Fender '62 Reissue Telecaster

2008 62 tele, straight up stock features, ice blue metallic, pure simplicity = 10.
I had the wiring updated but you can achieve the two-pickup option in the original configuration by placing the toggle in an in-between position.

Great vintage tele tone, but handles it all; bluesy and sweet neck pickup, plucky in mid-position,and the bridge has that classic twang but not too bright, lots of sweet sting; great for all sounds from country to classic metal. I play straight through 87x Marshall with David Bray Mod #1.

Set-up by Wildwood guitars (great online shop by the way). Flawless in fit, finish, and playability.

Tele-Tough.

Don't know.

Great guitar. I like the tone better than the '52 and I think the finish is nicer than the butterscotch. Much better guitar in regard to tone and build than the American or American Deluxe series. The neck is slim and fast. The small radius neck took some getting used to but I like it. The versatility is matched only by my LP Deluxe. I own only Gibsons except for this Tele. Great guitar.

black boty, white pick gard with reely nice rose wood fret bord

single coin neck and brige neck crome plated

crome hardwhere
tone ,volume 3way switch but only one tone nob as with all clasic teli setups

i play hard rock and metal and although it isnt ur normal metal axe i think it make a good nose when playd with a lot of gain but allso when cleen and the brig setup id gr8 for palm muting.

farly bright sound trebblyish on acount of humbuckers but rich enbough for clasik rock allso
so much veriaty of sound solos grunge its ace for hammerin of thoes killer licks

tho only down side is no wabble bar

good on all but myne was setup and chect over at the shop so may vary

a hard gutar that you can depend on

this is my best gutar yet and it is so ace its versatil and can be used for enything from clasik rock to trash metal but mabe not for the death metal tipes a verry capable gutar.

3 tone sunburst with 3-ply aged white pick gaurd, and tobacco stain bound edge. 3-saddle T8 Spiral Brass, Gotoh Kluson Style, Rosewood 184mm (7.5") radius neck with 21 Vintage frets. 2 controls 1 volume the other tone, 3 way selector bridge, bridge & nrck and neck. pickups are USA Texas Specials, and body is alder bound. not got 10/10 cos teles don't have a lot of features but thats how i like my guitars gadget free

I play all kinds but mostly alt rock like RHCP and Pearl jam, at the mo i'm only using a crappy little Marshall MG30 amp but it still sounds awesome compared to what my epiphone sg sounded like. i can get every sound i want out if it, it really does every thing you want a tele to do but with out paying a lot for a USA Version. u can get great bright sounds out of it and really scratchy full sounds which i love only reason not a ten is coss u can't get fat sounds like a les paul, but if u want that buy a guitar with humbuckers, not single coils

the action on the guitar is superb, best i have ever plyed on in fact, not sure if it was the factory set up or if my local store set it up. The finish on the guitar is excellent, it is a three tone sunburst with a tobacco stain binding around the edge which i think just sets it off. the head stock is good too as it has a fender sticker on it and a tele sticker on it, so people who are snobs don't look at it and think oooo only a jap model. I have nothing bad to say about this guiat it looks great and nothing on it was loose so full marks wish i could post a pic it is that nice.

up to now this guiat has been excellent i've knocked it a few times both the body and headstock and still no chippings/scratches, loose hardware or even stap buttons. i would certainly gig with this without a back up no hesitation. but hey its a fender u expect this from quality goods. all hardware on this is chrome so it won't break easy.

no need to deal with them yet so don't know

i have been playing about six years and have payed on many relatives and friends guitars both cheaper and more expensive than this and i can say if this was stolen i would cry until i could afford another, i just loves this guitar not a bad word about it. only problem was that i had to buy a case with it, i bought a fender hard case for ??100 and it is crap if i could go back i would buy a hiscox case, the locking on the fender case is dreadful, and that is the only complaint but nothing to do with the guitar.

N/A

I use this guitar with a fender hot rod deville and a boss GT8.. When i first got this guitar the stock pickups were very thin soundin and very harsh but the guitar looked great and the build quality was fantastic.. i replaced the pick ups with custom shop texas specials and it transformed the guitar it now sounds like a proper tele it has the honky yet bright sound of a real 62 tele...

spot on

no problems as of yet

great price, great finish, plays well and with the right pick ups can compete with the usa model

I purchased a 1983 Fender Telecaster custom foto-finish from Cambridge, England last year. I probably paid too much for it because I had never bought with (GBP), but it was worth it now. It is a weird cherry grain color and I have never seen one like it in the last year after looking at similar Telecasters. I have been playing about 30 years and have owned a 25/50 Les Paul, (TOO HEAVY), 57 Strat,many custom made telecasters, I am a Tele guy. I play county, rock, and now days at my age I mostly play blues. This guitar is total original, including pickups and hardware and that is the way I want it to stay. This is literally the best guitar that I have ever played for sound and action. In the past several years I have used Seymore Duncan pick-ups,Texas Specials, ECT. and it is each to his own. I am 52 years old and this axe is a keeper. It is the only thing I leave the house with now days and it has a little veneer broke out of the back and the gold is a little tarnished, but what do expect for 23 years of playing. I has the gold package and it is a real looker whether they are musicians or not. IT IS SHOWIE.

I play all types of music. I use the bridge pick up for country and the neck pickup for blues, the middle used when I just want to be different. I used to use two twins running them sterio and a processor (RoLand). Now days I use a Fender 40 Watt Hot Rod straight out of the amp and a Ibanez compressor. No more trying to program those crazy processors. I think those processors take away from the true sound of the individual guitar, that is my personal opinion, after many years of playing.

This guitar is about 23 years old and I have no idea how it was set at the factoy. I generally do my own set up on my guitars. I have even built my own custom teles in the past. I have not touched this guitar. When I got it from England, I unpacked it and started playing it. The only flaw that is has is, about a 1" chunck out of the back of the finish. The only thing that I am not hot about is the factory (Vintage) tuners, they are the old vintage tuners and harder the change strings quickly, however, I am getting faster at it after years of not messing with these kind of tuners.

