John 5 is bringing a couple of very non-traditional Telecasters to Fender’s lineup. The company has reintroduced the Ghost Telecaster while also launching the new Phantom Telecaster, with both models built around a stripped-down, high-output approach to the classic T-style design.
The Ghost returns after previously being offered as a limited-run model, this time manufactured in Indonesia to bring the price down. It features an Arctic White finish with red binding and accents, a Nyatoh body, C-shaped maple neck, maple fingerboard with a 9.5″ radius, and a pair of DiMarzio D Activator humbuckers.
The new Phantom shares much of that same DNA, but swaps in a black finish, ebony fingerboard with a 12″ radius, and a Floyd Rose FRTS2000 Special double-locking tremolo. Both guitars feature a single Volume control, a kill switch, and a three-way pickup selector mounted on the upper horn.
In other words, these aren’t exactly your grandpa’s Telecasters. John 5’s signature designs are built for high-gain playing, dive bombs, and plenty of kill-switch abuse while retaining the instantly recognizable Telecaster silhouette.
Fender is also offering a Custom Shop version of the Phantom for players with considerably deeper pockets. That model features an Alder body with Ultra Contours, a 10- to 14″ flat-laminated ebony fingerboard, Luminlay side dots, and the Floyd Rose setup. The Custom Shop Phantom carries a $6,000 price tag, while the standard edition goes for $1,299.99.
