JB Player Tele

Tele copy, probably made somewhere in Asia within the last decade, with standard tele features: more than adequate pickups, good tuners, decent electronics, exellent natural finish on the body, which is some kind of very heavy, nicely grained wood, and a fairly flat radius maple neck that grows on you and is very playable.

The stock pickups were more than adequate for a guitar in this price range, especially the surprisingly strong bridge pickup, but both have been swapped for a Dimarzio Twang King in the neck, and a Rio Grande muy grande in the bridge. This dynamic combo works perfectly, with a great middle tone, and lots of versatility. I play through a peavey classic 30, and a solid state Behringer Blue Devil and have no complaints whatsoever with how it sounds now.

A very solid, well made, and nicely finished guitar. Not surprisingly, the fret ends could be a little smoother, but these days I have the same criticism of many more expensive guitars--I've got a G&L asat tribute made in Korea with the same problem and have noticed the same thing with low end Gibsons I've fondled recently in music stores. How hard is it to file fret ends?

Ths guitar is very solid and well made; as strong and bulletproof as any telecaster, and it looks like a guitar costing 5-10 times what I paid for it.

Never attempted to contact them, if that's even possible. Even with the magic of the internet, I haven't been able to find out anything about these guitars, but there's probably not that much to know--it's just a terrific tele copy at a very low price.

This is a very inexpensive guitar that I bought just to play around with different pickups, but it has become one of my favorite guitars to play, and I have Japanese and US made Strats and Teles, and have been playing forever.
I occasionally toy with the idea of putting a japanese tele neck on it, but even with the need for a little extra fret end filing it's a surprisingly playable neck so I'll most likely keep it as is, especially with the pickups on it now.
I've had this guitar for about a year now, and have to admit that I've grown very fond of it, and pick it up almost every day--it's an outstanding value, even with the extra cost of the replacement pickups.
It's my least expensive guitar, so it usually goes with me when I travel, and I really don't worry too much about having it stolen.

this is a new model, prob 2002 or newer, made in indonesia, 22 frets, solid wood body, prob alder, one volume, one tone and 3-way p/u selector switch, maple neck, telestyle bridge but without string-thru body, standard tele lipstick and single-coil pickups
This is a basic tele copy, i played it next to an $800 Fender and it was way! better

this guitar sounds great! i play rock, christain rock, gospel, metal, and anything else but country. i know that tele's are normally thought of as country guitars but i love the sound of this one.
the only time i get any noise is when i get with in 2 inches of my amp. i play through a marshall half stack, it has the classic briht sound on the single coil and a warmer sound on the lipstick p/u.
i also own a Gibson LP standard, a mexican strat, a gibson sg standard, a simon & patrick acoustic and a carvin acoustic electric.
This guitar is AAA+++ excellent!!!

this guitar was perfect from the factory, set up and action were perfect, i LOVE the neck! pickups were set up great too. finish is hard as a rock, looks beautiful too, no flaws except there's a knot in the wood, but its under the pickguard

live playing, yes, hardware is great, strap buttons are excellently solid, i'd depend on this guitar over any of my others.

5 yr warranty, never have and never will use it

i've been playing for 6 yrs. i'm planning on puting sperzel locking tuners on it, a graphite nut, and running the strings through the body. i want the fender tele style headstock, but i love the way the neck plays now, so i don't wanna change it. for under $200 you cant beat it, no matter what your playing style is.

This is a recent (2001?) Tele knock off in natural finish with a black pickguard. Made in Asia. Solid body, unsure of the wood. The neck is maple I believe, with a maple fretboard that has the slightest radius to it. Beautiful for bending strings. Mine has the two standard Tele single coil pick ups...But I think the bridge pick- up has been replaced with a hotter version than the standard. The neck pick up is a standard, chrome lip stick pic up. This giutar looks almost the same (save for the bridge pick up) as the ones pictured in the JB player web site. Has an adjustable bridge, tone and volume with a three way switch. It's a Tele copy, so extras aren't expected. The neck is the best I have played in a long long time.

I play a little of everything...Texas Blues to punk-a-billy...Great guitar for this..has a good twangy Tele sound and coupled with a digitech multi effects pedal it may be the last guitar I ever buy...Not true..but the last guitar I buy for a long time. I get every sound in the world outta' this axe...from Crazy Horse to Conway Twitty....

This guitar was hanging in my friend's store with no price on it. He went away for a weeks vacation and I had been looking for a Tele or a copy for about six months...He deals in some high line vintage stuff. I had pretty much decided that this one G&L Strat was going to be my next guitar because of the sweet playing neck...that sort of radius maple neck common to Fenders...Then I met this guitar. I thought this was a $400.00 Plus guitar for a week before my friend got back in town and let me have it for $150.00! Playing doesn't lie. Stripped of the vintage guitar STATUS this axe still plays just as well as any G&L and has better electronics!

Weighs like my high scool prom date. My weapon of choice in a street fight.

Who knows... I woudn't even try...I'd fix it myself I guess.

I've played in a not-so-serious way for about 15 years...I love this guitar because of the neck and the finish..This thing looks expensive and weighs a ton (if that makes a difference I don't know). It stays in tune and the Pots work pretty well (I leave it turned up and use a volume pedal most of the time). Compared with some contemporary inexpensive Asian guitars I feel that there is more quality in this instrument than in A Dan Electro or others I have played.

