Fender Telecaster Deluxe Comparison & Review - Vintera 70s, American Professional II, 72 Deluxe RI 

Man, I totally agree. I fell in love with them almost instantly - they add a really cool character to the 72 RI

Glad it was helpful! thanks so much for checking it out.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching. Glad you found it helpful! The Vintera is great :) they each kind of have their own place

I have the same road worn, I've changed the Humbuckers for the new Cunife and pots to 1meg like the originals 72, maybe you wanna do the same 🤭

Thanks so much for watching - glad you found it helpful. Yeah, I have a hard time not picking my 72 Deluxe up mainly because of those 'trons. They're so fun. But each of the 3 have their place.

Yes! Thank you!

Awesome! Yeah, I agree. Most of my go-to guitars are dual-WRHB equipped. How are you enjoying the Vintera so far!?

Glad you liked it! Yeah, there's a surprising amount of variety even among the three. Obv the 'trons bring their unique flavor and probably why I like them the most :D

thanks for watching! yeah the Vintera holds its own for sure.

I own that Vintera. Amazing guitar

Agreed! Tough call between the two. I've loved the Trons in my 72 RI - hope you dig the McNellys in yours!

Hey Steve, thanks for the kind words and thoughtful comment!

Thanks for watching!

Zzounds

I copped the Vintera in mocha. I absolutely love it.

I'm sure a big fan of the 'trans, yes! Thanks for watching!

This vid really made me appreciate the Vintera in the mix. Am Pro has its strengths and advantages, but the Vintera is a great option for sure.

I tend to agree - the 72 gets the most playing time. The Vintera is nice, and I need to weave that back in for its WRHBs. The Am Pro II is so versatile, and would be GREAT if you only have 1 guitar; but I find myself reaching for the 72 most.

Thanks for watching!

the lollartrons just are so fun in this guitar. I fell in love with them right off the bat.

Hey, so glad it was helpful! When I ordered this set years back through my guitar tech, they were able to have Lollar cut a custom pick guard for it. They are still able to do that service, but it's not cheap. I think Warmoth or similar companies sell custom guards that would fit, or perhaps could make you one. If the Shiflett is a standard humbucker size pair, it should drop in.

They're really solid, versatile guitars.

Hey! Thanks for the note. I’ll start by clarifying: I found the Vintera pickups much more clear and dynamic than what I remember the early 2000s MIM Tele Deluxes to sound like. I simply haven’t played the new CuNiFe Fender WRHBs but have also heard great reviews of them. The original 70s wide ranges (only played a pair in a vintage Starcaster) sounded phenomenal, so no beef with the originals there either.

mm mmm , there's a case to be made for each, that's for sure!

@@AmbientEndeavors gave it another listen. I see what you mean. Thanks for the vid.

Same, I think if I had to pick one it would be that one! They add so much character.

I think your whole assessment is right on. To me the Vintera broke up a tad earlier, but I also found I really liked how the cleans with it sounded. And I also found I really liked the Vintera when it does interact with a little crunch. The Pro II is undoubtedly versatile, but more expensive. It's a very well balanced and refined sounding guitar, but might lack a bit of "character" among the other two, to some.

@@AmbientEndeavors thank you man! Vintera it is. I might go for that beautiful road worn for the heck of it 😁

Great questions and a tough call! I really love the 'trons - for my playing and preferences it might be my favorite bridge pickup. I don't think you could go wrong with either set tho. The trons have a slightly more unique grit and character to them, a sparkle while still having nice low-mid warmth. The wide ranges are a bit more flat across the spectrum to my ears.

The Vintera pickups feel more refined and compelling than my memory of the older 72 RI stock pickups

Hey Harry , really glad you found this helpful. The hum bucker splitting definitely yields a single coil-y sound in the AM Pro II; a noticeably different tone from the full hum bucker sound. I found the single coil settings to be really nice, definitely pass-able if you're looking for that on the fly. I don't know any split coil settings of hum buckers that sound 100% like your favorite single coil, so I won't claim it does that but they're solid. Versatility is definitely the AM Pro II's calling card. And it's a great feeling/playing guitar.

Vintera is great!

they really are great guitars. just how you'd want a Deluxe to sound

I’ve heard good things!

Hey! Hard to really share an opinion as it's pretty subjective, but I personally find them comfortable. The Am Pro II with its compound radius definitely has a different feel than the other two, but they're all quite nice to me, but also very familiar as I tend to play this style neck on many of my guitars. I wouldn't call any of them "thin".

It’s my favorite of the bunch too! The Lollartrons pair well with this guitar.

Thanks! I haven’t had a chance to try the Kingfish - would be a good addition to the comparison!

Hey thanks for watching! And great question. They are not direct drop in fits - Lollar was actually able to cut a new pickguard for me to accommodate the trons. Not sure if they still do that but it’s worth reaching out!

@@AmbientEndeavors Ok...That is what I thought...Thank you!

Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment. Yeah, that was a takeaway for me when putting them side by side: don’t count out the MIM line. Truthfully, the brown Tele with Lollartrons is one of my absolute favorite instruments in my collection, and I’m probably $850 into it, which is remarkable given the sound and feel of it. I was also surprised by how unique the tones were across the 3. It’s great we have variety! Cheers.

agreed - I love those pickups in my Tele!

It’s a solid choice!

Thanks for the post! This is insightful; I can imagine a lot of variance from set to set among the vintage Teles. That's probably what makes some magical and others forgettable. The Regals are great, I have a set of Mojo Tone WRHBs that sound killer in my Starcaster, and these Vintera stock pickups are definitely an upgrade from the early 2000s stock models. I guess we're kind of living in a golden age for most gear, pickups included!

Yeah, I bought a Vintera Tele Custom and changed the neck to CuNiFe WR. Recently I bought a Vintera Tele Deluxe too and I was planning to change the pickups to CuNiFe. But after A/B the neck pickups, and playing the guitar for a few weeks, I’m going to keep it stock. Sounds great as is.

Hoping to track one down for some reviews! Love that they included the 75 in the line.

There is something about the 72 RI I h e that just always feels so comfortable and inviting, like a home base. The neck feels amazing, and it’s one of those guitars that always is in tune even when I come back to it. I’d have to pick it. But there is nothing wrong with the Vintera either tbh.

There's a case for either! The Am Pro II is all about versatility in my mind. Not my favorite sounding pickups of all time, but the coil splitting settings give you so many possible sounds. The Vintera is a solid recreation of the classic 70s Tele Deluxe with more true wide range pickups. And like you said, price point comes into play too. What context(s) would you be using it in and for what style music?

@@AmbientEndeavors for me I’d want it to be able to do high gain as well as super clean - mostly for post hardcore with some ambient interlude sections. Budget wise I’m leaning more towards the vintera - but the split coil feature on the pro II would be so handy.

These are the humbucker size, but with rounded edges - I had to get a special pick guard cut for this set.

@@AmbientEndeavors I've seen that you also have a standard tele! could please make a video comparing the tone between the standard and the deluxe!

The Vintera is solid. I was reminded why I love the 72 w/ Trons so much, I think it has the most *character* of the 3. Am Pro is killer if you're looking for a great playing, wildly versatile guitar, but might sacrifice some character/mojo in the process.

@@AmbientEndeavors Makes sense! I'm just spoiled with my Jennings lol

There’s a lot to love about that one. What about it grabbed you?

It's my favorite as well :D These are the Lollar Lollartrons - a Gretsch/Filtertron style pickup. They do have some nice clarity and sparkle when clean and give a cool texture when they encounter overdrive. I love this set in my 72 and always highly recommend them.

@@AmbientEndeavors thanks for the amswer bro! I would like to buy that 72 and this pu set. Is it also good in harder rock? Isn't so crunchy?

Hey Steve, I sincerely appreciate your feedback and thoughts, and the fact that you spent your free time watching my videos! Support from folks like yourself is the only reason I can keep doing these videos. For guitars, I do try and keep the effects very minimal. I agree - if someone's coming to watch a video about how guitar(s) sound, they don't primarily want to hear a string of effects clouding the pickups/guitar sound. AND, as a player myself I *almost* never just play guitar >> amp. SO, because I believe most of my audience is the same, I like to at least show some clips with the guitar in the context of pedals..again, usually minimal in these guitar-focused videos. The rationale is sort of like this: I don't think guitar usually exists in a vacuum, so I want to show it in context, and the "context" that many (definitely not ALL) of my viewers play in is with at least a few effects, to me it makes sense to show the guitar in that context. Again. I sincerely appreciate hearing your perspective, it's incredibly valid and valuable. I think in whatever guitar videos I do, there will at least be one or two clips where it's just guitar + subtle reverb. Cheers and hope you're well!

Yeah, I tend to agree with you; the Vintera brings some nice character where the Am Pro feels a little sterile. Perhaps a sacrifice for versatility sake. As for the twang - they're still humbuckers, so I feel it's pretty hard to cop the twang of a good tele bridge single coil without the real thing.

Yeah the Vintera is solid. I like that for the classic WRHB sounds. I still grab my brown Deluxe with Trons most often, something about that guitar…

Interesting. Haven’t had a chance to play that one, what do you like about it?

@@AmbientEndeavors if there is one at a store near you or GC try it out. Very vintage feeling neck, Alnico3 bridge, Alnico5 neck both voiced for the artist, 12” radius board, tune o mastic bridge, roasted maple neck. It’s the Tele deluxe gib. The pickups have their own voice and sustains very well. For the upgrades from the AP II I highly recommend. Love mine.

Yes and that darker tone is what is tilting me towards pulling the trigger on it.

yes.

Definitely have to check out the Squiers sometime - I have heard good things just haven’t played one!

Glad to hear it was helpful! Yeah, that’s the first thing I noticed about the Am Pro II - how comfy the neck was ; it’s honestly the nicest / most expensive Fenders I’ve owned and the feel definitely stands out. Glad you’re enjoying yours!