I am an X drummer from the 60s and I kinda play a guitar like I play the drums with tons of rythem, for a lead picker. I do use a wire insulator on the bottom E string to keep the string from breaking. On my other guitars, I use graphit bridges, except my 62 Reissue, it is standard and I have had no problems. I rarely ever take a backup guitar out, just strings. I have however, changed the strap buttons to quick release gold hardware.

Like the other guy said, I've never called Fender and they have never called me.
But after many years with fender, I have had no problem and all of my stuff has been rained on, thrown, flew, and their stuff holds together, through it all.

I have been playing for about thirty years, I am a multi-musician and have been playing professionally since I was 14 years old , but prefer the guitar totally now days. If this guitar was to dissapear, I KNOW I could find another like this one, this is a very rare custom built Tele.
In closing, if you can get your hands on one of these 80 RI Telecaster, it will be the best investment you have ever made and played. I realize I paid alot for mine, but you can get you an MIJ for about $500.00 to $600.00. If someone would have ever told me I would end up playing a Japenese guitar after this many years, I would have told them they were crazy, nuts, or stoned. This is not your ordinary JAP guitar.
Good Luck

Mine is a 1985 Japanese model with tradional sunburst finish which I think suits a Tele best- especially when they get a little 'beaten up'. Its the usual feature filled spec, you know, 1 volume, 1 tone and a 3 way switch! The maple neck is a vintage C shape with a rosewood fingerboard, again, I prefer Rosewood on a Tele as Ive found that maple necks can sound a little bit too bright for certain styles. The bridge saddles have been replaced with heavier chrome barrels which a better quality than the originals, and have now aged down nicely and more importantly, help with the intonation.The necks on these MIJ 80's Teles are the best you will find - unless you're looking for a really chunky one. Ive got 10's on but they feel like 9's.The tuners look and work great, the bridge is properly finished with no rough edges [unlike some USA Tele's Ive owned in the past]and the volume and tone controls work as they should - no suprises or disappointments. The Custom came with a stunningly good, heavy duty, snug fitting gig bag, and that has remained in tip top condition.

Well, like most us find, the stock pickups are its Achilles heel.Mine's fitted with SD 54 neck and Broadcaster bridge pickups. The 54 is perfect, but I might look for something a bit 'growlier' for the bridge.I play a variety of music, 60's pop, Steely Dan type rock [ Elliot and Skunk were my favourite guitarists], Blues - naturally - Eagles type, just about anything except heavy rock and metal.I was a confirmed Strat user, but someone put me on to these Japanese Customs and Im beginning to realise the guitars full potential. If you can manage without the 2 and 4 positions, the Tele has a better sound in the other 3 positions, paticularly the bridge and neck. The bridge is much raunchier than the Strat, while I get some really great Blues and Jazz sounds out of the neck pikup - youve just got to play around with the volume and tone controls.I admit that the overal comfort of the Strat is unbeatable, especially if over the years youve found that for no good reason, your waist has filled out a bit, but the balance of the Tele is second to none,so that helps even things out. I use a Traynor Bassmate tube amp(if you see one, get one)very very simple layout.Volume,tone, off and on with a great 15" speaker which I use with an old Tokai chorus pedal,an Ampeg analogue delay, and a tubesreamer. Using a combination of these pedals should allow you to get any 'proper' organic guitar tone you could wish for. There is nothing to dislike about this Tele, it does what its meant to do and does it well. Because of the stock pickups, Im giving it an 8, [change them, and it gets a 10]

Almost perfect - nothings perfect.I didnt get it new, so cannot comment on the factory set up. The finish is still good today, it might be a bit battered, but to me that looks great. The neck is perfect and the varnish, although applied very thinly, has stood the test of time, as have all the hardware, and also the frets.

Its 20 years old, Im 56, it'll be interesting to see who lasts longer! This guitar has been designed to last, its a Jeep not a Ferrari. Its simple, no fancy wiring, no extra switches, no architecturally designed bridge.The Tele is almost as old as me and people still buy them.I guess you could say its 'durable'. ALWAYS have a back up - strings break!!

Ive never phoned Fender, and funnily enough, they've never phoned me!
However, lets give them a 10 as they might be reading this and you never know if you're going to need them.

Ive been playing around 25 years,what have I owned? How long have you got?? Ive had several Jap Strats and Teles.The Tokai Silver Star is the best of the Japenese Strats by a mile.This is 1 mile ahead of of a JV or Breezysound, and 2 miles ahead of the rest. A few Les Pauls, but to me they have one sound and anyway, I really have never liked the sound of humbuckers, a single coil has brighter, snappier and more expessive sound than any humbucker Ive ever heard.A few 70's USA strats of varying weights and finishes, none of which topped my '89 Strat Plus [ forget most 70's Strats, they're heavy and have clubby awkward necks, therefore they dont balance well and are pigs to gig with, plus theyre overpriced - get a late '80's Plus for $600 and they wipe the floor with almost all of them]. A 62 Melody Maker, great for rock and blues, but otherwise a bit limited. A PRS, dont ask me why, theyre expensive and fall between 2 stools. A late 80's Schecter Strat - my favourite Strat, a Gibson 335 and an Ibanez AS 50, but although they looked great and looked fabulous,especially the Ibanez, the sound wasnt to my liking - humbuckers again! Throw in a couple of Gordon-Smiths[British LP Juniors]really good value,and a '59 Gretch 2 tone green Single Anniversary - always my dream to own ever since the early 60's, best action, best rock and roll guitar ever and a keeper. The 80's Custom is a great guitar, seriously. It does what a Tele should,looks like a Tele should, has the perfect weight[for me] Having played this Im now seeing what I'd previously not had with other Teles, so yes.I will keep it 'cause I know I'd someday regret selling her. If you want a Tele, I highly recommend one of these. You'll spend a couple of thousand $s on a 70's Tele which I doubt would even be as good as this 'copy'. You could go for Tom Anderson Teles which are also very good, but cost around $1700 2nd hand, and although they are really top quality, save yourself a $1000 towards really good amp and one of these and then try and tell the difference. It wont get stolen. I have a really protective, easily riled, giant size Yorkshire Terrier!

Crafted in Japan, all the normal features... it gets a 10 because if I wanted bells and whistles I wouldn't have gone for a telecaster.

