Freaking GAS! (Squier Tele Content)

[Katastrophe]

Man, the revolving door GAS is freaking killing me! I've been looking at Squiers, and playing different guitars every so often, but I keep coming back to the Tele shape.

Problem is, I've also been wanting a two humbucker guitar for a while now. I've been thinking that a set neck or neck thru type single cut would be the cure for this particular bout of GAS, but again, I keep coming back to the Tele shape.

The cure? The Squier John 5 sig Telecaster. Here's a photo, and a Youtube clip of Mr. 5 playing said Squier at his home, through a Fender FM 25 watt solid state amph, with DSP.



As a rule, I usually don't go for signature guitars, but this one is speaking to me!

[marnold***]

Too bad the poor guy doesn't have any chops I always get a charge out of it when he plays banjo rolls.

I like the looks of that too, but I think a black gloss finish and a mirror pickguard would drive me insane.



This one will test your German chops, but the playing is universal:

[Katastrophe]

Too bad the poor guy doesn't have any chops I always get a charge out of it when he plays banjo rolls.

I like the looks of that too, but I think a black gloss finish and a mirror pickguard would drive me insane.

OCD about the fingerprints?


I saw the MusikSchmidt vid, too. That dude can flat play!

[marnold***]

OCD about the fingerprints?

Just a tiny bit, yeah. Fingerprints drive me up a wall. Too bad since I think a black guitar with a maple neck looks hawt.

[Katastrophe]

All my guitars (except the Strat) show fingerprints really bad (1 is black and the other is a deep blue). It's really not that big of a deal. 30 second wipedown after you're done playing, and good as new!

[Duffy]

Yo, Katastrophe, I bought an awesome Fender Telecaster recently that is really incredible.

It is the Fender Special Issue FMT HH telecaster. This stands for flammed maple top double humbucker telecaster, but the name is left in the dust by this super great tele.

It is an all mahogany body and set neck telecaster, a rarity. It has an incredible neck. The finish on my black cherry burst flammed maple top is incredible. But looks is just a facade when it comes to guitars. It is the sound where it's really at and this FMT HH really delivers like you would not believe.

Here it is at MF:

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=511262

These new versions have dual Seymour Duncan, real Seymour Duncan, open coil humbuckers that sound really hot, sweet, and full of heavy tone and melodic musicality not found in most guitars.

The pickups are Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge and reverse polarity '59 in the neck. Full sized HB's.

I love this tele. Professional friends of mine that have played it thru a Kustom '36 Coupe awesome combo tube amp and were more than highly impressed with its playability and especially its tone; stating that it got into some telecaster territory while still getting into some relatively LP tonal areas. The tone knob is very usable to shape the sound of this awesome telecaster. The action is the lowest of any of my guitars and there is zero buzz or string slap. Unless you make it slap of course.

If you are thinking of a twin HB tele I would strongly suggest finding and trying one of these, or considering ordering one and if you don't absolutely love it, return it; because of how strongly I feel about how awesome this twin humbucker tele is.

It costs a lot more than the John 5, but it is another animal. Superb build quality, etc. Totally one of my best guitars since I began upgrading my collection. I ordered it straight from Fender thru the dealer. The day it came in they were setting it up for me and some dude saw it and was flabbergasted, probably would have bought it on the spot. They told him to not even think about it, it was a guitar a customer orderd in. The black cherry burst flammed maple is an eye mesmerizer, beautiful binding, etc.

MF wants 699 but I got mine for 525 out the door at a local store that ordered it in from the latest factory shipment. I buy a lot of items from them and they usually offer me great deals. Like on the Ibanez SZ320 goldtop, new old stock, I just got for 250 out the door with a free set of strings. This is also one of the best, possibly the best guitar I own, despite its low price.

If you want a dual full sized hb tele, think about checking into the Fender FMT HH Telecaster shown in the link above.

