AXL AT-200BK

It's a chinese made Tele copy with maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and what appears to be a 3 piece alder body. 'Standard' size and shape tele PUs with EMG on them, but passive. Finished in a very good but very pale blue with white 3 ply scratchguard. The bridge is a top-loader, which was authentic for some vintage years of fender. 3 vintage style saddles rather than 6 like a modern version.

This sounds simply astonishing for the price. I bought it at the Music Live show a few of weeks back, and tried a number of budget 'teles' (and some not so budget versions). Some looked nicer, but no others could touch the sounds from the AXL teles and strats I tried that had these EMG PUs.

It has that famous twang that's just right for this style guitar. However it's not just a C&W tool. There are much bigger and rockier sounds to be had, especially with a little enthusiastic application of a pick through mild overdrive. Bridge is bright, neck fat and warm, in-between has lots of tense, complex and satisfying harmonics that don't easily get muddy. It'll chug, it'll strop and it'll give a fat and gritty solid bar of tone when you drive it the right amount.

You'd be happy with these tones if you'd paid 7 times as much.

The factory setup was poor, but no worse than almost every new guitar I've handled and better than some. I set the intonation, dropped the action a little, backed off the neck relief a touch and tweaked PU heights. Frets were well finished, smooth and polished, and with no sharp ends. New strings helped tuning stability considerably. Checked the fretwork with a straightedge - no high frets found. That's all it needed and I've gigged it 3 times since.

The finish overall is OK. Paintwork on the body was smooth and clean, although it does chip easily, especially of you're clumsy when taking pictures! The neck has an aged satin finish, and there were a couple of places where there were slight rough spots. The neck pocket isn't the tightest or best machined, but sustain is excellent, and the whole guitar is very resonant Controls work well and quietly. Rolling off volume doesn't harm the tone at all, and the tone control attenuates treble without it dissolving into muddiness.

Hardware generally seems to a high standard. Machines were tight and tuning stable. All screws were done up just right (checked neck bolts - fine). There were a couple of finish imperfections on the fingerboard at the second fret, but nothing serious.

Well I've played out with it 3 times already, so it's certainly gig-worthy. Only time will tell how it'll last, but I've no reason to believe it'll fall apart on me. I wouldn't take a backup, however I do usually take more than 1 guitar so that I've a range of different tones available.

I have dealt with the dealer (city centre music, Birmingham) over an AXL amp, and they were very good, swapping it out by courier at their expense. Seem good to me.

I've been playing a while now (since I was 16, now I'm 43) and have had a reasonable number of guitars, covering all the bases. I wouldn't want this as my only guitar, because for the stuff I play (worship music) it's quite hard to make this one sound delicate and gentle, and I have my strat for that stuff. It's a big, big rocky guitar that just begs you to dig in and thrash it.

As for replacing it, well probably as it's the one I'm tending to reach for despite being the 'cheapie'. I'd really bought it to be a 'beater' and to learn fretwork on, but I don't want to change anything on it now - it just sounds too good to hack about with.

This is the AXL Telecaster copy. Very good in my opinion, especially for the money. It was made in China. Solid alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, rosewood stripe up the back of the neck. Classic 25 1/2 scale. EMG made Axl pickups. 22 frets, medium, if i was guessing. Black high gloss finish, with white body binding on the front of the guitar. Black/white/black layered pickguard. Kluson style tuners, they really had the vintage look to them, put too much play, so ive already changed them to Grover minis. the neck is very fast medium thickness, there is two dead notes on it thought, the little e string on the 2nd and 3rd fret is dead. A proper setup will fix this. It isnt a string through body though, thats the only difference between it and a real Fender or Squier Tele. These EMG pickups are the old EMG Select ones. Very good made, and almost a good tele twang but not quite, but they will do for a while.

