Indiana Guitar Company Tell City Deluxe

Nice tele copy made in China in 2005?. As far as I can tell, almost an exact duplicate in size, dimensions, weight as the original. Very heavy body made of real wood, not plywood. I got one of the ones with the American Flag paint job. I've been wanting one of these ever since they started making them and I finally got one. I regret not getting one before now. For $100, you cannot get a better guitar. Period. Even for $500, this guitar is great.

Pickups with just slightly over 6K resistance. Great tele sounds. I added a center pickup at 7.5k and a 5 position pickup selector switch. No hum, no obscene noises. I'm a blues guy with some hard country thrown in.

Very good as delivered, but I think it was an in-store demo model so it was set-up well. To do my mods I totally disassembled it, re-crowned & levelled the frets to get the action real low. It is absolutely fantastic now. Nice neck profile for me. This guitar was designed and assembled well from quality parts. Rumor has it they reversed engineered an original Fender and voila. I would believe it. Some of my spare Fender parts interchanged. Nice American Flag paint scheme. Just my way of showing support for my country, but not necesarily the people in DC supposedly running things. This includes ALL of them on both sides of the aisle, not just the present majority administration.

A solid piece of work. Body may be a little too heavy for some.

Indiana Guitar Company has a huge presence on ebay - lets hope they will be around long enough to keep supplying quality guitars at a decent price, and for follow up service if necesary.

Been playing over 40 years. I have songs in each band area. Unfortunately, all my recording was done after I received this guitar so it's not anywhere there. Great guitar for the money, great guitar for 5X the money.

Manufactured in China Jun 2005. Solid wood, string through bodied Telecaster copy. Nice glossy medium blue in color with cream binding on the body, White pearlized pickguard, chrome hardware. Standard two pot, three way switch configuration. I'm thinking the body is alder, possibly basswood. The neck and fretboard are aged maple and are exceptionally nice for a cheap guitar. Standard cheap guitar tuners. They hold tune well, but feel cheap. Otherwise I'm pretty ipressed with the hardware. Came with a gig bag, neck wrench and saddle wrench.

The sound is pure teleaster. Very little hum or feedback, but most single coils have some. This is quieter than any cheapie I have seen though.

The set up was average when I got it, playable, but high. Itonation was (and still is) a little off. The strings were surprisingly good, but it is only a few months old so hasn't sat in a warehouse somewhere. Frets were beautfully finished, BUT, the third fret was high and caused considerable buzz. I had to level and recrown it. That should not have gotten past quality control. The finish is flawless, both body and neck. The binding is well laid without glue marks. The tub is well routed and smooth, not looking like a caveman did it with a rock. Switches and knobs are servicable and work well now, but I don't know about a year or two from now. I think I will be adding better stuff. Overall, a great guitar and great value.

The guitar seems exceptionally solid and should last forever, other than the hardware issues previously covered. The finish should last very well and everything is solid and well attached.

Haven't had the need to deal with them, but one thing I thought was neat. They enclose an old fashioned, "fill it out and drop it in the mail" warranty registration card with the guitar. You don't seem to see that much anymore.

If stolen or lost I would definately consider another one. I'm not gonna say I would go into seizures, or hire dog and his posse to find the crook, but I would miss it. It is a very nice little tele, on par with many that are a lot higher priced, and better than a lot of them. It has it's little issues, but for a price that is less than one of them yellow tele things at Walmart, it's a 10.

This is a Chinese made, 2005 I presume, Telecaster clone, thus the name, "Tell City," after the Southern Indiana town where I spent much of my youth. That's the primary reason i bought this guitar. If it had been junk, I probably still would have paid $100 just to have a guitar named after my hometown, in my school colors of red and white, no less! As it is, I got myself a very fine instrument. It has almost all the standard telecaster features, which I won't enumerate, since I assume you are familiar with them. There are two distinct differences: (1) the headstock is fatter than the standard tele headstock, closer to the standard strat headstock. (2) this particular guitar had a non-thru the body bridge, unlike the standard fender tele. I understand that Tell City's also come with a string through bridge, but it is not presented as an option. Maybe now they are all string through, and mine is just an older discontinued model. I just don't know. The two pickups, which look like standard fender teles in the bridge and neck position, are labeled spitfires, apparently an Indiana Guitar specific model.

