Fender Telecaster

1999 MIM Tele. Maple neck with a skunk stripe. Usual Tele features-- BASIC. I've got a lot of guitars , including a vintage Les Paul and strat but a Tele is a different animal and these Mexican Teles are real guitars.

I use this guitar for a country band I play in and it is the real deal. My son has used it to play blues and in a jazz thing he does and this is the ticket.

The action was awful, it was strung with 9's but the fit and finish were fine. A set of 10's and a little work on the action set it all up very nicely.

I've gigged with this guitar and so has my kid. It's a Tele- it'll outlive you.

n/a

I changed the pickups to Seymour Duncan Nashville Studios and had the frets changed to jumbos, changed the strings to 10's. It's just like I like it! It has a great sound. It will Play and sound like anything your fingers can put into it. The neck is that thick, beefy Tele kind of neck. 50 years of rock can come right out of this guitar.

my tele is a sunburst, rosewood fingerboard, seymore duncan super distortion in bridge position and SD HB in neck also, it rox!
i guess you have piece different parts of other guitars togethar to get create the "Perfect guitar".they doen't just sell one like that.
My other guitar is also a tele (The best guitar ever created!!Period!!!!), it's all black with rosewood fingerboard it has
a custom humbucker in the neck pos. and two single coil strat pickups,
it looks almost like that tele that chong plays in that chech and chong movie, it looks cool. my black one has a capo on the third fret.
No matter what i try i always go back to it.i don't know what the year is on my black tele. One of my friends gave it to me, it was brand new then, the headstock says made in mexico, the fingerboard is some kind of rosewood, i think it's indian or something, but it sounds incredible.

mine's sound perfect!

no flaws, i customized it myself!

i can rely on my two teles.

my two telecasters are the most amazing guitars i've ever played!!!!

2000/2001 "American Series" Telecaster. I actually found months from both years written inside when I removed the neck to clean the bolt-on neck to body joint and make sure it was attached securely (I recommend ALWAYS doing that with bolt-on necks - new or used). I also have an American Standard Telecaster from 1996 - its a candy green color alder body with a maple neck. My new American Series Telecaster is a natural finsish one with a rosewood neck and a highly figured ash body. Rather than list all the specs which are already listed elsewhere, I'll list the changes Fender made in the new "American series" Telecaster: the body radius has been changed to the "vintage" shape, which should help simplify things for Fender now that there is just one basic "Telecaster" shape again (the "deluxe" models have a scalloped back though, ahhh); the neck shape has been changed to the "Deluxe" shape, which is slightly larger than the American Standard shape - more like my 1962 strat neck; the tuners are now "staggered" too (the first four of them are shorter) which helps keep the string angle on nut without an extra string tree (I just wrap the strings down further on my "unstaggered" American Standard Tele, but it takes more time to do that though, so the staggered ones do help); the fingerboard is "hand rolled", meaning its rounded-off at the edge like it's already been played for many years (I LIKE it!); I think that's about it for the changes... As far as the pick-ups are concerned: on my American Standard they were very weak, so I replaced them with pups from Lindy Fralin, and while the pick-ups on my new American Standard were pretty good, I still replaced them with pups by Joe Bardens (very expensive but WORTH IT!). My American Standard had no rout for extra pick-ups under the pick-guard, but my new American Series has a rout for a humbucker and a single-coil under the pup cover, so I'll be putting in two more Barden pups - a strat and a humbucker (along with a seven-way switch), and then I'll have just about every sound on just one guitar! I bought my American Standard used a few years ago, and I bought my new American Series new recently - I had it ordered directly from Fender since they didn't have a natural finish tellie with a rosewood neck in stock. I just picked it up recently, but I already changed the pick-ups and have played it a long time already, and I have evaluated it pretty well. The body on the new one I ordered had some hidden defects: the neck had two routs for the neck-adjustment, as though someone had done it in the wrong place the first time - that means slightly less wood contacting wood at the neck joint (no big deal, but it shouldn't have happened). It also has the extra routs for a humbucker and a single-coil under the pick-guard which aren't supposed to be there - I think the body was originally meant for one of their three pick-up models, and then they decided to make an American Series out of it instead? I don't mind the extra routs though, because my American Standard doesn't have them and I do want to add two more pick-ups to it. When I have all four Barden's on the American Series (the two Tele pick-ups, a strat and a humbucker), the pick-ups on it will then be worth almost as much as the guitar is (the humbucker Barden is almost $200, and the single coils are $150 each, although you can get them slightly cheaper if you shop around, like I did). The Fralin pups are about $75 each, so they are more affordable, or you can get other kinds which are supperior to Fender pups for even less than that (about $35). My new Tele came with a molded case and accessories (strap locks, strap, two allen wrenches for adjusting the neck and saddles, warranty, owners manual). The American Series Tele I just bought new cost me a bit over $1,000 with the moulded case, and the 1996 American Standard which I call "Candy" since

