Fender Squier Telecaster Custom II

'05 Indonesian made Telecaster custom in 'blonde' but looks almost like a greenish custardy colour which I think looks lovely. Incidently when ringing round my local guitar shops only one store 'Machinehead' music in Hitchin had a 'blonde' one in stock, the other stores I tried said they only stock the black version as they have trouble shifting the blondes, bizarre!!

Absolutley amazing 'C' shaped maple neck, the grain pattern on this piece of wood is superb I would expect only to see a neck of this quality on top end MIA guitar. The 22 frets are medium jumbo and well seated but the ends need slight attention.

The Seymour Duncan designed P90's have a unique sound to them, this guitar sounds tele-esque but not as clangy as a traditional tele. I like the sound they make.

As said before the sound is unique and ideally suited to the style of music I play which is alt-country stuff, sounds good clean and grungey. Unplugged this guitar is resonant and bright.

Finish and build quality is mainly excellent. Only gripes are fret ends a bit sharp, grub screws on bridge saddles are too long and can catch on my hand when strumming, a couple of the scratchplate screws are wonky.

Guitar came with elastic band 0.9 strings which I had the guitar store swap out with Ernie Ball 'Beefy Slinkies' 11 - 52 which necessitated the nut slots to be re cut. After setting the intonation on my strobe tuner the tuning has been superb and stays that way even after a hammering. I play pretty heavily.

The poly finish looks pretty thick, time will tell how it will last. Will probably swap out the pots at some time and probably the output jack which seems a bit cheap.

Indonesian. 22 frets, Agathis body, individual vol and tone pots for each pickup. 3 way selector. 2 Duncan designed P90 single coils.
Maple neck, transparent finish. Telecaster body LP style controls. Thru strung. Non locking OEM tuners. medium jumbo frets.

Play a mixture of Rock & Punk, gets dirty when turned up and sounds aggressive. Cleans nicely, especially the neck which has a really warm blues jazzy feel. Sufficiantly snappy and bright on the bridge. It just sounds really good. I spent a little time looking around, and fancied a Danelectro - prices too high, didnt want to go for a strat so went for the P90s on thier rocking history. Of course if you really want a humbucker then get one, but this is just so versatile.

Bought second hand off Ebay, very little use, action amybe a bit high and intonation a little off.
finish of the guitar looks really good and its stunning in black.

Good enough for me - non gigger,
Dont really like string trees on any guitar and the volume pots are a bit scratchy.
I can imagine it as a good backup if you dont have a megabucks budget.

No contact. - a good enough sign??

Played for 2.5 years, i'd definately have another one, I just love the tone it make me feel special and thats not bad for #110!!

I guess I spent a little time looking around, and fancied a Danelectro - prices too high, didnt want to go for a strat so went for the P90s on thier rocking history. Of course if you really want a humbucker then get one, but this is just so versatile. The only problem is, I work with reasonably well paid guys who play, and the moment they here 'squier' then the snob alert lamp comes on. They assume your not a serious guitarist. A bit like owning a korean car (which I do..) thier loss I reckon.

Bought it late 2004. Retro 70's style Telecaster with two P-90 pick-ups. The pick-ups are set out in the same way as a Les Paul with a volume and tone control for each pick-up and a three way selector switch just above where the neck meets the body. Through body strung in the standard tele way but without the extension to hold the bridge pick-up. For the money I can't fault the features on this guitar.

This guitar does a great job of most sounds. I use it through a Boss Blue distortion pedal either into my Session tranny amp which has quite a nice clattery sound or my SJB 2x12 Ant which is similar to an old style Vox. Into the SJB it has a lovely single coil type twang which is great for clean tones, a bit warmer on the neck pick-up and almost acoustic like in the middle position. With a bit of crunchy gain the neck pick-up gives a great rock sound. Bar chords and power chords sound really open, you'll be doing windmills ALL the time. Lead stuff really punches through through as well without any changes in volume needed. Damp the strings a bit and that PJ Harvey riffing is spot on. Cranking up gain a bit more and you get a fantastic lead sound using the neck pick-up. It sounds to me like Television, big and glassy kinda thing, fantastic! Again, baring in mind the price, this is faultless!