The body of mine is a nice bright red with cream binding around the edge and a pearloid pickguard. The adjustable neck is maple, with a vintage yellowish tone and standard size frets. The tuners are decent, enclosed. Standard volume and tone controls.

It came with a cheap lightweight gig bag and two allen wrenches for setup adjustment.

it sounds terrific. I was concerned that the non-string through bridge would make a difference in tone and sustain, but not to my ears. I also own a 1977 American Tele, and i have to see this guitar stands right up to it. I doubt if many people could tell the difference with their eyes closed. I couldn't be happier with it. It gets all the Tele tone you could want. Meaty, beaty, big, and bouncy, bluesy, ballsy, twangy, dirty, whatever. I love it.

I couldn't believe it. The action was perfect, right out of the box, just the way I like it. It does need new strings, which I will replace soon, but the action is nice and low with no fret buzz at all, and the intonation was spot on. The allen wrenches are still in their plastic case. I'm marking it down a point only because there is a slight bubble or buckle on the top edge of the pickguard, which separates it from the guitar surface about 1/16" between the first and second screws. Hardly noticeable really, except to the player looking down, and has no effect on the sound or playability whatsoever.

Everything about it seems well made. I would have no problem gigging with it. It's always wise to have a backup, even for the finest guitars. But I believe I would have as much confidence in this guitar as any American made guitar.

Haven't had to contact them, but hey they provide a 10-year warranty on all their guitars. They seem determined to provide good quality instruments at great prices and to stand behind them. I'm impressed.

I've been playing for 34 years, mostly as a home hobbyist singer-songwriter strummer, but I've become newly determined to improve my skills. I have occasional gigs and do some open mics. I play folk, blues, rock, and country and own or have owned a 1972 Gibson Dove, a 2002 Martin D-15, a 1977 Fender Tele, a mid eighties Fender fat strat, an SX Stratocaster clone, a Carlo Robelli 12-string, a Rogue mahogany dreadnought, a Sojing classical, and a Yamaha bass. this is my fourth Chinese made guitar, and they all stand up well to those fine examples of American made guitars I own. I've become a big believer that you don't have to spend a lot of money to have quite a collection of truly nice, playable guitars.

this guitar plays well right out of the box.i am pleased with it.
thought i would try a inexpensive guitar for once.iv'e been playing for 29 years and i got to tell you it's worth it.i play a 57 les paul,a 58 strat,and 68 tele,this stands up to my tele,i dont know,but maybe i got a good one. only thing is the tuners need too be replaced
as they slip slightly.

sounds just like my tele.a bit higher on the treble position, the middle position is my favorite. i use this through a variety of amps
a little chorus,a little reverb,its twangy.

the guitar came flawless,even the setup.

i don't know how it will stand up,but for the price who cares?

10 yrs

i'm sorry i didnt know this category was here,well i would buy another one,my favorite feature is THERE ARE NO FEATURES.its a straight forward telecaster copy that works well.i'm sure they'll get better and better.
oh yeah and the guy on here that didn't like it shame on you.
asshole

I'm not sure of the year of manufacture, but I imagine it's a recent model.
Has the same features as any other Tele copy, except that the quality is on par with the cigar box / broom stick thing that Robert Johnson started on. No, actually, I'd say the cigar box is more collectible.

Sound is as good as one might expect from a guitar assembled by a blind kid under the threat of torture to encourage production.

Yikes. The neck was misaligned, the scale is off (touch to adjust the saddles enough to intonate).The pickup cavities and routing look like they were hacked out with a machete. A dull one. What a mess. Frets ends were apparently sharpened by some sadist who never played above the third fret. Maple neck does soak up the blood pretty good, though.

