Fender has unveiled a Custom Shop signature Telecaster for Brian Fallon, and while this might be an electric guitar with a drive so simple that the Gaslight Anthem frontman likens it to a “hammer,” it is one special instrument.
In one sense, the Brian Fallon ’59 Telecaster Custom is the archetypical workhorse electric that invites players of all talents to express themselves on it. “It’s about taking what you can do and making the best of that,” says Fallon. “I think this is the guitar for that. Like, if you need a hammer, that’s a hammer. And everyone needs a hammer – you cannot build a house without it.”
Article continues belowFallon’s signature guitar looks as though it was minted on the first year of the Telecaster Custom.
We have all the good stuff, such as the flat-laminated dark AAA rosewood fingerboard, the rift-sawn ’60-Style Oval C shaped maple neck, alder body. The Righteous Sound “Fourth Man” pickups are cover a heck of a lot of ground, with Dual Stack HS Tele wiring to keep them sounding like the best version of themselves, none too harsh at the bridge, clear and bright at the neck.
Fallon says he fell in love with the Telecaster thanks to Joe Strummer and Bruce Springsteen. The Stratocasters were for the guys who could really play; the Tele was a bit of a fight, and there is a romance to that.
“It’s simple. It can be delicate, too, but also there’s not a lot to it.” he says. “There’s only the switches and the volume and the tone, and that’s really all you got. You better figure it out.”
As with the best of the Custom Shop builds, the devil is in the detail. The ’63 spec Tele bridge has been souped up with RSD Brass Saddles – even the fretwire is upgraded, with Fallon’s ’59 Tele Custom boasting 21 vintage Jescar 45085 frets. This being a Tele Custom, you have the double-bound body.
We also have a 3-ply pickguard, vintage-style tuners, bone nut, and a a period-correct wing-style string.
Inside the deluxe hard-shell guitar case you’ll find a COA and guitar strap, and all of this comes with Chase Paul, director of product development, Fender Custom Shop, promising a totally authentic replica of Fallon’s #1 Telecaster.
“Brian’s honest and raw songwriting places him in an incredible group of influential voices from the last few decades,” he says. “Working together with him on recreating every detail of his favorite Tele, we’re able to give his fans hands-on access to a guitar that helps drive him night in and night out.”
The Brian Fallon ’59 Telecaster Custom is out now. See the Fender Custom Shop for more details.
