Fender Telecaster

I have a 1996 US telecaster sonic blue w/ red PG has a very unique look to it not like anything I have ever seen before I m not the biggest guitar fanatic in the world so I personaly don't know all the features but compared to other fenders it is very different

I like punk/rock and this is intended for more of classical, but when you mix it w/ a BOSS DS-1 distortion it has the best sound I have ever heard it is so much diferent from the ones I play at guitar stores

The only thing I would change about how they make it at the factory is I think they need a different pickboard besides white because white looks horrible on my sonic blue guitar.

I play my guitar all the time and hardly notice any change (and I got it new and I play really hard on my guitar) the only thing that has a scratch is the neck, but it isn't even noticable.

Personally I didnt order this guitar I got it after I started my guitar lessons so i had something to play

I have played for about 6 months while doing guitar lessons but I have played for a long time if it were stolen i would buy it again

See my review of this instrument from 12/12/99...which I believe was literally two days after I bought it. Now that I've lived with it for four years, gigged a lot with it, and grown with it, I'd have to say I don't know what I'd do without it! Other than the heaviness, which I've just grown used to, I couldn't ask for more. Now I just need a similar vintage one, only black with a rosewood 'board! Not much in the bells and whistles department (which isn't really me anyway), but it has the most important feature an instrument can have- a distinct, wonderful tone!

As my prior review stated, Teles can cover almost any style well. I'd recommend a vintage Telecaster to anyone. At worst, you may need to switch a few parts to suit your taste, but with all of the available retrofitting aftermarket parts, why not? Few, if any, instruments really compare with the beautiful, true sound of the Tele.

My only complaint here is that the saddle-height screws tend to work themselves loose periodically, necessitating a fresh set-up session a little more often than I'd like (wjich really isn't all that often). NOthing a little Loc-Tite can't fix! Otherwise, perfect!

It's literally about as few moving parts as possible, and two pieces of wood. Withstands violent live playing often. The finish has worn little since I got it, and I have played the crap out of this guitar! I did install straplocks, but only because they were free, and the strap buttons were non-original when I bought it. Only use a backup for alt. tunings or the rare occasion that I break a string.

Haven't had to deal with Fender as a regular joe in a long time, but last time I did, they sucked. On a professional level, though, they'ree OK...

Like a part of me. Best guitar ever!

American made in '72. The neck says 3 SEP 72B. It is all original except for the neck pickup. The previous owner put a humbucker in the neck position. It has a solid maple neck with the stripe on the nack. It is a Telecaster and is exactly what a standard electric guitar should be.

I have played everything over the years and on this guitar I've played Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Reggae and Funk. Primarily it has been used for Stones inspired Blues-Rock and Country-Rock and has delivered a great sound through Marshall and Fender amps. It does however sound terrible through my old '80s Shred and Metal inspired Rackmount system.(But who would use a Tele for metal)

I would prefer a flatter radius on this neck but it is still a comfortable neck and is perfectly suited to the music I've used it for.

This guitar has withstood the road for many years and on most nights has been the only guitar I've played. It is a workhorse. I have played this guitar so much I have worn out the frets and everything is still solid.

Never dealt with Fender

I've been playing for over 25 years. I own numerous other guitars including Teles, Strats, Ibanez, Epiphone, Yamaha, Dobro, Acoustic and Bass guitars. Marshall, Fender and Yamaha amps. A pile of effects which I don't use. This guitar sounds great plugged directly into the amp and is versatile enough to do everything I ask. I would hate to lose this guitar and I'm now breaking in another Tele so that I can leave this at home.
The only thing I wish I had asked before buying this guitar was if the seller had more than one to sell :)
I got lucky with this guitar. It has gone up in value and has been close to perfect as a working guitar.

