Fender Muddy Waters Telecaster

This MIM tele was produced in 2007. The features include an ash '50s Tele body in Candy Apple Red with a polyester finish, '60s Style 'Custom Telecaster' Neck with 'C' Shape (Satin Polyurethane Finish), rosewood 9.5" radius fretboard, vintage-style machine heads, 2 U.S. special vintage pickups, 3-way switching, and an American Vintage bridge with 3 brass saddles. It has Fender amp knobs and Muddy's signature engraved on the neckplate. Comes with a gig bag

I play blues, rock, pop, R&B, country, and even some jazz. I use a Line-6 modeling amp and a Fender Deluxe. It sounds great and smooth through both amps. I put it above the normal tele bright and harsh tone. Has a very mellow tone in the neck pickup and the bridge pickup is quite punchy. Really played with the tones and was very impressed.

After 30+ years, this is my first Fender guitar, and I am pretty impressed. The overall fit and finish is excellent. The candy apple red is beautiful (everyone should have at least one red guitar in their collection). Neck is great, all the controls are solid. The action was perfect for my style of playing, a minor tweek in the intonation was all I did to the guitar out of the box. The only issue was the pickup switch cover was cracked and would fall off the switch.

This is one guitar I would take on a gig without any backup. Is it someting I should have bought 20 years ago.

Called the company where I puchased the tele from and they wanted me to return the entire guitar (for a broken switch cover?), so I emailed Fender about the broken switch cover - a replacement was sent out to me the same day. Couldn't ask for any better customer service.

After 30 plus years of playing guitars (mostly Gibsons & Epiphones) I saw an ad for the new 'American Standard Fenders', so I went to a local music store and tried out the new models of strats and teles. I was about to purchase a American tele when I saw a red tele in the back with Fender amp knobs which I thought was strange, but decided to inquire further. The salesman was not familiar with the model and thought that is was something that maybe the service dept put together. The store manager told me that it was the Muddy Waters Custom Tele and that it the last one they had in stock and was slightly damaged. I tried it out and was blown away by it. It is a MIM model, but it stood up next to the new American made Teles - and was about $300 less. But they were really pushing the new American Fenders, so I thanked them for all their help and went home and ordered one online. Why I waited for so long to get a Fender, I'll just never know.

Bought on eBay, excellent condition, couple of years old

Nice bright Tele sound, noticeable difference in level between bridge and neck pickups

For a used guitar, setup was excellent, action was well adjusted. Has the three brass bridge but intonation was excellent.

Built to last, will standup to lot's of years of playing

I've never had to deal with Fender in all the years I've owned Fenders, even in the mid to late 70's when the quality was lacking.

I own tons of gear, lot's of guitars, this is my 8th electric guitar and I'm very happy with it. I needed to add a Tele to my collection because I own every other style.

Features include an ash '50s Tele body, a maple '62 Custom Tele neck with rosewood fretboard, vintage-style machine heads, 2 U.S. special vintage pickups, 3-way switching, and an American Vintage '52 Tele bridge with brass saddles. Like Muddy's guitar, it has 1-10 Fender amp knobs and Muddy's signature engraved on the neckplate.

I first played one at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI and really dug the sound and feel. Based on that, I bought it on impulse when I was actually shopping for a Les Paul Special as a "good deal" came up on Musician's Friend. More on that later.

A friend mocked the knobs, but I dig them. They really add to the look. But you don't need to read a review to decide about that for yourself. Comes with gig bag. It's tough enough for that, but I bought a case. How do you rate features? It has everything a Tele should have. That's a 10, then, innit?

I play Rock & Roll; Classic (Faces, Stones, T. Rex), Punk, Jangly Pop, Britpop and Alt Country through an Ampeg Reverberocket reissue. The only effects I use are the occasional Tremolo and a Vox Valve-Tone.

I have to say I struggled with the sound initially. Many of my past guitars have had P-90 pickups or humbuckers, or Rickenbackers with the blend knob for the pickups. It took me awhile (probably too long) to realize that you need to turn the tone down to about 6 or 6 1/2 (thanks, amp knobs!) to take the brittle harshness out of it. I only use the bridge pickup. The neck pickup still just doesn't sound right to me.

