This Fender Limited Edition Raphael Saadiq Telecaster has a luxurious Dark Red Metallic finish, a custom pickguard, and custom pickups to achieve some fantastic tones.
Fender Limited Edition Raphael Saadiq Telecaster
This is a pretty impressive-looking guitar; the Fender Limited Edition Raphael Saadiq Telecaster is no slouch in the looks department. The Dark Red Metallic is outlined with black binding and has a custom one-ply pickguard with artwork.
The American Charles Ray Wiggins, born in 1966 and better known as Raphael Saadiq, is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He has worked with Tupac Shakur, Whitney Houston, Justin Timberlake, Elton John, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, and Erykah Badu. He has given R&B new impetus by merging classical soul, R&B, funk and jazz.
Several Grammy awards are among his most significant achievements. Saadiq’s solo albums “Instant Vintage” and “The Way I See It” were highly praised by critics and consolidated his status as an outstanding figure in modern soul music.
59 C-Profile
Key specifications include an ash body and maple neck with a 59 C-profile fitted with a slab rosewood fretboard with clay dot dots and a 9’5″ radius with 21 vintage tall frets. The neck has a satin finish on the rear and a gloss black-painted headstock.
The specifications are all precise, and it looks like both Fender and Raphael have worked hard to get this guitar dialled in.
Custom Raphael Saadiq Single-Coils
This model is fitted with a pair of Custom Raphael Saadiq Single-Coil Tele pickups, which Rapheal discusses in the video. He was a sound in his head, and Fender was put to the test, achieving his wishes with these pickups.
Verdict
Overall, I think this Telecaster is a real head-turner; more importantly, it sounds glorious in the demo video. This is a US-made Tele, so it costs a little more than a Mexican model, which is understandable, as Californian wages are much higher—a great-looking limited edition guitar.
More Information
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Image Sources:
- Fender Limited Edition Raphael Saadiq Telecaster: Fender
- Custom Pickguard: Fender
- Dark Metallic Red: Fender
