Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster

I dont know who Jim Adkins is but his Telecaster sure is cool. This Telecaster features an unusual but great comination of features that help make this guitar sound very unique for a Telecaster. The guitar is based on the classic Thinline Telecaster design. The Thinline Telecaster was introduced in the late 60s to help lower the weight of the guitar when Fenders supply of lightweight wood ran low. They gave the guitar a hollow compartment on the upper part of the body and gave it an F-hole for resonance. The Telecaster is a thinline semi-hollow body with a two piece swamp ash body. The neck is a maple set in neck with a rosewood fretboard. There are 22 medium jumbo frets on the rosewood fretboard. There is a Gibson style tune-o-matic and stop tail bridge on the guitar. There are dual Seymour Duncan p-90 pickups in the guitar and a 3 way Gibson style pickup selector. Each pickup has its own volume and tone control. This is like something they would have made in the early 70s.

UTILIZATION

This Fender thinks it is a Gibson and plays very well like one, much better than a normal vintage Tele. This guitar isnt a bolt on it is a set neck. The set in neck means there is less of a heel to get in your way when playing the upper frets of the guitar. With the set neck there is less adjustability but if you take care of your guitar it shouldnt be a problem. The fretboard is a little flatter than what you would normally find on a Telecaster and is closer to that of a Les Paul. I find the Gibson style bridge setup more comfortable than a normal Telecaster ashtray bridge setup but this is subjective.

SOUNDS

I am not a fan of the traditional Telecaster sound. All of my favorite Telecasters have humbuckers or P90s in them which is the type of tone I prefer. The semi-hollow thinline body matched with the swamp ash and p-90 pickups combine to provide a very mellow sound. The lack of a big ashtray bridge also helps tame the twang a little bit too. The Gibson style neck construction helps it get the mellow Gibson tones too. With the p-90 pickups this guitar is great for mellow stuff. You can get really jazz sound with some tone knob tweaking. The guitar is also great for blues. In the bridge position some of the tele twang comes out but it compliments the smooth sounds nicely. You can really feel the resonance of the thinline body whatever you play. I like the way P90s respond to gain. They have a great high end bite to them which lets you retain a lot of clarity even when laying on the gain thick.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar is not for the Tele traditionalist. This P90 Thinline has buckets of tone and great playability to go along with it. You forget you are playing a Fender with this guitar. It is a great blend of Gibson and Fender style. This is a signature model but you would never know at first glance. The only signature on the guitar is on the back of the headstock and it looks like a 5 year old wrote it. If you are looking for a Telecaster with a unique tone all its own this signature model is a great creation.

Jim Adkins got together with Fender guitars to make his ideal Telecaster. This Telecaster features an unusual but great comination of features that help make this guitar sound very unique for a Telecaster. The guitar is based on the classic Thinline Telecaster design. The Thinline Telecaster was introduced in the late 60s to help lower the weight of the guitar when Fenders supply of lightweight wood ran low. They gave the guitar a hollow compartment on the upper part of the body and gave it an F-hole for resonance. The Telecaster is a thinline semi-hollow body with a two piece swamp ash body. The neck is a maple set in neck with a rosewood fretboard. There are 22 medium jumbo frets on the rosewood fretboard. There is a Gibson style tune-o-matic and stop tail bridge on the guitar. There are dual Seymour Duncan p-90 pickups in the guitar and a 3 way Gibson style pickup selector. Each pickup has its own volume and tone control.

UTILIZATION

This guitar plays better than most Telecasters because of the neck construction. The set in neck means there is less of a heel to get in your way when playing the upper frets of the guitar. The fretboard is a little flatter than what you would normally find on a Telecaster and is closer to that of a Les Paul. I find the Gibson style bridge setup more comfortable than a normal Telecaster ashtray bridge setup but this is subjective.

