The MIYAVI Tele has some interesting features! Certainly not for everyone, but a powerful tool for a few... 🔴Now Available on Reverb: reverb.com/item/38573265?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly 👕 Merch Sale - Use BYEBLUES at Checkout: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211 ❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/ 🎸New Guitar Day Program: troglysguitarshow.com/ngd/
If you want another Telecaster with lots of tonal opportunity try to get your hands on a Boxer TL-555 from the 80's. They were made in Japan, had a tremolo with locking nut, dual humbuckers that can be split and the Fender TBX tone knob which is essentially 2 tone knobs stacked together where the first half of the knob is like standard tone and the second half is driven tone. They were released in North America for a few brief years as part of the Fender Contemporary series. I have one and it is amazing. Frank Black of the Pixies also swore by them for a long time.
Miyavi is an amazing player. If you don’t know him you should check him out. In fact, it doesn’t apply to this telecaster, but he did an all acoustic album in the early 2000s that was amazing.
If you ever visit the guitars shops in Japan you will be jealous. They have just about every vintage American guitar and they have all these great Japanese made guitars. Japan is really into music compared to here in the states. There you can see live music everyday, and not just one song and done, primetime music with interviews and a few songs. Take a trip someday, its amazing
I picked this up last week in Japan in a used electronics shop called Book Off in perfect/new condition for what came out to be $1,274.13. I have been a fan of Miyavi since his early visual kei days so I was pretty excited to find this at that price. I had no issues getting it home as a carry-on with the original Fender gig bag. Compared to my Jimmy Page mirror telecaster which to me has a gritty sounding guitar, this guitar a very beefy sound. The middle pickup cleans up very well and really helps balance out the tone options. I would essentially characterize it as a dual humbucker strat with a thicker body. This is also my first guitar with a sustainer so it is really fun to experiment with it especially toggling it in the middle of solos. This guitar to me is a true gigging instrument for telecaster fans because of the options it provides. I think traditional telecaster fans might shy away from this because the beck profile and tones reminds me more a strat than a typical tele. However, if you are someone who loves the look and feel of a tele but wants a guitar that has strat vibes without switching to a strat, this is a great guitar for that. I would like to argue the build quality of this guitar is better than Fender USA especially for the price I paid. Don't get me wrong, my Fender USA Jimmy Page has now flaws and feels great, but MIJ guitars feel like to go a step or two further. I also really, really wish Fender would sell MIJ artist guitars in the US if they could do so without impacting the quality. I am a big fan of the quirky non-traditional guitars that Fender has in Japan and they are absolutely stunning in person. We need to see more guitars like this in the US. The Brent Mason guitar, I would argue, is the US equivalent of a truly modified artist model telecaster. Perhaps my next telecaster purchase in Japan will be the Haruna telecaster with block inlays. It does not seem to be on the Fender JP site anymore, but several shops had one in stock.
This is the kind of guitar I'd actually drop a couple thousand bucks for. Too bad Fender is so out of touch with their domestic market that they think awesome models like this or the Evangelion one wouldn't sell.
@@Comakino Nah, it costs a little over 2100 bucks and with those specs and that build quality, I personally don't see why it wouldn't sell. As it is, it seems the Japanese are exporting quite a few of them, even at an inflated price. As for the case argument, PRS did the same thing with the Silver Sky and those sold like hotcakes, despite being some of the most boring and uninspired strat clones out there.
Damn Trogly, you really are an artist. And you truly do represent not only the guitar community, but the guitarist community. I'm so impressed that you not only took the time to study the guitar, but the artist in this case. AND....you took the time to learn the artist's style. You fucking rock man! You knocked this review out of the park, and all the way to Japan! Much respect. Cheers!
Such a boring and outdated joke now.... Move on FFS! The weakness of the design is now understood. And many Gibsons use three-ply laminate necks, that overcome this issue, or employ a neck volute that strengthens the weak part at the nut/headstock interface.
@@Deebz270 dude...it was a joke. To make people laugh. Not an actual description of current Gibson products. I'm glad they have the headstock issue fixed, because it's not like producing the exact same product since 1955 isn't truly difficult or something.... Imagine if Ford or GM had been making the exact same car since 1955 and they only recently solved a major deign flaw on it, but they still had paint finish issues to deal with...
One thing to note, the sustainer pickup should have been set at the optimal height at the factory for the sustain driver and circuit to work. By adjusting the height, you may have thrown it out of balance, hence why the sustainer seems to take a very long time to get the string vibrating to the correct amplitude.
@@mubodude The gadgets and toys over in Japan are nuts too! My mate's married to a Japanese girl and their kids come back to Scotland with all sorts of mad stuff you never see over here.
