Fender '52 Reissue Telecaster

Thi review is for a 2009 Fender American Vintage Reissue 52 Telecaster. Features? It's as basic as you'll find, but to
those who play seriously, it has proven to be the most versatile
electric ever made.

Unlike all the Strats and Les Pauls, this guitar can easily
sound: woody, twangy, extremely clean, or dangerously over-driven
with ease. It's no question why Fender has continued to make this guitar.
As it comes stock, the #3 position on the toggle (neck pickup only)
w/no tone control does sound dark and muddy, BUT, when the toggle is
wedged between position #3 and the middle, you get a TOTALLY
UNIQUE out-of-phase sound that a Strat will NOT deliver. So much for
converting to the modern wiring. I love the way it sounds now, so I'm not changing a thing.
It's common knowledge that Page used his 58 Tele on
"Whole-Lotta-love", but most aren't aware that it was the same axe used on "Stairway to Heaven", (original albums).
Finally, a tele can't rock? Tell that to Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher,
and a list too long to continue!

Absolutely perfect, and that's saying something these days,
considering I've seen Custom Shop guitars come off the line
that were God awful.

If you can break a Tele, you belong in the WWF!

Every time I've called Carona, they were courteous and
helpfull.

A thought to remember: SIMPLE IS BEST! Ask any of your Guitar
Heros, and that's what you'll hear. Better to have a simple, clean
sounding, comfortable, and durable axe, (that with) different
amps, effects, and playing styles, can DO IT ALL.

My guitar is a 2009 model. Stanard features for a Tele; 2 piece ash body (butterscotch w/black pickguard), fat maple neck/fingerboard, 2 Fender single coil pickups, volume and tone control, and a 3 way pickup switch. It doesn't get much more simple than this. Standard Fender tuners and hardware (3 saddle bridge is installed). Came with the tweed case, 6 saddle bridge, capacitor for modern style wiring (which I have done), guitar cable, and strap. This is a very simple guitar, but extremely versitle.

This is why I bought this guitar - the sound is fantastic! I have had several Telecasters in the past (as well as other single coil pickup guitars) and was never satisfied with the bridge pickup. Single coil bridge pickups always sounded thin to me, and I never liked the way they sounded when the amp was overdriven (kind of fuzzy and hi-fi sounding). This guitar is much different. It certainly does all of the things a Tele should do - the twang, the clean, bright, articulate sounds, but, it also can sound HUGE when overdriven. It becomes thick and fat, but still maintains clarity. This is the first Tele I have had that could produce this sound. I'm mainly a humbucker player (Gibsons, PRS...), but I wanted something that was more bright sounding and could cut through a mix, but still had a big sound. This guitar does that easily. The bridge pickup sounds big and clear, the middle position (set up for modern wiring) sounds thinner and brighter, and the neck pickup sounds deep and smooth. I use this guitar with a Mesa/Boogie F-30 combo amp, with a few basic effects, or a Vox Tonelab SE for headphone practicing and it sounds great through either.

The guitar was set up perfectly from the factory. My dealer (Long and McQuade in Burlington, Ontario - GREAT guys to deal with!) ordered it in for me (they have a difficult time keeping this model in stock), and it was perfect right out of the case! Fretwork, pickup adjustment, action...everything was great. It was set up for 10's and sounds and feels great with that guage.

It's been pretty much been proven over time that a Tele is one of the most durable and reliable guitars you could play. The only thing I have changed (other than re-wiring the electronics to modern specs) is the strap buttons, which were replaced by strap locks. I do this on all of my guitars. I would use this guitar live without a backup with no reservations at all.

I have never needed to deal with Fender, so I can't really offer an opinion here. I don't really expect that I would ever have to deal with them in regards to this guitar.

