Fender Jim Root Telecaster Review

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Steven Page

I’d been a fan of the Jim Root telecaster since I first saw it some years ago. I loved how it was a modern take on a classic model but I never really saw one in shops and when I did, I never thought to play one.

One day I was driving to every local guitar shop I could think of to see if I could part exchange one of my guitars. I had my heart set on an Ibanez Artist but there was too much UM and ARR from the guys in the shop so I went elsewhere.

The next shop I went to I was trying out some Tele’s and got the urge to try out the Jim Root Tele. I loved it and walked out with it there and then.

Features:

Mahogany Body
Maple neck and fret board
Matte black finish
EMG81 & EMG60 pickups
1 volume 3 way selector
12 inch radius
6100 jumbo frets
Locking tuners
Hardtail string through bridge
Comfy carved heel
Schaller strap locks

Ease of use:

The control cavity in the back of the guitar is very small, just big enough to fit a battery, the volume and tone control, which is a very nice feature.

Sound quality:

Due to all the mahogany, the guitar doesn’t sound like the typical telecaster. It’s big, warm and has a nice amount of bite due to the maple neck and fretboard. The EMG’s, like everyone knows, sounds compressed. But the guitar sounds so good that it isn’t much of an issue.

The cleans are very glassy (when using the neck pickup) and warm. For a mild gain the EMG81 sounds surprisingly good and the 2 pickups together sound great – a very usable tone that would sit well in most types of music.

The distortion is where this guitar shines though, the EMG81 keeps everything tight and for solos gives plenty of kick. The neck pickup has an almost single coil like quality which gives some snap and clarity under all the distortion.

Reliability:

It seems to be very solid. Nothing creaks, comes loose or rattles. The tuners are tough and hard wearing and the guitar holds its tuning well. I did however change the nut to a LSR Roller nut so I could change string gauges without the need to file nut slots.

The finish does seem to wear quickly but having owned matte black guitars before (Gibson Gothic V) I knew it would happen, so it’s not much of a big deal for me, although some may have a problem with that.

Overall rating:

For £699, this guitar is very hard to beat. Fender’s quality control seems to have stepped up considerably in recent years and this guitar is a testament to that. It may be made in Mexico but it feels and sounds better than any US Fender I’ve played.

It may have been designed for a metal guitarist but this guitar is versatile enough to do pretty much anything you could want to do. It’s become the guitar I go to play the most (over my old Strat, old faithful) and it’s a joy to play. It’s also spurred on many song ideas and I’ve quite frankly fallen in love with it.

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Steven Page