Robben Ford Discussion

Aeolian · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:06 pm Post subject: Fender RF Tele

Daved, what can you tell us about the white Tele that Fender apparently made for Robben? It looks like a copy of his primary axe exept that the body is sanded like a Strat where your right arm goes and the headstock decal looks like it's in a funny place. I saw Volker playing it last night (he was in Redwood city and smokin with his own band). Apparently it didn't work out for Robben and Volker has it now.

Is Fender trying to get Robben back into an endorement deal? Come out with a Robben Ford signature Tele? Or was it just a one off back up to his favorite?

BTW, if Robben want's a back up, get hold of JingChiFan and ask about the Chapin he has (he's the local Chapin dealer). Made to the color scheme of Bloomfield's/Robben's Tele's, it's the most amazing Tele I've ever played. Bill just has a way with Tele's.
_________________
There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com

Sweet_emotion16 · Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:54 pm Post subject:

i would also love to know more about this!! aeolian do you have pictures by any chance? how did you hear about it?
_________________
www.myspace.com/gregory49

Daved · Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:29 am Post subject:

This sounds like Fender's last attempt to please Robben, which in fact turned into the straw that broke Robben's back.

Almost one year before Robben dropped his Fender endorsement, he & I were invited out to the factory for, literally, a round table meeting with many department heads.

We brought along his Tele and one of his RF models.
During the discussion (robben's as the artist, and mine as the roadtech) we told and showed them all the things we liked and disliked about both guitars.
Robben was just starting to get heavily into the Tele and Fender was going to custom design a RF signature model Tele for him and fine tune the good and bad things about the Standard RF signature guitar.

A lot of time was spent that day going over the guitars with lots of notes, discussion, and photos taken. The result was a promise to come up with the 'perfect' Robben guitars and then they would start encorporating those changes into their consumer editions of the RF model guitars.

It was almost a year later before those gitars got to Robben and I remember that day very clearly.

Robben and I were astounded to find that very little had been done, some of the most critical changes were not done at all, and the RF signature was literally unplayable. I couldn't even set it up well enough for Robben to try it out.
The Tele was an initial prototype of the changes Robben wanted in his version of that guitar, but Robben was so frustrated over the lackluster results from that round table session (It took nearly a year for them to do it and then the resulting guitar was a mess and nothing like what Robben and I had discussed with them) that he finally decided to drop his endorsement and move on.
As that protoTele was never taken beyond the initial design stage, he has never really used it. (He has been perfectly happy with his regular one).
_________________
B C-ing U!
( }:-Daved
"This boy's diseased with rhythm!" -Bing Crosby (Road To Rio, '49)

Sweet_emotion16 · Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:33 pm Post subject:

Daved thank you very much for the reply, Just as a gearhead/fan question: If one of us were going to go for a sound like that is in Robbens Tele what can we look for?

I know his guitar always sounds so big.

hopefully you could find the time to answer this one, because i've been looking for something for quite some time, outside a vintage tele I mean.
_________________
www.myspace.com/gregory49

johan · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 5:47 am Post subject:

His blonde Tele sounds awesome...or is it white? Very Happy

First Q - is it white = alder body or blonde = ash?

Second Q - what details in his 60's Tele would he change - or what specifications did Robben go for when he discussed with Fender on that meeting.

Thanks alot Daved for an interesting behind the scenes story!

frank0936 · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 7:04 am Post subject: tele specs

Johan the body is most probably ash according to Daved on an earlier post. The pickups are stock with the bridge p/up being rewound by Fralin to stock specs. The finish is white. I've seen the exact name for it before but I don't remember - it might be the Olympic White that ages to that yellowish color.
Frank

johan · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 7:20 am Post subject:

olympic white being a solid color would make it an alder body.

ive seen the guitar numerous times but it's been a couple of years. i remember it being a semi transparent color (blonde) since i THINK i could see the grain.

Aeolian · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 5:57 pm Post subject:

Daved. Thanks for the candid response. I was concerned that I may have opened something that wasn't supposed to be opened. I just saw Volker with the guitar and someone else told me the story of Robben giving it to him. Volker didn't say anything out of school to me (although I think he is lusting after my 335). I think that Fender sounded a bit fatter than the very good Nash Tele I'd seen him with recently.

As other folks have said, it would be interesting to learn what you and Robben feel his working Tele has going on that is special, and what Fender was asked to reproduce.

The most striking feature for me of that Chapin Tele that Jing Chi Fan has was the most indredible snap and dynamics I've ever seen. I've never seen a Fender that can be played as hard (given the same sort of string gauges and set up) as my 335, but that Chapin is pretty darn close, and head and shoulders above any other Fender or Fender type guitar that I've played, Including Suhr's and Tylers.
_________________
There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com

frank0936 · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject: Tele

I looked back over some catalogs I have here and I believe the color may be called arctic white instead of olympic white. I remember being surprised that it was a white color, because it does look almost blonde. Johan, on a post from 2003 about this same thing, you said that an early 60's Tele should have an ash body and Daved replied that he and Robben were guessing it was ash but didn't really know. That's what I wwas going by when I said it was ash. The color looks solid to me, but I've only seen it up close a couple of times.
Frank

toneman67 · New Member Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 4

Thats sad to hear about the way Fender treated Robben. I dont blame Robben for cutting his ties with Fender. Fender's quality control is really nonexistent these days. You have to go thru hundreds of strats, teles, etc to find one decent playing, feeling, sounding guitar, and thats so sad. Fender is not what it used to be. With smaller companies like Suhr, Tyler and some others, Fender will remain that way. Im a Suhr man myself, but I do own one Fender 53 reissue, which I got very lucky in finding that one. Its one of the very few good ones out there.... Confused

toneman67 · New Member Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 4

And oh yeah, NASH makes AWESOME aged guitars. Very Happy

Sweet_emotion16 · Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:48 am Post subject:

i can understand RFs point in that where he has been playing some of the best guitars in the world and fender made him a proto that "wasn't so great" . but as a reply to the comment above me , the fender custom shop has been putting out some amazing guitars lately. every one i've played has been fantastic, and i WOULD call myself picky over which guitars i would purchase.
_________________
www.myspace.com/gregory49