NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

[DreX]

There's a recent thread about this guitar. I first saw it as a concept guitar last year and thought it would cost more than I was willing to pay, so I was happy to see that it emerged as a reasonably priced MIM.

All three bridge type Tele pickups are supposedly Nocasters, reading between 6.6k and 6.7k ohms. From the factory, they set the neck pickup a lot closer to the pick guard while the mid and bridge were about the same. 250k pots.

All around, it's not nearly as dark as I had anticipated, certainly due to the Nocasters. The bridge is all Tele in tone as you'd expect. The all the other positions have a rich sound, like a Strat with a lot more twang and dimension. The middle pickup alone sounds a lot richer to my ear than the middle pickup of a Strat. The neck pickup sounds like a neck pickup should, but the top three string which fall over the more set back half of the pickup have a sort of acoustic guitar like color to them. All and all it's very open sounding guitar with a lot of dimension. It really brings some of the favorable qualities of the Tele bridge out to the rest of the guitar, and gives it a tone of it's own. I'm surprised this configuration isn't more common.

All around I'm happy, but I'd like to hear it with a full set of Twang Kings. Nocasters are clean and bright, and IMO don't necessarily represent the best Tele tone that can be had. I'd really like to hear three beefy Tele bridge pickups in this thing.

An interesting thing about the ash tray bridge is that one half is polished and the other half is not, I don't think I've seen one like that before.

 

[formula73]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

1. You paid too much.
2. It would sound better if it were made of plastic.
3. Needs 22 frets.

 

[Big Flannel]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

1. You paid too much.
2. It would sound better if it were made of plastic.
3. Needs 22 frets.

Idk...Other than the hideous solder job, it looks ok..

But in reality, the LP design is a much more solid platform for modern music.

I also feel that the JCM series sounds anemic and antiquated in comparison to the robust offerings from the newer boutique manufacturers.

 

[formula73]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Idk...Other than the hideous solder job, it looks ok..

But in reality, the LP design is a much more solid platform for modern music.

I also feel that the JCM series sounds anemic and antiquated in comparison to the robust offerings from the newer boutique manufacturers.

Indeed, though the lack of that last fret always drives me nuts. I didn't think the soldering was that bad but looking again, I see how it could be a cold joint...from an $800 guitar. Good lord.

The TSL is ok, I guess, if you want a semi-reasonable facsimile of a lot of Marshall tones but do none of them particularly well. I give it about a half step up from a Mode Four.

 

[Big Flannel]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Indeed, though the lack of that last fret always drives me nuts. I didn't think the soldering was that bad but looking again, I see how it could be a cold joint...from an $800 guitar. Good lord.

The TSL is ok, I guess, if you want a semi-reasonable facsimile of a lot of Marshall tones but do none of them particularly well.

+1

Solely brand recognition.

As a side note: It is basically a single cutaway strat at this point. Why in the world would anyone flock to that?

If anything, you'd sacrifice playability in exchange for looks. If it can't be done with two pickups, you can't do it.

 

[formula73]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

+1

Solely brand recognition.

As a side note: It is basically a single cutaway strat at this point. Why in the world would anyone flock to that?

If anything, you'd sacrifice playability in exchange for looks. If it can't be done with two pickups, you can't do it.

I don't like having a middle position pickup, anyway. It gets in the way of my pick hand and really brings nothing else to the table.

Big 10-4 on brand recognition. With all of Drex's integrity, I am thoroughly disappoint, son.

 

[Big Flannel]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Its ok, I mean...we all do it.

I'm a Hovercraft fanboy, you are a Dean kinda man.

Drexy is a single cutaway tele into whatever passes as a marshall kinda cat. Mad props.

I don't believe in dissing anyone's taste in gear, I'm just making my opinions that I've formed from quantifiable experience known. A man of his caliber shoukd respect that.

 

[Grenade]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Congrats Drex

 

[formula73]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Its ok, I mean...we all do it.

I'm a Hovercraft fanboy, you are a Dean kinda man.

Drexy is a single cutaway tele into whatever passes as a marshall kinda cat. Mad props.

I don't believe in dissing anyone's taste in gear, I'm just making my opinions that I've formed from quantifiable experience known. A man of his caliber shoukd respect that.

