Believe it or not, Fender had a guitar that came before the Stratocaster – the Telecaster. Originally called the Broadcaster, it has long been a staple of guitarists from all genres and styles of music. Fender has introduced a twist on that timeless classic with the American Professional Telecaster Deluxe.
From a visual standpoint there’s no mistaking that the Deluxe is part of the Telecaster family. The body has the same iconic single cutaway shape, and it uses a solid slab of alder to help get that classic Tele tone. Maple is the name of the game as far as the neck is concerned, even to the point of using it for the fretboard as well. It features a 9.5” fretboard radius, 22 ‘narrow tall’ frets, and a real bone nut.
The hardware and electronics configuration is where the Deluxe makes the biggest departure from the traditional Telecaster design. Instead of two single coil pickups, the Deluxe comes loaded with two ShawBucker humbuckers (designed by Fender pickup expert Tim Shaw) that are specially voiced to give a thicker sound while still retaining some of that traditional Telecaster ‘bite’.
Each pickup has its own volume and tone controls in lieu of the master controls found on the original Tele. Even here, though, Fender has added a twist – each volume knob has a treble bleed circuit to keep the high end intact as the volume is reduced. The bridge is a big improvement as well, as each string has its own saddle with height and intonation adjustments.
Tuning machines are staggered to help minimize the need for string trees. Staggered tuners have different heights for the tuning posts, which helps to increase the break angle of the string over the nut. This eliminates the need for a string tree on the D and G strings. The tuners also are sealed, and they offer silky smooth action for fine adjustability and rock solid tuning stability.
Soundwise, the ShawBucker pickups add a thickness that you just can’t get from a traditional Tele, and it makes it a perfect guitar for just about any style you can throw at it – from old school country and rock, to smoky blues and melt-your-face-off modern metal. Having the individual controls also adds a level of tonal flexibility that’s much more than what a standard Tele can offer.
The Deluxe is a true ‘player’s guitar’, particularly in the way that it feels and plays. Fans of thicker Fender-style necks will love the ‘Modern Deep C’ neck profile, and the action right off the shelf is spot on – not too high or too low.
Yeah, the traditional Fender Telecaster is a design that may be hard to beat. That being said, the American Professional Telecaster Deluxe sure does give the ‘classic’ Tele setup a run for its money. It’s simply a well crafted instrument with unique design features that set it apart from its older brother. Trust us – the Deluxe can very well stand on its own merit.