This is one of the last year Vintage Tele's. Guitar is 100% orig. It is a rosewood board w/ash Trans Cherry body. 4-bolt neck, orig hardware, and electronics. None of the solder joints have been broke. What can I say its all there. Its been used but not abused over the years. On a 1-10 it is a 8.5. It is the heaviest guitar I have ever owned. Its weight is exactly 12 pounds. Even fret wear across the board, no buzz, nice low action. Tuners are the orig. F-slotted which stay in tune no problem. Its been said that Leo Fender pretty much got it right with his original design.....The Telecaster. They were not kidding you!. I have played every newer Tele on the market, and have owned most...Fender Amer. Stand, Fat, Deluxe, CS,....G+L ASAT Classic, Hamer T-51. This 1978 Tele is in a class by itself. It feels, looks and sounds better than ANY Tele I have ever played. I've been playing since 66.

The Tele is my style. It is a simple guitar that draws me in like no other. Its a thorough-bred, and the longer you play and study it. The more amazing you realize they are. Is it noisy? Well the vintage single coils were made for tone, not quiet. When you try to make singles quiet....you sacrifice tone! As opposed to the 50's p/u's, I actually like the stock 70's. The brige isn't as ear-piercing as a 50. But yet it is just as hot, and I still find myself rolling back the tone pot. to cut treble. The neck p/u I would compare with a Duncan Alnico Pro. Only the Fender is just more jangly and evenly balanced. I use Fender Blackface amps.

Dead Right I can't find a flaw anywhere, neck pocket is snug, string path is dead right in the transferance of the body/neck. Its a solid one piece Ash body, which so many are two+three piece. The guitar is 25 years old. And there is not a scatch in the pots. Poly finish? I like them! I believe they do cut treble, but to my ears its a good thing.

4-Bolt Fenders? Are you serious? I know someone who backed up over the body of one with his CAR! Few finish marks, but he just tuned the guitar and played! Hendrix beat that Strat, burned it, then Frank Zappa picked it up and played it another 20 years. YA I'D SAY THAT THEY ARE DURABLE AND RELIABLE!

Fender is just plain cool!

I think many people sleep on the 70's Tele's. I have seen some that were built terribly,as with any decade of Fender. But I have seen some built Very Very well. I OWN ONE! I never was one for the sound of Ash/Maple, combined with the 50 bridge p/u. I prefered Ash/Rosewood, with the 70's p/u combo. The necks on the 50,60 and 70's Telecasters are a thing of the past. They DO NOT hand fret guitars that way anymore. I one many Fender, Gibson and Hamer guitars. But you must understand.....This one is MY GUITAR! THIS ONE HAS.....the Mojo, the Vibe, broken in feel, the VINTAGE look because it REALLY IS VINTAGE. BADD AXE

This is a Mexican Tele. Usual Tele deal, 21 tall, narrow frets maple-on-maple neck, 2 pickups, alder body with lovely tobacco (they call it brown) suburst finish, fixed bridge, volume, tone, 3 way selector switch..... all the stuff which has made this design pretty much the longest running solidbody electric guitar ever.

The neck rocks. I really the sound and look of maple fretboards, the neck profile is meaty without being a baseball bat and comfortable without being shredder-Ibanez thin. Well done Fender. The polyyurethane finish is satin-like and feels great when moving your hand around. My frets seem to be wearing out pretty fast though - I've had mine a year, just playing at home recording my own stuff.

The body's finish is equally great. The suburst is lovely and the wood grain is easily visible. Not too heavy, slight body weight bias when seated but perfect with a strap.

I play all kinds of music. The Tele is surprisingly versatile, from blues to hard rock.

Acoustically strummed the instrument feels very alive. Body-thru stringing and a fixed bridge are A Good Thing.

The pickups are very good for what is a budget-ish guitar. Certainly much better than the humbuckers in my Kramar 7 string. The pickups have great character, are clear and articulate, and react well to your playing nuances. The classic bridge pickup growl is there, as is the smooth neck tone. Both volume and tone controls work linearly (something you don't see on cheaper guitars usually) and with a good amp help provide a range of excellent tones.

I usually play through a J-Station on the Twin, VOX, Mark IIC or early Marshall models straight into my computer monitors, with a VOX wah and BOSS Metal Zone in between. Through the Fender tube deluxe at the music store I bought it from it sounded damn ace aswell.

