Pablo Picasso had his famous Blue Guitar. Now, so does Brad Paisley, courtesy of the Fender Custom Shop. This spring, Paisley unveiled his latest signature model, the “Lost Paisley” Telecaster, at a Q&A session and mini concert at Fender’s East Nashville headquarters. The instrument is an exacting reproduction of Paisley’s own, rare 1967 Tele in a stunning, practically glowing, blue-flower paisley finish, with custom-wound Seymour Duncan pickups and a bender that can be set to the B string or, as Paisley prefers, the G string. Spoiler: It looks and sounds badass, even with Paisley playing through a Fender Champ, which you’ll experience when you watch our video. The street price for this limited edition instrument is $7,000.
In 1968, Fender introduced the short-lived Paisley Red and Blue Flower finish options on the Telecaster and Telecaster Bass—drawing influences from the “Summer of Love.” These instruments were adorned with decorative Cling-Foil and finished with a matching metallic burst, highlighting the vibrant colors in the intricately patterned paper. Many of these guitars fell victim to the unstable mix of thick paper, weak adhesives, polyester clear coats and time, eventually showing major chipping and flaking, driving players to refinish their guitars. Others we simply repainted to cover up the polarizing original finish. Once discontinued in late 1969, these guitars and basses seemed to vanish into the ether.
Over the following six decades, these unsung heroes of free spirit movement would pop up in vintage guitar shops and for sale online, eventually beginning to accrue a cult-like following. Call it nominative determinism or sheer luck, country music singer-songwriter and Telecaster evangelist Brad Paisley became enamored by these misfit late-‘60s guitars, ultimately becoming the modern-day face of any and all paisley-themed finishes.
Flash forward to present day, and through a fortuitus twist of fate, while Brad was studying guitar building, he was gifted what looked to be lightly used sheets of Blue Paisley patterned Cling-Foil – straight from the ‘60s. Driven by his newfound obsession over this Blue Paisley Cling-Foil, Brad teamed up with close friends Zac Childs and Joe Glaser to not only refinish one of his road-tested 1967 Telecasters, but to meticulously recreate vintage-accurate Paisley Cling-Foil paper. In partnership with Brad Paisley, the Fender Custom Shop is proud to introduce the Limited Edition 1967 “Lost Paisley” Telecaster. The swirling, pulsing and blinding carousel of blues, greens and silvers of the Blue Paisley Relic finish brings a perfect balance of vintage charm to the unique alder, paulownia and spruce Telecaster body. Featuring a custom ‘60s Oval “C” shaped maple neck and round-laminated maple fingerboard, Seymour Duncan "Lost Paisley" Telecaster Pickups and a Glaser “G” Bender System, this guitar looks, sounds and feels like Brad’s #1 Tele.
Other premium features include 7.25" (184.1 mm) radius, 21 narrow tall (6105) frets, Modern Tele wiring, 3-way switch, ’67 Telecaster bridge with Glaser Bender System, vintage-style tuners, bone nut, wing string tree, period-correct Fender strap and certificate of authenticity.
Mysterious modulations and Leslie sounds abound in a compact, straightforward, and streamlined rotary simulator complete with variable drive settings.
BOSS announces the RT-2 Rotary Ensemble, the latest member of the company’s famous compact pedal lineup. Rotary speaker cabinets are a vital part of the classic combo organ voice, and guitarists and other musicians have also used them to infuse iconic tracks with their distinctive depth and rich modulation. Powered by the latest BOSS advancements, the RT-2 distills this expressive spatial effect into a pedalboard-friendly footprint with three sound modes, deep tonal shaping, multiple audio output configurations, and advanced real-time sound control.
The most revered rotary speaker designs feature a spinning high-frequency horn (treble rotor) and a woofer that feeds into a rotating drum (bass rotor). Changing rotor speeds between fast and slow creates a steady stream of tonal shifts that players have long used for interesting sonic movement. The RT-2 authentically replicates these complex audio behaviors, coupled with two-way speed control, a Rise/Fall Time switch for adjusting the transition time between speeds, and a colorful indicator that shows the current rotation of the virtual rotors.
The versatile RT-2 has a three-position Mode switch for selecting a classic rotary speaker sound or two modern variations developed with custom BOSS tuning. There’s also a Drive knob to add pleasing distortion inspired by the tube amplification circuits in vintage rotary speaker cabinets. Via a rear-panel switch, this dual-function control can be assigned to adjust the volume balance between the treble and bass rotors for different tonal characteristics.
A sub-$1K SE version of PRS’ imaginative T-style evolution delivers insane value via deep-dish Narrowfield pickups, an ash body, and comfort few T-Styles can match.
With switches that add germanium transistors and a bass boost to the classic Klon formula, Keeley delivers a more flexible and often more potent overdrive.
The Keeley Manis uniquely combines both germanium NOS transistors and diodes for more compression and saturation. This evolution is unlike any other mythical Klone! Keeley writes the next chapter in the legend of the mythical Klone pedal with several storied upgrades and features. First up is the germanium diode switch. The essential germanium diodes are at the heart of the myth. By transposing germanium diodes with germanium transistors (Cold War-era devices), we increase the sustain and saturation in the pedal. The Manis can give you a softer attack that sounds more like a tube amp. Less mid-forward, more tube-amp like. This feels incredible under your fingertips. Wouldn’t you like to hear a little more of the natural low end from your guitar? The bass boost switch pushes the lower half of the mid-focused response by one octave and increases the output by +3dB. It’s the perfect low end recovery for single coil guitars. You can choose True Bypass or Buffered Silent Switching on the fly. The Manis is built like a tank and is the first Klone you can power with 18 volts for increased headroom. The Manis is an evolution of the original circuit.
The Manis isn't just a mod: it’s an evolution of the mythical overdrive mid-boost pedal.
Ge-Trans Switch offers a welcome difference in feel of the circuit with more of a tube-like saturation and compression.
The Bass+ Switch – Lowers the frequency response by one octave and then pushes 3dB harder
True-Bypass or Silent Switching – Whichever works and sounds best in your rig
Power Protection up to 18 volts for increased headroom - without damaging the charge pump.
Germanium Transistors
Central to the superior tone from the Manis Overdrive is the germanium transistors we select for increased saturation, compression, and sustain. Each transistor is tested for noise and accuracy ensuring you have an incredible tone.
Switchable Low Frequency Cutoff
The Manis Overdrive gives you just the perfect lift in bass response so that your tone is not as mid-focused. Perfect for making single coils fatter, fuller, and more powerful.
Buffered Bypass or True Bypass
The Keeley Manis Overdrive allows you to quickly switch between either mode. Having a great buffer will make your rig sound strong and clear even when the pedal is off. Buffered switching prevents the pops and clicks of true-bypass switching. If you want to turn on true-bypass, simply press and hold the foot switch for two seconds. Holding the switch for two seconds toggle between modes. True Bypass is great if a buffer might affect the tone of a vintage pedal. Enjoy truly silent switching and a better sounding rig with Keeley’s buffered switching mode.