consulting your channel on their phone to learn more about a guitar they were considering. I thought that was freakin cool and I had to tell you. Rock on!
Jim Adkins talked about the design of the guitar in the Jimmy Eat World rig rundown on Premier Guitar a while back in case anyone wanted to learn more about the odd style of this guitar.
I've had this guitar in the crimson transparent finish for about a year now. I have about 10 guitars total but this is my favorite. It feels great to play with the semi-hollow body/shorter scale and the P90s pack a lot of oomph. It also looks amazing in the crimson color.
I have had mine (crimson) about 3 years now and enjoy playing it. It was used, but mint condition and purchased from Guitar Center for $700 bucks (not easy to find). I have about 30 guitars to include high end brands/models. I rate this one 8.5 on a scale of 10.
I have one of the 2004 double cut TC-90s in vintage white. These are excellent guitars, although only around 1,400 were made by the Korean factory for Fender. Jim Adkins was playing a TC-90 so that is what this signature guitar is based on. The tuners on my TC-90 are fine.
in reality, what really is the difference between the silver sky and the strat? headstock and body shape is slightly different? different voiced pickups? bird inlays? its not all that "original" or new. Most likely just a marketing thing and not born out of "necessity" as john insinuated.
@@GrungeyMr Worlds current most popular guitar player says "I want my guitar made this way", Fender said no. So he left. I'd leave too. I don't care if I ask you to make me a guitar with square strings. Make the damn guitar. I'm the one bringing your company money using my name.
I think if it sounds good and plays good, who cares if it counts as a “tele” or not. That said, I have a deluxe semi hollow tele with p90s and I absolutely love it. Great vid as always! (Also you should collaborate with samuraiguitarist)
Wow, that really is a nice sounding guitar! I do like the set neck construction, shorter scale length & P90's. OTOH, if I got one, I'd wind up swapping out all the electronics & tuners for higher grade parts. Too bad Fender didn't have an MIA version of this.
I agree, it's almost like the tone pots had very little effect. I would imagine those Seymour Duncan pickups are lower quality that you could purchase separately (another way to save costs). To my ears I've certainly heard better sounding P90 guitars. Just new pots, maybe pickups and a new toggle switch for sure. About that pickup selector switch, the body isn't thick enough for a standard Gibson toggle, and the route size wouldn't allow an SG style switch to fit either. That could be an issue.
I have a similar Squire "Telecaster Custom" with Duncan P90's and the same control layout, though different bridge. I love it and have to say my P90's are nowhere near as noisy as that guitar. Mine came with a one-piece maple neck with the skunk stripe truss rod rout and, I think, the same tuners. So, there "is" a more reasonably priced alternative to that guitar aside from the set neck and lightened/f-hole body design. I'm a real fan of P90 pickups, especially the SD Phat Cat set. Your demos are always great to hear and watch and it's clear from the wall behind you that you're a Tele fan, big time.
I have the JA-90 in trans black and it's without a doubt in my top 3 guitars. I own several teles; this one is dynamite. Love it in the natural, too. Good video.
I thought I was the only one who liked the JA-90. And IMO, the strangest Tele has to be the dual-humbucker Telecaster Deluxe. That one's my favorite; love the roaring and singing tones of those Wide Range pickups.
Definitly got a TC-90 and it is my main guitar ! It's been for more than 10 years, and i don't regret anything except for the electronics that got me in trouble a few times... I highly recommand you try it, you won't be disapointed! Cheers from france!
What you have is a Les Paul Special. I have a G&L Tele with two P-90s, a toggle switch, a stop tail piece and a tune-o-matic bridge but there's only two control knobs and it has a bolt on neck. It too is essentially an LPS and I absolutely love it. 🙂
@@craigusselman546 It's a TelePaul. I've also seen guys put three singles and a vibrato on for a TeleStrat, and Tele pickups and the big metal bridge on a Strat for a StratoTele. The possibilities are endless! :D
Makes me miss my Fender FMT HH Telecaster! Made like a PRS with a bound flame maple top and set neck. Had killer Seymour Duncans in it (59' and pearly gates plus)
I was just about to comment on how much I love my FMT HH Tele - bought secondhand, a complete surprise to me (I don't follow new guitars much), and it's an amazing sounding guitar, like a cross between a Tele and a PRS - as you say, the pickups are killer.
I have tried this guitar and the Telecaster Custom FMT HH numerous times. I call the latter the Fender Les Paul. There are several videos on it as well. Both are in my top 10 of best guitars I have ever played.
