Fender '72 Telecaster Thinline Reissue

Fender Specs:

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0137402321

This things sounds like is descended straight from heaven.

Lots of bottom, twang at the top - a nice even and round sound. "Wide Range" is perfectly descriptive of the sound.

I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 - and IMO, this may be the perfect guitar sound.

an interesting note may be what I use this for, which is straight up hardcore death metal. For distortion I use a Ibanez SM7. Some may feel this guitar is only good for country or Blues or whatever, but I can tell you that NOTHING has the balls this tele puts under the distortion.

Beyond that though, it's just a beautiful, clean, crisp, yet round sound.

I find the action to be VERY fast - the only issue is the thickness of the finish on the neck, but I got used to it pretty quickly.

"tank" has been used more than once in these reviews, and there's a reason why.

All and all I'd say the craftmanship is EXCELLENT. Even if it was made in Mexico.

No Problems

This guitar is my soulmate forever. I have no clue why everybody in the world doesn't have one.

1999 (first year of production) Mexican version.

I got the guitar second hand, and it had a StewMac bridge and saddles (which I do prefer).

It has two wide range humbuckers which are great, not as good as the originals though (nothing ever is).

I love the sound, lovely and LOUD! Great for my heavy blues style in the bridge position, although cleaned up with some reverb the neck position sounds very jazzy, and I can recreate Peter Green well.

The finish is good, thick poly though, which is annoying.

The neck has several chips and dents because of gigging, but this is expected.

This guitar is a real tank. I've dropped it on all sorts of surfaces (by accident) and it had a cymbal dropped on it (not by me) but it barely left a dent on it. I have played this guitar into the ground. I gig this guitar with out back ups all the time.

BARE IN MIND THOUGH-- My guitar HAS HAD alot of work done. The neck pick up DID stop working at one point, although I haven't had any problems with it for a year.

I bought it second hand.

I have been playing for 6 years.
I also own a:
Fender 72 Custom (2004)
Esquire (built from parts) and many other guitars, but none of them compare. I play my guitar through a Blues Junior and it sounds great.

If you dont have a Thinline, go get one, and when you get it OVERWIND THE PICK UPS!

As the owner of an original '72 Thinline, I'm disappointed with the sound of the re-issue. I discovered that the current Fender humbuckers are very different from the original design, although they are cosmetically identical on the outside. Scoring a pair of originals may be tough or cost prohibitive, but I found out that Jonny Lang had Fender Custom Shop build a Thinline incorporating Bill Lawrence 500 series humbuckers. Based on the fact that Lang is a Thinline fan, it's presumable that the Lawrence pups must meet or exceed the tonal characteristics of Fender's original humbucker design.

Anyway, anyone looking to upgrade a reissue may want to investigate the Bill Lawrence pickups!!

See other reviews. All I will add is my neck seems much more like 9.5" radius than a 7.25" vintage radius.

This is an update to my review from a year and a half ago. I did some tinkering. Frist, swapped the vol pot from 250k to 500k. Had a nice effect. Next, put the original bridge saddles back on - like em better than Graphtech now. Finally, I scored two original '74 Wide Range buckers. Holy cow! I would not trade this guitar for $20,000 vintage piece. I like it that much now. A/B-d against a real 1974 Thinline and the RI (w/ orig PUs) blew it away...

Except for the heavy Poly finish, which I removed, this guitar is flawlessly made.

Built like a tank.

35 years on the guitar. I know a good one when I see it. Get the natural Ash model though... ;-)

2006 Mexican model. Same features as listed below. The body looks like 3 pieces on the top which is carved out and a cap on the back that is 3 pieces. Wide range humbuckers and the standard tele controls. The neck is really glossy, but not too sticky for me.

I really like the sound of this guitar. Its a different sound, though, and it may not be for everyone. The HBs are very open and not muddy like a Les Paul can be, but they are not mid rangey like a P-90. They are very much "wide range" with clear lows and clean highs. Something about them gives the bridge pickup that classic tele thwack, but with more balls. The middle position is nice, good for strumming, and the neck is very rich sounding. Acoustically, this guitar sounds really good, too. The F-hole makes it pretty loud unplugged which is nice, and gives the plugged in sound a nice woody tone. But, like I said, this guitar sounds different, so play one before you buy.

