Royal Artist Bruno Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

This is my first impressions review. The TC59L came via next day delivery and was very well packaged. The wrapped strings was a nice touch as was the polystyrene protector for the switch. A small tool bag was included containing the Allen keys to adjust the saddle height and truss rod. The only things 'missing' were any documentation about the guitar itself and a model/serial number (label or etching) on the guitar headstock. As it stand the only identifying marks are the Artist logo on the front of the headstock. That said, the packaging and overall presentation is excellent for the price point.

Straight out of the box the action was high. Not enough to give a suspension bridge a run for its money, but more like what I generally find on acoustic guitars. I wonder if this is a trade off to allow the Quality Control Team to easier access to add the brown paper wrapping that protects the frets and fretboard from the strings. D'addario strings were fitted as standard, but in this example the plain strings were tarnished with visible black dots of corrosion. The frets were 'scratchy' but there was no fret sprout or rough edges to snag your hand on. These things can easily be remedied when I put on a new set of strings and polish the frets a bit. I lowered the action using the supplied Allen key. Just a reminder that the saddles are BRASS but Chrome plated.

Many reviewers mention that the TC59 is heavy, but I thought the weight was OK, especially for an Ash bodied guitar. The TC59L is noticeably lighter than the Revelation RTL Thinline style Tele I once owned. I play sitting down. The Spec says the TC59L has a 12" fret radius but measuring it with my fret gauges indicates it is a bit flatter at closer to 14".

The Sound – Very versatile! Artist are very up front about their Bullbuckers being inspired by Seymour Duncan's favourite pickup combination of the JB bridge and Jazz neck, except these Bullbuckers have a brighter top end with better clarity than Mr Duncan's pickups. I've owned the very set of Seymour's fave pickup combination, but prefer the excellent Bullbuckers. Some reviewers have likened these to Gibson Burstbuckers. For the purists, the Bullbuckers will not sound like a traditional Tele when coil split, but they offer a pleasant, more convincing 'single coil' tone than most of the pickups I've heard and used. When both pickups are on but coil split they are not hum cancelling as the outside screw coils are both South polarity. To remedy this I wired the bridge join wires on the push/pull switch to select Live instead of Ground, thus selecting the Bridge inside coil that is North polarity and now hum cancelling.

Measuring the DC Resistances, the Bridge came in at 13.93K and the neck at 6.97K. Some players will prefer a vintage output humbucker in the bridge, like the Vanson 57 Alnico 2 or Vanson 59 Alnico 5, but the versatility of being able to coil split more than offsets things.

There's a reason these guitars sell out very quickly. At £44 more than the Harley Benton TE-52 NA LH, the Artist offers locking tuners, bone nut, individual brass saddles, Alnico 5 humbuckers that can be coil split and tonal versatility over the well regarded TE-52. Overall the TC59L sits somewhere between the famous HB TE-52 at the more expensive HB Fusion-T HH HT tele, but is much closer to the Fusion-T in features, tonal versatility, component spec and build quality. The TC59L is by no means the Poor Man's Harley Benton Fusion-T! The blokes at Artist Guitars in Sydney exploited the £150 to £200 market with their TC59L (and right handed TC59). The Artist TC59L is far better built and specced than the left handed Squier Contemporary H-H Tele I once owned that cost twice the price of the Artist. Even the entry level Squier Affinity Tele at £229 cannot compete with the TC59L in terms of tone, component spec, build quality, playability and price.

Verdict: Excellent bang for buck!