Bill Frisell's new Tele

[unobasso]

From his concert over the weekend, looks like Bill has a new guitar: double-bound Telecaster-shaped body, Jaguar neck, wide-range humbucker at the neck & a filtertron at the bridge, with a mastery bridge & vibrato. I assume it's another JW Black creation.

Here's a pic from the Bill Frisell Yahoo group, taken by Jerry Keselman

 

[BigDaddyLH]

I like that eight ways to Sunday!

 

[SuprHtr]

Wow, lots of nice bits there!

 

[Texicaster]

Is it new or did he drag it out of that scary guitar closet of his?

Did you see the documentary on him? I love when their trying to get him to open his guitar closet and tell us about it! He seemed so overwhelmed and reluctant to dive in. You could see a couple dozen cases....

 

[RoscoeElegante]

As always, interesting! Thanks for that, unobasso. (And when are you-all gonna open the border?!?) Bill does such classy stuff so often.

It would be interesting to see if, playing the same song through the same amp/effects, in a similar-sounding setting, his new guitar sounds distinctly differently than his prior ones. And/or if he plays it differently--if the different guitar coaxes him into approaching his materials differently.

My guess is more the latter than the former. He tends to dial in a quite similar range of tones whatever he's playing. But different guitars seem to guide how he explores his materials. He seems to really dig in with a particular Tele, follow the wisps with a Strat, etc.

I also love how his playing is as calmly bold and candidly generous as his social skills are bumblingly awkward....

 

[WingedWords]

An excerpt

 

[fleezinator]

Woah that’s some alternate-alternate reality series frankencaster-ing! Love it. Any guesses on that color? Oxblood perhaps?

 

[Mike SS]

Cool tunes, on a cool Tele.

 

[artdecade]

He just sold off some of his Telecasters recently. That's an odd replacement, but Bill does his own, odd thing pretty darn well.

 

[grooveiron]

Is that a 23rd fret!?

 

[Cheap Trills]

I'm not sure you can call that a Tele

 

[brookdalebill]

Looks like something I’d play/love!
Kewl!

 

[AlmostWorldClass]

I love Bill Frisell. His records get the majority of my listening time. Something so incredibly calming about his music, even the more avant garde stuff. I see Fender on the headstock of the new guitar and I'm pretty sure his JW Black teles have JW's headstock logo. Whatever it is, it's a beautiful instrument.

 

[unixfish]

I like the red with the binding on that guitar!

 

[nojazzhere]

An excerpt

WOW!.....great playing and material. I know Bill would sound good on anything, but that contraption (whatever it is) is amazing. Thanks for posting this.

 

[artdecade]

I love Bill Frisell. His records get the majority of my listening time. Something so incredibly calming about his music, even the more avant garde stuff. I see Fender on the headstock of the new guitar and I'm pretty sure his JW Black teles have JW's headstock logo. Whatever it is, it's a beautiful instrument.

He sold the JW.
https://www.retrofret.com/product.asp?ProductID=9710

 

[skradlee]

Woah that’s some alternate-alternate reality series frankencaster-ing! Love it. Any guesses on that color? Oxblood perhaps?

Looks like midnight wine to me.

 

[maxvintage]

Me dig

 

[E5RSY]

Very cool...except I have never been able to abide the big headstock on a Tele.

 

[Seasicksailor]

A lot of great things on that guitar... But I don't like them together. Oh well... One guitar less to lust after.