The finish is like glass! I've read that people have had issues with fret finishing and bridge placement, but mine is fine. Actually, of the guitars that I played a the store, the frets were better than some of the american made fenders. I was shocked that so many of those had such terrible frets. Some of them literally made red marks on the side of my hand from playing it. $1400 for that! No way. Sorry for the rant. There was a little bit of white residue on the f-hole, but other than that, no problems what so ever.

Its a tele, but its also a semi-hallow. This thing is solid.

No contact with fender ever.

I've been playing for about 18 years. I own a Epiphone Dot, a Fender CIJ Jaguar, a Squier Tele, and a Yamaha Acoustic. If this guitar was stolen, I would cry, and then hunt that bastard down and, and... ask him to get it back. If he said no, then I might have to look into hiring Chuck Norris to take care of the situation. That, or I would save my money and buy another. I actually was planning on buying a Gibson faded series guitar. Its tax refund time for me and I thought yes, I will buy a Gibson. I had my eye on the double cutaway with the P-90's. Well, after playing that guitar (I love the way it looks), it felt like furniture and not a guitar. I tried the SG and the LP and they did nothing for me. I was so disappointed. I desperately started playing anything to find my next guitar. Then I saw this guitar. I plugged it in and fell in love.

Telecaster, transparent/natural finish,
U shape neck 7/14 radius makes my fingers absolutley glide across the strings and with vintage frets sliding up and down you can barely feel it, overall a very comfortable instrument, i'm giving this an 8 because even though the finish is flawless and the neck is great, the electronics are limited, but that is a typical telecaster thing so doesn't really matter

Very versatile, i play alot of jazz blues classic rock and alittle classical, obvious this is not a classical guitar but it is good for everything else except for maybe death metal the sound is very similiar no matter what config, you use but depending what effects you have i have the zoom 606 effects pedal you can do pretty much anything with it.

intonation was fine when i got it, the action needed minamal adjustment, its got a strat style bridge so i didnt have to take the strings off took me 5 minutes to adjust that, everything else was fine finish is flawless trussrodd fine, pickups are fine

no matter where you go you want a backup in case of string breakage but i would gig without a backup with it, nice complete finish hardware so far (havent had it that long) havent shown any signs of wear and tear (no scratchy/funny noises) strap buttons i checked and i couldnt tightend them anymore so it was fine

been playing about 2 1/2 years, my dad plays and his friends play been playing about 34 years each so i have the advantage of being able to play with them alot and learn alot so its almost as if ive been playing 5 years, got a 335, les paul with emg active pickups and a dreghdnot acoustic. This sounds alot like the 335 because they both have very clean humbuckers, (I don't distort it overall) but the tone control is more effective so it is more versatile. Personally i love the neck on this thing and the semi hollow factor means to practice I don't have to plug in I can still hear it it isn't the greatest value though there are better buys out there but it is a very good guitar.

Check the other people's reviews for what all it has. I replaced my volume pot with a 500k model from Torres engineering and it opened it up like no other guitar I've ever heard. Also, the slotted tuning keys are a pain but you get used to them. The pickups are sweet and I have no idea why anyone would ever change them out for something else.

This is the real reason why I'm writing this review. I was in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago and in a guitar store that had an original (not reissue) one of these guitars. Here are my thoughts.
At first I was I was very hesitent to even pick this guitar up. I love my reissue and I feel extremely lucky to have found the perfect guitar for me for only $500. No, that's not pocket change but considering how many thousands of dollars guitars can go for $500 ain't too bad. Anyway, I always say that I've honestly never picked up a guitar, at any price, that I liked better than my Thinline and was afraid that once I played an original that there's no way I could afford I'd just be lusting after something I could never have. None the less, I couldn't just pass it by and had to give it a try so I pulled off the wall and plugged into the same amp I play through at home (a Fender Hotrod Deluxe).
The two versions are supposed to be the same but the way they sound really sets them apart. They definitely sound different from each other. Some people will say that's a bad thing but my personal preferrence says its a good thing. The older one certainly had a different ring to it. While the newer ones have a nice smooth, warm sound the older ones seemed to be a bit more harsh. I can definitely see where some people will like that harshness and it would sound great for some songs. Where the new one sounds like a tele that is a bit edgy and it might had smoked some pot, the older one sounds like a tele that is a bit edgy and then did some coke. Also, with the newer ones, I can get one of the sweetest tones I've ever heard out of a guitar with the pickup switch set in the middle, the older one just didn't blend the two pickups as well. On second thought, it did blend them well but they just don't sound as different as they do on the newer ones which combine for that amazing sound the middle position gives you. Also because of the two pickups sounding so close to the same, you can't get the wide range of tones out of the guitar as you can with the newer ones.

