One regret I have over the years is missing out on “limited edition” guitars (especially the early Gibson Collectors’ Choice Les Pauls). I’m not interested in getting one as a collector, and in the past either the timing hasn’t been right or I haven’t known enough about the guitars to feel confident in getting one.
Not this month.
Although, frankly, it sure was made easier because I didn’t have to find Gibson Collectors’ Choice money to get one …
Fender Limited Edition Vintera II Road Word 60s Telecaster In Blonde
Ugh. No matter how many times I’ve typed the guitar’s full title for this blog, it’s still an unwieldy mouthful!
In September, Fender dropped (what is advertised as) a one-off run of Mexican-made Vintera II guitars that feature nitro finishes, light artificial aging, and specs that aren’t available on any other Fender Telecaster outside the Custom Shop.
I’ve been looking for a more-typical vintage-voiced Telecaster for quite a while, and this fits the bill really well. It happily hangs with Custom Shop Telecasters for tone without the Custom Shop price tag. (I’ve personally A/B’d it against four different CS Telecasters.)
Hi there.
I read your post about how you go about finding a great Les Paul. It’s very informative and I’d say very similar to how I go about buying guitars. I actually found a really great Les Paul, it’s a 40th Anniversary R9 1999. For the last 5 years I’ve been on the lookout for a great Explorer, but after a few duds that I’ve had to sell on, I’m still looking. It seems to be much harder to find a really great Explorer than a great Les Paul.
It seems to involve a heck of a lot of driving and time.
Anyway, I’d be interested to hear any advice you’d have on this.
Hi Julian,
The only thing I can think of is to visit one of the Gibson Garage showrooms (if that’s an option for you). They should have several Explorers in stock, and even if you don’t buy one, at least you’ll be able to determine if Gibson can make a great Explorer or not.
Good luck with the search, and I hope you find a keeper Explorer one day.
Hi Stuart,
Thanks for the reply. Funny you should mention the Gibson Garage, I contacted them and they do indeed have a good collection of explorers to try. I think I’ll have to pay them a visit. As far as good Explorers, I have owned two 58 reissues, one in Mahogany and one Korina. They both definitely have the tone, especially the Korina, but I found them not so comfortable to play like my old E2 explorer and found I was reaching for my Les Paul more often.
The search goes on.