This is my second Tele, so I DO like telecasters, although I also have a vintage-style stratocaster too. I changed-out the pick-ups in my Teles (and in the strat too) - maybe if I had gotten a "vintage" model I would have liked the pups, but I find the after-market pups much better than the ones used by Fender anymore. I play blues straight into my 1975 Princeton Reverb, or 1955 Tweed Champ (it's older than ME!), and I LOVE playing my Tellies! The American Standard (Candy) with pups by Lindy Fralin sounds like an old "Broadcaster" - SWEET~! The American Series with pups by Joe Barden sounds a little different - a bit fuller and deeper because of their humbucking design, but they still sound like Telly pups - just quieter and more "musical"! Danny Gatton is the one who Joe Barden originally designed the pups for, so if you want to hear what they can do listen to anything by Danny...even if you DON'T want to hear how they sound I STILL recommend listening to Gatton. Tragically, he took his own life a few years ago...why someone with a talent like that would kill themself is very hard to understand. Unfortunately, genius often comes with serious psychological problems too... Another Telly man I love to hear is Albert Lee - I saw him with Eric Clapton back in the early 1980's. Albert is so good that he got Eric playing like I've NEVER heard him play before or since, and Albert Lee himself is a monster beyond my comprehension - another genius who is so good it's scary. I recommend the Barden pups highly, or the Fralin pups for a "vintage" sound. I just LOVE the Telecaster design. Perhaps I'll get a "Deluxe" model next time, so I can have one with a scalloped back? THAT would be nice!

The new American Series Telecaster was set-up very well, but I changed the strings from 9's to 10's, and raised the saddles since I like a higher action than usual. The wood used on body and neck was slab-cut, and has some wild figure in it on the body. Their was a flaw in the neck-joint where the rout for the neck adjusting plate was done incorrectly the first time, so there are TWO routs there. The top also has routs for a humbucker and a single-coil under the pup cover which shouldn't be there (my American Standard doesn't have them anyway - I'll have to ask Fender if they are standard features now), but I'm glad it does have the routs since I can now add two more pups. The medium-jumbo frets it has (I use even larger frets on my strat) were done very well, and everything seemed to work on the new guitar - there were no obvious flaws in its playability. The used American Standard works fine too, after I adjusted it to my liking. I'm ordering "Vintique" replacement bridges for both of my Tellies someday, which cost $200 each (if you can beleive it). The vintique bridges replace the six saddle brides with a three-saddle bridge, but it's intonated correctly. The three-saddle bridges sound different, because there are two strings pressing down on each saddle, so there is more downward pressure for better sustain. I also like using big frets (Stew/Mac 6100 when I do a re-fret) for getting a clear, solid tone. Other than the bridges and my after-market pups, the rest of my Tellies are stock - I love them because they are so SIMPLE and FUNCTIONAL!

I'd depend on my Telecasters for a weapon if needed - I'm serious!!! It would be very hard to break anything on a Tellie, and if you did it break something it would probably be the neck which can be easily replaced - anything on it can be replaced for that matter. There is no guitar more solid than the Telecaster!

I haven't tried Fender yet, but I will probably let them know about the flaws they let get through...or maybe they just LET it get through trying to pawn it off on someone? I used to build guitars and do all my own maintenance and repair, so I know guitars. For the money Telecasters new or used are still a great deal - you can get a hell of a guitar for under a grand (unless you go vintage, then you can pay many thousands of dollars if you want to). If I bought all the pieces to put it together myself (which I could easily do), it would cost me more than I paid for my Telies. If I want a SPECIAL tellie someday I may put one together from choice pieces, but then again I'll probably go vintage, or vintage reissue. For just $1,250 I could have gotten a BEAUTIFUL 1952 reissue Telly with a tweed case, but the American Series has features I prefer. I would still like to get an old Tellie someday - perhaps a 1955 to go with my 1955 Tweed Champ?! ANYway, I haven't tried Fender yet, so it isn't fair for my to rate their customer support at this point. The fact that they shipped me a "lemon" with a few obvious flaws makes me think they care more about money than customers...

