Fender has come full circle. Having armed many of the electric guitar-toting bands of the ‘60s – helping to make that decade such a transformational one for music – the brand is now paying tribute to those very groups and the cult classic guitars they played with its new Gold Foil Series. The new range reimagines Fender’s timeless Jazzmaster, Jazz Bass, and Telecaster instruments by giving them distinctly ‘60s styling reminiscent of the popular mail-order guitars from that period, all while maintaining the highest Fender quality.
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The range’s name comes courtesy of the Gold Foil pickups present on each guitar, which the brand claims provide a range of sounds perfectly suited to blues, rock and indie musicians, many of whom will have a fondness for the sounds of bygone eras, but also want to be able to sound like they’re firmly placed in the 21st century.
Fender Gold Foil Jazzmaster
Our pick of the range has to be the Gold Foil Jazzmaster, which packs a bound ebony fingerboard, pearloid block inlays, mahogany body, Bigsby B50 vibrato and three Gold Foil mini-humbuckers.We’ll take one in the Candy Apple Burst if anyone’s wondering, although the Shoreline Gold finish is pretty tasty too.
Fender Gold Foil Jazz Bass
Next in the range is the Gold Foil Jazz Bass, which features an alder body, mid-‘60s C-shaped maple neck with bound ebony fingerboard, and a Gold Foil single-coil pickup, which Fender promises will serve up “full, punchy tone”. This bass is a real head-turner, thanks in no small part to finishing touches like the matching painted headstock, ‘lollipop’ tuning machines, and 20 medium jumbo frets. While we’re normally suckers for a Two-Colour Sunburst finish, here we have to go with the Sonic Blue one. Incredible stuff.
Fender Gold Foil Telecaster
The final model is the Gold Foil Telecaster with its C-shaped maple neck, three-saddle Tele bridge, mahogany body and a pair of Gold Foil mini-humbuckers. Like the rest of the range it also features an ebony fingerboard and painted headstock, while vintage-style tuners with white buttons, and 21 medium jumbo frets complete the picture. The Gold Foil Telecaster is available in White Blonde and Candy Apple Burst.
Every guitar in the Gold Foil range comes with a deluxe gig bag and they all capture an undeniable sense of retro cool. Fender rarely misses, but there’s a special something about the old-school look of these instruments. If they deliver as convincingly in the tone department as they do in the looks, Fender will be on to a winner.
