Fender Made in Japan JV Modified Series '60s Custom Telecaster

On the Bench today is the Fender Made in Japan JV Modified Series '60s Custom Telecaster in Fire Mist Gold with Double Binding.

JV stands for "Japanese Vintage."

Fender describes the JV Modified guitars as a refined/modern take on a classic.

Here are the high level specifications of the guitar:
Body Material Basswood, Gloss poly finish, and Bound Top and Back.

Neck is a 4-Bolt maple neck, with a Satin Urethane with Gloss Urethane Headstock Face, Thick Soft "V" with a Scale Length 25.5", Rosewood fretboard, Radius 9.5", 21 frets, Medium Jumbo frets, and Bone nut.


Bridge Pickup Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele®
Neck Pickup Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele®

It has traditional two button Master Volume, Master Tone.

Instead of a three position it has a four Position Pickup Selector Switch.

A 4-way switch allows players to quickly select each pickup individually or both pickups in either series or parallel wiring. A push-pull pot on the tone control allows players to flip the pickups in and out of phase in switch positions 2 and 4.

1. Bridge
2. Neck/Bridge in Parallel (with push/pull out of phase)
3. Neck
4. Switching Neck/Bridge in Series. (with push/pull out of phase)

The guitar as a result has six very distinct sounds with the combination of the four-position switch and then the push/pull pot.

Per Fender - Engaging the Push/Pull switch on this particular Telecaster introduces out-of-phase circuitry to blade switch positions two and four only, with positions one and three remaining unaffected. This produces a thinner and more-hollow tone of the kind often heard in, for example, funk and early electric blues.

Some reviewers have said that the two out of phase positions on this guitar are anemic sounding and therefore not of very much use.

This is possibly true and here is why - Out-of-phase pickups when they have the same frequencies, they will cancel each other out for those specific frequencies. As a result, this cancels out much of the frequency content when both pickups are on at the same time. The resulting frequency cancelation results in a noticeable reduction in low-and mid-range frequencies as well as a reduction in amplitude. All that is left is the frequencies from each pickup that are actually unique. Thus, the reason the sound is anemic.

The guitar also has:

• Bridge 3-Saddle Vintage Style Tele® with Barrel Brass Saddles
• Hardware Finish Nickel/Chrome
• Tuning Machines Vintage-Style Locking
• Pickguard 3-Ply Parchment
• Control Knobs Knurled Flat-Top
• Switch Tip Top Hat Style, Black
• Neck Plate 4-Bolt

It is an absolutely beautiful guitar and amazingly well made. I love everything about the guitar except for the tuners. Kind of irritates me off when something is not intuitive to use, and you do not get any instructions as to how to use the new feature. I read a comment online by someone that the tuners are a very good design, and he does not understand why folks complain about them. I would disagree. Part of design is the user experience. At the very least Fender should include some instructions with the guitar or make them available online.

The tuners are called Fender Vintage Locking tuners.


To remove strings:
1) Loosen the string so the string is in a straight line between the tuner and bridge.
2) Then put something like a flat blade screwdriver in the slot at the top of the tuner and turn the tuner counterclockwise.
3) It requires quite a bit of force to get the tuner to let go of the string. So much so that you think you are going to break something like the string.
4) The string pops off with some force.

Installing strings:
1) If the string hole is locked or blocked, then take a screwdriver, and insert into the slot at the top of the tuner. Turn the tuner counterclockwise until the opening is cleared of the locking mechanism.
2) Insert string into hole in tuner.
3) Turn tuner knob so the tuner is turning counterclockwise and is winding/tightening the string. Here is the catch. At first it feels like it is not catching and slipping. This is the tuner locking the string. Once the tuner locks onto the string it feels like a normal tuner as you are winding it.

At the end of the day - I am hoping I will get used to them.

Everything else about this guitar is first rate and wonderful.
• No fret rocking.
• The frets are smooth on the sides when I run my hand up and down on the sides of the neck.
• The truss rod did not need to be adjusted.
• The electronics and pickups are excellent, and I would not upgrade.
• The fit and finish is superior.
• The feel of the neck while playing is great. The feeling of the soft V is great in my hand.
• A great out of the box experience with a guitar.
• It is a superb guitar – except for maybe the tuners.