I've never been the biggest tele fan but that one right there is my favorite one ever.. that is awesome.. I didn't even know you could put a tremolo on that type of bridge that's great
I put a Stetsbar T-Style tremolo on my Tele. Just put the included shim in the neck pocket and you don't need to modify the body. If you have a chance, check it out.
One can do anything with a modicum of *imagination.* and some engineering experience. I've got a few custom vibrato ideas on the books... Like using *compression* springs instead of the usual *expansion* items used by most manufacturers (other than Bigsby or Dusenberg...).
I already have a Partscaster Tele, with Quarter Pounder Duncans on it, and since I have also bought a 4-way switch, I think might also invest on a Maverick Super Vee Vibrato and some good quality locking tuners (Either Schaller or Gotoh). By the way, great video Trogly.
FYI: When the Fernandes Sustainer (in the neck pos) is switched ON, it doesn’t transmit string tones anymore but resonates them. On this behalf, another pickup has to do the »transmitting« job, usually the bridge pickup is electronically connected then, even without regarding the pu-switch position. Maybe that’s why you are puzzled by the tones that come out of this guitar.
Japanese guitar always have that special attention paid on it during the production and QC. I love Japanese guitars a lot more... it's still the most value for money instruments
Ever since seeing John 5 dive bombing a tele with a floyd, I've always wanted a trem on these guitars. I play only strats and mustang's so I'm a big big tremelo fan
I have a 1984/87 Japanese HSS Telecaster, it originally had a Kahler locking tremolo but having left it with an ex mate for a considerable time it was returned with parts of the trem damaged, I have replaced it with a generic floating bridge to fit the original studs, the Kahler system had a locking piece on the head above the nut so I removed this and put in two Graphtech string trees, I like the more quirky Fender's, I have a 70's reissue Strat from 1999 and a 04 Korean Lite Ash Strat, beautiful birds eye maple neck and fret board with Seymour Duncan pick ups.
great review like always. If u have to choose between this telecaster and the Eob stratocaster, which one would you buy? which one has the best tuning stability, best tons, best playability? thx 🙏
I believe Trem King also makes tele trems. I've never used one, but if I was going to trm on a tele, I would install a Vibramate with B5 so it doesn't require drilling into the top.
I purchased a fender daybreak tele in 2019 for around 900 bucks. They currently go for around 1500 now. The guitar is perfect, minus the pots(he wasn’t lying about that). I definitely recommend buying a Japanese made fender is you have the chance.
Woah another Trogdog video? It's almost like this guy uploads daily or something! Any video with a telecaster is an amazing video to me, but these Japanese ones are REALLY cool, great review Trog!
@@Trog just so it's clear, I was joking completely, the rate you upload videos is insane. Don't burn yourself out man, anyone reasonable isn't gonna care whatsoever if you skip a day or more.
That thing is awesome! I have an American Special Tele with the same Lil 59 humbucker in the bridge. It freaking ROARS. The odd trem in this one is well pretty good sounding.
Happy Fender Friday with this video... a Stratified Tele that almost sounds nothing like a Strat like most Nashville Teles don't to me; however, i like the Duncan Lil '59 and the Sustainer's a bit interesting as well as the Maverick tremolo... yup i'd rock one!
I made a tele with 24 frets, 2 humbuckers, and a floyd rose. Its pretty nice. I did it just to see if I could. Had to use a Gibson scale length to fit all 24 frets on it and the bridge is about an inch forward.
It’s a MIJ Nashville tele with a tremolo and sustainer and Jim Root dress up ... it’s totally worth it, Gibson and Fender CUSTOM shop start at around 4K.
Super-V Bladerunners have been around for years and I highly recommend them for Stratocaster replacements, the Mavericks are equally great! The V under the Maverick isn't from the Fender Custom Shop, it's proprietary to Super-Vee itself!
Loved this episode. It’s awesome to see models from Japan from big name brands like Fender especially because a lot of those models go completely unnoticed here in the states. Keep the funky non classic models coming!
I just purchased an Allparts Strat neck from The Stratosphere Store. There is a sticker on the bottom that says "Made in Japan NAGANO. It most likely is from the same factory as that Tele and I could not be happier.
Japanese Squiers were just as good, if not even better, than US Fenders back in the 80's. My brother had a Japanese Squier Tele and it was a blinding instrument, far better than the US Tele my mate had. The Japanese put a lot of personal pride into their instruments.
Absolutely fascinating. And one that doesnt have irritating quirks that you particularly dont like. That is interesting as well. I enjoy your critical eye. This guitar broaches on being near perfect regardless the idea it could likely be made for less...
I have a stock Fender Telecaster with a Bigsby Trem and I rate it as one of the best guitars I own (FYI 24 at present). So its possible. I also have a Nashville Tele to get the Strat tones if needed
