Essex SX Tele Copy

I own 2 of these Chinese made Tele's. One is about 18 months old (sunburst) and the other is just a couple of months old (butterscotch). I believe they are 3-piece alder (according to the description by Rondo Music). They are set up pretty much in a standard Tele configuration. It is, after all, meant to be a clone. 6 saddle string thru body bridge. No-name pickups and tuners. Relatively fat neck, jumbo frets, maple fretboard.

Early on I replaced the pickups with Duncans (sunburst) and American Fender (butterscotch). With better pups these axes sound like the real deal. No hum. I have 3 tube amps and 1 solid state. All sound very good with the better pups.

Overall both guitars were well built. There was one very noticeable improvement between the first one and the second one...the finishing on the frets. On the older guitar the frets were not well finished and needed a lot of attention (sanding and smoothing). On the newer SX, the frets were not perfect, but much much better. I noticed that on both guitars (especially the older sunburst one), the height of the frets was uneven and some added finishing was necessary.

On both guitars the bridge was sub-par and I'll probably replace with a new one. The quality of the metal is just not good on the bridge (too soft) and the sound can "punk out" unless you pay a lot of attention to the setup. Now that mine have been professionally adjusted, the sustain is very good and the playability is excellent. I can only say that the factory setup was minimal. A beginner probably couldn't tell the difference. I also switched from the 09 gauge to 10 gauge strings. The sound improved quite a bit but the added stress on the neck resulted in the need to do some more adjustments.

The tuners were only fair. If you buy one and want to switch to better quality tuners, make sure to check the height of the posts on the new tuners. The SX has a thicker neck than a Fender and a lot of tuners (Klusons, Schallers) will not fit properly. Make sure to get tuners with longer posts.

Other than the frets, the finishing on the body and neck are really quite good. The finish on both guitars is above average and really exceptional for the low price of the guitar.

I think everything about the guitar looks very solid with one possible exception. The fret wire used on the guitar seems to be softer and may wear out quicker than most guitars. I think this is an area where a false sense of economy was used in the factory. I'll know more after I've had the guitars longer.

My few dealings with Kurt at Rondo Music have been excellent. He really stands behind his products and will do anything reasonable to satisfy a customer. He's a really good guy and a pleasure to deal with.

For the money, the SX teles are a real bargain. If you put a few bucks into the pups, bridge and tuners you will have a guitar that is comparable to the Fenders coming from Mexico at around $350 +/-. The items that made the most difference in sound was the pickups. Again, the newer models seem to be getting better and better as the Chinese improve their quality and use better components. I would definitely recommend the SX as a starter electric, a backup, or one that can be set up for special sounds at a minimal price.

This is the Essex SX Traditional Series Custom Hand Made, at least that?s what it says on the head. It?s the Fender Telecaster copy. I see that there are two categories here in the Essex list that are Tele copies. I don?t know if they are the same, but I will put mine here.
This, like the others was made in China. It?s a solid wood body made up of three glued-up blocks of what looks to be mahogany. Mine is a clear finish over a butterscotch / Mahogany colored stained wood. Tight mahogany grain appearance.
Same controls as the Fender Tele.; Volume, tone and three way switch.
Same pickup arrangement as the Fender Tele. Chrome lipstick neck pickup and Fender style bridge pickup.
The neck is maple with a maple slab fretboard.
The rest is basically Fender layout.

Well, I?ll just unload what I have to say right now. I found this SX Telecaster copy on eBay and decided I just had to go for it. When I found it, there were only 15 minutes left on the auction, so I went for it and ended up buying this guitar for $110. (US). It was after that, that I came here to read the reviews, and man, did I believe that I just made a huge $110 mistake. The guitar came across the county, from California all the way out to Connecticut, so I had some time to try and figure out just what I was going to do with this piece of junk that I?ve been reading about. I came to the conclusion that I would strip it down and make a relic for my own enjoyment.
Well, today UPS drove up and dropped off the delivery. I was cringing when I opened the well-packed boxes, expecting the worst. I couldn?t believe it, this guitar was absolutely gorgeous! Immediately the thought of my earlier plans went right out the window. This is honestly one of the sweetest guitars I have held.
The finish on the body was great. It?s a clear over what looks to be Mahogany, but I suspect it?s something else for some reason. I am a high-end furniture builder by trade and I have to say that it took me a minute to even find the glue joints. It honestly looks like one piece of wood until you closely inspect the end-grain. The color is killer. It?s hard to explain, but I will be happy to send anyone of you pictures. It?s an orangy/mahogany color with some very well applied clear coat
The pickgaurd is white and again is right on as far as the Fender goes. All of the hardware is brightly and heavily chromed, really nice job here. The bridge looks to be a much higher quality then I had expected. The volume and tune knobs are just about right on with setscrews and all. They have a very nice feel to them that seems to be firm rather then loose when you turn them. The three-way switch is also good quality and is very firm and precise during selection.
The strap pegs are very tight and firm also and I don?t see them as ever being a problem. The input jack is again of good quality, but unfortunately it?s not very Fender like. This is about the only hardware disappointment I had, because it was the only thing that was not right-on Fender like.

