Fender Parallel Universe Series

[Sovereign_13]

http://www.guitarcenter.com/riffs/product-demos/guitars/fender-launches-the-parallel-universe-series

Not sure if this belongs in "off-topic" or "general discussion", but it looks like the Big F is trying their hand at producing some of the crazy odder guitars people have come up with over the years.  We got Teles with Strat setups, we got mahogany-bodied Teles with P90s, 3-pickup Jaguars, Jazzmaster-bodied Telecasters, and more!

I really don't know what to say about these.  Nice to see them trying something different, I guess?

 

[Jebberz]

Did they scroll through Warmoth galleries to get inspiration?

 

[Verne Bunsen]

It is nice to see them trying some new things, embracing a bit of what we tinkerers have been indulging in. I hope that the line is successful for them! I could see myself walking home with a Jazz Tele, what a striking aesthetic! I remember long ago seeing a picture of Jimmy Page holding a Tele with a Jazzmaster trem installed and being just knocked out, still carry a soft spot for it.

 

[new-killer-star]

I kind of like the Meteora shape, if only I had some choice about pickup and bridge configurations...

 

[sadman]

yes,Meteora is a devil.As it is

 

[Jebberz]

I agree... I would have GAS if the'd made a bass version of the Meteor

 

[rgand]

The photo in the article makes the Meteroa look like a jazzmaster with a different pickguard but that's not the case. It's a whole new body. Not too bad, I must say.

 

[mayfly]

I wonder if I could put a bender in that...

 

[Sovereign_13]

Yeah, I suppose it's not exactly a Jazzmaster-bodied Telecaster like I originally thought, but it's not far off.  That Telecaster/Toronado hybrid bridge is neat, as well.

The only thing I can see that would make a Bender funky to do is the fact that the upper bout is more a horn than a typical Telecaster hump.  Your bender strap button would have to move off into space.  Not that it wouldn't work, it just might look odd.

 

[bagman67]

The upper horn seems a little long for the existing lever on the Hipshot Parsons-Green part.  You could carve away some of the back of the upper horn to clear the end of the lever, or fabricate a longer lever, and adjust the rest of it accordingly.  Dunno whether the waist of the body is too slender to accommodate the linkages in the standard rout for that part, but as I recall, there's a fair amount of lumber on the distal side of that cavity, so maybe the lever's your only problem.


Edit:


Maybe not your only problem - that bridge might need a little more work done to it than a standard ashtray bridge to get the cutout for the string to get to the capstan.

 

[rgand]

I wonder if I could put a bender in that...

That would be cool. Maybe put the strap button on the back side of the lever.

 

[Cagey]

You're not puttin' me in there!​

 

[stratamania]

Not my cup of tea.

 

[amigarobbo]

They're not very inspiring, they've just moved the pickups from one model to another Booooorrring!

 

[Cagey]

I'm not sure how "inspiring" they're supposed to be. I think they're just for folks who'd like a different aesthetic. There are those that hate Tele bodies, for instance, but could use the sound if it looked/felt like a Strat. Then there are those who can't or won't change pickups for whatever reason, but have no problem whipping out their wallets for a different guitar. Then, there's the marketing weenie's neverending quest for something new to talk about. If Fender made the exact same guitar(s) year after year, there would be some significant percentage of people might not ever buy another one.

 

[amigarobbo]

Yeah, but a Jag or tele with strat pickups would just sound like a Stratocaster,  :toothy10:  :evil4:

something like this at the time it came out:

Would have sounded unlike any Fender available, now that (was) the sort of thing that would be less Boooring.

 

[Blackouts]

I'm jumping in to defend the "Deluxe"

I like 'em - got a couple including my Warmoth build of '17 :

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=28270.0

I also have a single-coil Tele for the traditional sounds but really like the grunt of the Seth Lover Humbuckers.

I don't have a problem with Fender mixing it up a bit - some will work & some will fail.

Personally I love the Deluxe and Custom iterations of the Tele - whatever floats your boat !

 

[amigarobbo]

I was talking in praise of the Fender Deluxe, it brings something new to the table, that's a good thing.

 

[Blackouts]

Sorry - I read carelessly...

Guess I'm just used to Tele purists bagging the non-standard versions and feel obliged to defend my guitar's honour !

 

[Sovereign_13]

I'm really not a fan of purists and cork-sniffers.  Oh, you have a bone-stock vintage-spec [whatever]?  That's awesome, good for you.  Literally, none of those words are synonymous with "better".

And while I wouldn't call these guitars "boring", I think Cagey nailed it - if I want a Strat sound but don't want to be one of the 437812658201 people who play a Strat-style guitar, I'd at least consider something a Jaguar with Strat electronics.  I wouldn't pay $2,000 for one, but you know.