I have been playing for more than 30 years now, and I have owned a lot of guitars over the years. I currently own 2 Gibson '58 Les Paul reissues, a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion, a Gibson EDS-1275 doubleneck, a PRS Custom 24, a Washburn WP-50, an F Bass, and several acoustics. I am totally happy with the way this guitar sounds, plays, and feels and would not change a thing. Before I decided on the '52 Reissue, I was considering the '51 Nocaster. I love the sound and feel of the Nocaster, and prefer the HUGE neck, but I didn't feel that there was enough of a difference in sound and feel to justify the substantial extra cost, especially since I am primarily a Gibson player and the Tele is not used nearly as much. The longer I play, the more I appreciate a simple, great sounding guitar plugged into a great sounding, responsive amp, and this guitar is ideal for that. For me, this guitar is everything a good Tele should be. I do feel that this guitar is a little overpriced, but I feel this way about pretty much all guitars!

This is a review for '82. & '00. I'll try to compare those two. This is ultimat guitar, so simple beautifull and sounds amazing, but... No rating... Its 1 and 10, wood and strings, rest is up to you!!!

First I got ,00. model and I could use ia in any situacion soundig cleanes cleen but handeled distortion better than my 81. strat (ocd + 79. marshall SL MK2).
And then I got '82 model. The unplugged sound was amazing, like an accoustic!!! But squeeeelling on dist I cane to conclution thah this was a bit different from the other, more Vintage. Both have that buzz from PUs, its a part of the deal -1... So I'll give them 9

'00. neck is faaat U shape, but more naturall then my '57 LP gold top, ond '82. war something between U and C. I like action a litlle bit high no buzz with 009 strings.

You can get in fight with it and YWANG on in tune after that! FOREVER!

No Idea, no need for that...

I've been playing since 10 years old, 32 now, and as a pro for last decade and more I think this is the guitar to carry on a desert island.
It is great soudding and you can play every cind of music with it, except metal, put a humbucker in bridge and there you go.
My main guitars ane EBMM Van Halen, and '57.RI strat and and these two beauties! This is the ultimate classic for a reasonable price! 10

* 2008 '52 American Vintage Reissue Telecaster (USA)
* 21 frets, vintage-style
* Controls: 2 knobs (Volume, Tone Control), 3-position pickup selector
* Pickup configuration (S/S) (Position 1: Bridge only, Position 2: Neck only with tone control, Position 3: Neck only with no tone control)
* Pickups: American Vintage Tele Single-Coil Pickups
* Passive Electronics
* Body wood: Ash
* Vintage bridge with three-piece brass saddles
* Gotoh vintage-style tuners
* Neck: One piece maple, 7.25" radius U shaped neck
* Accessories: Vintage-style tweed hardshell case, vintage bridge with six piece saddles, vintage leather strap (useless!), wiring kit for modern three-way switching

Using a Tonelab LE mostly, and also played through Fender Twin Reverb or Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. This guitar is very versatile!

I must chime in here and comment on what a lot of reviewers have been saying about the neck pickup. A lot of reviewers here (who have been knocking on the neck pickup) are gravely mistaken about their own 52 reissue teles! The factory pickup configurations for the '52 AVRI 3-position selector does not have a neck and bridge combined setting! Position 1 is bridge only, positions 2 and 3 are the neck only, with position 3 having NO TONE CONTROL!!!

People have been erroneously saying that the neck pickup is weak and muddy and dark sounding! Yes, the neck pickup is weak, but it is sounding that way because it is in position 3. Position 2 give you full tone control and you can dial in your tone for the neck pickup!

Trust Fender and other players out there! Would they put out a neck pickup setting that lame? It was done because the 52s had this setting. Anyways, the neck pickup is great! I hardly use position 3 because I personally find it useless too, but in position 2 the neck only with tone control gives me such a beautiful sweet buttery sound. Sounds particularly great when paired with tremelo on Fender amps (called erroneously called "Vibrato" by Fender)

The bridge pickup is very bright and gives you great lead tones, has real balls! The Tone control gives you the ability to dial in the tone you need.

I am going to switch to the modern 3-way switching soon (bridge only, bridge and neck, neck only). Again, the guys here who say they are going to grab a American Std or American Deluxe because the neck pickup sounds better have no idea what they are talking about. Position 3 on those guitars = position 2 on the '52 reissue!!! Position 2 on those new guitars is neck and bridge together, which is not in the vintage wiring scheme of the '52 reissue.