Being single coils they do pick up a lot of crap from things like fluoro lights and computer monitors... i usually switch off the monitor when recording into ProTools. I don't mind a bit of hum though, the tone is there and after a year of these I'm a single coil convert, 'buckers just sound muddy in comparision now.

Bought new from a local music store the setup was very good - I don't know whether or not the guys at the store tweak 'em beforehand though. Not wanting to work harder than I have to I had them reset it for use with 10-52s (standard is 9-42s) and now the action is low and easy without the need for anything more than a truss rod tweak. I may start using 11-54s, and get the neck set up with less relief to get the action down a bit more.

The finish of the body is very tough... I don't know how many times I've knocked it into something, there's narely a scratch on it, expect on the scratchplate (!)... of course I use metal picks so that probably doesn't help.

The sunburst is well applied... though you wouldn't expect the alder body to be as figured as a USA made guitar there is plenty of grain visible, on the neck too. Very "pro" looking.

Tuners feel good and work well... doesn't go out of tune much. Nut is smooth and well cut. Metal vol/tone knobs are get to use (bar not having any kind of marking on them), switch is firm and quiet.

See above for comments re: durability.

This is a well made instrument and would survive many years of abuse I'm sure. I don't gig but if I did I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

No idea. Never used them. Probably never will. Any mods or problems will be handled by local luthiers.

I've been playing for near 9 years, with a 2 year break in between. While I was in bands during high school and college, am I now simply a bedroom rockstar.

In my teens, having no money, I had a crappy Ranger Strat for a few years before I set fire to it then pilfered all the bits for a custom lookalike Dimebag guitar body made from Sassafras!

Then came an Epiphone Les Paul Special II - marked improvement but in the general scheme of things still a pretty cheap guitar. All my gear was sold when I moved, about a year later the fire was rekindled with a Yamaha 12 string acoustic, then came the Tele as my first new electric in god knows how many years. Since then I've added a Kramar 7 string, but the Tele remains at the top of my best sounding and most played list.

The Mexican Tele has been very well received by the music press, and for good reason. Many USA-made parts feature on the guitar, and as a friend pointed out, you can spend a grand (Aust. dollars) on something put together by mexicans in Mexico with USA made parts, or some AU$2,500 on something put together by mexicans in the USA using USA parts. This axe has bang for buck in spades.

If it (or anything else I own) were stolen, the horsef**ker would be caught, tortured then sent sleeping with the fishes. I would consider a USA made or vintage Tele if the funds existed - though I am completely happy with the Mex Tele, don't get me wrong.

Modifications I am considering:

Change pickups: As I mentioned before, the stock ones are very good but one would figure a set of replacement Seymour Duncans to yield an improvement. Whether I go for the vintage tone of an Antiquity set or something more versatile, like dropping in a stacked splitable humbucker into the bridge with a coil tap switch, I haven't decided yet.

I'd also like to add a middle Strat pickup, similar that used in the "Nashville" or Tommy Emmanual signature Tele, to yield more tonal possibilities. Unfortunately Fender haven't provided routings underneath the pickguard, so it would be a pretty intensive job to do.

Pickguard: White pearloid, strictly for looks!

Overall, this is an excellent guitar at a great price. I wish I had this guitar when I started out!

Mexican made, 22 frets, beautiful midnight blue finish. But seriously, It's a tele, what do you expect. 2 single coils, 1 volume, 1 tone, 3 way selector, fairly thin neck, pretty fast. string thru the body. Still love it though, It doesn't need a thing, (except a good home)

sounds pretty decent, I'm running through an old peavey scorpion. And a korg AX1500G. Sounds good for my blues and jazz. It needs a little more punch for the rock music. Brige pick-up is great for country/blues.

This guitar is pretty flawless, It's got a fast neck, and most of fenders finishs are beautiful.

Ha, this is a joke. One time I accidently threw my telecaster head first into the ground. not a scratch, and it stayed in tune. It's only gotten a few scratchs, from ramming it into shit. I play live without a backup, and it works just fine.