OK, so what, this thing looks great, but I bet it sounds horrible. I plugged it into a small amp of my sons, and I was again blown away. I just stared to smile this real big smile, and I have to say that it?s still with me. With all that I have heard here about this guitar, I was amazed, and very relieved. I was basically holding a Fender Telecaster in my hands! The range of tone that this little inexpensive guitar was putting out was just great. Can you tell yet that I love this thing? Nothing like that Tele ?Twang?, and this babies got it. I saw no signs of poor pickup out put what-so-ever. Switch it to the neck pickup and there you have a wonderful round rhythm sound deep enough that you could reach right into it.
The neck feels great. The maple slab fret board is a great feel. Almost flat having VERY little curve to it. The fretswires are flawless! They are low and smooth and did NOT poke out past the fretboard.
The action on this guitar is one of the best I?ve been on. Very low! No humming! No buzzing!
Just a real nice fast neck that I don?t want to put down. I will say that the choice of wood grain on the fretboard could have been better, but now I have to be picky to find something wrong with this guitar.

Finish of the body, neck and hardware are just top notch. The only flaws on this guitar that I could find was a small one in the cutting of the pickguard. I pointed it out to my son and he said that he could hardly see it.
This guitar arrived out of the box in almost perfect tune, just a tiny bit flat. A couple of tweaks on the tuners and she was there. Not bad for a guitar that just traveled from sunny California to sub zero CT. The tuners seem OK to me, but here time will tell. We?ll see how long she holds a tune, but so far I don?t see a problem, especially after that long trip.
The action is super low with no buzz at all. Strings are from the factory so I?m guessing that they are 10s. I normally rip the factory strings off my guitars, but once again, I?m feeling good about these and will most likely leave them on.
Everything is aligned correctly.

I can only guess here, but I will say that this guitar is rock solid and I don?t see a problem

Bought it second hand

This guitar is really for my son, though I think he?s lost it to me. Since this guitar is basically in the $100 category, I?ll compare it to two others that I have in this category. One is the Jay Turser Les Paul Goldtop. NO COMPARISON! The Jay Turser is a real piece of garbage compared to this SX even though the JT cost twice as much.
The other is a Epiphone SG Special. Again the SG is about double the price, and as good as I thought it was for a $200 guitar, the SX again is just that much better.
If I had this guitar stolen, I?d be really pissed! I would replace it in a heartbeat, but I?d be afraid that maybe I?d get a lemon like some here seem to have gotten.

I bought the SX second hand. With what I had read here, I wondered just what the previous owner might have done to it. When asked, he told me that ?I just opened the box , tuned it , and played ! Great guitar right out of the box ! Those are actually the strings that came on it ! ?

We both were quite baffled on what we have read here. I know I?ve gone on and on here about this guitar, but I just can?t believe that it?s as great as it is for a $100 guitar. For value alone, I'd give this guitar a 12, but it only goes to 10.

All the same features as a real tele, with string thru the body

Front pickup is a little bassey, but rear one shimmers with twang. I play it through an old gibson tube amp, Rivera and with my old Fender tube amp it is magic

Couldn't ask for more. Better than epiphones and equal to Fender

Hardware is good, however I will upgrade the tuners

Like the 2 reviews below, I also purchased this Tele copy from Rondo Music over the internet. It arrived quickly and packed expertly and I wasn't disappointed in any respect. With the small exception of the headstock style (which I'm going to sand down to match a Fender neck), this copy is a dead-on match for a real Tele. The finish and fit were excellent, the neck is satin-smooth, the frets were properly dressed and fitted into the neck and requires no work from a guitar tech. In fact, I was pleasantly suprised at how good the overall guitar was, especially the neck. Most copies are rough around the edges but not this one. Standard electronics including 3-way switch, volume & tone, and the 2 standard type Tele pickups. Sounds good - like a real Tele. Overall weight is pretty light, I have no idea what wood was actually used but its comfortable and balanced pretty well. Tuners are non-adjustable and not as good as Schallers, Gotohs, or no-name copies, I may replace them. Bridge is 6-saddles, with strings going through the body. All chrome parts are finished perfectly with no rough edges and the black pickguard was spotless and protected by plastic. I also ordered a gig bag for the guitar for $15. The action was rather high, but I lowered it down with the included allen wrench. A couple of the lower strings weren't intonated but I took care of that as well.