I am a life-long amatuer musician, and lover of fine instruments - especially guitars and amps (amps are instuments too). Besides playing them, I like to repair, modify, and tinker... I have the 2 Tellies, a "vintage" style strat, a Taylor 310 acoustic (for flat-picking and slide), and a Gibson FJN acoustic (12-fret neck-joint, 2" at the nut - a GRET finger-picking and slide guitar!). I use heavier strings on my American Standard Tellie and the strat, because I play slide on them too. The new American Series is strung with 10's though. On the acoustics I use medium guage on the Taylor for flatpicking bluegrass and slide, and light guage on the Gibson for blues fingerpicking and slide. I haven't amplified the acoustics yet, but I do have one of those sound-hole pups made by Dean Markely which works OK, but it compresses the sound. I want to try using a microphone, or perhaps one of those new combined systems that get blended together. Some of the new acoustic amplfication systems sound very good, so I want to get something soon. I have two silver-face Fender Princeton Reverbs, because I love them - they are plenty loud and light enough to transport easily. BY modifying them, you can make them plenty loud - thats where the Mesa Boogie originated from - a modified Princeton Reverb! They also have a line out for an external speaker cabinet, so you can also use that if you need more volume. I now have one to modify and one to compare it to afterwards, and I also have my beloved 1955 tweed champ, and a solid state yamaha with a 10" speaker when I want a clear sound. This is my first submission here, so I may return after I get another Tellie to tell ya'll about it too ;-)

KEEP ON PICKING YOUR TELECASTERS!

Stock, stock, stock! At least when I bought it. This is a 1967. When I got it, it had already been (un-professionally) refinished. Not to mention the fact that the previous owner appeared to be unhappy with the neck size and shaved off the surface of the fingerboard (so much so that you can see the sides of the top marker dot on the fingerboard!!).
The previous owner also had a tun-o-matic brige on it at one point (the brass threaded bushings are still in the body surface). I have put a WD six saddle tele style bridge and a Seymore Duncan Hot Rail pick-up in the bridge position. I highly recomend both.

Awesome. I have just built a replica of it (a friend measured the body and built one identical). It sounds unreal!! The pick-up helps. The originals were VERY microphonic. The neck position is a Texas special. I run both guitars into a 1966 Ampeg Reverb Rocket...no effects!! None needed.

It plays really well. I like the really thin neck. It is slightly heavy (my replica is much lighter).

I have been using this thing for every gig I've done in the past 6 years (alot!!). You could hammer in nails with this thing. I used to be a Strat guy. Never again.

Go to the internet and punch in "Tele Repair" into a search engine. Endless help!!

I have been converted to a Tele player!! This is the most versatile guitar I've owned!

1999 model, MIM, 21 frets, solid ash body, volume, tone, 3-way selector, S/S pickup configuration, 1-piece maple neck, 3-barrel bridge, vintage-style tuners, etc. The only mods I put on the guitar were (1)a pair of Bill Lawerence 280T series humbucking P/U's, (2) a set of Gotoh locking vintage style tuners (I hate the old style tuners, a real pain to restring),(3)a new 3-ply pickguard (I didn't like the white on white look),(4)added some caps and a resistor ala Bill Lawerence's suggestion to darken the tone just a tad), and (5) I replaced the 3-saddle bridge with 6-barrel bridges so I could get the intonation right on.

I play in a variety cover band (is that redundant?). We play everything from Blue Moon to I'm gonna get me some peaches. But mainly old R&R, New Orleans R&B, Swamp Pop, Blues, and some Country (Hank Williams type. The original Hank Williams). I don't try to emulate anyone; I'm not that good of a player. But I try and I have fun. This is the first electric guitar that I really bonded with. I have an Am. Std. Strat and Am. Std. Tele. But this is the one that works best for me and my style. I play this through either a Delta Blues (for gigs) or a 66 Blackface Vibrolux Reverb (don't like to take it smokey b-rooms). I don't use any effects other what is on the amps. I like to keep things simple. Believe it or not you can make music with just and amp and a guitar. To my ear I can get all the Tone I want with this set up. Just by adjusting the tone knob on the guitar and the settings on the amp I get reasonably appropriate sounds for the various songs we do. Like I say I don't try to sound "just like the record". I don't try to sound just like SRV, I try sound like me.