Now, as I'm having issues with the amp, I'm finding that Muddy is the only guitar that sounds good with it. It's pretty rich and full sounding, even through the soggy-sounding amp. Seems beefy for a Telecaster. The clean sound is warm yet glassy, and overdriven it's crunchy - doesn't compress at high volumes with the amp I use. That's good.

I tried a Kent Armstrong pickup in the bridge, as they advertise it as being beefier than the usual Telecaster pickup, but I switched back to the stock.

I find muting, chunky eighth notes really cuts through the mix well. It also sustains better than any guitar I've ever had. The only time I'm a little disappointed is when soloing. It's not as driving as a guitar with P-90s for that. While it's beefy for a Telecaster, sometimes it's just not beefy enough. That's why you *need* more than one guitar, right? ;)

The action from the factory is high for slide playing. I asked Pete at Rainbow Music in Grand Rapids, MI, if he could lower the action. He pointed out the the nut was pretty high. Since he did whatever it is he does, the action has been great. I'd recommend that for non-slide players. However, to that end, it sounds great with an open tuning for slide.

Oh, I really like the neck. It's not as flat of a finish as with most Mexican-made Fenders. It's more like an American-made one.

Mine was a "Blem" from Musician's Friend. The routing for the bridge pickup is exposed next to the scratched bridge plate. There was a flaw in the paint near the knobs. As mentioned by another guy, the pickguard doesn't lay flat, and on a glare, you can see where the pieces of wood are joined. But, again, mine is a blem. Now, I wouldn't have it any other way. Not fair to rate it, though.

I've owned guitars for almost 20 years, mostly Rickenbackers, Gibsons, and Epiphones. This is the toughest, most reliable guitar I've ever had.

Haven't dealt with Fender.

Even after more than two years of owning the Muddy Waters Telecaster, it's actually never been my main guitar. Then I realized, I've recently owned a Gibson Les Paul Jr. Lite ($629 - too "Lite" and weak pickups), two Epiphone Rivieras ($450, $500 - great once you change the pickups and tuners - another $150 - $250 or more, but still not quite as good) and this is by far the best deal for the dough. It stays in tune better than ANY guitar I've had. Lately, I'm not one to leave a guitar completely stock, but that's what I've got with Muddy.

If you need a Custom Shoppe guitar to Rock & Roll, you're simply not a Rock & Roller. It's not perfect, but neither is Rock & Roll.

2004 Muddy Waters Signature Telecaster
Assembled in Mexico,21 medium jumbo frets,modern C neck,rosewood board,brass saddles,vintage bridge,candy apple red,Single coil pickups unique to this model.

This tele is perfect for me since blues is my main thing.This guitar became my number one guitar for gigging over an ES-335 and American Strats. It annoys me when people frown on Mexican made instruments because this is a killer guitar. I love the pickups and alone they are worth price of this guitar. Very full and dynamic sound unlike any other guitar I have played at any price.
The pickups are darker than some teles so the twang isn't quite as glossy or chimey. The sound is very tele and the tone is as good as any fender I have ever heard...or any guitar for that matter. I play it through a Blues Junoir around the house and gig it with a Dr.Z Maz18 1X12. This guitar is a blues guitar but it can rock with the best of them. Cranked I can get some creamy lead tones from the neck pickup and it cuts nicely when overdriven with a good OD pedal. This guitar resonates very well and I can't get a bad sound out of it.

Great overall finish, the CAR is beautiful and rich looking. I had the dealer string it with 10's and set the action a little higher for me since I sometimes grab a slide and prefer higher action anyways.
The neck is gorgeous and perfect, the jumbo frets are very nice and the intonation was and is perfect after a year.
The one ply pickguard warped a bit on my but it was a simple fix. I may swap the amp knobs for regular tele type knobs but so far I haven't changed anything.
This guitar is flawless, I assume the signature guitars get extra care over some of the other models produced in Mexico because this guitar is hard to find flaw in.

No problems, don't expect any.

NA

Thei guitar has many features of the much more expensive American models particularly 52 reissue with modern neck,frets and Muddys' look and feel. The pickups are very versatile and this is a guitar that I will never sell. It's an extremely well made tone machine!!