I got mine off the net from Reidys.com and for the price they charged I can't imagine they took anytime to do any set-up work on the guitar so hats off to Fender, I haven't changed the set-up at all. Fairly low to the frets and no buzzing anywhere.

One problem was the neck pick-ups volume control crackled a bit. Easily fixed for anyone with a basic knowledge of guitar electrics or about #25 for your local shop to sort (or send it back I guess).

Played about 7 gigs and practise with it all the time and this guitar has never had a problem. It still looks like new except for the scatches on the scratchplate where I've been doing my windmills! The tuning pegs are still nice and smooth, I've replaced the strap buttons with lockers but the original ones were fine. Would I do a gig without a back-up? Of course not, you can ALWAYS rely on strings breaking when you do that........not that that's happened. Otherwise, lets face it, a guitar ain't going to stop working unless you abuse it!

Could've gone back to Reidy's with the volume knob fault but it doesn't really bother me as a) I know how to fix it easily if I wanted and b) I don't really use the volume controls on guitars! I guess I can't really comment.

I've been playing from age 14 and I'm 31 now, my other guitar is a Patrick Eggle New York circa '92 which I bought for #350 pounds about 3-4 years after it was made having had only 6months worth of use.....I'd been staring at it in the local guitar shop window for all that time saving up the cash and watching it fall in price. If my Tele was lost/stolen I would definately get it again. The only other P-90 loaded guitar at this kind of price seems to be a Crafter Cruiser LJ-550 (not tried one) and since I now LOVE P-90's with a passion, it'd probably have to be bought again. The new Squiers are amazing for the price, built to last and sound great. The only possible thing I'd think of changing on this guitar is taking off all but one master volume control............but then it wouldn't look the same!

Squier Tele Custom II (made in 2005)
22 Frets
Solid Agathis wood body (nice heft to it - not a light weight guitar - heavier than an alder wood Fender Strat. String through body (offers excellent sustain in addition to the P-90 clone pickups that also offer even more sustain if needed). Standard Fender saddles that are easily adjustable.
Adequate tuners
C style neck - it is not a big chunky C neck - small hands can get around this quite well - perhaps a 10 in. radius neck and it is fairly slim. However - it is definitely not one of those huge chunky C necks that have 14 in. radius (or more) that feel more like cricket bats than guitar necks.
No accessories except for the 2 allen key wrenches for the saddles and truss rod.
The finish on the maple neck seems to be either a thin laquer or satin type finish. Very smooth and silky.
As mentioned previously - the pickups are "Duncan designed" P-90 type pickups - essentially side by side single coils that behave (well sorta) like humbuckers.
String through - hard tail body. Solid feel.
I'm used to (mostly) playing with my Marina strat guitar so I feel right at home with the feel and weight of this tele guitar.
Volume and Tone controls for each pickup (Neck and Bridge)

I play Brit Pop and grunge rock, seldom leads. I use a Peavey Bandit 112 and V-amp effect controller. The guitar is very still and it is very easey to change tones. Welcom to Tone Heaven. I love the tonevariety and it is very versitail to play. Will suit all stiles.

Factory set-up needed some ajustment but I think every guitar needs to be set up to your likings. It looks well made and robust. Everything is nicely bolted togehter and I use it without backup.
For this amound of money There is no better.

I play very heavey guitar with .12 strings. i bang it really but it still is in top condition. Like I said before a very sturdy guitar that stays in tune.

Never needed them

I play now over 30 years (10 years as a professional). I've owned Fenders strats and tele's, Morris Les Paul, Eko hollow body, Takamine, Ibanez, Eko and Fender accoustics. This one was one of the cheapest I've ever bought but it is a favorite. The price is a killer, there are worse tele copies around that cost more. There are evn real Fender tele's that play less at three to four times the price.

