Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black

In this first-ever reproduction, the Fender '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar duplicates every cosmetic nuance of the original introduced over 3 decades ago. Crafted with an alder body; one-piece, C-shaped, maple neck; a Strat headstock; 6-saddle string-thru bridge; dual humbuckers with alnico magnets for unique fat and gritty Tele tone; and 3-way switching. Includes deluxe Fender gig bag.

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Exact duplicate of original Alder body '70s large Strat headstock One-piece C-shaped maple neck 3-bolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt adjustment Bullet truss rod nut 21 medium jumbo frets 6-saddle string-thru bridge Dual humbuckers with alnico magnets for fat, gritty tone Chrome pickup covers 3-way switching

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Man it was a hard road to get to this guitar but it was absolutely worth it. I've gone thru quite a few phases over the last 20 years & have owned everything from PRS, to Taylor, to Fender, to Agile, to Gibson, to Ibanez & so many more. I've played the best to come out of America & I've played the worst to come out of Asia & everything between.

I decided on the 72 Deluxe because I wanted something different. I've outgrown the desire to "fit in" & I was sick of sounding like everyone else. Everyone's familiar with the warmth of a Les Paul and the spank of a Tele or Strat, but I've owned them all & none of them offer very complex tones in my opinion. You mostly have to rely on the amp and EQing to make them sound "different". On their own, they're either this or they're that, thus the reason why so many guitarists own multiple guitars.

The 72 Deluxe Tele is unique in every aspect. From the Wide Range pickups, to the Strat neck, to the volume/tone knobs, and to the most important thing of all...the sounds this thing can produce! It's perfect for a 1-guitar-kinda-guy like me who likes to rely on 1 trusty axe for all my playing needs and desires and doesn't want to look or sound like every other guitar player. Does it sound like a Tele or a Strat? No, it does not. Does it sound like a Les Paul? No. Does it sound like a mix between them all? Perhaps, but I wouldn't just label it an in-between guitar because it has its own unique character that has nothing to do with either a Tele, Strat, or LP. This is the guitar I've been searching for all these years but never knew it!

The highs are crisp & much clearer than a traditional humbucker-equipped guitar minus the dreaded "ice-pick" factor. The lows are nice and round, without being overpowering & mud-inducing. The mids are very well-voiced. That's where this guitar really shines. The mid-range just hits that sweet crunchy-not-nasally spot for me every time I hear it. You just have to hear it for yourself I guess. Each pickup configuration has its own unique characteristics. The bridge has a little Tele spank & a lot of clarity on cleans & saturates very nicely when overdriven. I'm extremely happy playing everything from mildly distorted blues licks, to punk & hard rock, to chunky palm muted djent bliss. The middle position has a little Strat spank & it's great for clean strummed chords, blues & jazz licks. The neck pickup sounds equally good clean or overdriven. Perfect for leads, blues, jazz, & just an all around nice warm tone.

The neck is one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, features on this guitar. As good of quality, if not better, than most American made necks out there. I mean, it's absolutely dead on. When set up properly, the action is low with zero buzz & I tune down to drop B & I'm only using 11s. That says something. It's comfortable and extremely fast. Honestly, it's probably the best neck I've ever played & that's including a couple of Paul Reed Smiths. The tuners are solid & rarely allow the strings to go out of tune if you know how to properly string an instrument. The input jack & toggle switch aren't the greatest quality but they're cheap & easy fixes. I've seen a lot of others comment on swapping out the pots in favor of 500k versus the stock 250k pots. Yeah it'd be interesting to hear the difference but personally, I have no problem with the way it sounds now so I probably won't ever bother unless I get really bored someday. Not to mention that's no easy fix for most do-it-yourselfers.

What more could I ask for in a guitar? Not much really. It's unique in terms of looks & tone. It plays beautifully. It blends the warmth of humbuckers with the spank and midrange of a single coil & the result is a sound all its own. It's reliable. It's exactly like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Not too thin, not too thick, it's just right.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.I've been playing Teles for decades, and have owned a (vintage) 72 Thinline and a 78 Custom, so I know these pickups. This guitar is fantastic. This is the only non US Fender I've ever owned and it is a gem. The only thing that really needed to be done was drilling out the neck holes on the body so the screws would pass through. Once that is done the neck set up perfectly and hasn't moved a bit. I don't own a bad tele and I go to this one quite a bit for gigging. I've thought about replacing the pick ups, bridge and tuners but really can't justify it. Mine is wanut, or as we described it back in the seventies "babysh#t brown." The nitro finish is gorgeous and has aged well in the five or so years I've owned it. At eight hundred clams this is a lot of guitar for the money.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
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This has been my "working man's guitar" for 8 years. It is hands down the best purchase I have ever made. When I did the cover band thing it was great for everything. great tones ranging from Nirvana to Sublime to Johnny Cash and the Doors, to Queens of the Stoneage, The Killers, Motorhead and Alice in Chains. It does it all very well.