There is a bit of hum on the pickups of these guitars, but I can live with them. The sound is just too good on these guitars for me to change anything. I do have a Fender Custom Shop Twisted Tele neck pickup that I may put in in the future, but I like the neck pickup on this tele so much, it may never get done!

Impeccable workmanship. The nitrocellulose finish is beautifully done. The neck may be a little sticky for some people, and I experienced it in the beginning, but this goes away after you play it a while. The neck has a 7.25" radius, giving a more rounder neck profile. People says this can cause you the fret out on bends, but I think this is a bit overblown. Once you get accustomed to the neck, you can bend notes just fine, regardless of the register you are in. Sure, a 9.5" radius makes things easier, but I personally find the rounder fretboard much more handier to fret and grab chords on.

The factor setup is pretty good, but of course, I have to tweak it to my liking. But it was good enough for me to play before buying it.

The only knock here is the nitrocellulose finish. It gives you a beautiful gloss finish that is relatively thin compared to the newer finishes, but it does require a bit more babying. It is relatively a softer finish and it does react to vinyl and other foams or plastics, so you do have to take precautions on the guitar stands you use and the straps you use.

It is OK, since I baby my guitars anyways.

Haven't had to have any service yet

Been playing for 15 years. I have a Taylor 514 and use a Les Paul Studio also.

I did a lot of research before pulling the trigger on this guitar, so there is nothing I wish I asked before buying this guitar. I can't stress enough for people out there to know what they are playing before making opinions on it. Hey, I wondered too why position 3 sucked so bad on this guitar and wondered why it was better on the American Std and Deluxe teles!!! That is why I researched the guitar!!! When I found out why, it made so much sense to me and I knew I could deal with it by simply requiring the pickup selector!

This guitar plays like a dream. It is extremely well-made. Although the MIM Fenders are relatively well-made and in general guitars made in countries like Korea are now of very respectable quality, there is something about American made Fenders that make me proud of American workmanship. In my opinion, Fender American made guitars exceed Gibsons by a mile.

The reason I went with the '52 reissue rather than the American Standard or Deluxe was many reasons. The look and sound of the '52 reissue was the biggest factor. The one piece maple neck with the 7.25" radius is another reason.

Fender American 52' vintage reissue. Only one spec, vintage pickups, ash body, maple vintage neck (ticker, u shaped), 21 vintage frets (thin / not jumbo) and came with a tweed case and various bits and bobs (lead, bridge cover). Guitar is ash bodied, ash has a nicer wood grain than alder etc so they typically come natural or hinted with a colour. The butterscotch hint is nice, its fairly strong so the 100% natural woodyness look is gone but the grain is still preserved and comes through well.

Thankfully is a decent reissue so no horrible S-1 switching system or other milarky.

Body is a little thicker than other guitars I have played (gibson, strat, prs) which adds to the weight (which I thnk a few people have complained about) - but it really adds to the sound.

Feature wise it has exactly what a guitar needs and will ever need, wood + pickups with a few metal gangly bits - simple, no thrills. I have a growing dislike for modern guitars with S-1 systems, auto-tuners etc, especially on a tele given what its typically used for.

The body is a fairly large chunk of wood and it definitely makes a good difference to the sound.

Bridge pickup is unsurprisingly very bright but has a nice sound / ring to it. Neck pickup is also quite bright but very sweet. Gentle chords ring well + sparkle. Can get some good tele sounds from it, (I play mostly blues on it) also some nice / interseting jazz sounds on the neck pickup. The 3rd selection is the neck pickup without the tone control, this comes across extremely bassy + muddy. I believe is was put on the original '52 so a player could fake bass playing, this was before fender released their first electric bass. Its quite a specialist use (set the amp up right or throw on loads of distortion you can get usable sounds) so it probably will be mostly useless. Fender send a capacitor with the guitar to hook it to the tone control and instructions to rewire it to how the modern teles are. Did not subtract this from my rating because this was expected, its how the original '52 teles were.

The guitar is very responsive to how hard you play it and the picking position between neck and bridge. I play through a valve amp and you can get a great range of sounds, especially if you put the preamp or postamp around the breaking point - you can get gentle sounds that ring to well overdriven. It takes well to a bit of distortion. I also threw the gain + preamp quite high and scooped the mid, and it had a fair good shot at a metal sound, albeit with a blues/country twang.