I have the TC-90 which was what he used years ago. Love the tone, the P-90s are amazingly reactive and quiet. I've used it for everything from country to blues to metal. It has a great clean especially with the tone rolled back. Can pullmoff fantastic leads and pinch harmonics for days. I use it more than any of my gibsons.
these followed the Korean Set Neck Tele's... Squier Master Series. 2004 Thinline with a short plate Tele bridge. 2005 was a Chambered Mahogany Body & Mahog. Neck too ! both are 24 3/4" scale. Both are Loud unplugged ! Thinline has a square heel ...chambered is shaped
I have the white version of this guitar. The first time I picked it up a few years before I bought it in a guitar center I fell in love. One of those guitars you immediately click with within seconds of playing. It doesn't happen often but when it does it's a great feeling. I had that with this guitar. I ended up buying it a few years later. Amazing guitar. Cheap electronics don't really bother me as long as there's no clicking, popping or scratching. Aside from that the vast majority of people won't hear any real difference between cheap and higher quality electronic components.
Nice review, I’ve had a JA-90 in red for many years now and it remains my favorite guitar of any I own, even over more expensive guitars I’ve purchased since. It just does everything I ask it to.
I have a G&L ASAT with magnetic field pickups that kind of look like P90's. It is by far the very best "tele" that Leo ever made. I built a tele with Warmoth parts that has a smooth neck joint very similar to Peavey's. I only have it for friends that come to visit or at one of my gigs and would like to sit in.
Strange how it still has a fender sounding tone with those p90s. I like it. The 'bright' tone almost has a Larry Carlton 'kid charlemagne' vibe about it.
It’s got a lot to do with the shape and the contours. Anytime that I have played one of those 72 reissue Telecasters upon which this model seems to be based, even the ones with these same Gibson features still sound like a Telecaster to the people around me. How much that has to do with the real sound and how much it has to do with visual association could remain to be seen.
Constable 1976 None. I never finished the body (natural swamp ash looked great to me) and the neck is a custom Moses Graphite neck (no finish needed). I've had it for 25 years (so far) and no issues with the decision to leave it unfinished.
Oh and i love p90s. I have the fender fsr special edition 50s tele. American 58 bridge and p90 neck. Awesome git Ive lots of p90 gits and most were great. This one is good but i may have to play it.
Are you Canadian? I noticed boat sound when you said not much to complain about, great job on finding things that none of us would have come across on our own, it's nice to finally have a channel that keeps you guessing
Please Darrel! A comparison between shape necks, U, C, D, V, etc, I really needed. Thank you, your opinion is really important and there is no videos about it that explains pros and cons of each one.
I got a chance to play one for a day when I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana. They have a partnership with Fender and you can have a different guitar sent to your room daily. I liked everything about it except it seem to suffer from poor QA - or maybe previous guest abuse, but if it got some work done to it, it would be great.
Prob the next guitar I’m going to buy. Darn you Darrell! I just bought a tele. And it’s wine red transparent and I need a guitar with P90s and a rosewood neck. 💸👋🤩
This was so almost my first ‘good’ guitar. Went to Anderton’s to pick it up but then I got my hands on an electron stick pro jet and I’ve never looked back
I've never had a Tele. But I put a Tele neck pup ( Fender Twisted Tele) in my Korean made Epiphone acoustic guitar. Grounded the strings with a brass saddle. I gotta say- It sounds Amazing! It was a little dark with a 250K volume so I put a 1M with a resistor on it and it's plenty bright until I dial down a bit. Fabulous! Great acoustic sound. Even works with fuzz and drive!
The nail scratches on the plate tell me that you've been playing the heck out of it. Considering that wall of beauties hanging behind you I'll accept that as a ringing endorsement of this guitar.
Fender has done this before! I had a Fender Set Neck Dual Humbucker Tele from the 80's and I loved it. I had 80's Fender Strat (Japanese) as well with the set neck and dual humbucker.
Really enjoyed the 1 minutes solo. Nice phrasing in there. Tone was excellent. Definitely a good guitar for that. I even think that the P-90 humming sound is cool and a good part of the experience. Thanks for sharing!!!! I really have to get myself a tele!!! No sure though I would get that model as my first tele guitar!!!
@@andrewgoodwin9385 Fender still has them on their website. I don't think they are still in production. I ordered one today from Alamo music. I got an amber one. They have one left, a dark cherry burst. Very nice!!!
I have this guitar (red finish) and I love it, it's probably my favourite guitar despite feeling unsure about it at the beginning. You were spot on about good/bad things, here is some more info if you/anyone is interested. They were made in a Cort plant Indonesia, and for a few years also came in a black finish. Pickups have springs underneath (height adjustment) and if you swap those with some foam it will be less microphonic using high gain . Strangely they seem to be cheaper in the US, than in the UK/EU, but I got a good deal on it 2nd hand. These are the mods I've done to mine to make it a lot better than original. 1. Fender staggered locking tuners 18:1 (requires drilling) 2. New string tree 3. Schaller straplocks 4. Schaller rolling bridge 5. New pots, caps and wiring 6. Freeway switch 7. Fret job / slight fretboard rollover Cheers man, enjoy your guitar!