This suits my music stlye perfect, well for the songs I play it on,mostly beatles, rolling stones, and tom petty tunes. any tunes we play that i think needs a good tele sound. we play everything from beatles to bob marley to metallica and pantera. so it comes in handy during some songs. I use a 90's solid state Marshall combo, with a BBE sonic maximizer, and a EH Small Stone Phaser. This guitar fit right in and I havent noticed the first bit of noise yet. Very bright and full sound, although i had to raise the bridge pickup to get a sound out of it(well not a sound, but it was real low). It gives a very good Tele sound, Im not complaning for 169$. And it beats Squiers and Mexican made Fenders Ive played and heard. If your looking into one of those go with this one, youll save lots of money, free shipping from Mandalay Music and also included a Cord, Levys Strap, Gig bag, and two allen wrenches, one for the truss rod, one for the saddles. Im very happy with the sound of this guitar!!!!! I also have a ESP Viper 301, Epiphone Casino, and a Fernandes Dragonfly X. and right now I cant quit picking up this one and playing it.

Like I said I had to raise the bridge pickup to get it to liven up a bit, and the adjustment screws for the neck pickup are UNDER the pickguard(i didnt like this but its cool). This action was great no truss rod adjustments needed, although i do need to take it and get the intonation set on it cause it is a little off, and not to forget the dead frets on the low(small) e string on the 2nd and 3rd frets. But the action was very good to me, I thought it was very greasy in that Telecaster way, so i was happy with the action. I havent noticed any flaws on it yet. I did change the tuners to Grover minis, and I also put a white pearloid pickguard on it for very good looks.

Ive not giged with this one yet, but im not gonna be afraid to. Seems to be a very well built guitar. Finish was beautiful for me, i didnt like the way the black pickguard looked on it so i changed mine to a white pearloid and its sexy now. Im happy with it and since my band plays a different array of tunes, I always have a couple of guitar with me to accomidate that. But I will be gigging with it, for some of our tunes.

I dealt with Mandalay Music out of Phoenix and I have to say they are great. Got free shipping on it. Got a free gig bag, cord, levys strap, and two allen wrenches. As far as i know theres is no warranty on it. so my rating for this catagory is based on Mandalay Music and I give them a 10.

like i said for the money you cant beat this one. it doesnt have a string through body, but still has great sustain. i didnt like the tuners and i replaced them. and i put another pickguard on it. after i get it setup by a pro for intonation ill be jamming on this guitar more than my others. just the feel of it is great. I would buy another one it its lost or stolen. and like i said for the money it beasts a mexican made fender, and the squier. got out and get this one, wonderful guitar. ive been playing for 15 years and have to say im very proud of this instrument.

I have owned this guitar for about 3 mos now. I love the way it looks. It is a maple-maple combo that it just killer to look at. The neck is wider than I was used to playing, but I am used to it now and don't mind it at all. The controls are comfortable as is the guitar used with a strap or while sitting down. I would say that the neck speed would be medium. I am drawn to playing the guitar even though I have other more expensive(way more expensive)guitars that actually play better. I'm not exactly sure why.

The sound seems to me pretty nice. The bridge pick-up is trebly. The center position gives a good sound also. When switched to the neck pick-up, the guitar to me seems to be too deep (even w/ the tone control all the way up). I play a variety of music, so I usually just monkey with the middle or rear position. Regarding the power of the pick-ups--I was playing the AXL just the other day and switched to my les paul without changing the amp settings and I just about got blown out of the room. The Les Paul has the stock double humbuckers, but it will blow away the AXL. Honestly though I guess this would be like comparing an orange w/ an apple. But just as a reference, this is what I have found.

This is where I have had the trouble w/ the guitar. The set-up from the factory was HORRIBLE! Like I said, looks were unreal, but the set-up was at very best disappointing. SLOP, SLOP, SLOP in the tuners. So much so that I bought a set of fender tuners for it. Now no more tuner slop. Action was a little high so I lowered it as far as I could. I wish I could get it just a little lower, but it just won't do it without the buzz. Intonation was the worst. I play a couple of songs w/ a capo and even with the capo on the third fret it sounded like you were mashing a cat. I read up on intonation and started fooling around w/ it. I got it close, but close intonation is like being a little pregnant. Ultimately I had to take three of the bridge saddle screws out and cut them down by a third in order to get enough adjustment out of the to set the intonation. I am finally now just getting the thing really tweeked in where I want it.

Reliabilty/Durability are unknown at this point. It does look good and feel good.

Have not used any customer support.