It's a Tele! However, with a bigger pickguard (70's style), a pair of Duncan Designed P-90 pickups and individual tone- and volume controls for each, this one looks and sounds different.

The slightly chunky neck adds a lot of beaf and is a joy to play. If your hands are like the not-a-butcher-not-a-girl type, then this neck is for you. The body resonated well and overall the sound was pretty reach and even when played 'dry' and unplugged.

But, boy...plug this into a Marshall and it will blow you away!

The P-90 pickups have a lot character and definition without lacking punch and energy. Even when plugged straight into a computer, they sound great - and that says a lot! The controls respond very well and make both subtile and wide tonal changes possible.

The neck pickup is great for bottleneck, slide and rhythm, lots of punch and attitude. The bridge pickup screams out the leads and delivers the funky powerchords, yet there's even a bit of Tele twang left in there when you play around with the tone control.

However, the sound of both pickups combined in the middle position takes the cake, this just sounds like nothing I've ever heard, warm and rich, perfect for open chords, singer/songwriters will love this.

The sounds coming out of this guitar are just unbelieveable, I've been playing for 20 years, but regardless the brand, model or price tag - I've never heard a stock electric guitar sounding this good.

Worst factory set-up ever! You need to take this guitar apart and re-assemble it completely before you can even set it up to play. For beginners, this can be a huge letdown as you really need some patience and experience here.

The parts themselves are flawless - neck is straight, frets are smooth and with the hardware you can set up string height and intonation to your requirements and make this a real comfortable player. No complaints about the tuners, bridge and saddles, it's not some light plastic spay-painted in chrome (like on the Affinity series), it's actual metal. Don't know what kind of metal, but the point is tighten the screws and this will intonate spot on and stay in tune forever.

You don't really need to change any parts, and the time spend on setting this guitar up is well worth it as you will be rewarded big time.

However, minus 2 points here for the real lousy factory set-up and a misleading color description, as their 'blonde' is actually a pale 70-ish mix of grass-green and lime-yellow. It looks nice, but when I order a 'blonde', I don't want a 'lemongrass' color.

The input jack is a joke, you don't have to replace it, but it really takes some nerve to make this thing work. Other than that, absolutely no complaints. I had this guitar for about a year, and so far it has not let me down. It's definetely road and gig worthy.

Never dealt with Fender or Squier, so I can't afford an opinion here.

This Tele is a new concept and design, it has no 'classic' snob appeal and no one famous plays it yet. But I think we're gonna see a lot of it.

Give it some time and have the patience for a decent set up, and you will be rewarded with what could be the best electric guitar available in that price range.

I compared this to the Fender Lite Ash Tele, several mexican made Teles, the Epiphone SG (all twice the price of this one) and to the Fender Highway 1 Tele (three times as much) - and seriously - this one beats the living s'it out of them.

I'm glad they build this at Squier Indonesia, because if this one would say 'Fender' on the headstock, they'd charge twice as much for a guitar not half as good as this. Seriously, the current 2004/05 Strats and Teles coming from Squier Indonesia (not China!) are some of the best I ever came across.

I'm thinking about getting another one of the exact same model, just in case they discontinue it or Fender begins to build the Standart series in Indonesia.

Both thumbs up - buy one today!

Indonesia 2005, 22 frets, solid Aghatis body, maple neck, 3-way selector, individual tone and volume for each pickup (like on a Les Paul), Duncan Designed P-90 "soapbar" single coil pickups, black or blonde finish, typical Telecaster body style, hardtail bridge with through body stringing, locking tuners, special chunky neck

Unbelieveable! The guitar sounds so great, I'd pass ANY Epiphone SG or Les Paul for it. The pickups sound rich, full and creamy, the tone is unbelieveable, even when played "dry" it sounds rich and full, for the price there is no better electric guitar on the market. If you are into blues, rock, punk, alternative you owe it to yourself to check this out, it might be the guitar you've always been looking for.