@@athallaaryaseta4023 Indonesia is the place where they make the Squier Vintage Modified series. I have a nice sonic blue VM Jazzmaster. I bet they use the same 3-way toggle switch. Btw, beware that the thread on those switches is THINNER than the standard available switch caps. We tried to replace a broken black plastic cap with a brass one on a white jazzmaster, but it didn't fit. They're 0.5 mm off. My buddy says he going to use CA glue as a filler, because he badly wants a brass cap that can't break and looks cool. Btw: The fact that they use CorTek pots could mean that Cort Indonesia is the maker. I love Cort Korea for all kinds of guitars they made (think Ibanez Premium).
@@athallaaryaseta4023 Oh, no doubt. I have a Squier Bass VI that's excellent, and it was made in Indonesia. I'm not taking a crack at the Indonesian people, I just didn't realize that there were Fenders that weren't made in Mexico, USA, or Japan.
I have a Fender TC-90 , the predecessor to the JA-90. Love it, although it's a little neck heavy, but solved by a suede strap. Excellent tones, and a good sharp bite.
This bad boy flies under the radar: super comfortable to play, decent quality and price and just different enough if you like that but benefits from a pickup change IMO. I have Lollar firebirds in mine.
I have one on order from Sweetwater in that natural wood. Getting it setup and should have it within a week and I cannot wait. I’ve wanted one of these for years.
I have the Fender Modern Player Tele Thinline Deluxe. It has P90s amd lots of these same features. But it has a back plate. It's still pretty unusual but I love love love it. It sounds so good, it's very versatile.
Great vid Darrel, I recently purchased a TC-90 that took me a long time to hunt down here in the Maritimes, as only 700 of each color were made. Interesting that, from what I have seen, Fender never refers to the TC-90 as a "Telecaster." It doesn't say Tele on the headstock, and it's listed only as a "Special Edition" in their catalog. Obviously it has Tele cues and TC in the name, but it seems Fender clearly avoided using the Tele nomenclature for this hybrid beast.
I really like this. I need to add this to my arsenal. Whenever I have 2v 2t I always put the neck volume and tone in the front towards the neck then the bridge in the back.
Played one of these back when they first came out and liked it a lot. It was a cool guitar! Didn't have the bones at the time to buy it; and had forgotten about them for a while. My LP Jr. is the only P90 git I own at the moment. You've stirred my interest for these again. May have to seek one out. The trans red one I played was really nice! BTW - fairly new subscriber here. Really enjoy your content Darrell. Thanks a bunch. PEACE!
Jim Adkins used to use Les Pauls back in the 90s-early 2000s but he would use a red telecaster occasionally also which he preferred the look of. He was offered to play a TC90 which is almost identical to the JA99 but had a 1 vol 1 tone layout and had a double cutaway then was offered a sig in which he made some adjustments to suit a more Les Paul style which he preferred (he would roll back the volume on his neck pickup and switch between the neck and bridge for clean and dirty sounds, hence why the switch is at the top right) Nothing too strange if you’re a massive fan and understand the concept of the guitar before it’s inception but it’s quite innovative and a really excellent guitar.
A friend of mine had a guitar very similar to this and he put a little mandoline pickup under the pickguard and wired up one of the tones as a vol/ noise reduction control, it really worked. You lose a tone control but if you're like me you don't use them anyway and never split.
Idk, how I feel about it... I don't mind the shorter length scale, the sound hole, the tuners...I am not too crazy about the p90 pickups instead of the traditional tele pickups, I definitely do like the neck joint, I love the woodgrain look.. great review btw Darrell! It seems like you have an affinity for telecasters.
It's not the only set neck fender tele. I own an amber FMT Tele custom special. It also, has Seymour Duncan's in. Only mine has a pearly gates in the bridge and a SH-1 '59 in the neck as standard. It coil splits, so you can still get a nice spanking sound out of it. Same weak points you mention on mine, but as the hardware is black chrome, finding higher grade 'matching' hardware is a bit of a problem. Great video as always.
I was just thinking the same thing! Almost identical in main spec's - semi hollow, set neck, P90s, same heal shape and scale length. Wesley wasn't the only the only name appearing on the headstock. Can't help but wonder if this is really "radical Fender" or more a matter of Fender catching up with proven design's (R&D having already been done by the Chinese?)
If you've never heard of the Fender Showmaster, you should check them out. They made them in strat and tele style bodies with a set neck, 24 frets, and Seymour Duncan humbuckers. They're fairly rare, but really cheap. I got one at a guitar center for $350, and it's easily one of the best guitars I've ever played.
This Telecaster has some unique features which I have to say I like very much. From the P90's to the Gibson style tune-o-matic bridge and scale length....these are all things I love. And the set neck...brilliant! (imo) Besides the 24.75" scale, I think the bridge would give it a Gibson string spacing as well. I remember Steve Khan mentioning that on his Fender style guitars he changes the string spacing to that of a Gibson. Thanks for another great video. I'm really glad that you made me aware of this model. Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing this Interesting combination from Fender. Going to call it a Frankencaster :) The short part where you used middle position + clean sounded like my favorite out of this setup.
