Fender American Standard Telecaster

New for 2008 - American Standard Telecaster. Crimson Red Transparent ash body with a rosewood fret board. Standard Tele features and tuners. The beauty of this guitar lies in its simplicity. Included is a "TSA approved" case which is nice, and the usual Allen keys for making adjustments. Had to purchase strap locks separately - wish Fender would make these standard equipment like their deluxe series guitars.

Awesome full Tele sound! I was never really a Tele player prior to owning this, but as far as I can tell it sounds as good as its predecessors. The bridge pickup is edgy and aggressive, and the neck pickup is woody and full. The middle position gives a nice blend of both. This guitar is simply a tone machine - with a little configuration you can easily dial in just about anything. I play through a Mesa Express 5:25 amp and the tone is awe-inspiring.

I love the playability on this guitar. I play GHS .11 Boomers and had it initially set-up with these strings. Plays like a dream.
The finish is also perfect. I like being able to see the grain of the wood through the finish, leads me to believe that the guitar can "breathe" and resonate tone better.
I was a little skeptical about the new coated fret board, but on the rosewood it feels good and plays as good as my '04 American Strat with a rosewood fret board.

As far as reliability and durability I have no concerns. This baby will probably last as long as I will. The only concern I have is that after playing for a few hours the black pick guitar is noticeably scratched, which I suppose is to be expected. I bought this guitar for tone and playability, not to look at.

I had to wait about four months for this guitar because I initially ordered an ???old??? American Series Tele that was discontinued and had to change my order to and American Standard. The guys at Dave Phillip's Music and Sound in Phillipsburg NJ were great. Never had to deal with Fender directly - they took care of everything.

I've been playing four years and in addition to this I own a '04 American Strat and a '06 American Deluxe Strat with a QMT. All great guitars.

This Tele makes a great addition to my collection as it enters into a more unrefined tone realm that my Strats don't really get into.

If it were stolen I'd definitely look at replacing it.

2006. You know the specs. Mine's a black with rosewood. I chose this one because it had a darker sound than others, even those with rosewood. Not that it doesn't have definition, just a bit more mid and groiwl than some. I think I played about 10 to choose this one.

I give a 7 because tele's have everything you need, and they have above average finish and hardware compared to everything out there. This is a work horse guitar, nothing to get emotional about, it just does it's job really well.

Let's be honest here. Nobody buys a tele to sound like dimebag or to look good. At the same time, remember that Page used one, so did (or does) Tom morello at times. Now I'm a guy that does a gig a week, and has to cover every style - i mean EVERY style. I can't do wammy dives, but a tele set up well, with a sensible amp, can cover just about any sound you want. If it can't then you haven't thought about tone, sound, pick attack, timing and all the other things that come in to a live sound. I'm not suggesting tele's do everything well, but for a live application you can get away with it. That, to me puts it close to a 10. What gets it there is that when you have a need for blues to rock overdrive, there is nothing as expressive. There is so little in the way between your fingers and the amp that it all get's through, for better or worse.

Modern teles don't have the same tone as vintage - there's no doubt. They lack the really bitey twang and tastey clean. They are however, a more versatile instrument. As a working muso I can't see myself playing anything else for quite a long time. I feel that PRS, Gibson and other similars just don't have the cut. Ibanez don't have a neck i like and custom made axes are way too precious. Strats go out of tune.
Each have a big place in rock, but I find the tele more solid and more expressive.

Finish is good. I set the action myself to suit the combination of slide and fingers that could be called on at any gig. The overall condition is what you expect for the money. Not going to set the standard out there, some of the scratchplate screws are a bit on the angle, but nothing that upsets me.

Fender turn out factory instruments that work. Not beautiful works of guitar art. Don't kid yourself into comparing the finish on one of these to a PRS - no comparison.

Fallen off of the stand twice. Stood on by the other guitarist once. Dropped by me twice. Dropped my pedal board on it once.

What else can you do this to, pick it up and it's still in tune. You just play on. Like a rock. The only guitar i've ever found like this.

Who knows. What would you try to contact Fender for anyway. If you can use a screw driver, an allen key and a soldering iron you can do anything you need to.

Everybody should try a tele, just to understand how simple it can be. They're not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but theres a reason that your average joe working muso tends to own either a strat or a tele. For me it's a tele just to get that extra bass in the sound.

Finish - Inca Silver
Body - Alder? Telecaster solid body
Bridge - 6 piece telecaster bridge
Tuners - stock non-locking (Fender branded Schallers?)
Neck/Scale - Maple neck, c shaped, 25.5" scale
Plastic molded hard case included
Made in 1999 in the USA
Two stock tele single-coil pickups with the "Delta-tone" tone-knob that removes the tone pot from the circuit when full up.

