[WM] Worship Influencer Buyer's Guide 2023 | Page 34

GEAR REVIEW

FOILED AGAIN BY FENDER | Eric Dahl

• Fender Gold Foil Mini-humbucker pickups

• Mahogany Body

• Matching Painted Headstock

• Ebony Fretboard

KEY FEATURES

• Satin finished C-shape neck

• Plastic button tuners on guitar

When Fender announced their special edition Gold Foil instruments my fear was that they were just going to slap foil pickups into their standard iconic instruments and call it a day . But that wasn ’ t the case .

Fender sent over the Gold Foil Telecaster in White Blonde for review and what a great combination . For many of us growing up Gold Foil pickups were found in wild shaped , budget conscious , import instruments that we started playing with or had our first band playing them ! As I still have my Telestar wannabe Fender from the late 60 ’ s with a foil pickup . It seldom stayed in tuned , had high action and the tone was mildly anemic .

Fender took the foil pickup concept in a totally new direction by providing the vintage looking aesthetic we all love , but with more dependability and robust sound . Only three models have been launched with the Fender Gold Foil pickups and those include the Jazz Bass , Telecaster and Jazzmaster instruments . The Gold Foil Tele and Jazzmaster both feature ebony fingerboards and mahogany bodies . While the Jazz bass has an Alder wood body .

Each instrument features matching headstock paint to the body . The Tele has a pair of Gold Foil mini humbuckers that have their own unique sound like no Telecaster I have ever played before . Not as powerful as a full humbucker Deluxe Tele but fatter than one loaded with P90 pickups .

The bridge on the Gold Foil tele is cut-off like a Cabronita model and has solid brass barrels . The enclosed vintage style Fender tuners have white plastic buttons that give it a 60 ’ s vibe . The finish was spotless , and the neck sits easy in your hand .

The Telecaster model is available in White Blonde or Candy Apple Burst Finishes . Fender ’ s Gold Foil Jazzmaster is tricked out with three of the Foil pickups . A Bigsby B50 Vibrato and a bound ebony fretboard with white pearloid blocks on the neck . This stunning guitar is offered in Shoreline Gold or Cany Apple Burst finishes .

Finally , to please the bass musicians the Fender Gold Foil Jazz Bass has one single-