I play all kinds of stuff, but predominantly mellow stuff like Radiohead, through a 15 watt solid state piece of crap (blasphemous, i know).. Neck pup has a lovely warm sound, great for clean leads, and the mid position has a good balanced tone that responds well to overdrive. The bridge pup has a slightly weaker sound, but it's still nice. The pups are both quite niosy, particularly when distorted, but it's no big problem. I give it an 8 becasue my set up doesn't really do it justice so i don't really know its full potential.

The factory action was a little high for my taste, but i had it lowered in the shop and now it plays perfectly. The only questionable feature is the nut, I string it with .010 - .046s which sit fine, but it looks as though anything bigger might not fit.

The finish is a beautiful sunburst with cream binding, cream scratchplate with black binding and large pearloid dot inlays. It has picked up a couple of small dings in the frw months i've owned it, but I have knocked it around a few times, so i can't really fault it.

This guitar is solid, I've never taken it to a stage but i've played with friends and it's never had any problems. In fact, I've owned it about six months and i've never broken a string, and only replaced the set once. It does occasionally fall of the strap when it gets twisted, but fortuantely i have good reflexes when it comes to expensive things, and it's nothing a strap lock won't fix.

The hardware is simple and seems solid, and the finish has resisted any wear so far. I would gig it withoug a backup.. but only because it's now my only guitar.

Never had to deal with them, but I've heard nothing but horror stories about Fender customer support, so fingers crossed it'll go the distance.

Overall, it's a great piece of kit for an intermediate player, if I was a pro I might consider changing the pickups to something a little less niosy. If it was stolen, I would hunt the bastard down and get it back!

1986 Jap '62 RI Tele Custom. Nicely finished, fantastic aged finish on the neck. Pups sound like caca, so i changed them. In fact, i changed out ALL the chrome parts for gold and the pickguard for a pearloid and this guitar is a STUNNER!!! There ain't a ton of features on a tele, but that is what i like about it!

It sounds really great, now. The stock pick ups, like i said, sound like cahcah, pick ups sounded like PU!!!haha. anyway, i put in a couple of Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele pick ups and eeny meany, jap-aneasy, it sounds great! You can really dig into this guitar and she just gives it back in spades. The neck is really nice. I give it a 3 because it sounded like poopoo initially, and 10 now, so balance it out at 7

Real good.

Super Duper. I would use it without a back up, but why?

Never heard of 'em.

Been playing for about 15 years, own lots of gear, sell lots of gear, it is a never ending thing (cool). If lost or stolen, i would find another one and do the exact same thing to it! This is a beautiful guitar! Everybody stares at it! ITs a head turner!! Some people lift their nose at it when they see it is a Japanese reissue, but that's okay!

Mine is a early 80's Japanese reissue I picked up from our former bassist. Its the candy red double bound version with the rosewood fingerboard. He replaced the stock bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan. Must be a close reproduction to 50's vintage because it sounds great! Mine has pretty hefty weight so it may have an ash or other dense wood for the body. Tele's are very basic but I like it.

I used this as my primary axe from 92 to 94 when I got my Ric 620. It served me well for intonation & versitility, as far as the Fender tone goes. I didn't particularly like the bridge setup so I tried changing it to individual saddles but the intonation was off so I swtched back. It can me a little brassy on the highs but biting as well.

Quite impressive. As good as any American instrument I,ve seen from that era. I only own 2 Japanese guitars & both are 25 years+ old. They made their mark then.

Good Fender tough gear. A couple dings but they were from big hits! Finish still shines & outside some minor oxidation on the hdwe its as was.

Just used them once. Seemed OK as far as my needs.

Still use this guitar a lot & it will remain with me. I had a Blackie Strat but I sold it to a band member. Nothing wrong with it but the Tele was me.

1986 MIJ, 21 fret, sunburst rosewood LEFTY RI '62 Tele. Standard configuration. PUPs were quite poor, as were the controls. I replaced them both. I changed the pups for Tom Anderson black tele pups with HUGE magnets!! Big tone. I also replaced the bridge for a six saddle, which i might change back to the original if i can find some good saddles that intonate properly. Love the neck on this guitar. It has aged to a nice honey patina. Good size neck, not too big not too small. I usually like a fatter neck, but this one is really good. The frets are small, but again, thats okay! The sunburst body is really nice too. Nice binding that has become kinda creamy looking. I changed the pickguard for a mother of pearl type, it looks really cool. Came with a crappy gig bag. Shame that these guitars came with gig bags, they deserve better, and i have purchased mine a tweed case! I give it a seven because of all the stuff i had to change, including the nut.

The sound is very good, now. Before it sounded like shit. I like the weight of this guitar. It is a very lively sounding tele. It is not noisy, any more. It was. I get a really snappy sound, clear as a bell and clean as a whistle.

Flawless, except for the crappy nut and controls.

Reliable and durable. It is almost twenty years old and doing great. You could gig without a back up, but why?

Customer support? Fender? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I would say "10", but since i had to change so many things, it is not a fantastic value.

(std 62 reissue tele,3 saddle bridge, japan early 80's. 21 frets)
ie. minimal, simple but very effective

great flexable sound.classic,fresh and twangy when clean,punchy and suprisingly "big" when driven.i use a fender twin amp and play rhyth/lead in a band, the tele delivers in every aspect of our music from light,percussive rhythm and blues sections (clean/vintage channel of fender twin) to all out pulsating,fuzzy, velvet underground esq jams (driven channel of fender twin + fuzzface pedal)

i baught this guitar in 2000 second hand.it is scrappy and shows its age.but the important bits ie. machineheads,electronics,neck,hardware and action are spot on.

ive played it live without a problem.the finish of this guitar is tatty even for a 20 yr old guitar.but aesthetics dont realy matter when the actual guitar works this well.i do use an epiphone arch top as well but not as a back up.ie if i break a string on one i pick up the other.so far so good.

dunno

im eighteen and have been playing about 8 years.its a great guitar,its got that vintage quality even though it isn't realy (its 20 yrs old but it feels about 40) as the bloke who sold it to me said "it plays it's self"

1996 Jap 62 Fotoflame Telecaster...update from 4-19-2001...I sold this guitar and bought an american standard strat...BIG MISTAKE it took me a year to get this baby back...I made a comment about American made Fenders being better quality...I was wrong...this has been by far my favorite fender out of several Ive owned and Ill never get rid of it again.

