Fender Player II Telecaster Limited Edition in British Racing Green

I have wanted a genuine Fender Telecaster since I started getting back into playing five years ago. Until last week, there had not been a “golden opportunity” to get one at a price that I wanted to pay.

Leave it up to Guitar Center to offer a Fender Player II with a rosewood bridge, in my most coveted color: British Racing Green. And at $170 below retail.

That was the final straw; my resolve crumbled, and I bought it.

Some folks say that the love for Telecasters takes on a cult-like flavor. Indeed, nothing is like a Telecaster. Its equal has never been created.

I have read online complaints about the QC in the Player II line, but this guitar is nearly perfect. The one major problem it did have was that the OEM bridge saddle screws are absolute trash. They bind and stick and make adjusting the action impossible. So, I decided to get a Fender “Vintage” bridge plate and Gotoh compensated brass saddles.

Additionally, I added a 4-ply white pearloid pickguard in place of the stock 3-ply white one.

It may be “just a Telecaster”, but it’s my Telecaster and I love it.

Gretsch G5420T Electromatic (2017) in Orange Stain

A hollow-body Gretsch is something that I’ve wanted since I started this debacle back in 2020. I saw a Streamliner on the wall at our local Guitar Center and fell in love with it. But I really wanted a step up. Now, I will probably never be able to comfortably drop over $2,000 on any guitar or bass. I don’t see a reason to.

Earlier this year, on the Facebook Marketplace, a guy in West Palm listed this particular Gretsch and I had been watching it for months. It included a Canadian-made Gretsch OEM case and when it hit $475, I grabbed it. The guitar retails for $890 and a new case is an additional $190.

So now I have my Chet Atkins-ish hollow-body with real Gretsch pickups and it sounds spectacular. The quality is amazing as well.

D’Angelico Premier DC (2022) in Sky Blue

2026 was supposed to be “The Year of Not Buying Music Equipment”. I did not follow my own rule and have purchased both a Fender Player II Modified Active Jazz bass and this dandy 335-shaped object.

I have always been attracted to the distinctive Art Deco look of D’Angelicos, so when Sweetwater was clearing these out at nearly $250 below MAP, my resolve failed.

I need to spend time playing it and not just “tarting it up”, as is my usual MO.