I admit, the John 5 is a cool looking tele. Black is one of my favorite all time guitar colors, the more black the better. Like my Peavey Generation EX Triple Single tele in all black including the pickup covers, and my Squire Vintage Modified Custom II P90 telecaster with the maple fretboard. I really like itthe John 5's look, but this Fender is at another point in the pattern of reality; the question is, is it what you want to have, etc.?

To each their own, but that's why we share our diverse experiences here at the Fret, right? I would be remiss if I didn't mention this awesome, inexpensive Fender, relatively speaking; considering that you are thinking about something like this.

Not that many people, even Fender afficianados, probably even know about this awesome guitar. And then again some Fender snobs have no use for such an unconventional tele as this. But again, to each their own. My experience is that it is truly an awesome guitar, a player, not a profiler; but super good looking nonetheless.

Hope this info is found to be interesting.

[MAXIFUNK]

I have the same guitar Duffy is talking about in Amber.

This is a very good axe coil tap is kind of cool contour body shape is really nice and comfy. It is also one great looking axe bound neck and top.
If you like a super flat neck it has a 15.75" radius is just a little to flat for my taste. If this axe had a 12" radius neck it would be a keeper for sure
I am most likely at some point this going to sell this axe but its hard to part with since it is my 1st six string. But, if you like a flat neck I would recommend this axe without hesitation.

@Katastrophe, The store where I bought this axe and most of my gear has a J5 Tele visually it seems a little cheaply made at a glance.. But I'll check it and tell you what I think next week as long as it has not been sold.

[marnold***]

Thanks for the GAS, Duffy. That looks like a sweet Tele. I particularly like the 22 jumbo frets with a 15" radius. Coil tapping is a nice addition. Is that one of their Korean made ones?

[Katastrophe]

@ Duffy and Maxifunk: Those are certainly some GAS inducing Teles! I guess I'm gonna have to break down and head to GC and see if they have both.

@ Maxifunk: I'd be interested in hearing your opinions on the J5, if you find one in your travels. Don't make a special trip on my account, though (unless you have the GAS for it .

[Duffy]

Marnold, I'm not sure if it's Korean. It is in the case right now. I have my Ibanez AS73 transcherry semi hollow out right now. My ex nephew I had taken in stole some guitars and vandalized a bunch of others.
The AS73, I discovered last night, had a chip on the back of the neck thru the paint all the way to the wood; the rest of the guitar is pristine and a great guitar, so I took out my palm sander and used progressively finer sandpaper and sanded down the back of the neck, the entire neck except for the headstock part were I artistically terminated my sanding in a not unattractive line just below the headstock widening. I sanded it all the way to the butt where the sanding stops at a convenient binding line.

I got all the way to the mahogany and uniformly sanded it to a beautiful finish, bare. I then applied a couple coats of lemon oil to a beautiful lustre.

This looks so attractive that I am not going to stain it. I have some deep red mahogany minwax stain for another furniture project, but am going to leave this clear.

The neck has two small butt pieces meeting together at the neck medial line, then the length of the neck in one piece, and a headstock piece after the widening for the headstock. This multipiece neck is beautiful and looks great with the new natural satin finish. The feel is really different and awesome. My fiance commented on how complimentary the raw satin finished neck is to the guitar. One might guess that the raw look combined with the transred would not look complimentary, but reality is often stranger than fiction and the unexpected is sometimes a great surprise.

So this Ibanez 335 type is getting a lot of play right now, along with my new old stock Ibanez SZ32 goldtop superstrat with Duncan/Ibanez super outstanding sounding pickups. Also a set neck all mahogany guitar, this SX320 is one of the best, if not the best guitar I own. It drives the AC15c1 Custom with a Celestion Greenback, new style, really well with the hot pickups, as well as my Crate Palomino V32 212 with twin Celestion 70/80's. It sounds quite Les Paul'ish, I mean a really nice Les Paul'ish, and it too is getting a great deal of my attention right at the present time.

In addition to this I pulled out my Peavey Zodiac EXP black with tortise shell pickguard four string PJ bass out and have been trying to get into the groove thru my Marshall MB30 bass amp, a great combination. Moving from P to J and adjusting the tone gives some very pleasing sounds, plus blending the pickups and playing with them both turned up full volume each also sounds good. This Peavey is a great sounding bass and really fun to play with.

