Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline (Crimson Transparent) Reviews

5.0/5.0 based on 4 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

William Stahmann
from Las Cruces, NM
April 16, 2013Music Background:
Professional

Not just another telecaster.

When I saw and read about this guitar I was curious to say the least. Tele's have been one of my favorites since the late '60's, always there, always reliable. After investigation and actually playing one in the studio, I had to have it. The tone is sweet, fat and sassy. I've played it through various different amps from a Fender Blues Junior to a Marshall Model 2555 and everything in between with stunning results. I was introduced to it by Sweetwater Sound. Hey guys you did it again. Thanks for the memories.

Neil Murray
from Colorado Springs, Co.
November 9, 2011Music Background:
Musician and teacher. Home recordist. Retired.

This was an 'impulse' purchase that scored 100% , , , ,

'Impulse' may be a poor word to describe my purchase of the JA-90. I am not too fond of the country 'chicken-pickin' , heavy twang style of music usually associated with the Tele sound. I was looking for a ES 335 style guitar.

When I saw the Crimson Transparent JA-90 on the Sweetwater website it looked beautiful. And the Gibson style adjustable bridge and anchored tailpiece got my attention. The addition of Seymour Duncan P-90's was enough to send me to Youtube to hear what it could do. I bought it.

The overall quality is very good. The action out of the box was near perfect. This guitar came extremely well packed. I've bought several instruments on-line and it's always a toss-up regarding what condition you find when the box gets delivered. Packing is important!

My concerns about everything sounding too twangy were forgotten as soon as I plugged into my amp and started playing----this guitar has a great sound range, from full, round bass tones, good mids, right up to screaming solos. There's twang there if you need it, but don't be afraid to play some jazz if the mood strikes.

Tuners, pots, three way all work well and feel solid. I found one small area on the upper frets that could have used a little more polishing---got a little grind on pushes. But I'm measuring against my Hot Rod 57 Strat, which is glass smooth on all the fretboard.

A word concerning the quality of Sweetwaters' customer service; I noticed immediately that the f- hole rim was not finished to standards of the rest of the instrument. There were areas on the rim that were rough and had little or no finish. This was easily seen and distracted from the otherwise very good finish quality.

I Emailed Jen at Sweetwater explaining my concern and included a high res picture of the F-hole rim. This was more for Sweetwater's info than a complaint. I didn't request a replacement. Jen called me within a short time and told me that she wanted to correct the situation ASAP. Unfortunately there wasn't any red JA-90's in stock. Jen then contacted Fender and found another matching guitar for me.

This is good service! As it turned out I was able to correct the problem myself. I have experience in instrument finish work.

Ted
from Utica,NY
April 7, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist

A wide range of tones

This is my first Tele. I have always used Strats and I was curious with the look of this Tele. I researched it and I had great input from Sweetwater customer service. It came three days fedex set up the way I wanted it. I get classic Tele tones plus several others and it is easy to play and light. If you are looking for a tele this is one to look at. It is eye catching, lightweight, easy to play, and a whole range of tones with the classic Tele chicken pickin.

Ben Bolton
from Chantilly, VA
March 17, 2011Music Background:
Semi-professional musician

Fender Fan

What a great guitar. I just got mine from Sweetwater today via FedEX. The guitar itself is just beautiful. The red has the wood grain showing through, so it's quite unique for a Tele. With the Seymour Duncan pickups, it;'s sort of like playing a Gibson SG in a Telecaster's body. It has a very cool tone to it. Not at all like a typical bright sounding Fender. I've only had it a day and already love it. Plus, you can't beat Sweetwater's customer service, I have a Guitar Center just a few miles away and still bought it from Sweetwater.