Only downside I have noticed is there is some hiss and when I remove my hands from the metal on the guitar a slight buzz / hum (sounds like a grounding issue) but when I touch the metal the buzz completely disappears. Its to be expected to some degree with single coils although I am unsure about the buzz. Either way, it does not interfere with the sound when playing (even on gentle chords) and shutting of the volume control when not playing is good practice, especially with single coils + feedback.

Guitar is build like most fenders, to a good high quality with a certain cheapness about it. But thats what they and it contributes to their sound, so the build it good.

Had no sharp edges on the frets. Everything seems to of fit together properly, no scratches or other problems.

Shop assistant gave it a basic setup before I got my hands on it so I cant comment on the factory setup. My action is setup nicely so the guitar did not require a fret stoning/polishing (unlike my gibson...).

Did not snap any strings on it (i.e. at the nut, bridge etc)

Only had it a couple months but the guitar is built like a brick. It is literally a chunk of wood with a fat neck bolted on - no thrills. I doubt you could get anything that would seem more simple / reliable. I can see why this guitar suited so well in early elctric blues.

Never contacted them.

I've been playing just over 10 years now, most styles of music (metal, rock, blues, jazz, folk) and I try use and combine them like the typical instrumental players do.

I bought this guitar as I was looking for a guitar with a proper blues sound. I own a fender strat, but it doesnt have the extreme twang teles do. I love the strat for blues, hendrix, funk but bought the tele for the older slighty more traditional blues and to give me some new sounds with bluesy jazz.

I've never liked fender teles, I thought they were ugly and sounded cheap, but as I've explored blues I wanted that sound more. I originally set my sights on a modern tele in an ugly colour (sky blue), but reading specs they all now come with S-1 switching systems, hot pickups and thought this just is not what a tele should be, especially for blues. Noticed this '52 reissue and am really happy with it, its a no thrills hunk of wood that sound/plays great and with the ash finish and stylish black scratch plate + inlays, I actually even think it looks a very nice guitar! - how perceptions can change.

Guitar is 3/4 the price of a standard gibson, 1/2 the price of a top of the range gibson, and a 1/5th the price of fancier prs's etc. This guitar sounds great, feels great and looks great - so it is very good value for money in my opinion.

Tone, volume and three pickup switch with good old vintage pickups at neck and bridge. for guys like me who doesn't want to jot down all combinations between ten dials and equally impressive pickup switch combo, it's easy to dime it and get the tone you want.

I played my guitars through an Egnater and a Fender 65 Princeton Reverb RI. I fell in love with Fender on Fender combo i have and sold my Gibson and Egnater and got myself a few pedals. With the right combination of pedals you can get pretty wide range of rock sound out of this. But then the tone that pretty much everyone here is amazed about comes out if you put it straight through a fender reverb amp with some vibro. If you play blues or jazz, you have to play this guitar before you put down your 1500 for another guitar.

Personally i like high action with a set of slightly thicker strings. I noticed though the neck is not the easiest neck you can play fast riffs and solos but you get used to the neck and frets. It all depends on what you are looking for i guess.

As for finish, i can't complain about the finish. This guitar looks great new, even better with a few scratches and pick marks in my opinion. One of the guitars that i would like to hand down to my kid in the future. Hope my kids play real guitar instead of playing the fake GuitarHero guitars... that's just sad.

It's a tele. you can probably drop it a few times without harming it internally, but don't try it. I baby mine. But it won't crap out on you. Ask those guys who have the original 52's.

Didn't have to contact them for any thing, hope i won't have to in the future.

I had it for a year now and I LOVE IT! I wouldn't trade it for anything else. This guitar is my work horse and will remain in my guitar collection for a while.

2003/2004 American vintage telecaster 52 butterscotch warnish
Second hand but realy " under the bed" condition .
heu ... , how is a Telecaster please ?
very good work, and nice for the fingerboard.
Maybe the warnish is too thick ... maybe...