Yes, the new ones are made in Mexico which generally means not as good of quality. It may have just been the one I was playing but to me it seems like my MIM is put together better than the original. I know that the one I was playing was over 30 years old and my guitar is probably about 3 years old but it still just seemed like the MIM went through just a little more quality control before being shipped out. The one thing that seemed to be the same on both versions, and I commend Fender for, was the size and shape of the neck. This is one of the best feeling necks I've ever put my hand around (stupid small hands, thanks mom and dad for those genetics) and was one of the things that made me want my guitar.
The only small imperfection is one small area leading into the f-hole. Other than that, perfect. Also, if you have a good local store in your area that can set up guitars well (just because someone offers the service doesn't mean they have any idea what they're doing) have them set it up for. It turned what I thought was a perfect guitar for me into an even more perfect guitar.

So far mine's been knocked over twice (having a two year old and six year old can be hard on your guitars) but you can't tell a thing. I've also bumped it up against a wall a few times but after all that its still in as good of condition as the day I bought it. I don't think I would use it as my only guitar but only because I like to change my sound up for different songs, if it's just a reliability issue I'd take this one any day of the week.

Who knows, never had to contact them. Also don't know about warranty since I bought it used.

Over all, I liked the original but after playing it for a while I was longing for my reissue. I also was feeling even better about paying only $500 for my guitar versus a few grand for an original or any other guitar I've ever played.

Frets - Thin/low type
The pickups - H/g config Fender wide range buckers mounted to the pickguard
Controls - Master gain, tone and three way pickup selector
Tuners - Vintage fender style, nedd to watch when you string up, but steady tuning wise
Headstock - 6 in a line, typical tele shape
Bridge - Strat style hard-tail
Neck - Bolt on (three bolt style) maple
Scale - 25.5 inch
Electronics - good
Accesories - Gig bag and fender booklets included whish it had two tone Controls nobbs

Guitar dudes let me tell you what i did to my telle.rember i am 51 years old.

Guitar dudes let me tell you what I did to my telle. Remember I am 51 years old.i changed the pods and changed the capacitor I used only fender parts you would not believe the difference. I tweaked the neck and lowered the action on this guitar sounds so un believable good I took it back to guitar center to let the guys play it.i didn?t think I was going to get back out with it. they kept getting outer guy to come in and play it. I also set the springs on the bridge after I selected the string I am going to use. I play it through a mesa f-50 sometimes with a keeley compressor sometimes not. what I was able to do is open the humbuckers up and add more treble. Clean this thing glassines with a beautiful tone. Crank on the gain and it bites.with the changes i made this guitar will stand up to any no one will make fun of your mexcian tellie any more it will be on steriods and be a mean jose.

i play it all the time.

i voided the warranty.

30 years.i stolen would buy another one the same day.i own nine guitars including two taylors. a gibson do-bro. a lucelle.highway 1,a mexican strat loaded with eric clappton pickups and mid range booster the bridge lowered against the body lowered action.the eric clapton and the mexican thinline are my favorites. i love them both.i play the tellie a little more.

This is a 1983 MIJ '72 Telecaster thinline, that I bought about a year ago, I absolutely LOVE it! It has the standard tone and volume knobs with the 3-way selector. Has a nice thick C-shaped neck, medium width. Nice and simple.

Awesome sound. I play this usually through a MesaBoogie Studio .22 tube amp. The humbuckers are nice and meaty on the lead channel, in any pickup position. On the clean channel, you get real nice jazz tones with the neck pickup. With both settings you get a nice warm neutral tone. And suprisingly..the bridge pickup alone still gives you that tele twang.