On top of that I decided to get out an acoustic to have close at hand so I have my Samick J2 jumbo with hard wired Dean Markley Pro Mag Grand humucking pickup sitting with the above mentioned within reach of my bed. This inexpensive Samick J2 is awesome both unplugged and plugged into either of the above mentioned amps; doesn't even need an acoustic amp with the Pro Mag Grand, sounds incredible straight up, without even using my Dean Markley acoustic preamp pedal which I'm getting out right now.

Back to the topic, the Fender FMT HH, Marnold, would be a guitar you might especially like. It is hot and the Jumbo frets are really fun to use. The guitar exudes class and is a very strong addition to my upgraded collection. This guitar is the surprise that many uninitiated are not expecting. It's such a cool item, I would encourage anyone considering a nontraditional telecaster to seriously check out. It doesn't take much checking out because if you are looking for something like this it rolls right into the passing lane, squealing out with a stunning black cherry sunburst flammed maple top and headstock.

Let me know if you check one out. They are very hard to find. Probably don't stay on the shelves long and are not one of the models that dealers order a lot of.

Hope you find this guitar interesting, or at least this review.

[MAXIFUNK]

@ Maxifunk: I'd be interested in hearing your opinions on the J5, if you find one in your travels. Don't make a special trip on my account, though (unless you have the GAS for it .[/QUOTE]


No worries I am in that store 2 or 3 times a week.

[Tig***]

I got all the way to the mahogany and uniformly sanded it to a beautiful finish, bare. I then applied a couple coats of lemon oil to a beautiful lustre.

This looks so attractive that I am not going to stain it. I have some deep red mahogany minwax stain for another furniture project, but am going to leave this clear.

Duffy, good thing you didn't decide to stain the neck after the lemon oil was used. Stains like a just sanded, bare wood to be absorbed into, and it might not have taken to the oil. It should be fine as is, so enjoy!

Most or all of the FMT HH telecaster's like that are Korean made from my understanding. Excellent quality builds!

[marnold***]

My old Showmaster Celtic H was a Korean model. I liked it a lot, but the single pickup was too limiting for someone like me who can only have a very small guitar stable (currently: one guitar, one bass). The FMT HH wouldn't have that issue. I think the Pearly Gates/59 combo would be a nice compliment to my DK2M's JB/Jazz. Coil tapping is a very nice addition too.

Maybe they'll do like they did with the Showmasters and blow them out at some ridiculously low price sometime.

[Eric***]

Maybe they'll do like they did with the Showmasters and blow them out at some ridiculously low price sometime.

I hope so. Radius aside (since I don't really know what I prefer), this thing really really interests me.

[Duffy]

Look at and play that Fender Special Issue FMT HH tele and you will REALLY have your interest tuned up, if you are anything like me.

[Eric***]

Look at and play that Fender Special Issue FMT HH tele and you will REALLY have your interest tuned up, if you are anything like me.

That's actually what I was referring to. I really like the selector switch location, humbuckers, and some other things about it while still coming in the tele package. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm in the market for a full-priced guitar, so it would have to be on sale or something.

[tremoloman***]

I want the Squier J5 BAD... ahhh... I gotta find a job so I get cure my GAS! Damn layoffs and crap economy...

[Tig***]

I want the Squier J5 BAD... ahhh... I gotta find a job so I get cure my GAS! Damn layoffs and crap economy...

Stay tough, trem. I've been through the layoff fun all too much myself over the last 3 years, but got a good job in January. Things are looking better and better each month for jobs.

[Katastrophe]

I want the Squier J5 BAD... ahhh... I gotta find a job so I get cure my GAS! Damn layoffs and crap economy...

I hear ya about the economy and tough times, man. Hope it all gets sorted out quickly for you.

On another note, do you still have the Squier Black & Chrome Tele that you did all the mods on? The J5 would make a cool looking pair on stage.