The Paranormal Troublemaker Telecaster Deluxe Bigsby is a pretty fun way to mess with the usual Tele formula. You still get the familiar Tele shape, but the bound body, block inlays, dual humbuckers, and Bigsby make this thing feel more like a Tele that took a wrong turn somewhere in the best possible way.
The Fender Designed Alnico humbuckers give it a much thicker voice than a traditional Tele, with plenty of punch and warmth for bigger chords and driven tones. There’s also a push-pull coil split in the controls, so you can thin things out when you want a little more snap and single-coil character. With two volume and two tone controls, there’s plenty of room to shape the two pickups without making the setup complicated.
The maple C-shaped neck has a comfortable 9.5" radius and 22-fret Indian laurel fingerboard, giving it a pretty familiar Fender-style playing feel. The bound fingerboard and block inlays are probably my favorite visual details, especially with the Honey Sunburst finish and parchment pickguard.
Then you get the Bigsby. It adds a completely different personality to the Tele, letting you get everything from subtle vibrato to those wavy, old-school pitch bends without turning the guitar into a dive-bomb machine. The Tune-O-Matic bridge paired with the Bigsby keeps the whole setup feeling solid and straightforward.
At 8 lbs 3 oz, it has a little heft to it, but it’s not unreasonable for a dual-humbucker Tele-style guitar with a Bigsby. Overall, this is a cool choice if a normal Tele feels a little too predictable. It has the Fender DNA, but there’s definitely some trouble built into this one.
Specs:
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Body: Nyatoh
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Body Shape: Telecaster
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Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
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Color: Honey Sunburst
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Neck: Maple, Bolt-On
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Neck Shape: C Shape
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Fingerboard: Indian Laurel, 9.5" Radius
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Inlays: Blocks
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Frets: 22
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Scale Length: 25.5"
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Nut Width: 1.650"
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Nut: Micarta
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Pickups: 2 Fender Designed Alnico Humbuckers
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Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
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Coil Split: Push-Pull
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Switching: 3-Way Toggle
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Bridge: Tune-O-Matic
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Tailpiece: Bigsby
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Tuners: Vintage Style
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Weight: 8 lbs 3 oz
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Case: Sold Separately