Fender did similar guitars in the late 90's , The Tele Junior being a prime example , 24.75" scale length , set neck , although the pickups were Dearmond .
That is one weird guitar! I've had a 70's Thinline for years, & this is nothing like it, but I want one in red! Beautiful playing btw, I love your playing style & how it looks like you're hardly touching the frets, only long experience can do that! Now excuse me as I must go steal some of your licks.😁
I have a JA 90 in the transparent red, beautiful finish. Is it A Fender Les Paul or a Gibson Telecaster? Either way brilliant playable guitar I love it! Yes there have been compromises from a cost point of view but they don't affect playability which is ultimately what it's about.
Very thorough review Darrell, I appreciate that you looked at the guts of your new Tele. The Surf Green beauty is still the best Tele in your collection, hands down!
I had a Squier strat crafted in Indonesia...just as good if not better than my MIM strat...wish I'd kept it. Nothing wrong with the quality coming out of your country!
Have to disagree with you there. The "Acoustasonic Telecaster" is the strangest Tele.
And I want oh so badly. I've been imagining a guitar just like it and then I saw it a couple of weeks ago and decided I wanted one immediately. too bad my financial sitch is holding me back ... for now.
Indeed!
...and the ugliest.
tc-90 is pretty weird to.
No the acoustasonic isnt even a telecaster. The body is the only thing thats tele
Jim Root of Slipknot has a pretty unconventional signature telecaster as well. Maybe it's just something with Jims and weird teles?
@Virgil Grin Im not a tele expert, but telecasters with mahogany body, ebony fretboard, c shape necks and active dual humbuckers don't seem standard
@Virgil Grin maybe so, but it it still isn't a "conventional" fender telecaster
@@jensbjorklund6584 Jim Root used to play a flathead teles, his signature models are reflections of them. Yes, flathead tele is a custom shop model but it is commonly known as an "off the rack" shred tele.
It's all about the alternative rock F-the-mainstream attitude
I like this 😅😅
Is it a Gender or a Fibson?
Isn’t Gender or Fender specific
You are so dichitome. Gender and Fibson? The reality is much more fluid than that.
Psyko Klown did you just assume my Fibson?
"FENDER TELECASTER" => "TENDER CEREAL-FEST"
Put this anagram into your pipe and smoke it, Fender 😂
Fendson
Hey Darrell, I was at Guitar Center today and I heard your voice. Actually it was a couple of teenagers consulting your channel on their phone to learn more about a guitar they were considering. I thought that was freakin cool and I had to tell you. Rock on!
Gibson: "Play authentic."
Fender: "Hold my beer."
Bought a used JA-90 a few years ago and dropped in some noiseless Lindy Fralin p90's, such a great sounding combination
Probably watched this more than 5x just because I love Jimmy Eat World and this is my favorite Telecaster model in existence.
Myself as well. One day... I will buy this.
Jim Adkins talked about the design of the guitar in the Jimmy Eat World rig rundown on Premier Guitar a while back in case anyone wanted to learn more about the odd style of this guitar.
Ooh, thanks. I do like a rig rundown.
Yeah I saw that quite recently. Great vid
Jim Adkins also claims that the guitars he plays are exactly the same as what the average person can buy with the exception of string gauge.
I've had this guitar in the crimson transparent finish for about a year now. I have about 10 guitars total but this is my favorite. It feels great to play with the semi-hollow body/shorter scale and the P90s pack a lot of oomph. It also looks amazing in the crimson color.
I totally agree!
I have had mine (crimson) about 3 years now and enjoy playing it. It was used, but mint condition and purchased from Guitar Center for $700 bucks (not easy to find). I have about 30 guitars to include high end brands/models. I rate this one 8.5 on a scale of 10.
I have one of the 2004 double cut TC-90s in vintage white. These are excellent guitars, although only around 1,400 were made by the Korean factory for Fender. Jim Adkins was playing a TC-90 so that is what this signature guitar is based on. The tuners on my TC-90 are fine.
Darrell Braun: "Fender has never been afraid of trying new things."
John Mayer: "Oh really?"
Fender is generally like an American "Mexican" franchise eatery. They have about a dozen ingredients they mix-and-match occasionally.
in reality, what really is the difference between the silver sky and the strat? headstock and body shape is slightly different? different voiced pickups? bird inlays? its not all that "original" or new. Most likely just a marketing thing and not born out of "necessity" as john insinuated.
@@GrungeyMr Worlds current most popular guitar player says "I want my guitar made this way", Fender said no. So he left. I'd leave too. I don't care if I ask you to make me a guitar with square strings. Make the damn guitar. I'm the one bringing your company money using my name.
SilverSky has an angled neck..
I think if it sounds good and plays good, who cares if it counts as a “tele” or not. That said, I have a deluxe semi hollow tele with p90s and I absolutely love it.
Great vid as always!