Workmanship of the parts is good, especially the neck, one of the nicest necks I've ever played, absolutely no flaws here. As for the rest, Tthe set up was horrible to unplayable. I own three (!) of these guitar (yes, they are THAT good!), but I had to re-assemble and put together again each one in order to make it work. After that, everything was perfect. The hardware is decent, but needs a lot of first time adjustment. Once set up, this guitar serves highest demands. The only real weak part is the output jack, I don't know why they made that one so bad, but I suggest you replace this right away as it will pop out all the time. A huge plus is that you can take off the entire pickguard without having to cut the wires, just in case you would like to give it a new look as the "blonde" one is actually some very ugly yellow-ish green. The finish itself is done well, nothing to complain here, so I'd give this a 9 for the crapy output jack only since EVERY guitar needs to be set up by YOU, the player!

Once set up, I've used this guitar at home, in the studio and on the road, and it would never let me down. I have absolutely no complaints.

Never dealt with Fender or Squier, but they make decent guitars affordable and their websites are very player friendly. I give them a thumbs up for that.

Been playing for more than 10 years, solo and in bands, home, studio and live. I play Teles only as this is the best guitar ever made, so I can only compare this one to other Teles. It's one of the best Teles (if not the best), I've ever played. Bang for bucks galore, for that money, I believe there is no better guitar out there nowadays. Check it out, you might end up buying one and loving it!

the main feature is duncan design p-90 pickups. duncan design means the pup was mfrd in korea vs u.s. for the seymour duncan line. there are also independent tone and vol controls for each pup, and a hard tail bridge. don't believe the 7.25" fretboard radius claim. it's no more curved than my 9.5" fender toronado.

here's the killer. in a blind test, this git sounds as good as any guitar out there. after hearing these p-90s, i couldn't care less that these duncan designed pups were made in korea (to the same specs as the seymour duncan p-90). the sound is fat but with clarity. as another poster said, "full yet articulate", and this characteristic holds up on overdrive. there is no hum (maybe this p-90 IS a closet humbucker). yet you can get feedback with gain up and the git in trhe amps face.

warning: this is not the country bears jamboree tele. there is no twang, to my ears, anyway. but i have been looking for a rocking tele, and this is it. i play punk and alternative, and after i got it i learned that mike ness (of Social Distortion) uses p-90s. i can see why.

the setup was poor, but you can fix this. in my git, the neck was out of alignment, not crooked, but rotated 2-3* to the right looking down the neck from the headstock vantage point. the strings were too, high, but is easy enough adjusted, and the first thing i do anyway is replace the fender bullets. the frets were good, the neck was smooth and silky. tuning, and staying in tune, was not an issue either.

too soon to tell.

N/A

i give it full points coz what matters most is the sound, and this tele's got it in spades. prepare yourself for a fairly extensive setup, but that is done on any new git, right? once set up though, it's pretty easy to play (not quite as easy as the aforementioned toronado), but the tone with the soapbars is the meal tkt here.

also, this guitar has plenty of heft. it is not some lightweight cheapie.