I think I have a warrenty.. maybe I should look for that.

been playing for a few years. My first guitar, I got to get another axe soon, for some E flat tuned songs, thinking of just buying another one, different finish, or an epiphone explorer. If I lost it, I'd probobly kill myself, so I hope that doesn't happen yet. It's a nice axe, Maybe not my first choice for rock, but it fits a really broad range of styles, from radiohead to lynard skynard to weezer, to the yellow jackets, its a fine guitar.

MiM Standard - Usual Features

Crap. My idea of a tele - WARM, BRIGHT, JANGLY on clean.
This tele - Cold, and very harsh.
This is coming from a Fender lover - The pickups are the worst I have ever heard on a ?600. The necks are not as nice as they were, and the paint jobs and overall quality are very lacking on a lot of these. The 50's Tele was a lot nicer - non veneered, WARM sounding p/ups, and a setup that was second to none.
I carefully examined about nine Fenders. None were worth anywhere near the asking price, and the only one worth buying was the 50's tele. If idiots would get over the whole "name on a headstock" phase, they'd actually see that Fender are now very very over rated. I would actually say that if Fender don't get their act together, Squier will start catching up on them, ala Fender Japan. Sad.

This paticular one was alright (Squier's should be alright, Fender's should be nice, and US Fenders should be very nice!)
I just can't get away from the whole "Cheapness" that the standard and deluxe range smack of. Even the MiA Tele I had was built and setup very poorly - neck joint was gapped at both sides, intonation was off, and there was buzzing on the frets. on a ?1300 guitar? NO WAY.

Poplar is a soft wood. It is VERY easy to damage, and the paint is very thick - not a good thing in terms of sound. But tele's are durable, and they

Mexican Tele, new for 2002 purchased at Sam Ash in Chicago. A really stunning new slate-blue color, very attractive. Wide, flat maple neck. String-thru. Features? Come on, it's a Tele. 2 single coils, 3-way switch, and volume/tone knobs. An infant could use this guitar. Not many features, but what do you really need?

I LOVE this guitar. Very resonant, plenty of variety in the sound. I use it primarily for slam power chords and create a wall of distorted sound (think Local H or Shellac) and those single coils.......man do they put out the sound! Great tone too. And at the same time, when I feel like strumming some soft Elliot Smith, it sounds great at low volume with no effects, just open chords.

I play this guitar through a DS-1 when I'm trying to imitate Local H. Other than that, very few effects. I just love it's natural sound, especially with both pickups. Sound from bridge pickup by itself is weak though.

Action was to my liking. The one flaw was a loose washer that was rattling around INSIDE the guitar....had to perform surgery to remove it. Very upsetting but not a major problem obviously.

Oh man. I could use this thing for home defense. It's a Tele. It's a massive, wide block of solid wood. I depend on this guitar exclusively.

Never dealt with Fender, probably will never have to.

I would definitely buy another Tele. I have been playing for 3 years, and I love big ol' noise-rock. This guitar (contrary to those who say it's a "country guitar") is up to the task. Just walls and walls of sound.

This baby seems to be standard Made In Japan Telecaster, and the serial would date it to 1989. Only odd thing about it is the fretboard. Or to be exact, it has none! The frets are directly installed on thick maple neck, which could mean this is some 50's-60's reissue model. It also features non-contoured body, 22-fret board, standard pickups and bridge. Gotoh tuners. 3-way pup selector with vol and tone controls, one of each. Cream finish with white pickguard.

NOTE: The reason I'm giving it 5 for rating in this category, is because it's very much your basic meat&potatoes-type of guitar. No bells or whistles here.

The sound is very straight-forward. This thing is full of punch and klang! Very deep with some nice edge to it. Nice and growling tone on bridge pup soloed. I'd say this thing rocks for blues, blues/rock and rock'n'roll, while it would be not as good in delivering modern heavy rock tones or in Clapton-like smoothies. In fact, this thing kills when riffing some straight, scandinavian-style rock'n'roll. Very nice tone, if somewhat limited. Acoustically, quite loud, and the body is very resonant.

