T H E GA S STATION 96 Words Chris Corfield / Photography Phil Barker DUAL-HUMBUCKER T-TYPES Tele-inspired, dual humbucker-equipped solidbodies primed to deliver high-grade rock and blues tones with change to spare TOTAL GUITAR AUGUST 2019 TGR321.gear_test.
The Tg TesT 97 t he Fender Telecaster is much loved across the music world. It’s a player’s guitar, a nod of the head and a doff of the cap to those who know. And yet, as loved as they are, you’d be hard pushed to say they are versatile. Two single-coil pickups, alone or in tandem, simply can’t cover as much tonal ground as other contemporary guitars. You’d certainly never choose them for playing heavier styles. Unless you’re in Gojira, of course. Yet there is an unmistakable Tele vibe which some crave.
T H E GA S STATION IBANEZ FRIX6FDQM G&L TRIBUTE ASAT £449 DELUXE ‘CARVED TOP’ £739 When worlds collide Have we met before? There’s not a huge amount of Tele involved here, right? This one looks familiar... That’s probably fair to say. Aside from the familiar body shape, Ibanez’s FRIX6FDQM bears little resemblance to the T-style guitars you know and love.
The Tg TesT CHAPMAN ML3 MODERN STANDARD £449 Updated rocker from growing range FENDER PLAYER TELECASTER HH £599 Your next workhorse? Chapman seems to have a horse in every race at the moment... At last, a proper Tele! Absolutely. The UK-based ‘collaborative’ guitar brand is certainly churning out axes that fit the bill for a lot of different players. And, despite their obvious similarities to more established styles, the company is slowly but surely developing its own character.
the tg test Dual humbuckers aside, the Player has all the classic Fender Tele features you’d expect Head to head A quartet of guitars riffing on the Tele theme W 100 hile, on paper, you’d think four dual humbucker-equipped T-type guitars might share a number of sonic characteristics, in practice we found that to be less clear cut. Instead, these are four guitars with very different applications, which will appeal to many different players.
T H E GA S STATION FINaL VeRdICt Which of our T-types is best for you? F or our money, dual humbucker T-type guitars occupy quite a unique niche. You have to be someone who likes and appreciates the idiosyncrasies of a Tele – weight distribution, tone – yet also wants to push the guitar into ever louder, more assertive tonal pastures. In practice, not all of the guitars in this test managed to pull that feat off.