As I stated I have the upgraded EMG pickups and they make this guitar rock, but still able to twang out some country when needed.

The big thing about this guitar is the neck...Much better than the American Strat Neck I own. Fotoflame is nice looking but as long as it plays good I dont care if it was set on fire.

I got this guitar back in a trade and I havent found anything wrong with it ...as I stated before I played this guitar alot and I am using it to record on a digital multyrack workstation, and the sound is much better than the American Strat.

whats this??

My USA Strat is flawless,and a very nice guitar, but I would toss it for the 62 tele MIJ...IT is well made and sounds awesome ....... perfect low action neck......

I think this one is japanese made year '84 model, so it's almost adult these days. It has got a traditional sunburst, laminated basswood double wound body and maple neck with rosewood fretboard with thin frets. Machine heads are original "open" type. To me they seem to be working perfectly well, it stays tuned long periods of time and after rough use.
Bridge pickup is a DiMarzio dual sound humbucker with a humbucker/single coil selector. Controls are original, after a self-made electrical modification. Neck pu is original, and I really like the way it sounds.

I've played this tele for 12 years, and it suits for all types of music. After one gig one heavy metal enthusiast came to me explaining: "it's severe mockery to play my kinda music with tele. But it sounds outstanding anyway!" I agree with him! It sounds great with any type of amplifier and music style. It's a bit noisy, especially with neck pu, but tne noise is controllable. The sound is very rich and versatile, and the neck is very playable for me.

Hardware quality is not suberb, but the overall workmanship is damn near perfect. That why I also drive toyotas...
The pu`s, what can I say? It's my own perverted combination, but it sounds great.
The action is guite high. I use .10 strings. I once tried thicker srings (.12, .12 and .13 )for g, b and upper e. Combined with tele's natural big sustain, it was a good choice for that blues session.

This baby has flawlessly endured harsh finnish climate for nineteen years. She has never shown any sings of infidelity.

I bought this guitar from my brother-in-law. He gave me a pretty good "customer support" with few cases of beer... so I'm happy!

I've been playing for 20 years. It`s a hobby to me, with active and passive seasons. My Tele is my reliable friend, which my son, I hope, will inherit after my playing is done. If it were stolen, It would be devastating for me.

Have 5 MIJ (2 x C.A.R. and 3 x S.B.) versions and 1 new US 62 Re-Issue (Ice Blue Metallic).
MIJs come wired in post '67 MY-style, and US comes wired as per 1962.
MIJs have flatter (9.5"?) radius.
PUPS: will comment on US 62 pups, MIJ pups, S.D.Vintage Broadcaster bridge, S.D. Alnico II Pro, S.D. Jerry Donahue, S.D. Nashville Studio bridge,Joe Bardens, Lindy Fralin Blues Special neck.

Sound can be dramatically improved by changing MIJ pups and electronics. Replacing 3-saddle bridge with 6-saddle bridge will improve intonation. I have one tele with the Vintique-brand brass compensated (angled) saddles ($65) for a 3-saddle bridge. Don't buy the Stewart MacDonald angled saddles ($10), they are un-refined and problematic.

These guitars have the rosewood fretboard that gives a darker sound.
I use a bone nut and GHS Nickel Rockers in an 0.011 size.

The MIJ (or CIJ) guitars are great. They are a top used-guitar bargain. Get them on e-bay for 300~600 anytime. Should appreciate in value, albeit slowly.
The US-made version feels a little heavier and and a little bit more quality-built, but not much. US has many cool colors available.

I play in a blues band.
There seem to be two main schools of thought on Tele sound. No.1 is the country-twang tele guys, they want the trebly sound of the bridge pup or the two pups together, and they like maple fretboards.
The other school is the dark sound guys, ...blues, not too much treble, neck pup lovers, Muddy Waters, Roy Buchanan, Jim Campilongo, Steve Cropper. These kind of guys like to turn the tone knob 25% away from full bright to "take the edge off".
The 62 re-issues, with the r/w fretboard are perfect for this type of person.
PUPS:
Stock MIJ are too thin sounding,
Stock US-made one are tolerable,
SD Vintage Broadcaster bridge is too bright, too hot, too rocknroll, SD Alnico II pros are real good, sound old, bottom can get too soft,
SD Jerry Donahue is an overwound Alnico II and is almost indistinguishable from the II

SD Nashville Studio uses 3 Alnico V magnets and 3 Alnico IIs, real real good, tight bottom, not too much treble, my favorite bridge pup.

Fralin Blues special neck, real real good, I think scatter-winding of the coils helps get a looser, nasty grind.
Barden: real loud and clean, requires readjusting amp vs. others to get grind, very very good.
S.D. Lil' 59 humbucker, fits single coil spot, good, provides a different, versatile, noiseless, humbucker sound, good for leads.

Updating any MIJ r/w neck tele with aftermarket pickups, 6-saddle bridge, and a bone nut results in an outstanding, stable, workhorse guitar.

I also recommend springing for the angled brass saddles from Vintique (needs a three saddle bridge or buy their bridge plate) to help darken the sound and get more sustain. Although the stuff is pricey, and I have an order into Vintique right now that I've been waiting for 9 months for. On the other hand Vintique Tele hardware(danny gatton's guit tech is proprietor) is arguably the best available.



AMP: I've used a twin, a super, a Mesa Boogie, but I have found the "love of my life" amp...Matchless Lightning 1x12.
Have two now. Unsurpassed for dark dirty neck pup tones (or any other for that matter). Can't get a bad sound. Only 15 Watts (loud watts) so it has to be miked to be used at some gigs. just use a touch of slapback delay and reverb, with a pedal.

Thin pups and plastic nut need upgrades.

Finish, weight, bindings, all great!

Rock solid slab o'wood. Stays in tune.
MIJ version is my main workhorse guitar.

No experience.

Been playing 25+ years
Started with strats but wound up loving teles.
Can't go wrong with the MIJ/CIJ 62 Re-Issue Teles (or Esquires, same for foto-flame or other r/w fretboard MIJ tele variants.
Just bought a Gibson ES137 with P90 pups that also gets great old-style dark sounds, like the teles reviewed here.