Very close to an original Fender in tone, perhaps indistinguishable. Has that Tele twang. I'm going to install a noise shield along with a cosmetic change to a tortoise-shell pickguard to help shield out the background buzz/noise (which is no more than a standard Tele). Seeing as this guitar only costs $109, the overall sound and comparison to a Fender is astounding!

Action was set too high and a couple of the lower strings were intonated sharp but I took care of that myself. Pickups were adjusted properly, all the physical features of the guitar including the finish, fretwires, bridge components and pickups/controls were perfect in all respects. The neck, while a little fatter and wider than a standard tele neck, is comfortable and the satin finish is very smooth. No glaze or goop on the neck at all, smooth as silk. Only item that was so-so are the tuners -- some of them are a little looser-feeling than others but they do the job reasonably well. The guitar looks absolutely beautiful and it appears that the factory took care to make a quality instrument.

It appears that the durability and reliability of this guitar can and will equal any other guitar made.

Kurt at Rondo Music was very responsive to my questions and took care of my order promptly. No complaints here, they also over a 30 day money back guarantee however if you get one of these guitars I wouldn't think you would return it, its an amazing value.

I'm a hobbyist now but played professionally for 25 years. I've had lots of guitars (too many to remember) but they ones that stayed with me are my trusty 73 Strat, and a Danelectro Hodad 12-string. I bought the Essex tele just for fun and the color (antique-white/cream) matches my faded out Strat, and to have as a 2nd guitar when I finally take my old Strat in to be refurbished. I was so impressed with the Tele that I've also ordered a Jazz Bass copy in Lake Placid Blue for an amazing price of $115 as well. If the Essex Jazz Bass is as nice as the Tele is, it might even be a more amazing value. While these guitars are no equal to a pristine example of a vintage guitar, they certainly equal and in many respects completely blow away the other copy guitars I've had. Grind down the extra point on the Essex Tele neck to match a Fender headstock design, install a repro Fender decal, change the tuners, and reverse the neck plate, and no one will know the difference :> -- and when you tell them you paid $109 for it, their jaws will drop!

What can you say, the guitar is styled after the classic telecaster. Chessy tuners but nice bridge with thru body string features. this is not a usual feature for budget teles. Decent neck with some fret imperfections.

I use this guitar for traditional blues. If you want the albert collins "pop", you'll get it. the guitar was not grounded when i got it. The matter was corrected with a little attention from my guitar tech. Great sound on both pickups. If you want the tele sound, you wont be dissapointed

nice... guitar arrived with a med-low action. some fret buzz. this was eliminated with a trip to the guitar tech. my tech had to perform a minor file job on the fifth and eight frets. This seems to be a common occurence with moderate to low priced guitars. My 50's fender strat reissue had the same problem at five times the price. nice laminated body. finish is rich and simular to 70's fender

I used the guitar at a gig last week. the other guitar player loved it and ordered his own. he is a fender fanatic but was impressed with the "sx". I played it through a victoria blues amp with one 15 speaker. fat tone was the result. Not bad for 109.00. I wouldn't hestiate using it at any gig.

bought the guitar from rondo music. it was an internet order. great service with a speedy turnaround.

what can I say. this guitar isn't the fancy butterscotch 50's fender reissue. but, what a cool copy. Iv'e owned the best(les paul, fender custom shop strat) and the worst-dont ask. Iv'e always had a place for cool cheepo guitars. If this was stolen, I would buy another. A good buy at 109.00

Headstock reads "SX", "Traditional Series" and "Custom Hand Made". 2001 model, made in China. I know what you are thinking: Garbage? Crap? Not really! This has got to be the best Tele copy I have ever beheld (although I have not yet tried the Squire Standard Tele, which I hear is pretty great and only costs $200). 22 frets, transparant natural gloss finish 3-piece alder body (looks solid at first glance), solid one-piece maple neck, maple fretboard. 3-way selector, two single-coils---one lipstick-style (Seymore Duncan copy?) at the neck side, and one regular open singlecoil near the bridge. Your basic Tele set-up to the 'T'. Looks like the real thing; and feels semi- like the real thing. Tuners are a cheesy generic no-name enclosed casing type, and actually do the job reasonably well for $109 guitar. The guitar is in tune most of the time while playing, or sitting around. I thought for sure that tuners would be an area where a cheap guitar like this would fail miserably. This one passes the test, however. We'll see how long they last. No accessories, no gig bag, no case, no strap, no cable, no whammy bar, no humidifier(?), and no catalytic converter either--but it did come with a hex key for the bridge tuners. Like the real Fender Tele, this is a basic guitar with basic features in general.

