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Post subject: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:13 am
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Anyone here own or played the 52 Hotrod Telecaster? Thinking about pulling the trigger on one but I would like some opinions first. How do you like the neck? Opinion on the humbucker in the neck position?


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:09 pm
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I've been playing one for about a year now and I love it. The neck is thick but it doesn't really affect your reach much. It more fills your palm. I like the way it feels. The 9.5" radius fretboard lets you take bends places that the 7.25" would never allow. That was the main reason I chose the hot rod over the AVRI. If I had one complaint about the neck it would be that it has taken a long time to wear the stickiness of the nitro-cellulose lacquer off. The satin back turned glossy months ago from playing but it's just now starting to feel slick. The HB is bassy and warm at lower volumes and can growl viciously when cranked thru a tube amp. At least the ones I am using which are low wattage. You can get some great tones out of it that you wouldn't necessarily associate with a tele. The bridge pup is pure tele.

Overall, I give it 5 stars! :D

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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:04 am
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Nice Tele!


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:05 am
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old tom wrote:
I've been playing one for about a year now and I love it. The neck is thick but it doesn't really affect your reach much. It more fills your palm. I like the way it feels. The 9.5" radius fretboard lets you take bends places that the 7.25" would never allow. That was the main reason I chose the hot rod over the AVRI. If I had one complaint about the neck it would be that it has taken a long time to wear the stickiness of the nitro-cellulose lacquer off. The satin back turned glossy months ago from playing but it's just now starting to feel slick. The HB is bassy and warm at lower volumes and can growl viciously when cranked thru a tube amp. At least the ones I am using which are low wattage. You can get some great tones out of it that you wouldn't necessarily associate with a tele. The bridge pup is pure tele.

Overall, I give it 5 stars! :D

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nice! 8)


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:49 pm
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The Telebration version utilises a full-sized humbucker and a fully intonatable bridge.


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:28 pm
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chromeface wrote:
The Telebration version utilises a full-sized humbucker and a fully intonatable bridge.


The Hot Rod 52 also has an intonatable bridge. Compensated saddles at least. Also, the SD Mini-humbucker is a better sounding neck pickup than the full size '59 pickup. I know because I have each of them in a different Tele. The Mini-HB is the best Tele neck pickup I've ever heard.

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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:06 am
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Is the minibucker splittable?


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 6:29 am
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Don't know is you have made a purchase or not but I own 2 Am Std Teles and a 2011 52 Hot Rod. I can tell you that the Hot Rod is a far superior instrument. As far as sound and playability it is in a class by itself. The thing is a beast. It is pure Telecaster in the sense of Country twang but this guitar is also at home with Rock and Blues. Unless you have a problem with the chunkier neck, I'd say it's the way to go. :!:


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 6:23 am
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Hey Toast, can you elaborate more on why you prefer the mini-buck to the '59?

What happened to the '52 reissue with the '59 'buck? Was it discontinued? I see lots of reviews on youtube but I can't seem to track down one, even used, to have a go. What was it's official name? Is the neck the same as the AV '52 or more like the Hot Rod?

I'm kinda liking the Hot Rod but still feeling a bit 'meh! Just don't wanna regret not hunting down one with the '59.


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:40 am
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Stubbsy737 wrote:
Hey Toast, can you elaborate more on why you prefer the mini-buck to the '59?

What happened to the '52 reissue with the '59 'buck? Was it discontinued? I see lots of reviews on youtube but I can't seem to track down one, even used, to have a go. What was it's official name? Is the neck the same as the AV '52 or more like the Hot Rod?

I'm kinda liking the Hot Rod but still feeling a bit 'meh! Just don't wanna regret not hunting down one with the '59.


There wasn't a "regular" AV '52 with the '59 humbucker but there have been several special runs of blackguard Teles with the full-sized humbucker.

During 2011 for the 60th Anniversary of the Tele (the "Telebration") they did a special model of the '52 Hot Rod with the full-sized humbucker instead of the mini-bucker. I think that one ran all year in 2011 alongside the one with the mini-bucker, and of course the neck was the same as the mini-bucker Hot Rod '52.

There have also been a few of the "Thin Skin" runs done for Wildwood Guitars and Dave's Guitar that have the full-sized humbucker and different neck specs - at least one run was basically the AV '52 neck shape but with the modern 9.5" radius and larger frets. The problem is that the dealers would often change the neck specs from run to run so the neck shape varied. Wildwood did a run in 2012 (right before the new AV series came out in August) so some of those might still be around if you check their websites.


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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 9:34 am
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John C wrote:
there have been several special runs of blackguard Teles with the full-sized humbucker.


The most famous of these humbucker-equipped blackguards is Keef's "Micawber".

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Post subject: Re: 52 Hotrod Tele
Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 8:01 am
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Saw a guy at the New Orleans Jazzfest (live on TV this weekend) with a P-90 in the neck position, strat pup in middle and tele bridge pup - nice variety of sounds too.

Nice guitar you have - enjoy it!

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