This guitar doesn't have any outrageous features, but it does have many features that aren't available usually one guitar.

1. Lacquered Finish / Modern Radius (9.5)neck with medium jumbo finish.
2. Upgraded Pickups - a sort of different smoother sounding 52 reissue telecaster pickup.
3. Ash Body
4. American Hardware - bridge, pots, tuners and upgraded BRASS saddles.
5. Mexican made so a lower price instrument.

I play roots rock, country, blues, and am working on travis picking... It sounds great and smooth through any amp I put it through without being that normal tele bright and harsh tone. Gets pretty mellow in the neck pickup and is quite punchy. I am really impressed with what I paid.

Bought it used, has held up well for a 2 year old guitar. Candy Apple Red finish and neck finish are fantastic!

It's a good ole tele. It will play great and stays in tune pretty well. I did upgrade the saddles with Stewart MacDondald compensated ones and upgraded the strap buttons to schaller strap locks. I do this on every guitar (straplocks). Compensated saddles are just a little closer to being in tune if you do fine tuning.

Fender's huge. I can barely get a hold of them and I work at a store that sells Fender.

Very pleased, I would replace it if it were stolen. Try and get a light one, mine is 7.5 pounds which is great!

It gets a 7 because a Tele is a classic electric guitar without a lot of features. It's simple design is what I like about it. Mine is a 2000 Muddy Waters Telecaster. This signature model Tele has vintage features to come close to what Muddy had, giving us a different Telecaster. Fender has put vintage pickups on an ash body. I also own an American Series Tele and was looking for something a little different. This is it!

I play jazz, blues and rock with this Tele, through a Gibson Goldtone GA30RVS. (No effects.) It sounds excellent - warm and full. For a jazzier sound I use the neck pickup and just roll the tone back from the brightest. I use the volume to control clean to dirty tone. Comes with a set of .009s on it and I'll probably stay with it on the next set.

The guitar was NOS from a music store selling on eBay. Bought in August '04. At a certain angle with sunlight reflecting on the body you can see where the two pieces of ash join because of a line. Is the wood misaligned? I don't know but I was told by a repair tech at a well-respected store I know that it's nothing to worry about. I've never had a problem. Everything else is fine.

Seems solid and well made. I've owned other Fender product and never had a problem.

Never had to ask for service.

This Tele is now my favorite of the two I own. I would buy another one in a second. It's a great combination of parts at a great price. Terrific value!

'99 MIM (as all of them are, I believe), same specs and equipment as is listed in the other reviews.

The sound is classic Tele--nothing sounds like a Telecaster. As my buddy, who is a Fender nut says--"Everyone needs a Tele!" After playing this for awhile, I think he is right. Nice warm sounding neck PU--totally biting, twangy bridge PU. Roll off the tone a little to get the bridge to sound bluesy, leave it all the way up for country twang. Even both PU's together sound good, which not all guitars do.

This is my first Fender product, and I am pretty impressed. The overall fit and finish is very nice, indeed. No complaints at all as far as that goes. The candy apple red is stunning. Neck is great, all the controls are solid. The only beef I have is the action was way too high for me. This might just be personal preference, but it took a neck & bridge adjustment, and nut filing to get it where I wanted it. I thought the guitar was too difficult to play well as it came from the factory. Maybe it was set high for slide work--I believe MW liked high action, so maybe that is the answer. Maybe Fender took accurate reproduction to this level...If you wanna play some slide--this is your Tele for sure.

Everything looks very nice, and looks like it should stay nice a long time. My only slight worry is the chrome on the switch/control cover. It looks thin, but we shall see. Easy enough to replace if the chrome flakes off later. It is probably not even worth speculating about, but you asked....

I wrote Fender a letter about a noisy Fender amp I bought at the same time. I received a phone call from the service manager a few days later! Needless to say, I am very impressed!

I would absolutely buy this again. I am a big Ibanez fan (well, of their older models, anyway) and wasn't even considering a Tele. I saw an classified ad for one and checked it out, out of curiosity. I was knocked out by how cool this guitar is and bought it. All the rave reviews this guitar receives online are certainly justified. Beautiful sound, fit and finish. Some noted the high action as mine had, while others have not had theirs set up that way. It's all personal preference, anyway.

