GUITAR OF THE MONTH: FENDER CUSTOM SHOP ARTISAN OKOUME TELECASTER
Here at Guitar Village we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by some exceptional instruments which makes picking ‘Guitar of the Month’ a real pleasure. Whilst wandering round our many rooms this stunning Tele caught my eye.
FENDER CUSTOM SHOP ARTISAN OKOUME TELECASTER CHOCOLATE 2 TONE SUNBURST
This is a classic, familiar guitar with an exotic twist. The Artisan Series is all about taking original-era body shapes and blending it with a unique Custom Shop flare.
The first thing you will notice is that neck! The dark and richly figured AAA Roasted Birdseye Maple immediately sets this apart from the Teles we’re all used to seeing. Roasted timbers are moisture-free making them incredibly lightweight and very stable. The Large V profile provides a satisfying solid chunkiness in the hand without the top-heaviness you get with some guitars.
The body is made from Okoume, a porous hardwood from central Africa similar in appearance to mahogany. It’s lightweight (though not as light as ash) with a subtle shimmering grain that provides a very balanced tone with tonnes of sustain. The nitrocellulose finish is flexible enough to allow the body to breathe and will age well tonally and aesthetically.
Acoustically this guitar has the perfect balance of twang, beef and sustain and the pair of handwound ’58 Single-Coil pickups translates all that character faultlessly. It is finished off in a deep Chocolate 2 Tone Sunburst, gold hardware and gold foil headstock logo.
The Fender Custom Shop Artisan Okoume Telecaster is eye-catchingly different yet reassuringly familiar to play with all the tonal character you could possibly want from a Tele.