The guitar was set up well from the factory. I checked the set up specs and they were right on. However I set the action a little higher, just high enough so a small dog could run underneath the strings;>) I bought it from a pawn shop and it looked virgin. The plastic covering was still on the pickguard. No scartches are any other imperfections that I could tell. Originally bought it because it was a good deal $270 w/hardshell case. I didn't fall in love with it till after I played it a while. Once I decided this was going to be my main axe I went ahead and did the upgrades.

This is a quality musical instrument that I gig with exclusively. I see no problems with reliablity.

I do my own repairs and setups.

I've been playing 30+ years. If this guitar were lost or stolen I would be sad :>( The only thing that I keeps this from being the perfect guitar for me is the 7.25 neck radius.

This is an old stock standard tele made in America but not to be confused with the new USA Standard brought out recently (late 2000/2001)to replace it.
Black Body (Alder wood) with maple neck.
It's got the usual 2 single coils and 3 way toggle. It's a tele! you want more knobs to play with - buy a different guitar!
You want a great sound get one of these.

This is a guitar that really does sing. If you want to play something with expression, this is your baby.
I can't believe all you guys buying Mexican Teles. I tried several of them in shops. I also tried the new USA Standard and both don't sound half as good as this. The only one that came close was also an old stock model but the natural Ash one which looks fantastic but didn't quite have the depth of tone of the Alder bodies.
I play through a Hughes & Kettner Attack 80 which is a tranny amp. I actually think these guitars sound better through transister amps if you're after a sharp twangy clean sound.

I didn't have to do a thing. This was set up fine for me but then I'm not one for endlessly tinkering around with guitars. If it buzzes (which it shouldn't) adjust the action but otherwise just play it.
The finish is 1st class.

Teles have been around for ages. This one is no different. it wouldn't withstand a nuclear strike but it would be close.
....ah but there is that eternal problem of the plastic top on the toggle switch which always falls off usually before it's even got out of the shop. FENDER...DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. It can't be that hard a problem to solve...hey I'm just being picky but I'm going to deduct a point.

Not tried, not needed, probably never will have to

I've been playing 30 years. I own a Patrick Eggle and a Jap Tele with humbuckers. In the past I've had Les Pauls and Strats, they're both fine guitars but I think this is just a simple no nonsense all round great guitar. You CAN'T go wrong
If you only buy one guitar..make it this one!

Standard 2000 Made in Mexico with just the standard stuff. Lipstick neck pickup and sc bridge pickup. Maple neck, black with white pickguard. Bought it In October of 2000 just to have a Fender to fool around with. Standard tuners. Had that tele twang.

The sound was allright but nothing to write home about, so I made a few changes. Purchased A Rio Grande Tallboy for Tele neck pickup from Torres Engineering. which increased output by about 25%. A big change in sound. A month later ordered the Tallboy bridge pickup from Torres Engineering which made this guitar a winner. Really easy to wire in. Last week I received The Bluescaster wiring setup from Torres which replaces all the wiring and electronics in the control bar. Now the Tele has five-way switching and a push-pull tone control with mid-range adjustment that has taken the sound of this guitar to a new level for Telecasters. By playing with the tone and volumes controls the different tones are endless. The original Tele sound is still there. A 10 rating now, a 5 before the change.

The set-up was OK from the factory but still needed a truss-rod adjustment. A few finish flaws but nothing major.

Have played live a few times, no problems. It's a Fender. If nothing else they can take abuse.

Never had to. Probably won't get any after changing electronics. Warranties are useless. Fix it yourself.

I own other guitars. This one is now really sweet. Paid $279. Added $200 worth of pickups and electronics. Now it's better than an expensive Tele with a real hot-rod sound. I'd buy the same guitar in a second if lost or stolen and make the same changes. Now it's unique.

1950 made and USA
22 frets
Solid - Top
3-way selector
S/H
Joe Barden and Carvin pickups
Active electronics
Maple
Transparent
tele
Tele - style
Locking,Schaller
Thin neck

Standard made-in-Mexico Tele. Maple fretboard (a personal favorite), Wine Red finish. I paid $300 online for it. Features? Its a standard Tele. You're lucky it has two knobs and a switch. Very simple. No frills. I do like the string-through-body bridge, through. I paid $750 for an almost new Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass the year before that didn't even have that. The bridge itself seems well made for a $300 guitar. The tuners all work well but some better than others. I give it an 8 just because the features it has do work really well.

