Ahead of the NAMM show this week, Fender has announced their new Brad Paisley Signature Road Worn Telecaster. It has a number of interesting features.
Most noticeable is the silver sparkle relic’d finish with the paisley pick guard. This finish sits on a Paulownia core body with spruce top and back. This wood combination is an interesting choice. Fender says this combination creates a “lightweight instrument with acoustic-like resonance.” I’ve never played a guitar with Paulowinia before, so I’m curious to hear what it sounds like.
The neck is maple with a custom “Enhanced V” shape and a 9.5″ radius. About the neck, Fender says “Crafted to Paisley’s personal specifications, the “Enhanced V”-shaped neck rounds out higher up the neck, making it great for chording or soloing.” Brad further discusses the neck in the video below.
For pickups the Brad Paisley model has a custom-wound ’64 bridge and a Twisted Tele neck.
I’m not really into a lot of modern country, but I do enjoy listening to Paisley’s music and I appreciate his approach to recording with his own band rather than Nashville session musicians. I’m glad to see Fender collaborating with him on this model.
At a street price of $1199, it’s fairly expensive for a made-in-Mexico guitar. But, it’s also more affordable than most of Fender’s other artist guitars, which should make it more accessible to fans.