I can not imagine anyone who wants a Tele will be disapointed by this guitar. Even if you weren't considering a Telecaster (like me)--check this out, anyway. This is quickly becoming my favorite guitar. A Tele nut friend (I have too many Fender friends, I think) told me you won't play anything else once you get set up with a good Tele. He is very close to being right about that. If I needed $$ I would sell this guitar last--go figure!

Muddy knew a cool guitar, and this is it!

Signature model ash body with rosewood fret board, chunky "C" neck, American vintage single-coil pickups, vintage brass bridge saddles and vintage tuners. Candy Apple red finish with Fender amp volume/tone knobs (Muddy's style) and top hat switch knob. Single ply pick guard. Two pickups, two knobs and one 3-way switch. Very simple but that's the way of the Telecaster. Made in Mexico.

I've had a lot of good sounding guitars over the years but this one takes the prize for me. Far better sounding than my first American made Tele I bought over 20 years ago. More depth than my MIM Standard. Those American vintage pickups are awesome! Lots of classic Tele twang and tonal depth. I was quite surprised with long sustain this instrument provides. Very clean tones all over the fret board, including high up on the neck.

Candy Apple red finish is gorgeous to behold and with the rosewood fret board, it makes this guitar easy on the eyes. The action was set a bit high for my style but I've grown to like it. At least I don't have to deal with fret buzz with this set-up. Exceptionally high build quality. All parts fit well but the jack has already been loose, but that?s a common problem with Teles. (Also, the volume knob fits higher than the tone knob, but that's for clearance because of the larger screw head on the control plate.) Back of the neck does not have satin finish as stated in the official Fender specs--it is high gloss instead but that hasn't hampered my ability to make quick chord changes or single note runs. No skunk stripe on neck.

It seems plenty solid to me.

Haven't used it.

Signature model ash body with rosewood fret board, chunky "C" neck, American vintage single-coil pickups, vintage brass bridge saddles and vintage tuners. Candy Apple red finish with Fender amp volume/tone knobs (Muddy's style) and top hat switch knob. Single ply pick guard. Two pickups, two knobs and one 3-way switch. Very simple but that's the way of the Telecaster. Made in Mexico.

I've had a lot of good sounding guitars over the years but this one takes the prize for me. Far better sounding than my first American made Tele I bought over 20 years ago. More depth than my MIM Standard. Those American vintage pickups are excellent in my hearing. Lots of classic Tele twang and tonal depth. I was quite surprised with long sustain this instrument provides. Very clean tones all over the fret board, including high up on the neck.

Candy Apple red finish is gorgeous to behold and with the rosewood fret board, it makes this guitar easy on the eyes. The action was set a bit high for my style but I've grown to like it. At least I don't have to deal with fret buzz with this set-up. Exceptionally high build quality. Vintage tuners keep the guitar in tune for a long time. All parts fit well but the jack has already been loose, but that?s a common problem with Teles. (Also, the volume knob fits higher than the tone knob, but that's for clearance because of the larger screw head on the control plate.) Back of the neck does not have satin finish as stated in the official Fender specs--it is high gloss instead but that hasn't hampered my ability to make quick chord changes or single note runs. No skunk stripe on neck.

Don't know. But in experience I haven't had any issues with Telecasters in the past in regards to being reliable.

Never Needed any.

Rosewood neck, American vintage Tele pick ups, and black skirt amp tone knobs. We beautiful candy apple red Tele.

This is the best sounding Tele i've ever played. I started messing with the tone knobs and it just comes alive. It's a little warmer sounding than your usual Tele.

The neck is great. The color is great. After playing 4 Teles in the showroom i asked if they had any in the back. They pulled it out of the box. I played it and I fell inlove.

The workmenship was good. It feels good and stays in tune. One bad note: 1 screw on the electrics plate cover was stripped. I didn't notice it and I don't think about it. The skirt knobs needed to be raised a little due to the fact that when you turn them they run into screw holding the elec. plate on.

Never Needed any.

Over all this guitar caused me to fall in love with Teles all over again. I've own 5 of them.