(Also you should collaborate with samuraiguitarist)
Wow, that really is a nice sounding guitar! I do like the set neck construction, shorter scale length & P90's. OTOH, if I got one, I'd wind up swapping out all the electronics & tuners for higher grade parts. Too bad Fender didn't have an MIA version of this.
You gotta make a cheap vs high end electronics sound test video.. maybe by upgrading this tele
I agree, it's almost like the tone pots had very little effect. I would imagine those Seymour Duncan pickups are lower quality that you could purchase separately (another way to save costs). To my ears I've certainly heard better sounding P90 guitars. Just new pots, maybe pickups and a new toggle switch for sure. About that pickup selector switch, the body isn't thick enough for a standard Gibson toggle, and the route size wouldn't allow an SG style switch to fit either. That could be an issue.
I have a similar Squire "Telecaster Custom" with Duncan P90's and the same control layout, though different bridge. I love it and have to say my P90's are nowhere near as noisy as that guitar. Mine came with a one-piece maple neck with the skunk stripe truss rod rout and, I think, the same tuners. So, there "is" a more reasonably priced alternative to that guitar aside from the set neck and lightened/f-hole body design. I'm a real fan of P90 pickups, especially the SD Phat Cat set. Your demos are always great to hear and watch and it's clear from the wall behind you that you're a Tele fan, big time.
I have the JA-90 in trans black and it's without a doubt in my top 3 guitars. I own several teles; this one is dynamite. Love it in the natural, too. Good video.
That’s a great Tele. I love P90’s. I would buy it in a second. I love the shorter scale.
I thought I was the only one who liked the JA-90. And IMO, the strangest Tele has to be the dual-humbucker Telecaster Deluxe. That one's my favorite; love the roaring and singing tones of those Wide Range pickups.
The real 70s WRHs are great, the modern Fender ones are just regular HBs in bigger covers.
Definitly got a TC-90 and it is my main guitar ! It's been for more than 10 years, and i don't regret anything except for the electronics that got me in trouble a few times... I highly recommand you try it, you won't be disapointed! Cheers from france!
Same here, love my TC-90
That tele has the best tone I ever heard a tele have 👌 very soulful playing too Darrell 💯 it’s like I could feel your everyday struggles in your solos
I don’t think the pots and switches matter if you can’t tell from playing it
Mostly it's a question of longevity and reliability. You don't want to have a switch or pot suddenly go sideways on you halfway through a song. :D
^^ what he said- switches are often the first to go bad. Then the pots get scratchy or eventually fail. The good stuff lasts for decades.
What you have is a Les Paul Special. I have a G&L Tele with two P-90s, a toggle switch, a stop tail piece and a tune-o-matic bridge but there's only two control knobs and it has a bolt on neck. It too is essentially an LPS and I absolutely love it. 🙂
It's so Gibsonesque, it's a shame they didn't go with a 12" fingerboard radius.
The original doublecut JA90 had a 12"radius I think
Gibsonesque its an LP in a Tele body.
@@craigusselman546 It's a TelePaul. I've also seen guys put three singles and a vibrato on for a TeleStrat, and Tele pickups and the big metal bridge on a Strat for a StratoTele. The possibilities are endless! :D
And humbuckers
@@hiroprotagonitis the double cutaway guitar that the JA-90 was based on is called a TC-90. It has a 9.5in radius fingerboard.
Makes me miss my Fender FMT HH Telecaster! Made like a PRS with a bound flame maple top and set neck. Had killer Seymour Duncans in it (59' and pearly gates plus)
I was just about to comment on how much I love my FMT HH Tele - bought secondhand, a complete surprise to me (I don't follow new guitars much), and it's an amazing sounding guitar, like a cross between a Tele and a PRS - as you say, the pickups are killer.
I have tried this guitar and the Telecaster Custom FMT HH numerous times. I call the latter the Fender Les Paul. There are several videos on it as well. Both are in my top 10 of best guitars I have ever played.
My FMT HH is my current favorite!
Those are both MII
I have the TC-90 which was what he used years ago. Love the tone, the P-90s are amazingly reactive and quiet. I've used it for everything from country to blues to metal. It has a great clean especially with the tone rolled back. Can pullmoff fantastic leads and pinch harmonics for days. I use it more than any of my gibsons.
these followed the Korean Set Neck Tele's... Squier Master Series. 2004 Thinline with a short plate Tele bridge.
2005 was a Chambered Mahogany Body & Mahog. Neck too !
both are 24 3/4" scale.
Both are Loud unplugged !
Thinline has a square heel
...chambered is shaped
Thanks for the review. I just ordered one.
I have the white version of this guitar. The first time I picked it up a few years before I bought it in a guitar center I fell in love. One of those guitars you immediately click with within seconds of playing. It doesn't happen often but when it does it's a great feeling. I had that with this guitar. I ended up buying it a few years later. Amazing guitar. Cheap electronics don't really bother me as long as there's no clicking, popping or scratching. Aside from that the vast majority of people won't hear any real difference between cheap and higher quality electronic components.
