Fender and Chris Shiflett have unveiled his much-anticipated signature Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe, so-called because this workhorse electric guitar cuts through the mix courtesy of a pair of custom-wound pickups inspired by P-90s.
You can buy it in Dakota Red and/or Charcoal Frost Metallic. Because the Foo Fighters guitarist knows what’s what, both finish options come with a painted headstock – a true connoisseur’s move.
Both models have that over-sized 3-ply mint pickguard that always strikes us as the electric guitar equivalent of protective clothing.
And it will need it, because what is a Fender Telecaster if not a tool, built to be thrashed night after night? That’s what Shiflett did when testing his new signature guitar out.
“We put a lot of love and research into creating the American made version of my signature model, The Cleaver,” he says. “It’s been road-tested, dropped on its head, kicked around, x-rayed, strummed, chicken-picked, and arpeggio swept!
“I’m excited to announce we’ve made a great guitar that's adaptable to all situations. Can’t wait to get this into the hands of players everywhere!”
Fender has developed an all-new electric guitar pickup for the Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe, with these Noiseless CS-90s offering that hot, overwound single-coil tone, with lots of aggressive midrange and none of the 60-cycle hum – invaluable in high-volume, high-gain scenarios.
Shiflett’s Tele has a solid alder body, with a belly cut carved into the back to make it a little more comfortable. The neck is bolted to the body in the time-honoured Fender fashion but there’s not getting around it, this is a Tele that took its design elements from the ‘70s, an era when Fender had one eye over its shoulder to see what was going on at Gibson.
We can feel that and hear it. The slab rosewood fingerboard has the pearloid block inlays and, like Gibson, the 12” radius. Put that together with the CS-90 inspired pickups and the dual-volume, dual-tone controls and three-way pickup selector and there’s the influence. Still, it’s a 25.5” scale bolt-on, with a maple neck in a Custom Oval C profile. There’s no mistaking who made this one.
Fender’s executive vice-president of product, Justin Norvell, says it was an “incredible journey” making this guitar, which was ultimately named by an unlikely source.
“Chris has a lot of guitars, plays a lot of styles and demands versatility, and our goal was to capture that spirit in the design,” he says. “This guitar is not just an instrument; it’s an extension of his musical identity and tone that both he and his fans demand. Fun fact: we didn’t nickname it the ‘The Cleaver’ – his front-of-house person did the first night he played it live, because ‘it cut through the mix like a cleaver!’, which speaks for itself!”
Other details include a Pure Vintage string-through hard-tail bridge, with six bent-steel saddles. There are Pure Vintage F-stamped tuners, matching the F-stamped neck plate.
This isn’t a relic’d guitar but the switch tip is aged white and the finish is nitro. It will age gracefully. You’ll find Shifty’s signature on the back of the headstock.
The Chris Shiflett Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe is available now, made in the USA, priced £2,599/$2,499, and ships in a hard-shell guitar case. For more details, see Fender.