Contrary to one thing I read earlier, I never have to tune this thing. I can play it for a 3 hour show with minimal tuning. I do play 10 to 52 strings on it, and that may make a difference. the only tuning I do is down to D and back up to E. or if I go a half step down.

Everyone always compliments on my killer tone. Great sustain and very chimy and warm cleans and it kills with heavy distortion. No one ever believes I get these sounds with a Telecaster. nor all of the different tones. It is very fast and responsive. Also, I think the weight of the head stock helps with the comfort factor. I like the oversized head stock in comparison to the normal weight of a tele. If you want to hear a sample look up LOVEHATETHING on facebook or Youtube. you can find some of the original tunes and the tones I get out of it.

This guitar kills. Period. stays in tune awesome and is thick. only had to change one pot in 8 years. The wiring is tricky to get back in, but not that hard. never really had a major ground issue. It is easy to set up and do intonation. I do it myself once a month or so and usually have minimal adjustments. The micro tilt is a killer feature too.

I record albums with it and the noise is minimal unless you want it to have noise. then it will make it. It really is a perfect guitar for me and I have had Les Paul's, Strat's, Hamer's, Ibanez, Washburns. Nothing compares. Buy it. Period.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.This is a great guitar, but not for everyone. Try to play one if possible before buying, as this thing is nothing like a standard telecaster, especially when it comes to the neck. If you're looking for a great working man's guitar with many of the best features of a tele, les paul & strat this may be a great axe for you. I respect Gibsons, but personally I'd take this over an LP any day.
This guitar has a lot going for it: a great feeling neck with jumbo frets, the awesome (if not necessarily true to the original 70s) wide range pickups, the 4-knob control setup, the gorgeous looks... This thing plays and sounds like a dream.

However, there is one thing you should be aware of before buying this guitar. You might have to swap out the pots, as others have mentioned here. Most humbucker equipped guitars come with 500 kOhm tone & volume pots, but for some inexplicable reason Fender equips these guitars with 250 kOhm pots (or at least they did when I bought mine a year and a half ago - for reference, the original Tele Deluxe from the 70s had 1 Mega Ohm pots). This gives the guitar a darker, and I would say muddier tone. If you're into jazz or blues or really heavy, dark stuff this may work for you. But if you need a brighter tone that cuts through (as many people buying teles are looking for) you'll need to swap out all the pots for the 500k's (or at least the bridge circuit pots). This is no simple task on this guitar, as the wire routing inside is tight and getting the wires back in and the pickguard back on successfully without breaking a wire or solder joint is extremely difficult. If you're serious about buying this guitar and you want a bright, clear tone, budget in the time and/or money for this modification just in case you're not happy with the out-of-the box tone.
The quality of this guitar is excellent. I own 4 made in Mexico Fender instruments and they are all high quality. I say they all can hold their own against made in the USA Fenders or guitars from other companies any day of the week. The fit and finish on this guitar is perfect. Everything works perfectly (I've had it for over a year, and played it extensively, including lots of gigs). It still plays as smoothly as butter. No issues.
The price isn't terribly cheap for a made in Mexico axe, but you get a lot of guitar in this package. Even with the not so modest price tag I would've rated it an 8 or 9 if it weren't for the fact I had to change the pots.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.The old guitarist ain't what he used to be... I owned an original '72 back in the day. Put myself through college picking up weekend gigs, teaching a little, and generally creating great memories with the black / maple version of this guitar.

This Mexican - made model arrived beautifully set up. I was very pleased with the intonation, low string height (with zero buzz), and general quality. Someday I may mess with the electtronics, but for the time being, I will simply enjoy a guitar that exceeds my memory of the original.

Don't go thinking the humbuckers will produce a sound like the Gibson. They won't. The guitar doen't have the ear-splitting highs of the standard Tele, either. But I like like the mellower middle zone that it finds. It is the right guitar for my tastes, and a good one for old fingers finding their way around familiar tunes on the "chunky" Strat neck.