The Merle Haggard Tele has been around a long time, and has a set neck.
Nice review, I’ve had a JA-90 in red for many years now and it remains my favorite guitar of any I own, even over more expensive guitars I’ve purchased since. It just does everything I ask it to.
I have a G&L ASAT with magnetic field pickups that kind of look like P90's. It is by far the very best "tele" that Leo ever made. I built a tele with Warmoth parts that has a smooth neck joint very similar to Peavey's. I only have it for friends that come to visit or at one of my gigs and would like to sit in.
Strange how it still has a fender sounding tone with those p90s. I like it. The 'bright' tone almost has a Larry Carlton 'kid charlemagne' vibe about it.
It’s got a lot to do with the shape and the contours. Anytime that I have played one of those 72 reissue Telecasters upon which this model seems to be based, even the ones with these same Gibson features still sound like a Telecaster to the people around me. How much that has to do with the real sound and how much it has to do with visual association could remain to be seen.
Never played the JA tale but I "get it". My fav guitar is my warmoth 7/8 strat (24 3/4 inch scale, 24 frets).
What finish did you choose for your Warmoth Tele?
Constable 1976 None. I never finished the body (natural swamp ash looked great to me) and the neck is a custom Moses Graphite neck (no finish needed). I've had it for 25 years (so far) and no issues with the decision to leave it unfinished.
Oh and i love p90s.
I have the fender fsr special edition 50s tele.
American 58 bridge and p90 neck.
Awesome git
Ive lots of p90 gits and most were great. This one is good but i may have to play it.
Are you Canadian? I noticed boat sound when you said not much to complain about, great job on finding things that none of us would have come across on our own, it's nice to finally have a channel that keeps you guessing
Yes, he is!
Please Darrel! A comparison between shape necks, U, C, D, V, etc, I really needed. Thank you, your opinion is really important and there is no videos about it that explains pros and cons of each one.
Great video Darrell! Looks and sounds great, especially with your effort to get the audio recorded right.
I got a chance to play one for a day when I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana. They have a partnership with Fender and you can have a different guitar sent to your room daily. I liked everything about it except it seem to suffer from poor QA - or maybe previous guest abuse, but if it got some work done to it, it would be great.
Prob the next guitar I’m going to buy. Darn you Darrell! I just bought a tele. And it’s wine red transparent and I need a guitar with P90s and a rosewood neck. 💸👋🤩
This was so almost my first ‘good’ guitar. Went to Anderton’s to pick it up but then I got my hands on an electron stick pro jet and I’ve never looked back
I've never had a Tele. But I put a Tele neck pup ( Fender Twisted Tele) in my Korean made Epiphone acoustic guitar. Grounded the strings with a brass saddle. I gotta say- It sounds Amazing! It was a little dark with a 250K volume so I put a 1M with a resistor on it and it's plenty bright until I dial down a bit. Fabulous! Great acoustic sound. Even works with fuzz and drive!
The nail scratches on the plate tell me that you've been playing the heck out of it. Considering that wall of beauties hanging behind you I'll accept that as a ringing endorsement of this guitar.
Fender has done this before! I had a Fender Set Neck Dual Humbucker Tele from the 80's and I loved it. I had 80's Fender Strat (Japanese) as well with the set neck and dual humbucker.
Really enjoyed the 1 minutes solo. Nice phrasing in there. Tone was excellent. Definitely a good guitar for that. I even think that the P-90 humming sound is cool and a good part of the experience. Thanks for sharing!!!! I really have to get myself a tele!!! No sure though I would get that model as my first tele guitar!!!
The Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH also has that same neck joint looks like.
That’s originally what I thought too. You can get those things for pretty cheap too. I’ve found a few for like $400 on Reverb.
Nice guitar. I still have mine in black cherry. Not sure if the fmt are made any more.
@@andrewgoodwin9385 Fender still has them on their website. I don't think they are still in production. I ordered one today from Alamo music. I got an amber one. They have one left, a dark cherry burst. Very nice!!!
I have this guitar (red finish) and I love it, it's probably my favourite guitar despite feeling unsure about it at the beginning. You were spot on about good/bad things, here is some more info if you/anyone is interested.
They were made in a Cort plant Indonesia, and for a few years also came in a black finish. Pickups have springs underneath (height adjustment) and if you swap those with some foam it will be less microphonic using high gain
. Strangely they seem to be cheaper in the US, than in the UK/EU, but I got a good deal on it 2nd hand.
These are the mods I've done to mine to make it a lot better than original.
1. Fender staggered locking tuners 18:1 (requires drilling)
2. New string tree
3. Schaller straplocks
4. Schaller rolling bridge
5. New pots, caps and wiring
6. Freeway switch
7. Fret job
/ slight fretboard rollover
Cheers man, enjoy your guitar!