I play as a professional musican many things between blues and "electric modern jazz", over 30 years of practice, my main guitar is a 64 strat and now i use an USA G&l Comanche as my "horseworking" guitar, i have also other good guitars .
My amps : fender tube amps and one old peavey tube amp. Even if i have a more "top end" amps my favorite is the fender Blues Junior cause : the weight ( easy to play in stereo), the nice sound, also with effects,and the power enough for any situation ( big stage? put a mic in front...)

So,for this tele : Is a singer axe, a screaming rock & rool axe, a "electro acoustic" like axe, a jazz axe, a country axe, a blues axe, a funk machine axe... ! in fact THE MOTHER ELECTRIC AXE REISSUE
Ok some time i do deal the sound with some "Hum... Not an active pickup guitar, back to the roots here ! Not for every body and not a easy guitar. But just for this sound... :D

OH OH ! i think that : Many guitarists, many setups, but for this one only one way : UP ! And dont take care for your fingers if your nickname is "Big bend Man" it hurts the fingers, because the old radius "asked" a very hight action for a modern guitarist , like an acoustic guitar in fact and with the little "banjo" frets... Good for the shred training ! lol
Apart for that, the neck is perfectly shaped and with a flat fingerboard can draw a smile on the face on any shredder ( but the flat fingerboard is a dream eh eh ) .
More up is the string, more the sound is big, and what gift!
You must be present when you play this guitar, otherwise it will remind you to order . And to make good music you must be present! A good music teacher in fact ! For that 10

maple used for pickaxe handle...
ash used for baseball bat... !:D

Like a tank !

Fender dealers are Ok

It is often said that a guitarist who does not have a telecaster in its arsenal is not a serious guitarist,it is also true that a guitarist who has only a good telecaster can do "almost" everything seriously . And this one is a GOOD telecaster .
I don't fall in love too easily ( and not so fast :) for a guitar, but for this one... You can find one for $1000 and an good original for $30,000 , not a good value ?
Hard for the fingers, honey for the ears ...
Please Santa, the same in sonic blues, and one in coral pink :D

I think everything in this category is extremely well done. This guitar has everything to make the owner feel like they've got a very special guitar!

I purchased my 52 tele a few days ago, and I honestly feel like this guitar was made for me. I also purchased a fender supersonic combo along with it, and after some dialing in, the tone is unreal! I've never been so happy with my sound! I play in rock bands and never thought a tele would be the guitar of choice for me, let alone a fender amplifier. I've played Buddas, Boogies, Marshalls, and even some Silvertones...usually with a Les Paul, and this guitar/amp combo tops them all! I'm shocked by the abundance of sounds that can be extracted from such a simple guitar!

When I play this guitar I feel like I'm playing a work of art...it feels that good. The intonation is flawless, the action is perfect, the pickups are set perfectly. I'm also amazed at how well it stays in tune. I could never get my other guitars to hold a tune after aggressively playing, but this guitar seems to be locked in.

It's built like a tank, but we'll see how well she endures.

Best guitar I've ever played...hands down!! I feel like I have a world class guitar that will last me a lifetime...for the price, there is no better value on the market. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an understanding of guitar tone because you will love it!

YEAR MADE: 1989
MADE IN: USA
PICKUP CONFIGURATION: S-S
PICKUP SWITCH: 3-WAY (neck dark, neck, bridge.... or WITH MOD neck, both, bridge)
FINISH: BUTTERSCOTCH BLOND WITH NITROCELULOSE LAQUER
TUNERS: VINTAGE KLUSON TYPE TUNERS (great stuff)
BRIDGE: 50s' TELE BRIDGE WITH THREE BRASS SADDLES (what else could ya ask for?)
NECK SHAPE: FAT 50s' U SHAPE
CASE: FENDER TWEED WITH ORANGE-ISH INTERIOR