SOUNDS

This guitar does not really sound like a Telecaster to me which is good for me since I am not a big fan of the Telecaster sound. The semi-hollow thinline body matched with the swamp ash and p-90 pickups combine to provide a very mellow sound. The lack of a big ashtray bridge also helps tame the twang a little bit too. The Gibson style neck construction helps it get the mellow Gibson tones too. I wonder why Jim Adkins doesnt just play a Les Paul he has pretty much turned his Telecaster into one. With the p-90 pickups this guitar is great for mellow stuff. You can get really jazz sound with some tone knob tweaking. The guitar is also great for blues. In the bridge position some of the tele twang comes out but it compliments the smooth sounds nicely. You can really feel the resonance of the thinline body whatever you play.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar is really nice but some Tele enthusiasts might be surprised when they plug it in. This guitar is like a Les Paul in a Tele costume. This is also a proper signature guitar. There are no silly logos anywhere. It is just a guitar with a little different setup than you could get a on a normal Telecaster. This is how signature guitars should be. If you are a Tele player and are looking for a mellower sound or you like mellow sounds and want a Tele this guitar is on of the few that can do it.

Guitar made in Indonesia, the finishes are pretty clean.
- 22 frets
- Handle C bonded
- 2 P90 pickups (Seymour Duncan Vintage / Custom)
- Three-position switch: neck pickup, bridge pickup, both splitted
- 2 volumes: neck pickup / pickup
- 2 tone
- Mechanical are average, tuning undergoes little lives that last ..!
- The color Crimson Red Transparent really cosmetically

UTILIZATION

Side handle is quite nice, not too big nor end for my taste, it's not a shred stick it on! but it is very versatile.
Light through the open part of the body, it can play for several hours without standing back pain!
Access to treble is good, the 22nd fret is bend without difficulty.
The volume knobs tend to loosen a bit after several intensive applications, but a stroke of a key is all in order.

SOUNDS

Meanwhile, this is where you get a slap!
the neck pickup is round, thick, fat limit remaining accurate clear sound, it does not overflow either in distortion and maintains accuracy and warm enough.

When the two splits (intermediate position) there is a clean sound that is closer to a strat than a TV! crystal clear sound and light.

The bridge pickup is when his very catchy, incisive keeping heat, runny but not dirty (!) In distortion

Unplugged, the guitar sounds good already, and stronger than conventional power, due to its opening in the upper part of the body, which also gives it a very good sustain.

In short, level, this is really good! But this is not to cons by purists Télécastiens!
The versatility of this guitar sound is huge, Rock, Blues, Funk, Soul, Hardrock, it comes out in almost all areas.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 2 years and nothing has ever offended me in this guitar.
After more than 80 dates to his credit, I'll still take him soon to a luthier for a small neck adjustment.
The big favorite is the SOUND that comes out of this guitar for the price I was pretty amazed.

On a general point of view, if you like that look, we're looking for a versatile guitar (it still excels in the rock) and that is not necessarily a follower of pure slamming his telecaster, we can rush over closed eyes because in addition to the price / quality ratio is excellent.

I would do without this choice problem.

Made in Indonesia.
Semi hollow body.
Set neck, 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard.
Bridge Type Tune-o-matic.
Two Seymour Duncan P-90, swich three positions.
Volume and tone per pickup.

This is an extension of the TC-90, somehow disguised as a Les Paul Telecaster, beautiful and well finished, except that the buttons are pretty filthy knob, but I will return below.

UTILIZATION

The guitar is a feather, well balanced, easy to use little we have used the Les Paul type or Tele'72 configuration. The handle is glued junction is carved so as to allow access one can easier to acute.
Having large catches, I replaced the buttons knobs of cylindrical buttons Gibson, which give a better grip and are more aesthetic (for my taste) than the original.

SOUNDS

Configuration requires, the sound is more of a Les Paul as a Tele'52, we can calmly consider most registries.
The magic of P90 allows this guitar to go velvety sounds clear up assassins crunch, allowing calmly consider playing the palette ranging from blues to hard / punk bleeding through pop and rock ( least for the heavy duty metal with huge distortions, where large EMG will be more appropriate than P90).
Of course, purists will cry Fender heresy, but do not listen to these grumpy, play!

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for two years, I was looking for a nice little base and P90 in this price range model, the offer is not huge, the Godin LG has gone and Gibson must be done with models "faded", whose ugliness varnish is matched their fragility.
I had thought to take the black model, but greenish reflections in the light that I have finally decided the model in red.
If it again, yes, without hesitation, even though at this price, and given the type of construction, a hard case or at least a padded cover was not luxury.
Before that, I had two Telecaster which I separated a Classic 50's I exchanged, then American Deluxe, this one is good.