I’d like to see a comparison to the Squier Telecaster Custom II with P-90’s if you ever get the chance.
The gap between Squier and Fender gets closer & closer.
I like it! 💪
I could borrow mine, but I may be too far a way :) It's a fantastic guitar for its price.
I have both and love them. I just got a red Jim Adkins that is my new #1
That set neck style on a strat with a warm humbucker in bridge would be amazing.
Just bought the new white JA-90 that Fender just shipped out. So excited! I'm gonna build a collection like yours! 😁
I'm really surprised that it's branded as a Fender rather than a Squier, considering that it's Indonesian.
Actually Indonesian quality depends on what spare parts they sent cause a lot of hi end other guitar companies also made in Indonesia.
@@athallaaryaseta4023 Indonesia is the place where they make the Squier Vintage Modified series. I have a nice sonic blue VM Jazzmaster. I bet they use the same 3-way toggle switch.
Btw, beware that the thread on those switches is THINNER than the standard available switch caps. We tried to replace a broken black plastic cap with a brass one on a white jazzmaster, but it didn't fit. They're 0.5 mm off. My buddy says he going to use CA glue as a filler, because he badly wants a brass cap that can't break and looks cool. Btw: The fact that they use CorTek pots could mean that Cort Indonesia is the maker. I love Cort Korea for all kinds of guitars they made (think Ibanez Premium).
@@athallaaryaseta4023 Oh, no doubt. I have a Squier Bass VI that's excellent, and it was made in Indonesia. I'm not taking a crack at the Indonesian people, I just didn't realize that there were Fenders that weren't made in Mexico, USA, or Japan.
@@athallaaryaseta4023 Or I guess Korea, like the Lite Ash Telecaster I used to have.
I have an Indonesian made Squier Affinity Strat that is and awesome guitar. I love it.
Switchcraft , Emerson CT’s pots , monotone plug bezel and switchcraft plug. Roller bridge and a bigsby, graph tech tuners. Now you’ve got a keeper
I always thumbs up your videos before even watching them, I have yet to be disappointed by this process
That's why I love Fender. They are always open to new and unusual stuff.
I have a Fender TC-90 , the predecessor to the JA-90. Love it, although it's a little neck heavy, but solved by a suede strap. Excellent tones, and a good sharp bite.
It’s a Telecaster Deluxe with a Gibson bridge and P-90s instead of humbuckers. I built something like this from a kit last year.
This bad boy flies under the radar: super comfortable to play, decent quality and price and just different enough if you like that but benefits from a pickup change IMO. I have Lollar firebirds in mine.
I have one on order from Sweetwater in that natural wood. Getting it setup and should have it within a week and I cannot wait. I’ve wanted one of these for years.
Nice guitar Darrell ! I have a 2015 Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH with the set neck also
Merle Haggard is one of the pioners of country guitar and his telecaster has set neck, flame maple cap and custom pickguard ;) sweet video!
I’ve had my eye on one of these for years! Thanks for sharing.
I have the Fender Modern Player Tele Thinline Deluxe. It has P90s amd lots of these same features. But it has a back plate. It's still pretty unusual but I love love love it. It sounds so good, it's very versatile.
Great vid Darrel, I recently purchased a TC-90 that took me a long time to hunt down here in the Maritimes, as only 700 of each color were made. Interesting that, from what I have seen, Fender never refers to the TC-90 as a "Telecaster." It doesn't say Tele on the headstock, and it's listed only as a "Special Edition" in their catalog. Obviously it has Tele cues and TC in the name, but it seems Fender clearly avoided using the Tele nomenclature for this hybrid beast.
I really like this. I need to add this to my arsenal. Whenever I have 2v 2t I always put the neck volume and tone in the front towards the neck then the bridge in the back.
Played one of these back when they first came out and liked it a lot. It was a cool guitar! Didn't have the bones at the time to buy it; and had forgotten about them for a while.
My LP Jr. is the only P90 git I own at the moment. You've stirred my interest for these again. May have to seek one out. The trans red one I played was really nice!
BTW - fairly new subscriber here. Really enjoy your content Darrell. Thanks a bunch. PEACE!
Just bought this guitar and awaiting delivery. Just subscribed and excited to watch this video.
Hi Darrell! Nice to see you praise the JA-90 as much as it deserves, it's really great (I got the translucent red one).
Jim Adkins used to use Les Pauls back in the 90s-early 2000s but he would use a red telecaster occasionally also which he preferred the look of. He was offered to play a TC90 which is almost identical to the JA99 but had a 1 vol 1 tone layout and had a double cutaway then was offered a sig in which he made some adjustments to suit a more Les Paul style which he preferred (he would roll back the volume on his neck pickup and switch between the neck and bridge for clean and dirty sounds, hence why the switch is at the top right) Nothing too strange if you’re a massive fan and understand the concept of the guitar before it’s inception but it’s quite innovative and a really excellent guitar.
Love the detail of your reviews. Great production and playing. But most of all your honest.
