REVIEW > JASON Z. SCHROEDER
JASON Z. SCHROEDER
CHOPPER TL “T-PINE”
BY DIMITRI SIDERIADIS
No longer just an up-and-comer in the custom guitar universe, Jason
Schroeder is a luthier whose instruments
have found their way into the hands of
players from Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey
Buckingham to Eric Gales, Tomo Fujita, and
Matt Schofield. And his wraparound bridges
are now sold through Stewart-MacDonald—
all evidence that the Schroeder name is likely
stick around for some time.
One of the latest creations from Jason’s
Redding, California, shop—the Chopper
TL “T-Pine”—is also one of his most
traditional. It’s a cousin to the Chopper,
a Tele-/PRS-inspired 6-string that’s found
favor among blues and rock guitarists look-
ing for a modern spin on a traditional plat-
form. But the Chopper TL is a more classic,
mid-century riff on the Chopper concept
that marries Schroeder’s aura of handcrafted
loveliness with semi-hollow tones. And, in
all, it’s an extraordinarily capable guitar.
Grace and Power
The T-Pine manages the cool trick of looking practical, elegant, luxurious, and understated all at once. The natural, straight-grained pine body is decked out with
ivoroid binding on front and back, while a
curvaceous ivoroid pickguard winks at traditional Fender thinline pickguard shapes.
The roasted bird’s-eye maple bolt-on neck is
topped with a bone nut and capped with an
Indian rosewood fretboard and super-shiny,
jumbo stainless-steel frets. The visual sum
of those parts gives it a vaguely Western
Pine body
Lollar Special
T pickups
162 PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012
premierguitar.com