Squier Tele Custom II (made in 2005)
22 Frets
Solid Agathis wood body (nice heft to it - not a light weight guitar - heavier than an alder wood Fender Strat - about the same weight as my Ibanez Roadstar II). You could probably fend off rabid fans or home intruders with this and the guitar would be fine.
String through body (offers excellent sustain in addition to the P-90 clone pickups that also offer even more sustain if needed). Standard Fender saddles that are easily adjustable.
Adequate tuners (see fit and finish section for more notes on this)
C style neck - it is not a big chunky C neck - small hands can get around this quite well - perhaps a 10 in. radius neck and it is fairly slim. (although it is not nearly as slim as let's say a USA Fender Bullet from the early 1980's) However - it is definitely not one of those huge chunky C necks that have 14 in. radius (or more) that feel more like cricket bats than guitar necks.
No accessories except for the 2 allen key wrenches for the saddles and truss rod.
The finish on the maple neck seems to be either a thin laquer or satin type finish. Very smooth and silky.
As mentioned previously - the pickups are "Duncan designed" (whatever that means) P-90 type pickups - essentially side by side single coils that behave (well sorta) like humbuckers.
String through - hard tail body. Solid feel. And nice 'heft'. Hey - I want an axe with some dense/inert wood - not a piece of plywood. So this is cool by me.
I'm used to (mostly) playing with Ibanez Roadstar II guitars (early 80's) so I feel right at home with the feel and weight of this tele guitar.
Volume and Tone controls for each pickup (Neck and Bridge)

I play a variety of styles and guitars. I purchased this to fill in some harder crunch sounds and wider distortion than the Roadstars (and my Fender Bullet's USA 1981) would give me. I do not have $1000+ to spend on USA Fender Tele customs - so I took a small chance and bought the Squier. This guitar sounds AWESOME. It can be sweet, it can growl, it can even have a little of that ol' Fender Twang - but mostly you can send this into overdrive heaven and it doesn't break up. Rich and full - Super sustain, overtones, and it doesn't get muddy.. well.. it will slam into pleasant puddles of mud if that's what you want with tubes at full gain. The pickup selector is basic - 3 position - for each pickup and middle position to light up both. Simple basic Tone/Volume controls. cool. Less to go wrong with the guitar and you can adjust your sound using your Amp/preamp/EQ/FX boxes - you don't need your guitar to handle this. Personally I have heard of NOTHING even close coming out of a guitar that sold for $179. (at Musicians Friend). Nothing even close until you get into $1000+ (and really more like $1500+). It sounds like a hybrid between a Fender and a Les Paul and it is immediately unique. I like Fender style guitars and did not want to do the Les Paul - and so I am glad Fender decided to make a very reasonably priced guitar that sounds way over what you think an under $200 guitar is going to sound like. You will not be let down.

Ok... well... there ain't ne free lunch... and you can't expect a guitar selling for under $200 to be perfect. It isn't. However - if you are willing to either have it professionally setup for you after you get it - OR - take some time yourself to adjust on the guitar - then you will be amazed at the difference. This guitar does not arrive "all set to go". Basically Fender of indonesia has given you everything you need - but it is up to you to set it all up and do it right.
1. Take off the strings. That's right - don't even play it yet - take off the strings.
2. These guitars almost always seem to arrive with loose tuners.
Get a small box wrench and tighten up the tuners - they will be loose. so tighten 'em up!
3. The guitar will not be intoned correctly.
Go to the Fender website and download the PDF directions on how to set up your guitar - intonation is something you simply have to get right. It is worth the time and effort to do this. You do not need complicated tools.
4. The saddles are up way to high (if you like lower/faster action then you are going to have to adjust the saddles with the allen/hex wrench you get with the guitar - this guitar can be setup for fairly fast action - but ya gotta adjust the saddles properly - And no - you are not going to get the action you can get with Ibanez - but pretty close)
5. You might notice that the frets are not close spec'd. You might find a fret or two slightly higher than others that create buzzing or string clearance problems - take a small fine file and shave the problem fret(s) down a little.
6. You might find that a few fret wires are sticking out a little bit over the fretboard - the frets are not as nicely 'rolled' as you might be used to - so take that little file you have and gently file down any fret wire sticking out a bit or too sharp for you (at the edge of the neck or fretboard).
7. And finally - some people out there have as their number one complaint - the taking off of the 'plastic' wrap around the pickguard - gimme a break - this is a $200 guitar - for a little work you get something that sounds way beyond any $200 guitar or anything less than $1500+ besides - taking out a few pickguard screws to get all the plastic off isn't that much bother - no matter what the price this is still an instrument - so work with it - - it is not some instant gratification toy.