A friend of mine had a guitar very similar to this and he put a little mandoline pickup under the pickguard and wired up one of the tones as a vol/ noise reduction control, it really worked. You lose a tone control but if you're like me you don't use them anyway and never split.
I recently sold my JA90 for a Jazzmaster. Wonderful guitar, lovely thick tone, great for rock
I bet that heel joint is straight heaven when going to the upper register.
Idk, how I feel about it... I don't mind the shorter length scale, the sound hole, the tuners...I am not too crazy about the p90 pickups instead of the traditional tele pickups, I definitely do like the neck joint, I love the woodgrain look.. great review btw Darrell! It seems like you have an affinity for telecasters.
Man the P90 neck pickup is just so butter.
It's not the only set neck fender tele. I own an amber FMT Tele custom special. It also, has Seymour Duncan's in. Only mine has a pearly gates in the bridge and a SH-1 '59 in the neck as standard. It coil splits, so you can still get a nice spanking sound out of it. Same weak points you mention on mine, but as the hardware is black chrome, finding higher grade 'matching' hardware is a bit of a problem. Great video as always.
Fender also made the FMT HH. Flame Maple Top, 2 humbuckers, set neck, tummy cut. Worth checking out.
That's some nice playing my friend. Obviously TONE TONE TONE for days!!! Nice demo Darrell! Thank you for going there!
Got a Troublemaker Tele of the Parallel Universe series which features some of the features of this model. I love it!
Glad to see this, I've been thinking about buying one of these. Tks.
I had a tele just like this a few years back. A budget model by an english maker called "wesley" really wish i had'nt sold it
I was just thinking the same thing! Almost identical in main spec's - semi hollow, set neck, P90s, same heal shape and scale length. Wesley wasn't the only the only name appearing on the headstock.
Can't help but wonder if this is really "radical Fender" or more a matter of Fender catching up with proven design's (R&D having already been done by the Chinese?)
After watching one of your build video I thought I needed to built a Thinline with P90s. Then I saw this one. Amazing.
If you've never heard of the Fender Showmaster, you should check them out. They made them in strat and tele style bodies with a set neck, 24 frets, and Seymour Duncan humbuckers. They're fairly rare, but really cheap. I got one at a guitar center for $350, and it's easily one of the best guitars I've ever played.
This Telecaster has some unique features which I have to say I like very much. From the P90's to the Gibson style tune-o-matic bridge and scale length....these are all things I love. And the set neck...brilliant! (imo) Besides the 24.75" scale, I think the bridge would give it a Gibson string spacing as well. I remember Steve Khan mentioning that on his Fender style guitars he changes the string spacing to that of a Gibson. Thanks for another great video. I'm really glad that you made me aware of this model. Thanks again!
fender is KILLING it lately. i'm loving my sixty six.
Are they nice? That's the coolest looking guitar I've seen in a while
I have a Fender Telecaster Custom Shop Spalted Maple 2010, neckthrough, and its one of the best guitar I've ever played!
Thanks for sharing this Interesting combination from Fender. Going to call it a Frankencaster :)
The short part where you used middle position + clean sounded like my favorite out of this setup.
I bought a white one. Love it!
GREAT intro, great video! Thanks Darrell
Fender did similar guitars in the late 90's , The Tele Junior being a prime example , 24.75" scale length , set neck , although the pickups were Dearmond .
When did it happen that Fender tuners became upgrades? I musta missed something recently.
regardless of what its considered that guitar has got soul man , love that sound . great vid ty darrell
That is one weird guitar! I've had a 70's Thinline for years, & this is nothing like it, but I want one in red! Beautiful playing btw, I love your playing style & how it looks like you're hardly touching the frets, only long experience can do that! Now excuse me as I must go steal some of your licks.😁
This is the coolest looking telecaster I have ever seen
Great guitar, put I had to string it up with 11s to truly make it sound/play right.
Short scale lengths= heavier gauge strings on my guitars.
I have a JA 90 in the transparent red, beautiful finish. Is it A Fender Les Paul or a Gibson Telecaster? Either way brilliant playable guitar I love it! Yes there have been compromises from a cost point of view but they don't affect playability which is ultimately what it's about.
I have a squire tele from the early 2000's with a 24.75 scale length. Love it!
Like the sound of the seymour Duncan pickups much better then what was in the modern player. love that neck joint definitely want to try one.
I’ve always loved this guitar. One day I’ll own one. Love the thorough review! Thanks Darrell
Very thorough review Darrell, I appreciate that you looked at the guts of your new Tele. The Surf Green beauty is still the best Tele in your collection, hands down!
Indonesian here. I do not know this beautiful Tele was crafted in Indonesia. Love those P90s!
Giovann Ya'll have produced some of the best playing guitars as of late. No doubt about it.
I had a Squier strat crafted in Indonesia...just as good if not better than my MIM strat...wish I'd kept it. Nothing wrong with the quality coming out of your country!