Although I bought this "used", it was a closet kept guitar and was pretty much untouched when I got it. Nothin else to say except that this thing was made unbelievibly well! Its almost perfect.

The only complaint I have about the hardware is that the selector fuzzes sometimes, otherwise fine. What can I say? It is Japanese made, that says it all.

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1983 was the first year that they made this reissue, which (don't hold me to it) was during the CBS transition and the guitars were made in Japan. In my opinion, the Japanese Fenders are some of the best that you can buy, everything about this guitar just feels like QUALITY. And it is. I love this guitar, and everything about it. It was exactly what I was looking for in a guitar, awesome for Jazz, awesome for rock, just good all around. Highly recommended!

The guitar in question is a dual humbucker, 21 fret chambered solidbody.

It's a mexican range Fender, a reissue of the thinline tele model made in '72.

Frets - Thin/low type
The pickups - H/g config Fender wide range buckers mounted to the pickguard
Controls - Master gain, tone and three way pickup selector
Tuners - Vintage fender style, horrible to string up, but steady as hell tuning wise
Headstock - 6 in a line, typical tele shape
Bridge - Strat style hard-tail
Neck - Bolt on (three bolt style) maple
Scale - 25.5 inch
Electronics - Passive
Accesories - Gig bag and fender booklets included

The body is Ash and has a single F-hole which opens into one of the guitars chambers. the body is not a single solid piece, it's chambers are routed out from the back, and then the cap is applied to the back of the guitar. The neck of the guitar is single piece maple.

It's a players guitar, not some shred machine trem trick beastie, as is evident from the specs.

This thing has a very unique sound, if you're after bright single coil sparkle, then simply do not buy this guitar, it's not designed to do it. The sound of the buckers is warm, round, fat and open, but it'll still produce that trebel and spank that makes it sound like a tele.

I play mostly Rock and Blues based stuff, and this thing handles them both like a charm, but it can also do so much more, from spacy coldplay style sounds, right through to jazz.

I currently play this guitar through an Engl Thunder 50 Valve/Tube head, connected to a Marshall 2 by 12 fitting with Celestion vintage 30s, and the sound is absolutley wonderful, I can dial in some seriously classic sounds. You want it to sound like an lp? It can do that. You want it to sound something unique to itself? well to be frank, thats what it does.

Played clean you can get some serious spank on the bridge pickup, but I favour the neck pickup, with a tiny bit of the trebel rolled off on the tone pot, the sound is dynamic, warm fat and open and is perfect for rythmn. That said, thats merely how I use it, it will do lead very well too.

Overdrive is also nice, as is crunch, as said before, you can make it sound like an lp with careful tweaking, but it still has that tele twang at the bridge, and it's not as muddy as an lp.

It's got a very unique sound, some people will love it, others wont, personally I love it, but do try it before you buy it.

The fit of all the parts is very good, save for a slightly loose neck pocket fit, other than that, no complaints, tuners are smooth, frets nicely dressed and all the electronics work as they should.

The neck has a lovely feel to it, it really fills your hand out and is particularly comfortable to play. No complains about the frets, minimal buzzing and the action can be brought quite low without affecting this, I prefer to have it set up so that the strings can really ring out however. The finish is gloss, but i've not found it to be overly sticky, or to hamper playing in any way. The tuning is smooth, and if strung up the way the vintage tuners are intended to be strung, it's stable as hell, once you've played the strings in, and the tuning is set, it's not going anywhere for a while.

The finish is nice throughout, although the detailing around the inside edges of the f-hole could be slightly better.

Durability? It's a Telecaster, and as such could be used to batter you way out of a bar fight if need be, or to give any unwanted intruders on stage a solid whack, Keith richards stylee...

Could it withstand live playing? Yes, yes it could, no problems on this front whatsoever. I'd be happy to use this guitar on stage without a backup, no question.

The hardware all seems solid, and I'm sure it'll last. The strap buttons are also fine, however i've since changed them out for straplocks simply for easy of use.

I've not yet had to deal with customer support.

I've been playing for roughly 5 years now and have owned a few guitars in that time, this one is my main guitar, and in the year or so i've had it, i've not become disillusioned with it at all, I still love it as much as I did when I bought it.

It's got a unique sound, and as long as you don't fight agaisnt that, you'll love it, it wont be for everyone though.