80's? candy apple red w/binding. Kinda of heavy, Alder body? Not like Japanese basswood double bound teles that I've had before but has made in Japan on back of the neck. Came with retro fit EMG's on it. bought it at a yard sale for $200.00 and thought I would put Texas Specials in it, sounded so good I left the emg's. Rosewood board lots warmer sounding than the regular maple board teles

I play blues...This is the only tele I have at the time, but have had many..I'm mostly a srat guy (7). Amps.. Fender superreverbs,proreverb,64' bassman piggyback,61' concert and 95 bassman reissue. For effects I use a Boss chorus pedal and Marshall Guv'nor or Bluesbreaker pedals..(The big black English made ones...The best!) This guitar on the neck pickup gets a nice round blues tone. The bridge pickup needs to have the tone conrol rolled back a little for me or it sounds too brittle. I've owned these Japanese 62 reissue teles before, I never did hang on to them because I was the sole guitar player in a power pop band and they never seemed quite full enough sounding. Now that I'm playing with another guitar player, the extra coloring fits in perfect.

Japanese reissue guitars from the 80's were always body and neck radius-wise very close to original spec. They were great playing guitars made with crap materials. If you purchase one of these, You have the basics structurally for a great guitar, but It's going to take an upgrade in pickups/hardware to get it going.

If the price is right, and you want to spend a couple hundred bucks on pickup/hardware upgrade, this could be the coolest guitar you ever owned.I'm a sucker for 60's bound teles but would never pay the bucks for an original...Or maybe even a USA reissue for that matter. This is my backup

no support from fender. I've got some local guys who do my work.

I've been playing 35 years and like most guys who still play after that long I play blues. The basswood bodies on the Japanese telecasters are light but still have great sustain because of the string through body. I've seen them advertised used for $650.00. Too much. with a pickup upgrade cost you are hitting used American reissue prices. Look cheap, do the upgrades, you won't be sorry. Nice guitar potentially.....

1986 '62 Reissue, deluxe. Japanese.

Double binding, flame top. Beautiful guitar.

Standard factory pickups, will be upgrading soon.

Typical MIJ hardware- have brass saddles on order, switch knob comes off frequently.

Kluston tuners still working well.

Even unplugged this guitar sounds wonderful. Body (basswood? who knows...) resonates, very low noise, but still going to shield it.

Going for that Stax/ Steve Cropper sound, and this is getting close. Some upgraded pups, and its Green Onions time, friends.

Seems to be very well made, other than the quality of the hardware, which is mostly all replaceable anyway. One ding in the binding, but the guitar is almost 20 years old, so thats to be expected.

Flame top isn't exactly bookmatched, and someone replaced the white p'guard with a tortise shell one, looks nice.

Other than the pickup switch knob, this is a tank.

Playing over 20 years, currently have a strat, Martin D16, Fender Jazz bass, Liberty reso. Play thru a vox bass amp, or a Oahu tube amp from the '50's.

If I lost this guitar I'd be blue. Its the first guitar I've owned that made me want to play longer, harder, and better. Can't say enough about this guitar- it inspires!

1986 Fender Japan 62' RI Telecaster Custom, Alder body @ piece Candy Apple Red finish (Nice) White Binding has matured to cream (Sweet).
Maple neck with the 62' slab board rosewood top. RI frets, updated bridge to the newer 6 saddle tele style (Thank God!!!) Updated sealed tuners. 62' "C" shape neck. Sting thru body with the flush correct 62' Ferrels. 3 way barrel switch, chrome knureld knobs and hardware.

A Tele is a strainght forward come and play me beat me into the ground and i'll still sound sweet solid guitar. (at least they used to be). What more can anybody say?

Im a blues man, this guitar is Blues, rock, Country, Jazz, I mean if you can play it, a tele can sing it. There is the factory Pup in the neck, Good muddy sound which I like, but the P/O put a Seymour Hot rail in the bridge, it's okay but I want the original sound so Im putting in a "Broadcaster Vintage pup.
But the sustain on this beauty is incredible.

I bought it used and the P/O had the action to high for me so once I lowered it, away I went. The finish is dinged here and there and scrtched on the back from a belt buckle but nothing through to the wood. Needs refretting soon it waas a pro players guitar and had been on the road recently so it's well played. The cord plug needs replacing sometimes it dies but no biggy. Also needs nut re work a little to hold bigger stings. Overall it looks like a club hopper and that's it's appeal to me, I hate the pretty boy NOS looking guitars, I mean come on man it's a guitar not a Picaso.

It's 16 years old and gets better with age. when im gone my son will get it and I bet it will still be in great shape. nicks and dings are parr for the course so there.!!! I would never gig without a backup but this girl will stand the test, Im sure of it. It's a Tele, been around since the 50's and they still make em today, that has to stand for something.!!!

Never delt

Been playing again for a year but play when i was 20.
I will chage a few things here and there get it set up nice and clean but I like it's looks. I would by a Tele again in a second but to find this one would be a task for sure. Japan RI fenders from the 80's were well built and are coveted today so I got really lucky.

2002 Fender Japan '62 reissue Tele, model TL62-65US. Looks just like the guitars played by Steve Cropper and Mike Bloomfield - Vintage White finish (looks more blonde, actually), rosewood board, 3-saddle bridge, spaghetti logo decal, Kluson-style tuners, etc. Comes factory equipped with US-made "Vintage" pickups. The body is made of alder and the neck is maple. The frets are fairly large, like the Teles of yore. Comes with a flimsy gigbag, a cheap cable, an allen wrench, and an owner's manual in Japanese. In the local Guitar Center, there is a genuine 1963 Tele with the same finish and rosewood neck, displayed under glass with a $6500 price tag. I spent some time examining it and mentally comparing it to my guitar, and I would say that cosmetically at least, the reissue is a very good replication.