Suits some of my style(s) just fine. I play everything from Jazz to Country to Pop to Mahavishnu to Grateful Dead. This guitar works especially well for Country, Texas Swing, Dead, and balls-out rock--that Nashville pluck and twang sound for sure. Just like a Tele should. Bright sound in general. Pickups on this Essex SX Tele Copy are actually pretty damn good. Not quite the range as a real Fender Tele, of course, but I can compensate for that on my Mesa Boogie amp. I use a Mesa Boogie .22 Caliber amp. Overdriving the master gain naturally causes distortion a la Jimi Hendrix Star Spangled Banner...again, as a guitar should. No problems here. Low gain and any amount of volume sounds clear and clean, just as I would want. Really has a nice sound overall. Playing through my little Epiphone Studio 10 practice amp sounds pretty good too. In summary, the neck lipstick-style pickup sounds thinner and brighter, while the single-coil near the bridge sounds a little fatter and deeper. Will I replace the pickups? I may, but right now, I am satisfied and in no hurry to do so. The variety of sounds: Thin, Fatter, and In-between (hence, the three-way switch between pickups). It is your basic single coil sound. I give this category a 7, but for the price it could be a 9 or 10.

Guitar was set up, even almost in tune, when I received it in the mail. Intonation seems 'right on' all over the fretboard. Action is good and relatively low, although i wuld like to have it lower still. The SX Tele copy is definitely comfortable to play. Action seems lower nearest the nut end, a bit higher working my way up the fretboard. Not sure if possible without string buzz occuring. And, now that i mention it, there is some string buzzing on the B and high E strings on the 2nd fret which I can't seem to get rid of, no matter how I adjust the individual bridge tuners (up, down left right, still buzzes). Looks like the cheap plastic nut was not machined evenly at the higher strings. This will be the first thing that gets replaced.

Frets are pretty good, but could use some filing on the edges in my opinion. The edges (on either side of the fretboard) of the frets seem a bit rough when I slide my hand up and down the neck. The middle of the fretboard seems smooth and fine, however.

Pickups are probably adjusted optimally. Will need to play with those a bit more. Bridge, switches, bracing, and pots all seem in good order. No electronics noise at all. Can find no real problems, as hard as I look--and I generally know what to look for. My only real complaint is the stupid-ass cheap plastic nut that is uneven.

The most notable asset this guitar profers is the apparently expert wood craftsmanship. Nothing bad to report about the finish. I have seen worse things to pick on with brand new Gibsons and Fenders. Beautiful wood, and expert woodwork. Would be nice to have one solid piece for the guitar body, instead of three pieces laminated together, but they did a very nice job matching the wood. Honestly one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen.

I'll bet this guitar lives a good, long, and solid playing life. Again, evidence of really nice expert craftsmanship is all over this guitar. Some cheap parts, naturally. Some rough areas too. Not perfect, but more than I would expect for the money. One day I will probably replace the nut, get the action set up professionally, and have the frets filed down and smoothed. Nonetheless, the guitar works just fine. I would depend on this guitar, and feel as confident about it as any of the Gibsons or Fenders, Samicks or Epiphones I own. When gigging, always use a back up in case a string breaks or something, but I would be surprised if something just plain broke down on this Tele SX.

Bought from RondoMusic.com. Very nice, responsive and friendly folks. Never had to deal with them on product service though. Warranty? Hmmm. Good question. I really have no idea, nor do I really care for $109!

I really don't know why some folks are bashing this instrument. Maybe the older ones that came out were pretty bad. If so, I think they must have made at least SOME improvements. This is a reasonably good guitar, and at the risk of sounding cliche, well-worth the hundred bucks.

I own 2 Gibson SGs (1968 Deluxe, 1971 Standard Cherry Sunburst), Hotrodded Gibson Melody Maker (1965), Epiphone 12-string Acoustic, Epiphone Blonde The Dot, Raven 12-string electric, Raven Neck-Thru, Hamer Stellar 3 Flame Top, Galveston Triple-Neck, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster. A few others.

I have been playing guitar since 1968. That makes 33 years as of this writing. I would buy this guitar over and over again, if it were lost or stolen. What do I like the most? Feels almost like a brand new Tele from Fender. With a little work, maybe I would like this Essex version almost as nice as the $1500 or $2500 one needs to shell out these days for a new USA Fender or a real beat up old 1969 Fender Tele. I mean, this Essex is what it is. Its not a Fender, but so what?