There are some other issues - the dots on the neck seem painted on (they are definitely not inlaid) and you might see some overspray or fuzzy looking painted dots. So what - is your guitar attending a beauty pagent ? This has nothing to do with the way the guitar plays or sounds. The neck seemed otherwise very nice on the guitar I bought although I lightly sanded a small nick on the back of the neck and it is all smoothed out. Little piece of fine sandpaper is all that was needed. Once again - if you are willing to work a little on the guitar (or have the work done) you get a guitar under $200 that you simply can't match anywhere - there is nothing close to it out there. But you must be willing to work with this guitar - or things might fall off (tuners) and the sound and action are not going to be as good as they can be. So after doing some work on the guitar - the fit and finish rating would go up to 7 or 8 but out of the box I can honestly only give it a 5.

This guitar has a nice hefty feel to it and feels solid. I do not think there would be any problem gigging around with it. And since it cost you under $200 you won't cry when it falls or gets some nicks or whatever. Some high gloss black nail polish will certainly take care of nicks and whatever. Actually I always use two or more guitars - Roadstar II's from 1984 and a Fender USA Bullet 1981 (one of my all time favorite guitars) so I will be using this guitar for only a few songs on the playlist. Obviously I will ditch the little stock strap buttons and get better (why does Fender continue to put on inadequate little strap buttons on their guitars?)
I am not real big on how shiny or perfect my guitars look. I care about the sound they give and how they feel in my hands. I don't need to impress pimply MTV video types or suits and ties with some shiny image inducing guitar.
So far I have played the heck out of this Squier tele and have done 2 shows with it and all has gone well - stays in tune (there is no tremelo bridge) for the 3 songs on the playlist that I use it (played in sequence). If the hardware such as tuners or saddles start to give out then I will replace them with better. The tuners/saddles and the bridge are chrome coated (they are not stainless steel) so eventually they are gonna chip and rust - so when that happens (and it will) then time to replace with stainless steel hardware and probably will put in better tuners if this guitar gets more play time or more songs to play on the set list.

I deal with local luthier and have never dealt with Fender directly.

Been playing about 15 years
Own Peavey amps and mostly Ibanez FX boxes (yeah I know... I can hear the boos out there) but they work for me, hopefully you'll find something that works as well for you and your sound. Own 2 Ibanez Roadstars that are like part of my hands - both are 1984 Roadstar II's. These are some of the most underrated guitars ever made - fastest action you could possibly want and tonal range and versatility not to mention these things are built like trucks. excellent axes. and lots of custom work done to them over the years. Also 2 Fender USA Bullets (from 1981) these are some of my favorite guitars ever. And a Fender Elite (yeah the 'active' electronics). The Elite is now parked in a closet waiting for a good home. I had a USA Strat from 2001 but gave it to a friend - Strats are cool guitars - but it was a little too twangy for me (the Fender Bullets have a classic much smoother mellow twang - the newer Strats have a nuisance sounding metallic twang to them <imho> so it had to go)
My final thoughts on the guitar are that for under $200 (the price of one good pickup!) you get an entire guitar that sounds great but you have to do a little work to it and put out some effort to set it up you have an excellent player on your hands. And for the Fender freaks out there - hey - get over the fact that this is a "Squier" guitar made in Indonesia - your ears don't care where it's from or what is printed on the headstock. And your ears are gonna love this thing.

The Indonesian Squire Tele Custom II. 2-P90's Duncan Designed, 2 vol.
2 tone knobs,3-way switch,agathis? body, maple neck & fretboard,
transparent "blonde" finish. (actually yellowish/greenish) but yet a
pretty attractive color. string through body, I give the features
because you can blend the pick-ups good with the 2 vol/tone knobs,
several tone variations with the 3 way switcher w/various effects.