I have long admired Steve Cropper's work with Booker T & the MGs and all of those classic Stax sides from the '60s, and love the dark'n'dirty tone he had. (My understanding is he played an early '60s Tele like this reissue through a tweed Fender Harvard amp on those records.) When played through a tweed Fender Pro Junior (which is similar to the Harvard), I can dial in the Steve Cropper tone. The rosewood neck gives it more of a darker tone than the country twangers get with the maple version, and the US Vintage PUs are nice and hot, giving punchy overdrive at even moderate volume. I had my 15 watt Pro Junior volume set at 2 just now, and I got a nice touch of dirt. I can't wait to hear this guitar played LOUD through the PJ! The bridge PU is considerably louder than the neck PU. In the middle position (both PUs) you get a nice woody twang that's great for rockabilly or surf. The deep-toned, rich neck PU is great for blues, and is surprisingly good for jazz (especially with the tone knob rolled off). I tried a variety of string types and settled on flatwound .011s. I'm somewhat of a vintage tone purist (I play mostly music from the '50s & '60s) and the heavy flats are the way to go for the sound and feel I want. No pain no gain!

My wife is from Japan and I've been over there many times, so I can say with some authority that Japanese people don't do anything half-assed. It is important for them to do jobs properly - it's a matter of personal pride and honor. Plus, Japanese musicians revere classic American instruments like vintage Fenders. All of which adds up to a superbly crafted instrument. The finish is flawless, and I love the heavy yellowed laquer on the headstock and neck. (The fingerboard is unfinished.) My only previous experience with Teles is a 1990 American Standard model that I never got comfortable with and eventually sold. The neck on that guitar was too wide and flat for me. The TL62-65US has a wonderfully contoured neck. A bit narrow by the nut and not too wide by the body, with a comfy C shape. The big frets took some getting used to - with .010s my hand pressure on the frets caused the guitar to go sharp. Installing .011s solved that problem. The action is a bit higher than I'm used to, again probably due to the big frets, but I don't mind it at all.

The guitar is built solid as a rock - or, at least, as solid as a real '62 Tele!

I have no experience dealing with Fender Japan. However, let me tell you about where I bought it. Fender Japan guitars are no longer imported into the US - they can only be bought in Japan. There is a company in Tokyo, Ishibashi Music (http://www.ishibashi-music.com/fenderjp/) that sells them online. Their int'l sales agent, Koichi Tanimoto, understands English , and is very helpful with questions. I placed the order on a Friday, that night they put the guitar on a plane, and it arrived Monday morning here in San Francisco! Now, here's the best part - my total cost INCLUDING shipping was $543!!!!!! (Compare that to the MIM '60s Tele selling for $629 at Musician's Friend.)

This is the perfect Tele for me - need I say more??

Made in Japan in the mid 1990's. Basswood body, white binding on the body, vintage tuners, old style saddle pieces. Great sunburst color! Very nice guitar!

Great sound. Pickups are extremely versatile. I run it through a fender Bandmaster Reverb with a two 12 inch celestion cabinet. Great for a variety of styles. This is the favorite guitar I have owned. It sounds better than a 1998 American Strat I had. Pickups can be bright or bluesy. There is always some tone, even with the knob all the way down.

This guitar looked great. I dropped it once when my case broke, but it only chipped a little paint. Very solid piece for the price! Action is a little high, but it IS a telecaster. Besides, I like it that way.

Great guitar! Only problem I have had is a loose imput jack. I always gig with a backup, but that's just because everyone with any common sense should. This is a solid guitar.

If this guitar were stolen, I would be depressed. I have played countless shows with it and it fits my sound perfectly. I have always loved Japanese made guitars. If I found another like mine, I would buy it.

This guitar was produced in Japan in 98. It has a birdseye maple fotoflame vinere over the basic body. This looks pretty cool and alot of my friends ooohed and aaahed over it. The stock pickups were replaced with EMGs, which are very hot pickups and I really like the rock sound I get. Everything else is pretty much stock jap crap.

I bought this guitar used and the pickups were replaced with EMGs which I love. I can get some wonderfull rich distortion when playing rock and I can still switch around and play vintage country stuff when needed. I use a peavey stereo chorus 400 and played every week on wednesdays and practiced on mondays for 8 months and never had any problems with this guitar

Action was just a bit high but Im sure that it was not a factory setting. Fit and Finish was very good.

I play all the time and I still use this guitar . I recently bought a Gibson SG and honestly I like the neck on the Gibson better than the Tele. The volume is starting to wig out on me and Ill need to replace it soon, and I am starting to get some hum with it so I will need to operate soon. i think thats the price you pay when you by Jap guitars instead of paying more for quality American made instuments.

Ive played it about 18 months and for what I paid for it I love it. It doesnt compete with the U.S. made guitars but very nice for the price. if I lost it I would get the American made, but I have no complaints for the price I paid . I couldnt afford the US guitars at the time I bought this one

Made in Japan in 1998. Solid 3-piece alter body (unlike the older Japanese '62 reissues which uses basswood), nice looking 3tone sunburst with double binding. Texas Special pickups (again, unlike the pre-1998 '62 reissues.) Maple one piece neck with rosewood fretboard, 280R (I think that's equivalent to a 7.25 radius), with 21 pretty thin frets. 3-piece threaded bridge saddles and string thru body. I guess they're pretty standard tele features, but nothing extra.

THe Texas Special pickups sound very cool. It's a pretty raw, powerful sound, and of course, twangy. the middle position is especially sharp, and almost sounds like an acoustic on clean setting, and kind of like recent EVH's tone with distortion. I added a little toggle switch between the vol and tone knobs which switches from the standard 3 position selector (which wires the 2nd position in parrallel) to having the two pickups wired in series. I recommend this mod which can be done with a push-pull pot, for it makes a humbucker-esque big, fat lead tone, which is also useable in jazz with the tone turned down. Despite its simplicity, this tele can make a lot of different sounds by tweaking the vol and tone, and all the different pickup positions give distinct sounds. There's a .001 capacitor on the volume control which makes the tone brighter as you turn the volume down, and fatter as you turn it full-up, and is fun to play with. I can get most standard rock/blues tones with this guitar and a Boss ME-8 Multi-effect pedal. It's not quite big sounding enough for really heavy stuff, but with a lot of gain I don't think tone matters too much...
The only problem I've noticed is that it hums quite loudly. There's no shielding in the control cavity nor on any of the wires, and it gets pretty annoying. I'll get it shielded properly soon...

The output jack was loose when I bought it, but that was fixed by tightening the nut on it. The action was high, probably because a low action causes buzzing when bending high notes due to the round fretboard, but I made it low anyways. I can live with a little buzzing. the tuners are not very smooth. Otherwise everything was solid.

