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Fender Big Block Telecaster

 

Review of the Fender Big Block Telecaster by The Man in the Jar

The supreme sexiness of a Telecaster married with the pickup switching versatility of a Stratocaster? Yum!

Features of the Big Block Telecaster

Tuners - Vintage-style covered tuners with quite small tuning knobs. I actually had to change a defective string on this guitar so I can really vouch that the tuners are smooth and efficient.

Headstock - We recognise guitars more by their headstock than their body. There can be few more recognisable than the Telecaster headstock, skinny and mean as it is (legend has it that the straight design has its roots in the maple shortage that followed World War II). This one is black-faced with a single bush that guides the first and second strings.

Nut - White plastic set-in-slot type that is neat and tidy.

Neck - The modern C-profile, smooth maple neck with obligatory skunk-stripe is a joy to hold, slim and fast playing.

Fretboard - The Big Block Telecaster gets its name for the block inlays that are normally associated with guitars from the Gibson or Epiphone stable. For the Telecaster purist these could be regarded as a bit of a stumbling block (excuse the pun). But speaking as a purist, I can say it is surprising how quickly you grow to like them. The rosewood is dark with a lovely stripey grain. 

Frets - Medium frets with a smooth, rounded profile.

Action - Very decent action from the box with room to creep lower with some judicious tweaking.

Body - Classic Tele slab body made from alder. Heavy enough to have authority on the strap without becoming a millstone.

Bridge - The six individual saddles are modern types rather than the traditional barrel types. These look better, work better and are more comfortable under the hand. Each is individually adjustable for height and intonation. The strings dive down through the saddles to be anchored in ferrules at the back of the body.

Pickups - Three single-coil vintage-style alnico pickups grace this guitar. Telecaster aficionados will be familiar with the no-nonsense open bridge pickup teamed with the unique covered neck pickup. The Big Block sports a second neck-style pickup in the middle position. 

Controls - Standard master volume and master tone control with a five-way pickup selector. Incidentally the wiring of this pickup selector excludes the option to run the bridge and neck pickups together as on a standard Tele.

Pickguard - The mirrored chrome pickguard is a bit of a double-edged sword: It looks really cool and catches the light on stage, but you'd better pack an extra cleaning cloth in your gigbag because it does show up the finger-marks (cripes, I sound like my Mum).  

Strap-buttons - Medium-sized buttons in the usual places. 

Output Jack - On the lower edge, set in its own distinctive bucket.

Finish - This is a Mexican-made instrument but I could find no faults on the finish anywhere. 

 

Sound of the Fender Big Block Telecaster 

I took a leisurely trip through the five pickup selections:

Bridge only - Classic bright and edgy Tele jangle without the hacksaw nastiness sometimes associated with cheaper copies. Play some pop tunes or funk on this setting and you'll wonder why heavy metal was ever invented;

Bridge + Middle - This setting tames the highs without squashing them and adds an intriguing airiness to the sound. Mellow funk and even jazz are the order of the day;

Middle only - Dropping the highs from the bridge gives the sound a tighter authority for rock rhythm playing. This is a sound that most Tele players do not have;

Middle + Neck - Putting the neck into the mix adds a real warm furriness to the sound. An excellent tone for expressive soloing;

Neck only - One of the great assets of a Tele is the range of tones available from the unique neck pickup. This is a great all-round basic rock sound that can easily be modulated to blues or jazz. Priceless.

 

Overall Impressions of the Fender Big Block Telecaster

I was intrigued by this guitar. I love the traditional Telecaster, but I'm also a great fan of the three-pickup versatility of the Strat. The voices available on the Big Block are all-Fender, albeit slightly hybrid Fender. The fact that the middle pickup is reverse-wound with reverse polarity means that the pick-up combinations are not simply an addition of the two voices, rather there is a certain "scoopiness" about the tone. Straight up classic Tele tones are available in spades when running the pickups singly, but the combinations will take you somewhere new.
The black and chrome livery with the block inlays is a look that I think the Telecaster carries better than her sister, the Big Block Stratocaster. As it's the only finish offered I guess you have to like it to be in the market for the guitar. Don't forget that three pickup Teles are not common, there's the Nashville and the Francis Rossi signature model. The Big Block adds a classy alternative, one that is firmly on my wish-list.  

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