All in all, the quality seems to be better than my original. 'Much more than I asked for.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.I started playing guitar just about the time Fender put the Telecaster Deluxe on the Market. (1972). I have played a number of the originals: all great guitars. The reissues are not quite the same thing. The wide range pickups on the originals were made with CuNiFe magnets composed of (copper/nickel/iron). This produced a humbucker with a distinctive single coil twang. It had adjustable pole pieces and the pickup for the bridge and neck positions were voiced the same. The pickups on the reissue use AlNiCo (aluminum/nickel/cobalt) bar magnets. This is because CuNiFe magnetic material is no longer easily obtained. The Alnico reissue pickups sound quite different from the original. They are much more like a standard Gibson humbucker. They are very fat sounding with the original fender wide range pickup possessing more twang and bite. The reissue pickups are voiced differently for the bridge and neck. Personally, I really like the reissue pickups. They are wonderfully warm and well balanced. They are currently being made in Mexico. If you ever get the chance to play an original Deluxe, you will be surprised at the difference. However, the reissue wide range pickup is excellent in my view and I really don't care it is not original spec. I have played rock and blues for 38 years and in my never to be humble opinion, the Deluxe reissue is a great guitar for those styles of music. I own a number of high end Gibson guitars and I am always amazed at how much more Fender will give you dollar for dollar over Gibson for guitars in this price range.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.It's a fender made in Mexico. Mexican fenders are as good or better than us made fenders. I owen both and I know what I'am talking about.
Bought the walnut. Hard to see the grain unless your close. Looks like a brown finish past arms length. Great mellow blues sounds and cracking leads. Fantastic fit and finish. Love the strat neck.No set up required. Plays great out of the box.
If you like duel humbucker pickups like me you will love the sound. If you have big hands like me you will love the neck. The fit and finish are flawless. Had to pay extra for a hardshell case as with all mex fenders.
Had to rate value a little low because I have a fender black top I bought for less than this that has everything this tel has. But I like the black top strat better because the tel has a larger body and is heaver than th strat. I love all fender guitars. I bought my first guitar in 1964, a fender mustang. I have never been disappointed with fender. My fingers soon out grew the mustang neck,but I still have it in my collection. (None of my fenders are for sale) I love the looks and feel of a good guitar. That why I collect FENDER.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.I play all kinds of music and honestly it's perfect for everything. It was the perfect upgrade from my Epiphone Les Paul. And not just an upgrade, but a significant upgrade. It feels just as good as any American Fender I have played. The cleans are reminiscent of that John Frusciante clean tone and when overdriven you can literally hear every note that you play while maintaining all the beef of a high end Gibson. It's almost like Fender and Gibson secretly teamed up together to create the perfect guitar. Almost bought a Gibson SG Standard, but I'm glad I bought this instead. I saved some money and I got the benefit of amazing Fender clean tones. You can't go wrong. Great for recording and live, this is my new main axe and I know plenty of people who would agree! Buy this guitar!
Extremely versatile. Every tone imaginable between a high end Fender and Gibson is available through this guitar in my opinion. All the beef and well roundedness of a Les Paul with that bright classic Fender sparkle on top to make the notes and arpeggiated chords really stand out. I bought the Walnut finish. I have always wanted a Fender with a 70's style headstock and maple neck. Incredibly happy.
Don't let anyone fool you, this is just as good, if not better than some American made Fenders.
You get what you pay for and you are paying for quality which is exactly what you get.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.I play mostly gospel and some soft country. I have several archtops-Gretsch, Ibanez, Epiphone.. I have a Gibson LP and a Gibson semi-hollow and a Strat. I don't care for the twang of the LP or the Strat. Bought this guitar for the small size and to try the humbuckers. The quality of this guitar is absolutely perfect. Not a single flaw that I can find. It's as heavy as the Les Paul, but smaller. I love the Jazz sounds of the Gretsches and this guitar will get close. It's not a Gretsch, but it will get close to the same sound, or it will get the twang that I don't care for also.... It's very versitile for sound and after about 15 gigs, it's become my go-to guitar playing through an AS100D Marshall or my Fender Blues Deluxe. When it arrived, it had a bad fret buzz on the high E string. The original strings (9s) were too mushy for my taste, so I changed them out with 11s and it raised the string above the first fret enough to stop the buzz, and also gave it a tone that I liked better. However, I had to flatten the low E-string before it would fit into the slot and hole in the tuning knob. Also changed the setup by adjusting the truss rod and brough the strings down to 1/16 above the 14th fret. Verty fast neck now and easy to play. Tuning machines are alright but cheap. Was going to swap out with locking tuners, but found none that would fit or match the holes already in the headstock. The 72s have 2 screws, unlike every other Fender tuning machine. The Gig bag is very good quality and thick enough to protect the guitar and will carry as much or more than the solid case I already had. Makes it very easy to carry from gig to gig.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
.Had mine since the first day it came out. Put a custom pickguard on it and switched the pots to 500K. It shows wear and it's a workhorse. Paired with my vintage '63 AC30, it screams on the songs I write. Getting another one just because they are beautiful and play amazingly well.
Only a 7 here because having played the originals, the re-issues lacked that something. I found it was the pots. Replaced those with 500K pots andf the pickups really shined then. Not a huge fan of the bridge, but replacements can be found. It has been all right so far.
What can I say, If you do not own a Mexican Fender, you are an idiot. They are great quality for the price. Difinately better than the Studio Gibsons for quality.
Fair price. Just get it, these guitar put the rock in roll.
Fender Classic Series '72 Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
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