Overall opinion of this guitar is good (now). It is a real looker(bordering stunning). Lets be realistic though. It's a $200 guitar so what do you really want. As I said, I have nicer guitars that play better than this one, but I will leave the AXL on the guitar stand and usually will play it first. Again, I don't know why. My other stringed instrument include a '78 Les Paul Custom--a late 70's Ovation solid body electric--2 Strats--a Garth Model Takamine acoustic--a Gibson GB 77 Bass--7 Ukuleles--and a few other not so desireable instruments. I am most recently playing in a Polynesian Band (9 dudes--I am the only Haole). We played a gig in May for a crowd of about 900 and the 2 guitars I took and played were the AXL and my Takemine.

typical tele setup with no string through on body everything is functional like a real tele it has to be a 9 only because it`s not a string through body they included a gig bag&10` cord(very sturdy!)oops chinese i believe

AFTER setup sound is very good-the emg pickup`s are the cats meow all the tight high LOUD tele sound you`d ever want-much better than a squier or any other newer copy but not a vintage tele either i just got it so it has been my new toy to play with-after 2 days i`m still picking it up instead of any other guitars-thats impressive to me

setup was terrible but this guitar cost $158 total with shipping so i didnt expect a setup the frets would rip your hand open&had to be dressed also a dead spot at 2nd fret hi E just like a real fender after a hour or so it was intonated&setup-now it ROCKS

looks to be sturdy very light but the wood seems to be hard enough to stay together i like it is all i can say strap buttons etc were all ok i will gig this guitar thats why i bought it-to play it

i`ve heard nothing but good about the dealer i bought it off of&they were courteous to me i`ve found nothing wrong with the guitar for the money,BUT.. they did advertise that it was setup by a luthier-if so this guys needs to go back to flipping burgers a 8 because the luthier was sleepin on the job also in their defense the ad said if you are a pro get a real setup

been playing for 25+ yrs i`ve had&still have some classic guitars but i love the fact that you can buy these new ones for $200 or less that are very good knockoffs of classics i got what i paid for in other words the only thing i wish it had was a string through body&i may do that myself the electrics are fine the finish is good lookin(blonde) if you want to buy any of these online guitars remember that a setup is a must&do some research some guitars even made by the same company are not gonna be anywhere near the same quality this axl is a johnson guitar with better electrics-worth the extra $40 bucks imho

I think it's made in China, and probably in 2001. It is a standard Tele knock-off with 21 frets, chrome covered lipstick pup in the neck and covered pup at the bridge, solid alder body, gloss midnight black body with white multi-layer binding, tortise pick guard, Chrome tele bridge (not string through body), chrome control pod with 1 volume, 1 tone, and 3 way switch. Tuners are 6 in line Kluson style covered chrome (with boat loads of play between hither and yon). The neck is maple, with a rosewood fingerboard and skunk stripe. Headstock is AXL's own shape, but sort of Tele-like, bearing "AXL Player Deluxe", and rather nice figuring in the wood. Inlays are pearl dot, and frets are vintage(?). The fingerboard appears to be bound in a deep dark brown with small white markers. The guitar was supplied with a basic padded gig bag, useable cord, allen wrench for neck adjustment, and a strap (more of a gesture, than a functional item). Comes equipped with Fender strings.

I don't really play well enough to make a statement about which type of music would be best served by this guitar. I don't play metal, headbanger, rap, pop. I do play Rock and Roll, Blues, Jazz and some country. With my limited abilities, the guitar has it's own sound and tone, and would probably sound better in more capable hands, but I'm totally satisfied with the sounds eminating from it. It will sustain a note for over a minute, and the pick ups are actually designed by EMG. The bridge pickup bears the EMG logo. They seem to be more than adequate for the job, and are hot enough for just about any player. I don't notice much hum from either or both. With the tone control wide open (treble emphasis), the guitar is very bright. Coupled with the bridge pick up, it will please any lead player, and cut through the noise of other players and audience, without being shrill or piercing. The tone control functions well, and is very progressive, leading to the tonal quality of your choice(the volume control duplicates this fine progressive performance). When cutting out treble, the tone control functions well without getting "muddy". In my opinion, however, this guitar doesn't "quack" enough for my taste. I've never owned a Tele before, but from reviews I've read, I would think the 2 single coil pick ups would generate more "quack". My Strat quacks just fine.