Perfect so far. The good thing about a tele is that it looks good all beaten up with rusting metal and dints in the wood!

dunno

I've been playing for a little more than 2 years, and have had this guitar for about 8 months. I wanted a tele for it's tone and looks, and chose this one because the binding and the 3t sunburst looked cool. Also, the neck is thin and round which felt really comfortable (unlike what everybody else seems to think...) Plus it was affordable, unlike the US tele's etc, and to me all tele's sound similar enough to be disregarded (not worth the extra price!) although playability definitely counts. I love the tone, its versatility and looks. I just wish it wouldn't hum so loud and i wish for one more fret. I would buy this guitar again if it broke, but maybe an american version of hte same if i can afford it. This guitar turned me into a tele lover!

Vintage sunburst, rosewood fretboard, white binding yellowing with age, truss rod adjustment in body under pickguard not at head, white pickguard three color white-black-white at border, chrome hardware with knurled knobs, looks like two piece body, one piece neck, made in Japan on back of neck near body

I bought it new in '87, the bridge pickup blew up after a couple weeks and was replaced with something the store had available (I was young, didn't know to ask what it was!) Over the years, the hum had gotten worse and worse until I decided to attack it. I bought vintage Braodcater Seymour Duncan lead and Tele Rhythm, and rewired it to match the schematics that were included with the pickups. I agree with everyone regarding the original wiring, it really rots, and after I took out the capacitor and put the grounds where they were supposed to be with the new 'old' pickups, I adjusted the heights, and the all of a sudden the guitar kicked ass. The change was incredible. I think with good pickups these things are great.

The factory setup was terrible, the pickups weren't adjusted to anything close to a good height. The volume was all messed up (unbalanced) between pickups as delivered. The action was OK, intonation marginal. From a mechanical standpoint, the guitar was great, and the fit and finish excellent, but I don't think anyone tested it for sound on the assembly line. In retrospect, this guitar cost big money when I bought it, so the quality should have been better.

The hardware has done fine, I've replaced the plastic switch once, the original electronics are just terrible. I did add straplocks to it though. One really strange thing I've noticed with this guitar is that with new strings it seem to break them in faster, or stretch them less or something. This is something I could never figure out, because when I've had to replace a broken string it will almost immediately stabilize and stay in tune.

Never tried.

I really love this guitar with the new pickups, the sound is incredible, and it's aged really well. It's a little funny, but it's starting to look like a legit vintage Tele, especially the binding. It's turned a real nice ivory color, and from what I recall it was white to start with. Honestly, with Fenders I've some real variations from one to another reagrding sound quality, but this one is a keeper.

Jap '62 re-issue. Bound body, 3 tone burst. Vintage saddles. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.

I am a country lead guitar player and the sound was great. I took three hours in a music store comparing tele's. I played everything they had, American, Mexican, Jap, all of 'em. I kept coming back to this guitar because it had a better tone.

I hate, hate, hate, hate the neck on this guitar. So I replaced it with a '52 re-issue maple neck. Much better now. The tone is not quite as warm, but it's much more playable for me.
The pickups sound great, but the balance of electronics are crap. Have not had time to change them yet, but will soon.

The guitar has held up quite well so far. No complaints.

I have not required customer support as of yet.

Made in late 1999 in the U.S.A. Three pieces of bookmatched solid alder. Rosewood board, 7.25 radius. Old-style machine heads. '62 style pickups, according to their spec sheets. Standard tele setup, except with white binding. Classic Tele bridge, this one with the threaded steel saddles, period-correct. Beautiful sunburst, also available in red and black. Supposed to come with brown tolex case, but mine is tweed, I suppose cause it's from the first production run. I'd prefer the tolex case, but I couldn't wait. Came with a bag of stuff, including strap, ashtray bridge cover, cable, and 250 meg capacitor. It's what a 62 Tele Custom is supposed to have in terms of features.

This rocks for me. I have become a Tele guy, big-time, in the last two years. Gave up my American Standard for this, and I like the Am Std's, although I know many Tele freaks don't agree with me. This one, though, just does it. I've been waiting months since they announced them and, when my local store called me today to say they had come in, I ran down. I've been haunting them every day for weeks, waiting. And yet, I was fully prepared to spend my money on another obsession if this didn't pan out: a slightly dinged copper 52 reissue. My main axe is a butterscotch 52 Reissue. I play skank in a reggae band and the 52 is it for me, so I was kind of into getting a backup, having already decided to trade in the Am Std. The 62 is not quite as bell-like, probably due to steel saddles over brass, but it's gorgeous-sounding in its own right. Pure Tele. Clean, crisp, wide range if you use the tone know. Old circuit, meaning you get a choice of the two pickups separately or the neck one with a pre-set "deep rhythym" tone, mainly ersatz bass sounds. It comes with a wiring diagram for changing it to a modern Tele circuit, but I'm leaving it as-is for now.
Sounds amazing unamplified, too, which is cool cause that's how I play a lot late at night.
It sounds magnificent.

Perfect finish. Beautiful sunburst. Deep and rich. Wood beautifully matched. Neck pocket tight.
I love the rosewood board with a 7.25 radius. The truss rod needed a tweak, the nut needed minor filing on three slots, etc., but some of that was cause I like my action high: 5/64's to 7/64's.
All taken care of, though, at the shop

It's a Tele, strongest guitar known to mankind. The more it wears, the better it looks, although I'm not the kind to throw it around. I replace the strap buttons with straplocks.
I usually gig with a backup cause I play skank guitar and sometimes get carried away and break a string.

Never really dealt with Fender customer support. It's a limited lifetime warranty, though, and it's a very well-built instrument.

I love this guitar. I'm in debt due to many gear acquisitions this year and really shouldn't have bought this, but I've been planning on it for so long that I just went ahead and did it. I don't regret it one bit. Eventually, it'll be paid for.
I love it. It sounds so good. It feels so good. It looks good, too. God bless Leo Fender.