I'm not the first owner, and as far as I can tell, this axe has gone through some serious abuse and playing. The back of the neck is totally blackstained from sweat and dirt, and small part from the edge of "fretboard" that had broken off has been fixed. Plus there's some small wear on the paint etc, put very little when you consider that this things well in it's teens by now. This seems to be very solid guitar. There were couple small problems with the guitar when I got it, the bridge was sizzling a bit with the thicker strings and neck pup was not giving any sound, but a minute adjustment of the saddle riser screws and some cleaning spray in pots and switch got the thing going. Only gripe is that screws used to attach the pickguard are getting somewhat loose as they go directly in wood. No problems after that maintenance I mentioned, and I think there won't be in future either, hence the 10.

This is definetly one tough axe. I'd take this one on a gig without a backup. Having nothing but the simple features helps this thing last for years, too.

Not familiar with Fender customer service.

This is awesome value for the $300 paid! If you are planning to get as good Fender Tele as new, you should go with American Standard series if not better. Japanise 80's Fenders have very good reputation, and this thing stands up to it. The prices on these things are going up, it's pretty impossible get MIJ Fender for under 600 Euros in Finland nowadays, and the 80's ones are around 800 E.

new black tele, maple neck.

i love tele's. i miss my 74 tele custom which was lighter than this rock-wood guitar.

my bitch is this: the pickups are horrible. they are a joke for what you pay. anyone who knows vintage tone will laugh at these pickups. fender should just chop the price 150 bucks and leave the pickup holes empty for the owner to fill in because that is what you will have to do. i've tried this with vintage fender and marshall amps and the pickups are just harsh and not warm.

not bad. i always lower the action for myself but otherwise solid wood construction, stays in tune well, good finish. so far so good.

seems very sturdy

i hate the new fender

i'm kind of a tone nut. not a freak but i've developed a discerning ear over the years. i've owned a lot of guitars/amps.

i do wish the tele was a little lighter but that's not my big complaint. i love tele's and i love twang but give the guitar some respect and put some pickups in there that aren't trash. i thought there was some mistake after i bought it, like they had put mexican pickups in there or something. do yourself a favor and be prepared to buy new pickups when you get a new tele. my advice is to go vintage, it's not that more expensive.

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.

2001 mexican standard telecaster, 22 frets,1 volume 1 tone, s/s classic tele configuration, (if u dont know this go take up the tambourine as your instrument) maple neck and fretboard, thru body stringing, standard tuners with fender enscribed on each machinehead, its the simpelest electric there is therefore in my opinion the best, no needfor locking tremalo's humbuckers with coil taps or lace sensors, just a guitar

i play classic rock 'n' roll and blues this guitar suits both well, specially 4 rolling stones stuff, probably cause keef uses a tele if its good enough 4 him its most definately good enough for me, i play it through a fender frontman 15r which sounds fine, i'll soon be playing through something bigger though perhaps a laney tube fusion combo after recently forming a band. the pickups are silent enough 4 bog standard single coils, the sound as you would expect from the bridge pickup in a tele is bright and twangy, the neck pickup is quite like the neck pickup in a strat only with a bit more treble.i'll probably be upgrading to vintage noiseless pickups for more bite the stocks are a tad flat but hey 4 #299 u aint gonna get everything right. this guitar handels most styles of music well except for heavier metal stuff but who buys a tele to play metal? ( jimmy page? hehehe)

the guitar has a nice low fast action, theres a lot of fret buzz on the bass side which is actually musical, to my ears anyway, the finish is perfect, the one bad thing was the fretwork splinters of maple along the edges of the frets. the pickups where set just right

tanks would be made the same way as this guitar if wood didnt burn. should last a lifetime. i replaced the strap locks with schallers for safety. i would gig without a backup everything is solid i had a look at the electrics and everything is secure

never dealt

a great value guitar, built to last a lifetime, and should handel all styles unless u are a cannibal corpse fan, the best guitar i've ever had

mid 70's american telecaster.
finish was sanded off, but that just makes it more rockin i think. raw and dirty.
the bridge pickup has been replaced with a rio grande and it kicks ass, a lot hotter and beefier.
nice fat neck, four bolts, not 3.
everything is factory except for the bridge pickup.
25+ years has really made this guitar a beauty.

