Though some Tele purists consider it sacrilegious, Fender has taken an increasing shine to outfitting certain Telecasters with tremolos in the last couple of years, with the American Ultra Luxe and Parallel Universe lines both offering tremolo-outfitted Teles.
Now, a new, limited-edition model has joined them in this distinction, the Made-in-Japan ’70s Telecaster Deluxe with Tremolo.
Aside from the headlining Strat-style Synchronized tremolo, this Tele Deluxe is similar to the Vintera ’70s Telecaster Deluxe, with a few key differences.
Though it, like the Vintera, has an alder body, the MIJ Tele Deluxe's gloss-finished maple neck is U-shaped, rather than the Vintera’s Thin C. Its Three-Tone Sunburst, Butterscotch Blonde, and Lake Placid Blue (with a rosewood fingerboard) finishes are also different than the Vintera's.
Otherwise, the MIJ Tele Deluxe features Narrow Tall frets – as opposed to the Medium Jumbo frets on its Vintera counterpart – but the same 9.5” fingerboard radius.
Sonically, the guitar is outfitted with a pair of Wide Range humbuckers, though we've yet to ascertain whether or not these are the same revoiced pickups found on the Vintera.
Additional visual appointments on the guitar include a backplate-covered tremolo cavity and a period-correct three-bolt neckplate at the back.
The Fender Limited Edition Made-in-Japan ’70s Telecaster Deluxe with Tremolo appears – for now – to be a European exclusive, with British retailers listing the guitar at £1,179 (~ $1,600).
For more info on the guitar, stop by andertons.co.uk.
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