Not Quite a Tele...But Good For What it is
Written: Dec 09 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: well-balanced on the strap, fast neck, lightweight
Cons: I REPEAT, it's not your classic Tele tone
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| corndoggz's Full Review: Fender 69 Telecaster Thinline Electric Guitar |
The 1969 Telecaster Thinline Reissue is a reproduction of a semi-hollow variation of Leo Fender's classic design. Although I'm primarily a bass player, I've dabbled in the world of electric guitar (and I am a pretty avid acoustic guitarist). In the past three years, the Tele Thinline was the only electric guitar I owned--I sold it on eBay about a month ago. Here I will share some of my memories of this worthy axe.
Hollow Body Decreases Weight and Treble Bite
I can't agree with some people who have said that the Thinline is basically a standard Tele with a hollowed out chamber and an F-hole. The F-hole (combined with the mahogany body) produce a tone that to my ears is completely different from the classic Tele. As with most of my other musical instrument reviews, I will point out the differences between typical Telecaster and the Thinline Telecaster.
Body Wood--When Leo Fender started making guitars, he made use of whatever woods were available. He used ash and alder, the common vintage tonewoods, and even pine! The twangy Tele tone that we've come to know comes from the combination of the ash body with a maple neck and fretboard. Ash and alder are similar in tone, with ash having a little more "bite" than alder. Mahogany is a completely different story. The tone of mahogany is typically described as "woody" and "organic"; both of these descriptions seem to apply. Consider that mahogany is a common material in acoustic guitars--alder and ash are not. Thus, compared to alder or ash, mahogany is a much more polite sounding wood. This fact alone should indicate that the Thinline is a different beast.
Hollow Tone Chamber--The hollowed-out tone chamber of the Thinline Tele reduces weight and increases the acoustic volume of the guitar. This acoustic quality comes through in the electrified tone much more so than on the traditional Telecaster.
These are the two primary differences between the traditional style Telecaster and the Thinline. There are other differences but these are the ones that affect the guitar's tone the most.
"Crafted in Japan"
My Thinline reissue was from the first year of production and was therefore "crafted in Japan". All Thinline reissues were made in Japan for the first couple of years until production was shifted to Mexico. They were reportedly made in two different factories in Japan, so some guitars say "crafted in Japan" while others may say "made in Japan". There doesn't seem to be any real difference between crafted or made, and you'll definitely want to make your choice on a case-by-case basis. I've always been a big fan of Fender's Japanese made instruments; I think their Made in Mexico (MIM) stuff is pretty good too, but between the two, I'd usually choose the made in Japan instruments. Again, judge each instrument on its own merits, and not on the sticker that's on the neck heel. For what it's worth, this guitar was fairly well-made. There was some sawdust still left on the inside ridge of the F-hole, but the neck pocket was tight and it felt very solid.
The Thinline reissue is available in a couple of finishes--clear over mahogany (mine had a beautiful, stripey mahogany body) or sunburst. I bought mine used, in nearly-new condition for $325. I think prices are quite a bit higher nowadays.
Playability
Compared to the Strat, the Fender Tele is boxier and more angular. However, on a strap, a Tele feels perfectly balanced. I've never understood why this is, but I love Teles. The neck has the vintage-style 7.5" radius, which means its surface is more rounded than on the newer Teles. This means that it's more likely to fret out on outrageous string bends. On the other hand, to many hands, the vintage radius feels like home. The 25.5" scale length and maple fretboard make the Tele a really quick player (you may notice may skilled country pickers playing these things, cause they are fast!). The neck is pretty "C"-shaped and should be to the liking of many players.
Sound
Since I've described some of the differences between the traditional Tele and this Thinline, you should already know what to expect. The Thinline has the basic Tele tone minus its high end bite. In exchange, the Thinline has a warmer, more mellow tonality that's very nice for lots of kinds of music. In my opinion, it is NOT classic Tele tone, but a tone that is all its own (feel free to disagree). It has a nice blues/southern rock tone, as opposed to a hot country kind of tone. You can get other sounds as well, but again let me reiterate that if you're looking for pure 50's Tele tone, you might want to look elsewhere.
Overall
I wasn't looking for classic tones, but rather something that was extremely playable and durable. The Tele Thinline was both of these things. I also sold it on eBay for a healthy profit so I can't complain!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
corndoggz
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Member: Jerome Gaw
Location: Claremont, California
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
Graduate student in Claremont, California. Electric bassist in a few local bands.
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