Black Friday is so November. Now that we’re in December, Fender has rolled out its Cyber Monday sale, and all we can say is that we’re glad payday has just happened. With up to 50% off selected gear, accessories and apparel there’s plenty to get excited about. Not least this Squier Troublemaker Telecaster Deluxe which has had $135.99 knocked off.
I currently have one of these guitars for review, and, spoiler alert: it’s very, very good. Even at the full retail price, it’s one of my favourite guitars I’ve reviewed in a while at any price point.
But with Fender’s discount applied it just makes it even more difficult to resist. If you’re looking for a versatile dual-humbucker guitar that plays, sounds and looks amazing, my advice would be to snap this up while you can.
If you’re not familiar, Squier’s Paranormal range takes existing designs and reimagines them to create something new. In the case of the Troublemaker, it’s a Gibson-leaning makeover of the Tele Deluxe, which, in fairness, already has a foot in both the F & G worlds.
A regular Tele Deluxe has dual humbuckers, just like this one’s Fender-designed pickups. Along with that, there’s the four-control layout, which gives us more flexibility when it comes to tone-tweaking. Plus a Tele Deluxe places the pickup selector up top, and it’s a three-position toggle rather than a blade.
Talking of tone tweaking, you might be thinking “Yeah, but I like Fender’s single coil tradition too”. Well, you can have them as well, because the Troublemaker is also equipped with two coil-split switches on the tone controls.
But with a bound mahogany body, T-o-M-style bridge and tailpiece and ’70s-inspired block inlays, this is the beefed-up rock machine that will tease Gibson fans over to the other side.
Except it comes with a 25.5-inch scale length, which only really adds to the Troublemaker’s versatility. It adds ‘snap’ to the sound, which is particularly noticeable when you engage the coil splits, and it also lends itself to drop-tuning too.
So far, I’ve been extremely impressed with the Troublemaker, which has plenty of firepower coming from the pickups, meaning it’ll deliver blues, country and classic rock ‘n’ roll tones with a bit of heat. But upping the gain, I was surprised at how heavy this guitar will go.
I recently bought a Gibson Les Paul Standard, and as we all know, there’s always room for one more. Forget the name on the headstock - this is a serious guitar that will serve you well for a whole range of styles. Just get it before Fender’s sale ends on the 4 December.