i do a solo folk/punk thing.
this guitar is wonderful for that job, i was playing a 65 melody maker before i got this and sometimes a 77 les paul double cut away with p-90s. i never thought i'd say it but the tele kicks both of their asses.
direct into the amp, fender hotrod deluxe, no distortion pedals or other effects, i get the right amopunt of distortion and tone.
nothing sounds this good that i have played.

the action is great. nice and low. no buzzes since replacing the nut
.
the neck feels perfect, aged very nice.

this guitar is a workhorse.
if it's lasted this long it'll last forever.
there is no finish. so who cares. i'm more concerned with the sound rather than a pretty guitar.

hmmmmm.

i played bass for 12 years in punk and hardcore bands, two years ago i decided to go 6 string and now that's all i do.
i don't have any real brand loyalties or whatnot. i choose my guitars by the way the idividual guitar sounds and feels.

kids. used is good. ugly can be good too. listen don't just look.

2001- mexican
laminated top
3-way

active
maple
delta blue
tele-style
non-locing
thin
gig-bag

Sounds bluesy! Play with a fender 65 princetone w/footwhich pedeal, best sound really! past the volume 7 goes into overdrive.

I thougth the twang was me. But i found out it was sent to Mars music under specs. P/u also. However, I likc Gary Moore and his sound but it isn't going to happen with this rig. But G. Moore called A.Collins "The King of of the Blues". Master ot the Telecaster!!

Played the thing in front of relatives, they really didn't care. But I really wanted more toen..... Gibson LP studio in my sights

No problem yet

Love it, But since G.Moore plays a Custom, Then I have to be ahead. Blues and Rock combo make sence with a GMoore Sig. It was sooo much lighter than a regular LP. Plus the neck was Smaller,

Japanese Fender Telecaster Left-Handed made in 1996 with 50 years 1946 -1996 sticker on the Maple neck with Rosewood fetboard.
Sunburst and custom bound with white (WBW) pickguard. Normal 3 way switch with tophat knob. The body shape is somewhat odd in that at the jack plug corner the shape is somewhat flattened. The bridge is the three barrel grooved design

Pickup sound is now fair. It had a very annoying hum and when I glued a sheet of aluminum foil on the back of the pickguard there was a vast improvement - I used Rubber contact adhesive and merely stuck it on the back - cleared away from the edges and neck pickup and the noise reduction was surprising. I also invested in a more expensive and shorter lead. Intonation was a problem but I set this (bottom to top octave)as close as possible and learnt to tune slightly out (G and top E) to compensate.

The factory set-up was not good and there was fret buzz from the middle up - .9 strings. I spent hours adjusting with paper shims in the neck (did'nt work), slight truss rod adjustments (quarter turns over a long period). I finally put on .11 strings and raised the action as I was playing more and more blues and this was the best solution.

The guitar was new and over the past 2.5 years there are a few indentations in the varnish which seems a bit soft but it has stood up to wear well otherwise.

I live at the tip of Africa so I don't know! Most supportive were the articles on the net - i.e. Shielding for Pickup noise, Neck adjustment etc.. Salesman also helped a lot as he played himself and was very knowlegable

Been playing 30+ years and also have Classical and acoustic folk guitars. I had always wanted a Fender Tele and this one was begging me to take it home. I have never owned a Fender before and cannot comment on comparison to the American or Mex version. I would hate to loose it as they don't make them anymore and being a lefty it will be impossible to replace. Compared to the other guitars within the same price range it had the correct vintage look and feel.

mexican tele 21 frets standard tele set up

neck pickup sounds great i play it distorted most of the time

action is great love the color...

played it a a gig two days after i bought it and it held up perfectly

never used it

love it