Not solely Deans-Gibsonesque geets, in general. A good set neck joint is superior to a mass produced bolt neck, any day of the week, and maple boards are a pita to clean when your pH eats frets like mine does. It's also a good bit easier to bend up to that high E with 22 frets.

Amps-I'm Marshall to the core. That's why I have a Metaltronix.

 

[blakejcan]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Jeez. What is wrong with people?

Congrats on the new axe. Hope you love it!

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

That's a very interesting and cool looking Tele. Congrats.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

I've got to admit I've been intrigued by that particular Tele.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Jeez. What is wrong with people?

Congrats on the new axe. Hope you love it!

Seriously.

Hope the guitar lets you play your music with the sounds you desire.

What do the "notch" positions sound like with the nocasters? Vaguely Strat-like or completely different?

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Interesting. I met this CS Master builder Todd at a party about six months ago, and he was mentioning how much he liked the CS Tele he had built to order that had a bridge pickup in the neck spot. I wonder if he had anything to do with it.

 

[DreX]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

What do the "notch" positions sound like with the nocasters? Vaguely Strat-like or completely different?

It's hard to describe the notch positions because I can't think of another guitar that sounds quite like it. First of all the attack is rounder, less prickly, similar to how a Tele bridge is rounder than a Strat bridge. It doesn't sound as sweet and delicate, there's more body to it. The voicing is similar to a Strat, you might mistake one for the other if you heard them, but there's something extra riding over the top, it reminds me a lot of the sound I get from my SSS Parker when I mix in the piezo pickup with the traditional pickups, an acoustic quality mixed in. I'm guessing the reason for that is the unusual offset that sets the higher strings further away from the harmonic nodes, so they produce more of an "everything" harmonic profile. I think this is the reason PAF humbuckers tend to sound so full as well, because like a slanted pickup, they are getting a mixture of the pointed harmonic node as well as the flatter in-between tone.

Not only is it unusual to have all three pickup slanted like that (outside of G&L), but it's also unusual to have all three of the SSS pickups be relatively cool winds with metallic bass plates, so it's twice removed from what you'd expect from a bone stock Tele or Strat.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

You can always tell the quality of a guitar by looking at the areas you dont see. Under pickup cavities and pockets etc. Attention to detail isn't the best on this one.

 

[DreX]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

Interesting. I met this CS Master builder Todd at a party about six months ago, and he was mentioning how much he liked the CS Tele he had built to order that had a bridge pickup in the neck spot. I wonder if he had anything to do with it.

I hope they come out with some other colors, I'm sold. I honestly think this is a better vehicle for single coil sized humbuckers, such as the little 59, than a strat due to both the slant and the Tele body itself. It could bring extra life to that style of pickup that you wouldnt expect. Strats make good Strats.

 

[DreX]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

I've got to admit I've been intrigued by that particular Tele.

Buy one while you can, I'm sure they will do well on ebay if you keep it like new, should you not like it. It looks like the cabronitas are going to be around a while, but this CS model probably won't be made for too long.

 

[DreX]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

What do the "notch" positions sound like with the nocasters? Vaguely Strat-like or completely different?

I found a demo.

This isn't the first three pickup Tele that tries to do the Strat thing, but I'd say it's the most successful I've heard in terms of retaining the best qualities of Tele. Those bottom plated single coils really seem to have added substance to them.

I modified my brother's Tele with a 3rd neck-style pickup in the middle position, and it looked cool, but it was anemic and the in-between sounds were wimpier than what you'd get from a Strat. I think if you want a convincing three pickup Tele, you need those base plates. The Nashville Tele has a Strat Tex-Mex in the middle, I think it looks absolutely ugly (the Triple Tele is a little odd looking too, I'll admit), but I'd be willing to bet Fender tried out a Tele neck in the middle first and probably came to the same conclusion that the little neck pickup didn't have the necessary muscle. I wanted nothing to do with the Nashville Tele, but the Triple Tele strikes me as something Leo Fender might have done and which rockstars through the ages would have readily adopted had is been served up.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: NGD Fender Classic Player Triple Tele

I found a demo.

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Do your own demo maybe?