This guitar suites what i do very very well. I play blues, rock, country, and jazz. Sort of a Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Jimmy Page, and the Allman Brothers all rolled into one dude. This Telecaster is as good as any custom Shop Telecaster that is in existance and I own a few of them. Try owning ten FCS Telecasters and then selling nine of them because you only have one that is worthy of being this 52 RI's backup guitar! I am that impressed!!! Besides I dont need that many teles laying around unplayed and neglected. I will be buying another one of these guitars and selling my last custom shop tele on ebay!
This is a very rich and warm telecaster. I had modern wiring put into my tele and it is more versitile now. I still have the old wiring and selector switch in a baggy for pot dating for eventual value. you can get everything from LED ZEPP 1 to Folsom Prison Blues to I wanna check you for ticks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Action is very adjustable for any need you may or may not have. The pickups are adjusted very easily as long as you can work a screw driver. Very rarley is any guitar a one piece body. Telecaster bodies in the 50s' were usually 2-3 pieces so dont be alarmed if you see 3 pieces of wood showing ..... it is normal. Every thing is perfectly routed out and is as clean and as smooth as greased marble. (FIGURE OF SPEECH)

This guitar os a tank. My bassist refers to my tele as the chunk. He has a Gibson Les Paul Bass and calls my guitar a chunk! Wow your back better be healthy if you wanna stand up with it! Even then you will want to invest in a better strap. like a Levy's Wide and Padded Leather Strap or something of the sort! If you sit down then you have no worries. The strap pins are solid and they fold out close enough to the body that it eliminates the need for strap locks. I would deffinatley sell all my guitars and keep only this one!

NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS TO TAKE TO THEM!

I am a semi proffessional musician that gigs about 20-40 shows a year (which is insane if you have to travel a lot by road) I wish I had a whole bunk full of these guitars to keep me company!

Well, it may not have 14 or 15 switches, knobs, toggles, etc. like a vintage B.C. Rich, but it's what I want.

When I think of the most unique electric guitar sound in the world, I know it to be the Fender Telecaster. As unique in its tone generated, as a Rickenbacker 4001, Martin D-28, Mu-tron III or Moog Taurus 1 bass pedals' (for you fellow synthesists'). For what it's worth, most of the Harmony Central reviewers here have enlightened me with their thoughts on equipment via this forum, which are informative in their analysis, and why I always come here. However, there are the occasional guys who express a need to give us all THE LIST of their musical gear. This immediately signals to me that they???re underage and probably believe rap and hip-hop are just as valid as any other musical form. I skip those reviews???.

I first purchased the MIM Fender Standard Telecaster for 300 bucks. The price was an important factor, however, after a 2 hour session of recording with it, I noticed the high E and B strings not staying in-tune. I then sent it back to G.C. here in CA, and tried out the American Standard & Deluxe model Telecasters. They were around 600 to 800 bucks more, but they stayed in-tune. I then forgot about my current economic situation entirely for a brief moment and tried the ???52 Telecaster reissue. 1100 bucks more than the Tijuana version. We all have that moment of self-analysis when we ponder: Should I do this???that???s 12 tanks of gasoline in my vehicle lately.
Pro???s & con???s??? yeh, that???s it???. Do a pro???s & con???s on this guitar to be clear-headed about this.

Con???s: 1400 bucks??? though with nice case.

Pro???s: Widest differential in tone of all the Tele???s I tried out.
The feel of the neck is smooth, unlike the MIM version where I can feel every fret on the side of the fret-board as my hand travels up & down the neck.
The machine heads look very similar to the MIM version, but the ones??? on the ???52 feel as if the machinery knows its purpose for existence, the few times you need to use them.
Finally, a rather esoteric remark I feel needs to be in here from, myself, a guy who DID NOT have the money to lay down for the ???52: The Telecaster ???52 Reissue feels warmer when just playing acoustically. Try sitting in a quiet room with the MIM version and the ???52. There???s an organic side to these electric guitars. Many may not catch it, but it???s there none-the-less.

Well it looks exactly like a Chrissie Hynde/Bruce Springsteen clone guitar. The tint and hue' of it's butterscotch finish are next to perfect in this reissue. At least the one I bought is.

As long as I don't allow a guy with an oversized belt-buckle to play my Telecaster; it's durability should stand the test of time.

None needed.

I give it one point away from a 10. I???m a person who would buy an instrument even if it was made in an Indonesian tree-house, if the quality was sufficient. The MIM and Squier versions that Fender put out, are for your daughter when she puts down her cell-phone and says: Mom??? Dad??? I want to be a guitar player. You buy her one of those. Get your son a quality instrument because he stands more chance to stick with it.