I play 60s inflected rock -- anything from byrds to zep to the who. Also some Jazz comping and only occasional country picking. This amp works very well for the rock stuff. Jazz comping is not too bad with the tone turned down on the neck pickup. It's great for country, unfortunately I'm a terrible country player. Usually just use the amps reverb, trem and a variety of overdrive pedals. It is a very bright guitar compared to my others (all gibson), so maybe I'm just hyper aware of the brightness because it's my only fender. Even though it can get very bright, I feel like a tele can be used in pretty much any type of music. Lots of twangy attack on the strings, really versatile sounds.

One of these days I'll get around to putting nicer pickups in this guitar. The stock ones are fine, but new pickups could really make this guitar something special. It's an overall solid sound that I'm always comfortable using.

Bought it used, so I don't know about the factory setup. It's currenly set up really nicely for me. Good low action, it stays in tune reasonably well. no fret buzz.

I couldn't break this guitar if I tried. It is as sturdy as a guitar can get. It's my one guitar that I don't fuss over in terms of durability. Whenever I'm playing in a situation where I anticipate...well...shadiness, I bring my tele because I know it will survive pretty much anything. It's a super workhorse.

I dunno

Been playing 12 years and own a number of gibsons. This is my only fender currently. If it was lost, I'd get another tele for sure. I love that it fits in pretty much every situation. Nothing really to hate. My favorite feature is its simplicity. I had played a number of teles over the years and never really loved any of them...I'm not sure if they were MIJ, MIA, MIM or whatever, all I know is that I sat down with this tele and it just felt right in my hands, so I bought it. I'm glad I did.

Maple neck, olympic white (it's starting to turn green a little). The body and neck are perfect. The finish on the neck is wearing off, but does not effect anything. The body is a good weight and though the paint is starting to turn greenish, it's not a problem.

I've changed out all of the hardware, cuz it really sucked!! I prefer the vintage style tuning machines, so I changed those out right away (it's a pain finding the correct sized casings, but I eventually found them). The bridge is crap: no sustain and the saddles are too soft and break strings too easily. I originally used graphite saddles, but eventually found a custom made-vintate style 3 saddle bridge.

The pups were crap, no tone. I got a Van Zandt Vintage for the neck and SD Lil 59er for the bridge.

The volume and tone nobs were crappy, so I got custom ones. When playing live, the nobs need to stay on tight, otherwise you end up pulling them off!

So, body and neck is great, but all of the hardware is not really road-worthy. I don't abuse my guitars, but I do play them hard!

After the hardware changes, I feel my tele sounds as good as the best tele out there. I absolutely love it. But, the stock guitar sounded only average. So, I'm rating it a 7, since it requires some custom work to be done. I sure wish Fender would sell it without the crappy electronics and hardware for a few $$ less...

The stock setup didn't have enough... not enough bite, highs or lows. It sounded too "smooth" and the pickups had sort of a compression/limiter/chorus-y effect, not a RAW vintage fender tone. I don't think you can get the classic tele tones -Keith Richards, Albert Collins, Jimmie Page, Burton...

As perfect as can be expected. The finish on the neck is wearing off a little, but that is to be expected. Frets will be replaced within the next 12 months, but have lasted me 7 years of solid playing. I use 11 strings and play pretty hard, blues/rock, so guitar has been through a lot and still sounds great.

Again, body and neck is great. Hardware had to be changed out... especially the bridge.. the saddles only lasted a month or so before I started breaking strings.

**Note, I NEVER break strings. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I broke a sting... I change them regularly, I file down the saddles, make sure my guitars are intonated. My band rehearses once a week and we gig 2-3 times a month (though we did about 10 shows in august). I bring three guitars to most my shows- tele, LP, strat. With the stock bridge, I was breaking strings alomst every practice once the saddles started wearing out. Once I changed everything out, never a break! I've been using this as my main guitar since Jan of 2000.

NA. Guitars are very prone to wear 'n tear. The manufacturer can't really help you, that's not their job. It's up to you to maintain it and/or take advatage of local guitar techs.

I hate to be a sellout and give a perfect 10, but it really is. That is if you are willing and able to maintain it and get the parts that are right for you. The hardware was way less than average, but even the highest grade hardware will likely wear out over time. I ended up putting $500-$600 in upgrades ($240 for the bridge, maybe overpriced, but it's likely the best on the market), making it close to a $2000 guitar (I think the stock price is up near $1500 or so... I may be off a little). But, even you bought a $2000 tele from guitar center, you'd still have hardware which is not the best on the market (I'll let you decided what the best means).