At first I was just happy to hear those twangy Tele tones coming out of the amp, but they aren't as rich and fulfilling as they could be. There's a nice range of tones, though, from a deep (for a Fender) almost acoustic sound to that high piercing twang. The Tone control gives about a bazillion different tones when used with the 3 pickup settings. The pickups have a LOT of hum. The only time I don't hear the hum is when the amp is off.

The worst part of the whole guitar, though is the buzzing. Practically everything from the 5th fret on buzzes like crazy.

Action: Fair. I love the feel of the neck but the strings were WAY too high. They were a little weak for my tastes, too. I put on some heavier Ernie Ball's and it was a little better (improved the tone some too).

Fit and Finish: The Tele is indestructible. It feels like a club of rock-solid wood that could stand up to any Pete Townshend stage-smashes (maybe that's why he doesn't play a Tele?). The Maple neck is gorgeous and the body is a beautiful deep red. Some of the hardware is a little loose, specifically the output jack and one or two of the tuners, but nothing a turn or two of a screwdriver can't fix.

If there is a nuclear war and we are all vaporized, the roaches left won't have to worry about entertainment 'cause all of the Teles will still be here. This guitar would take just about any punishment and keep on rockin'. The hardware needs tightening every so often, but that's true of most guitars. I use it without backup for two reasons, its all I've got and I don't play anywhere serious enough to need backup. For those of you who do rely on a guitar for a living either get a better made one or get a backup. This wouldn't be a bad guitar to use as a backup, though.

Dunno. Haven't needed it.

Its a decent first guitar or backup if you like that Tele sound. I wouldn't recommend it as a primary guitar or for players who can afford something better. I'm already planning on upgrading to an American-made Strat.

1992 off the rack made in Mexico Telecaster. Typical two-knob and three position switch set up. Mine has the top-loader bridge a la Bullet. Black finish, satin finish maple neck and 21 frets. The shop (New York's finest, Sam Ash on 48th Street) threw in a gig bag. No other accessories, but at $272, no complaints. I give it a 10, because it's a Tele and all the essentials are there.

This thing sounds WONDERFUL. My only complaint is that the pots are a bit noisy, and always have been. But the SOUND...gorgeous. I play mostly jazz, prog/fusion and blues. This guitar is quite versatile enough for those styles. You'd expect a good clean sound, which it gives, very warm on the neck and also warm with great definition on the bridge with the treble rolled down; it's also great for power trio-type stuff. I usually play at home through an old holmes Tech 15 (see review), but I have had the joy of playing through a Pro Reverb in the studio (with a reissue Cry Baby and an original '86 Arion Stereo Chorus) and with that setup, you don't need anything else to go from clean to mean. The noisy pots (soon to be fixed after 9 years of living with them) keep this from a 10.

The set-up was close when new, but I fiddled with it a bit, raising the action, setting the intonation and so forth. And, most importantly, going up on the string gauge. I've used it with D'addario .011 flatwound Chromes for years and it makes a huge difference; stays in tune much better than stock. Everything else is spot on in terms of fit and finish, but it could use some better shielding. I would give it a 10 if it did.

With the caveat of the noisy pots (see above), it's been very reliable and dependable. The strap buttons are rock solid, and the finish is as glossy (black) as the day I bought it. I have gigged/studio'd it without backup, and the hardware hasn't let me down. I actually prefer the toploader bridge to the classic through-body, and the tuners are excellent.

N/A, but I'll find out soon re: the electronic repairs. I assume the warranty was lifetime, but don't know.

I never thought I would be a Fender Bender, but this turned out to be my first electric and I don't regret it. I've been playing for about 17 years (eight before I got this, all on a Yamaha Eterna EF 15) and most of my favorite players (e.g. Kessel, Howe, Montgomery, McLaughlin, Dimeola) made their names on Gibsons. I've finally scratched that itch (The Paul II SL, ES 125TC and L50) and then some (Dano 56 U2 and Baritone, Harmony Monterey), but I still love this guitar and wouldn't hesitate to get another one if it went missing. My unconditional recommendation to anyone thinking of getting one.