The sound (tone) of this squire is pretty amazing! It makes my tube amp growl, not necessarily noisy, it can go from deep mid sound to a honker n & b - and rich/full with both pu's. Yes the P-90's are the
factor for this guitar; full yet articualte. I can get everything except a mellow jazz sound. The knobs blend well I think anyway.

The action out of the box was not acceptable, after c. 2 hours of
removing the plastic, It's still a work in progress of getting my string height to it's best without string buzz. A slight neck adjustment also. I think I can wrestle this thing into a decent instrument. I'm glad Musician's Friend didn't send me a blemish guitar as they have done in the past. This Tele is 98% blemish free!
I like the transparent "blonde" finish. The frets need breaking in
and I hope not a fret job will be needed. The E B G ring clear with lots of sustain; the D A E buzz but not much through the amp. I'm glad it didn't have a neck bent like a rocking chair.

I predict if the electronics in the Squire Tele holds up the wood will be no problem. It seems solid enough. I probably would/will use it without a backup guitar in the near future.

I've been playing for 30+ years, have low/mid/high end guitars, I wish the neck quality felt a bit more substantial. I just might replace it if lost or stolen because the P-90's have made a believer out of me. This Squire has great tone for sure.

Fender Squire Custom II with Duncan designed P90's - Tele style etc
3 peice agathis body - not a laminite - solid wood! A little brighter that mahogany but not as bright as alder. A very nice tone wood.

2004 made in Indonesia.

Color was a sort of creamy pale green that was supposed to be blonde.

Neck is 42mm wide at the nut. Same as MIM Standard models. Not bad

Before I stripped the finish down to the wood the sound was really nice and better than my Gibson Les Paul Special that had the new P100's - with so so sound.

But after stripping the paint and getting the bridge set right down on the wood body and the neck and body fitting wood to wood, it gave a it beter resonance and sustain. It wasn't a muffled down sound any more. It came alive with a hot gutsy "electric sound". Running through a blues jr was very enjoyalbe rush!!!



The neck pick up is FANTASIC for blues. A little over drive and your in another world! Crank theat tone nob dow to 5 and Jazz comping sounds almost as nice as the best big Jazz hollow bodies any where. Better that most under $2,000.

Switching to both pickups and it gets a nice 360 Ric sound. Very useful.

Not really all that fond of the bridge pick up alone. Nice country tone clean and nice on overdrive. It could be better but I'm afraid to change out it because it sounds so great mixed with the bridge unit.

Had to smooth all the fret edges and do a mild fret level and polish. Have the acttion set a bout 5/64ths on the bass side and to about 3/64ths on the treble at the 12th fret. No fret buzz now and plays as well as as my Amer. made Tele.

I took all that pea green polyester finish off of the body (a huge job) and took it right bare wood. Under the pickups too.

This improved the tone by an amazing amount, possibly due to the now paint free-clean wood to wood body/neck joint. I tinted the body with a warm vintage amber and a thin coat of light satin lacquer. I tinted the neck too and put new vintage Gotoh tuners on, fit a new bone nut with very low action. Intonation is almost perfect all the way to the 12th on the low E instead of the usual %25 sharp on the first fret.

It sounds great now, stays in tune,and only took 5 billion hrs of labor. But for $200 it was a FINE VALUE!!!!

Learn to do your own set ups folks. Nothing comes set up for YOU unless it's an accident. Most luthiers do THIER own "one size fits all formula" no matter what the customer says.

Fine now. It will hold up to any normal wear and tear.

better than GM or Ford I bet.

Have been playing for 40 years and become very fussy about guitars.

Not all big money guitars are much better than the choice little cheapy gems. Many low buck guitars often have more personality and an indiviual sound than many are willing to recognize.

Some just need some working up that can't be done at the factory because of the cost of labor. It's like "Fine, I can take it from here". It means more when you bring out the magic in an instrument. You know...etc etc.

I have a US Tele abd 2 US Strats, two 335 copies, G&L Tele and two Guilds.

Might replace it with another if something happed to this one. Not sure. Always fun to look for the nex project!