But, the neck and body is 100% solid and quality, so there's where the value lies. I would never replace this guitar, and will play it til the day I die, assuming it can be re-fretted from time to time without destroying the neck!

Made in USA Tele, rosewood board, standard pickup selector switch, single coils. The feaures I like most about Tele's over Strat's is the fixed bridge. Pretty basic instrument in the features department, this guitar is meant to be played. it has all the features you need on the guitar, if you need fancy there are plenty of pedals out there for tricks and gimmicks.

Tele's are not very pretty, and aren't going to get chicks just because they look cool. In fact, it is almost the simplest block of wood that you could attach a fretted neck to. This means the only reason to own this instrument is for the sound. You can tell the boys from the men by those that are even willing to look at a Tele. It is a tough guitar to play well. It is not at all forgiving, and will not hide any sloppiness It can provide great drive tones, but will quickly point out a player that hasn't yet learned how to really dial in knobs. You might ask "Why go through all this trouble when a humbucker equipped guitar will make you sound "big" no matter what?" The Tele player's reward is incredible control over the nuance. Tele's are very expressive, the majority of it's character is going to come from your hands, pick attacks, releases, string pressures, etc... It can be made to play rich thich tones that can be as impressive as a humbucking guitar, yet can have character and definition that the humbuckers can't dream of touching. Want the blues? LP's can't dream of the sound thes can pull for blues. I bet more rhythm tracks have been recorded on a Tele than any other. These guitars have great mid range, and despite the stereotype of being too twangy/country, it can totally be dialed out.

Tele's play very solid, look as decent as a block of mildly carved wood can, and the finish is about as interesting as it was 60 years ago. But there are guitars that this isn't a foregone conclusion on, so I'll give it a 9.

Seriously, of any guitar in the world, how can you mess this thing up? It is a block of solid wood, with about the fewest parts you could ever put on a guitar and still have it function. If this gutiar ever lets you down, it's your own fault for dropping it, hitting something with it, etc...

I've dealt with Fender for a few other things, but never the Tele. I have no opinion here.

This is my desert island guitar. I can't live without Tele's. I used to be a die hard humbucking LP player, and still own the LP for certain harder sounds, but all in all the Tele see's the majority of the playing traffic. This is one guitar that is a great fundamental to build your tone around, and then other guitars can help fill out the Tele tone. But for a single guitar sound, this is it!

standard stuff...2006 model...changed the pickguard for cosmetic purposes....its a tele

its sounds ok....the body and neck are nice...the pickups are so-so....im going to swap them out for some kinnmans...teles feel and play great....you just gotta get to that special place tone wise

feels great, looks great!

cool

american fenders vary greatly from guitar to guitar....check out a bunch if you really want one, cause they aint all the same....i found one that was light, was setup well, and had a good fret job....im going to change the pickups, but i had planned on that before i bought the guitar.....overall mine is great, but like i said, they all can be very different, so choose wisely...haha

2002 model made in USA
Standard American Telelcaster electrics (i.e. including delta-tone)
7.6 lbs Alder body, maple neck with 25.5", 22 fret rosewood fingerboard.
Chrome Red included case but no candy
String through body. 9-42 strings

How do I rate the features of a telecaster? It's is a pretty basic guitar but everything is you need is there - good timber, electrics, sound, finish and quality components. And it's made in USA.

I used to wonder how Keith Richards got his guitar sound. Now I know. The tele is a tone monster. The Telecaster, Stratocaster and Les Paul are definitive rock sounds. It's a great rock - blues guitar and well suited for rhythm guitar work. The pickups don't have a lot of sustain so it doesn't get used as much for lead guitar. Still this didn't stop Jeff Beck.

I use the tele with a Fender Hot Rod DeVille it it sounds great (this amp is really well set up for the strat and tele - which is no surprise).

Single coil pickups are a bit noisier than humbackers but not much.
Jimi Hendrix said the Telecaster had only one good pickup. I guess he meant the bridge pickup which is hotter the neck pickup. However, the volume difference the bridge and the neck is not as great as it used to be. The defining telecaster sound is twang.

The chrome red finish is similar to the code red Satriani guitar (JS1200). It's hard show up the depth of the finish in a photo but it looks great in the flesh. While that guitar was second hand, the action, fit and finish looks fine with no indications of bad quality anywhere.

The guitar was being used by a band in Sydney. It still is in real good shape which I guess says a lot about the durability of the guitar.

Everything about this guitar is solid.

