I have one of those also...
IMHO this is one of Fender's very interesting innovations.
A Tele that's wired exactly like a Les Paul.
To me the sound is unique, and not like any other guitar.
That's why I like mine so well. I like the neck p'up, and I
like the bridge p'up, and I love the middle position.
Telecaster players will tell you that the Tele bridge pickup is
the heart of the Telecaster tone, and this is a true thing. (for them).
But the Tele Deluxe (and the Thinline) are
something else.
Something more.
Mine was MIM in 2006, so it's technically a replica of
the old ones. But it doesn't use the CuNiFe (copper/nickle/iron)
magnets that the originals did, so I don't believe it really sounds
like the old '70s CBS Fender Tele Deluxes either.
But I don't care about that. I saw mine on a music store wall, and
took it down and tuned it, and played it through some amps I could
not afford, and decided I liked the tone and the feel of it.
I did end up replacing the wiring on mine later, and used CTS 500k pots.
Something to consider, but not totally necessary if it sounds good through
your amp(s) and pedals. Mine sounds like this:
To answer Spectre's question: This guitar is nothing like any other. It's not like a traddie
Telecaster, and Telecaster purists have been seen to glance at my '72 Deluxe and
then look away... stern disapproval from purists is
one of the joys of owning this
instrument. *grins
The Seth Lover designed Fender "wide range" hum buckers are like no other pickups.
This model was designed
for the confounding of purists of all stripes, and to offer
musicians something ELSE besides the boring Lesters and the samo-samo Strats.
A maple neck with a 12" radius and a Fender scale doesn't feel like any other Fender
or Gibson that I've played. It took me a while to get used to mine, but I practiced with
it until it felt like an old friend.
View attachment 40024
So ya gotta play it. You'll either love it or shove it. And to hell with the guitar police.
People who think that a Telecaster is only good for certain genres of music have
not a clue about how versatile they really are.