This is a Japanese tele with a rosewood board and a maple neck. The body is alder(NOT basswood). The tuners seem to be alittle better than other Japanese Fenders I have encountered. The neck date is 1988. I purchased this guitar as new from a mom/pop music store in the Philadelphia area in 1997. Needless to say, the setup needed to be tweaked. The pickups are basically garbage (but not as bad as todays Mexican pieces of s@#$)

After I tore this thing apart and replaced the pots, switch, pickups and saddles, this is the coolest Tele I have heard. The rosewood board makes a completely different tone than a maple board. The alder body also adds to the tone (I have heard of other Jap Tele reissues having alder instead of basswood- can any one else confirm this?) You must be willing to gut this guitar and replace a bunch of stuff to get it to "give up the tone". It's not too bad stock, but is 100% improved upon modification. Tone-wise, it kind of reminds me of Roy Buchanan in his later years. I have to knock down the score for such sorry parts, but if you see one with an alder body used, get it by all means (I don't think fender makes these anymore).

This is a 3 tone sunburst model. I believe that there is a nitro finish on this (it is not a plastic or poly finish-what else could it be?) There is also a 3 piece body on it, and one piece of the 3 is figured (this is certainly on odd guitar!) The setup absolutely sucked after 9 years on the rack- everything had to be adjusted. Once it was set up properly, it played very nicely. I don't know how to grade this so I will go with N/A for set up and an 8 for the finish

First, you must be a MORON to gig with no backup. This is a very solid guitar. It is nicer than a lot of American Teles that I have played. Like most Fender guitars, it will probably last forever if you don't abuse it.

Fender customer support sucks. Period.

This is my third Tele. I also have seven strats and a few other assorted guitars lying around. I have been playing for 15 years. I have used this guitar for many jobs over the last year and a half. From what I understand it something of an odd ball. I would recommend anyone who wants a tele to purchase one like this if they can find one.

1997 MIJ; Rosewood fretboard on maple (fotofinish?) neck w/ single string hook style tree; small "vintage" frets; bound sunburst body; vintage 3-barrel bridge; "vintage style" tuners; passive single coil pickups; basswood body. Discontinued model, as Fender is moving all of its Japan manufacturing to Mexico. Formerly the only left-handed Tele available with a rosewood fretboard (now there are none, I guess).

Sounded like a Tele. Vintage frets make for plenty of snap for country riffing, but the rosewood fretboard gives it some warmth. Doesn't have that maple bite.
Sounded good new, but stock MIJ pickups were sorta lackluster, so I swapped in a Seymour Duncan STL-1b (Vintage Broadcaster Lead) in the bridge position and a Duncan STR-1 (Vintage Rhythm) in the neck position. NOW it sounds awesome: like a big fat warm Tele, but still has that Tele edge and bit to it.

Intonation was off, but that's a three barrel bridge for you. Pickups were adjusted OK, but they didn't sound too great; finish is excellent 3 color sunburst. You can see that it's a 3 piece body on the back, but it's still a nice job. Single binding is well done and attractive. Pickguard had some jagged edges that had to be sanded off, which is a real disappointment. Body cavity was full of sawdust and had NO shielding whatsoever. Fender's "vintage style" tuners suck, but they look good. Nut is cut well, unlike some reissue Fenders (I played a 60s strat the other day that the nut was barely cut on the B string and the string would pop out if you even looked at it hard). Frets are nice and smoothe with no burrs or sharp edges.

Seems solid, though basswood is a soft wood, so it'll probably ding up. The binding may help that some. The combination of the three-barrel bridge and the sucky 'vintage style' tuners doesn't stay in tune too well. I plan to put a six-barrel bridge and better (though still vintage looking) tuners on it soon. That along with the new pickups will make this a Tele dreamboat.

Fender support: it depends on who's answering the phones that day, in my experience. But, you can find certified Fender repair guys everywhere.

I've been playing for about ten years. I also own a mid-70s Ibanez J-212 copy, a newish Epiphone Casino, an early 70s Fender Telecaster Bass (lefty!), and play all my electrics through a new Vox AC15 TB.
I bought it because I've been looking for a good Telecaster, but I prefer rosewood fretboards. I new I'd want to make some mods to it (new pickups, new bridge, new tuners), but when I get all that done, it's going to be an outstanding guitar. With the new pickups and through my Vox, it really nails that Mike Campbell lead tone. Middle position really jangles through the Vox, too.
I actually used to have one (an '84 in candy apple red that was beat up before I got it), so I did buy another one.
I'll give it a 6 out of the box and an 8 or 9 with the mods, so a 7 overall.

It appears to be a late 80s model. '62 reissue Fender Telecaster (japanese), body binding, basswood body, LEFT-HANDED, rosewood fretboard, vintage reissue pickups. Fender Japan hardware.

This guitar has been a great surprise. For all of it's faults--cheap hardware, defective wiring (I've had to rewire it), it has come to be one of my favorite quitars. It's a versitle little guitar for rock and country. I prefer it over my Les Paul on songs such as La Grange. It's such a basic guitar, yet it has bite, and it's got a great clean sound. It's light body makes it feel like a toy, though. It's got the stereotypical country sound of Pete Anderson and everybody else in country. Unplugged, for some reason there's a buzz, not a fret buzz, but a definite buzz. Cd be the cheap hardware?

The intonation wasn't set up very well. I've had to tweek it a lot. The action was well set up. Pickups weren't adjusted worth a flitter. Bride and top well done. Flaws: the guitar wasn't wired very well. I've had basically to rewire it.

I've not used this guitar as much as I do my strat, which is my main guitar. But once I've tweaked it a bit, it seems to be in tip top shape. Because I haven't yet put on new string saddles, I wouldn't use it without a backup at a gig. Is it solid enough? It's made of basswood, and it won't take the beating that poplar will. I put on dunlop strap locks.

I live far away from the dealer, so I never had the opportunity to receive customer support from Sam's, nor have I tried to contact Fender

Been playing too long. Wish I'd asked them to check into the wiring more thoroughly. I'd buy it again (though if it were stolen, I'd probably go for an Am. Std. Tele) I love it's country twang, and its bite in rock music. I hate it's cheap hardware. I wish it had six pole pieces for the saddle instead of three, and I wish it had graphtech saddles. It's not as quality as American Fender products, but it's still a price-friendly alternative. It has the classic tele sound. When it grows up, it'll be a great guitar. I've still got to do some work on it.