Finish is surprisingly good. Thick clear coat - looks like it may have been dipped in rock candy. That explains the roaches.

If you're a rocker who likes to smash your axe after the show, or you tend to take out your frustrations on the instrument and like to see the splinters fly, this is your instrument. Buy a dozen and let 'er rip.

I'd rely on it as a door stop. Maybe.

Uhhhh. They do have a decent warranty, but I wouldn't attempt to use it.

If you're a guitar player and you want a Telecaster, but don't want to spend $900 for an American, buy a Squier. If you're a beginner and want the shape of a Tele but don't want to spend $200 on a new Squier, this would probably do the job. Just watch those fret ends, and keep plenty of clean bandages handy. Either that or just file the fret ends down.

The Indiana Tell City is a well-made chinese Tele-copy.
Mine has a nice thick solid body with cream binding and a pearloid pickguard.Mine is a beautiful glossy blue. It has the traditional Tele dual singlecoil set up. One bridge/one neck with three way switch. The pickups are listed as Spitfires,I guess that's an Indiana trademark thing.They're not bad.It has a nice maple meck reminiscent of the mexican teles.
A little wide but very playable.String thru body for better sustain and a basic Tele-style bridge. Great tuners. It is the best tele-copy I have played compared to the Jay Tursers which sound a little darker. The Tell-City Deluxe is just as good or even maybe a little better than the Mexico made telecasters.

I love the sound of this guitar. I sold my Jay Turser JT-200 (Les Paul copy) which just won an award for best value guitar from the guitar center. As much as I like the JT-200, I thought the Tell City deluxe had a brighter happier sound. I love the way this guitar sounds with reverb and tremelo, the sound is like the old fifties rock to the Cranberries sound. The guitar can also rock too! I was surprised by how it sounded when I turned on the distortion pedal. To me I thought that the brightness of the tell city shined through the distortion making a alternative rock sound that wasn't as dark or depressing as the Les Pauls that I've played.

Everything feels fine

Only had it for a week but I have played alot of guitars and this one is well made.

10 year warranty, what else could you ask for?

For the price, sound, play ability, etc. This guitar is my new favorite. A must have guitar for anyone who plays music.

The Indiana Tell City is a well-made chinese Tele-copy.
It boasts a nice thick solid body with cream binding and a pearloid pickguard.Mine is a beautiful glossy blue. It boasts the traditional Tele dual singlecoil set up. One bridge/one neck with three way switch. The pickups are listed as Spitfires,I guess that's an Indiana trademark thing.They're not bad.It has a nice maple meck reminiscent of the mexican teles.
A little wide but very playable.String thru body for better sustain and a basic Tele-style bridge. Decent tuners. As good or better than the mexican Teles I've played.
Came with a thin gig bag, allen wrench,and cheap cable.

It sounds like a Tele. Jangly and twangy when you want. Bluesy and spanky when you want. I play through a variety of amps with minimal effects. A little tremolo,a little reverb, a little wah. The pickups are no more noisy than any single coils. I love that Tele sound and this guitar "out-Teles Fender's basic models for a fraction of the price.Much better than the comparable Squiers.

The guitar felt good right out of the box. I wound some new Everly's on it and it was ready to rock. Everything seems solid as a rock and does what it's supposed to do. I'm more than pleased with the quality of materials and workmanship for the cost.

I use this primarily as a back-up, but have no worries about it's durability. It's a tank. I'm sure at some point in time it will prove to be a nice investment.

Never had to deal with the company. I own a Shelby Acoustic by Indiana as well. It does have a 10 yr. warranty. Don't know if that means anything or not.

I've been playing for 20 years,I have a small collection of guitars and this one is a nice addition. I'm a firm believer that with today's technology, if you do a little research you can find quality instruments for half of what the big names charge. Possibly for gear made in the same factory. Indiana Guitar Company will get my business in the future. I don't need a Ferrari to get to Funkytown.