I received the first one, and the neck was loose. Upon further inspection, the 2 lower holes in the neck were stripped. In fact, they had been mis-drilled, and the holes were elongated.....nearly 1/4". The second one I received had no neck problems, and was in tune. I made some action adjustments to suit me, but it was fine right out of the box for most players.

The pick ups are just about as loud, and as sensitive as any of my other guitars and are pretty quiet, which, quite frankly, surprised me. They are supposedly EMG's, so I guess that would account for it.

The tuners have far too much play, but do the job.

Now, on to the negative stuff. The finish is fine, and very very attractive, but, the tell tale signs of improper prep work are evident. Under the very nice paint job, you can see the raised grain of the wood. It was either improperly sanded, sealed, or filled before the paint was applied. The neck appears to have been stored in a box with about a gazillion other necks at the factory, as numerous small dents are visible on it's backside. The neck itself (maple) is clear coated with a vintage tint, and is very attractive. The chrome covered lipstick pick up, bridge, and control pod are very attractive and blend well with everything else. However, there is a noticeable surface scratch on the control pod. The control knobs are vintage style knurled chrome with set screws. The switch uses a vintage style tophat switch cover. The controls are smooth and quiet.

The midnight black finish, tortise pick guard (3 layer-tortise-black-white), chrome controls, vintage tint on the neck and headstock, and the white body binding all come together to make a spectacular presentation. The guitar looks elegant.....if you don't look too close. The above mentioned flaws are nit picky, and had I paid several hundred dollars for this, would be an issue. Since the price was more than reasonable, I can most certainly live with them. In fact, for most players, within a couple of weeks, the guitar would be decorated with similar badges of courage.

The frets are dressed well, with no sharp edges at the bevels on any of them. I would have preferred higher polishing, though.

Even with the flaws, it is a very nice looking instrument.

When I pick it up, and start to play, all those little nit picky, cosmetic things evaporate. It's very comfortable to play. Not too heavy, and it just "fits". It stays in tune. It sounds great. The neck feels fine and is moderately fast. It has "personality". I think I'll give it a name.

I believe, short of Pete Townsend, this guitar would withstand the rigors of live playing and travel employing the usual cautions and common sense.

The hardware seems fine, and since it's basic, there's practically nothing to go wrong.

The finish seems fine at first glance, but only time will tell it's longevity.

The strap buttons are on the smaller side, and the lower bout button has a relatively short screw. It was stripped upon receipt. It's not much effort to replace it with a longer one.

If I were capable of playing in front of an audience, I would never gig without a back up. Regardless of the brand or style of the instrument, Murphy will always find his way into your life. Strings break, power surges......

Purchased from Music Brokers online. They're based in Phoenix, AZ. The first one was defective, and they were prompt, courteous, and helpful to resolve the situation.

As far as customer support from the manufacturer...who knows? This guitar is supposedly manufactured by/for Johnson. The AXL line is supposed to be the "professional" line of Johnson guitars. If you believe that........I've got some land in Florida.........

I've been playing off and on (mostly off) since the mid-60's. Had I been able to see, touch, and play this thing before purchase, I may have passed. I'm growing fonder of it every day, as it plays well, and does everything it's supposed to. It is an easy player, with sustain and tone, but, it just does'nt quack enough. It certainly has found a place in my collection, and just staring at it from across the room puts a smile on my face. For the paltry sum I paid, I won't be selling it off, but I do think I'll look for a genuine Telecaster to get that "quack". I must admit, when reaching for a guitar, it's one of the first ones I grab. My other guitars include: DeArmond M-77T, M-77, Fender Mexican Strat, Squier Affinity Fat Strat (which is 1 in a million, better than just about any other Strat I've played), Raven RM-2000 (killer knock off of a Gibson Les Paul Special Lite, and sunken controls like a PRS), a Johnson JH-480 (jazz hollow body), Ovation/Applause AA-31, and a Harmony Soveriegn Jumbo. My amps are all pretty crappy and not worth mentioning.

I would therefore, recommend this guitar. It's not going to please everyone. But it may please you. I think it would make a nice guitar for beginner and professional alike. In comparison, it's the equal or better to the Squier Affinity Tele, or Squier Standard Tele. It looks much better than anything they offer. But......I wonder if they "quack"........????