If I could have only one guitar at a gig, of all my guitars, I would feel most confident with the tele.

I bought this guitar for my son, who wants to learn guitar. I already have a few guitars including: Fender Strat, Gibson Les Paul, Gibson Flying V and PRS Custom 24. So, we wanted to get a good guitar to learn on but something different from the guitars we already have. I also wanted a reliable guitar for gigging that I wouldn't worry about knocking about.
Some of the guitars we were interested in were the Ibanez JS100 and PRS SE range.

It's not a guitar I was thinking I've buying for myself but I'm playing it more than any of my other guitars at the moment. It's easy to play, light weight, small neck, 9-42 strings and it stays in tune.

I've spent a lot more on some of my other guitars but the telecaster is best in terms of value. Nothing plays, sound, feels or looks like a Telecaster and if does, than it is just copying the original.

Purchased new, 1999, approx. $300., Mexican made, Standard Telecaster, White with maple neck, 6 saddle bridge

Play garage psych, country, blues, jazz. Sound is okay - maybe a little thin. Humming and buzzing through the amp is noticeable.

Set-up was fair, pick-ups were okay. The materials used to manufacture this guitar seem to be low grade. The assembly of the instrument was a bit off here and there. The neck is not set properly, and the body shows a lack of precision. The hardware seems cheap.

This is an unreliable guitar because I am contantly breaking srings. I've stopped using it. Had the same problem with the American Standard Tele also.

Never paid attention to the warranty.

-Been playing for over twenty years
-Have a Gibson 335, Rickenbacker 360, GFI pedal steel, American Standard Telecaster
-I am sorry to say that the Mexican Fender Standard Telecaster is a waste of money. I strongly recommend that you put your $300.00 towards a higher quality instrument. There are decent low-end guitars available.
-If it were lost I wouldn't care.
-Its a waste of money.

2005. Clear ash body w/ maple neck. White pickguard. Stock American Standard pickups. Usual volume and tone control.

The Telecaster helped me get more of a sparkle for pop music that I was looking for. I used a Les Paul for years (still do in fact), but the Tele has become my main instrument for this application. With Ash and maple, this guitar can get very bright with a punchy attack. I run it through an Evans JE150 jazz/steel solid state amp. Because of this amps incredible EQ and warmth, I can get any tone I need. For me, the Treble pick up is hot enough for distortion, even 80's metal - but with less foreboding darkness that a humbucker can dish out. But usually, I use this guitar for clean and medium gain work. Overall, it is very responsive, the EQs work well, and the fretwork is excellent - very even with no fret buzzes. One complaint - the pickguard can get a static sound with my hand rubbing against it in certain situations. This means that that the shielding under it is inadequate. TIme to buy some copper foil shielding and put it underneath. This is a minor complaint, but I paid just under a grand for this, I would expect it not to be an issue. Overall, this is my "go to" axe for pop/rock covers of all styles.

I set this guitar up after I bought it since it had wimpy 9's on it and too much relief on the neck. I put 10's on, straightened the neck to a very slight relief, set the bridge intonation, then finally the pickup heights - awesome playability. No one should pay a tech to do this...it takes about one half hour and is very easy. It's like paying someone $75 to check the air pressure in your car's tires!!

Structurally, the instrument is sound. For instance, if you bend a note, the neck won't snap! This category is strange to me since, I don't look for guitars to be durable like my car's engine. Unless you want the Tele to withstand abuse (leaving it outside in the rain, tossing in on the driveway, etc.), it will basically last forever (except frets).

Through the dealer, Fender stands by its products if you keep the receipt.

Solid guitar, simple and playable with great tone. WOuld buy it again. Its a workhorse that is always fun to play through a variety of amps. It mates real well with an Evans amp!!

Just an update on my five-position switch modification. To do this you need the Fender (or equivalent) Five Way Super Switch.

I wired the guitar like so:

Switch Position
1 - Bridge
2 - Bridge & Neck, in series, in phase
3 - Bridge & Neck, in parallel, in phase
4 - Bridge & Neck, in series, out of phase
5 - Neck

Positions 1, 3, 5 are the same as factory. Position 2 gives you a high output, warmer tone that lends itself well to jazz and blues. It definitely takes the twang out of the guitar. Position 4 give a very unique tone that to me makes the guitar sound like a semi hollow body. Works well for a few different things and definitely makes the guitar sound rather unreocognizable from a regular Tele.

All in all, a worthwhile modification.

If you need more information send me an email

Shop around, don't get hosed on the price of this switch. I paid 15$Cdn (13$USD) but have seen the same thing for twice that.