This is a 80's (1986-88) guitar which was made in Korea. It has 22 frets, maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Body is alder. The finish is a crimson red with black binding. It is traditional Tele shape with no pick guard. That's where the real Tele similarities end however. (That's not a bad thing.) The original pickup configuration was HSS with a 5 position switch. It wasn't a bad set up as purchased but I'll tell you about the improvements later. The pickups were a generic-licensed knockoffs. It came with a Kahler-Licensed Trem unit that actually works exquisitely. I left it alone. Came with some Gotoh style tuners. All hardware is black.

I am a studio musician of 23 years and I own several different guitars. I play lots of different styles of music from chick-a-pickin' to shred metal. I do whatever the gig requires. This guitar covered these areas fairly well as purchased and more than adequate now with the mods that have been done to it. The pickups were loud as stock-very hot for the price of the guitar but not very focused. Did a good job driving my amps and effects but just not as musical as I wanted. My main amp, a Carr Rambler does well with this guitar played clean or with just a little dirt thrown in although with the mods, it improved 20 fold. Body is very resonant-much better than I ever expected with the Kahler Style Trem Unit. Stock it get's a 7 but with the mods, It gets a perfect 10!

For a guitar made in the 80's and found in a pawnshop, the action was a little high but not bad. A truss rod adjustment/bridge adjustment fixed that quickly. Neck pocket was nice and tight. All electronics worked like new after spraying them with some good ole' Radio Shack Tuner cleaner and the crimson red finish is stunning with the black bindings. All hardware is black and adds to the look. Did not like the tuners because the size was disproportinate to the headstock (too small) the previous owner had replaced one tuner with a Grover from a Les Paul. Did not match! It had some assorted scratches and dings but not so bad that it looks like a relic so I won't sweat that. Very solid guitar- not as heavy as my Les Standard but no light weight either. I actually like a guitar with a heavy body. I'm a big guy.

As purchased, this guitar is very well put together. That's it's strong point. Nothing falls off of it; the finish is very ding resistant which means it must have been applied right and it feels as solid of guitars many times it's price. I would use it anywhere by itself with out a backup. It was dependable stock for 3 months after I got it and it became even more reliable after the few mods I've done to it.

Don't know anything about the warranty. Sure it's long used up. JB Player is owned now by MusicCorp so you can contact them if you need to. If anything breaks on it, I'd simply fix it myself anyway. That alone adds more "mojo" to it. Don't you think? : )

I've been playing guitar since I was 13 years old in the seventies. I am a career musician playing keyboards, woodwinds, drums as well as guitar and bass. Not only am I studio musician but I am a public school band director as well. More years of experience than needs to be discussed. I have some 20 guitars I've collected over the years. I've got Les Pauls, an Explorer, PRS's and a Hamer Studio, and then I can go into my Fender bag with assorted Tele's (My 52 RI and My MIM Nashville Power Tele quickly come to mind) and a couple of Strats. I even have an old Silvertone form Sears and Roebuck days and it still plays. I know a good guitar when I play one and I have to say this little pawnshop prize is as good as anything I own. As I said earler, this guitar was good as purchased and the very strong pickups were a plus but this pickups lacked color and charecter so being inspired by an Original Black and Creme 80's model Schecter PT that I own and the review that Chad Fleming posted, I decided to build my own budget "PT" back up. I started by trashing all the factory pickups and in the neck position, I installed a SD JB Jr. The middle positon was transplanted with an SD APS1L Alnico Pro II reverse wind. (Earth to Jimi!) and in the bridge, a black Gibson 498T from a friend who got it from a friend who got it from a friend etc. etc. The funny looking machine heads were swapped out for a set of chrome Gotohs for a Tele. (The guitar has a Tele headstock by the way) They look hot! I use them with the black washer and nut from the old tuners. Gave it a nice contrast. Added a real Kahler Locking Nut. This thing never goes out of tune. I call this guitar my "Tele-Alter Ego" and when she's cranked in any pickup position, she screams and when I back her off, she is Oh So Sweet! I can even get close to a "Tele Twang" with the neck pickup in split mode. To say the least, JB Player had to build a good guitar initially for the mods to work as well as they do.. Once again, it just goes to show that you don't have to pay between $2000.00 and $4000.00 and a sticker saying made in USA to get a quality piece of equiptment. I've played some of the newer JB PLayer stuff (especially their Tele Knock-Offs) It's amazing what you can get for $200. JB Player rocks. If you come across one on E-Bay or see one in your favorite area pawnshops, bag it. It definitely gets my nod for "Most Bang For the Buck!"

I bought this guitar new off of ebay, so I assume it was probably made in 2001, probably in Korea but it doesn't say. It has 22 frets, solid top, standard telecaster setup with one tone and one volume control and a 3 way blade selector switch. It has standard telecaster type pickups, being a lipstick at the neck and a single slanted single coil at the bridge. It is string through bridge, not sure what kind of wood it is, but this sucker is heavy, so I know it isn't plywood, probably alder. Beautiful natural high gloss finish with a black pickguard, vintage old style tele bolt on maple neck and maple fretboard. Tuners are probably not locking, but I have been playing the heck out of it for about 4 hours now and it is still in tune. Came with a very nice hardshell case, and a cheap cord. Absolutely beautiful guitar.

Suits my style just fine. I play everything from rockabilly, heavy metal, grunge rock, classic rock, christian rock and even bluegrass and country. I'm using a Marshall MG15CDR amp and a danelectro T-bone distortion pedal. NO NOISE!!! Just like my Nelsonic Telecaster Copy, The neck pickup has a rich, full sound and the bridge pickup has that classic bright telecaster twang. Middle position is perfect for mosst of what I play, which is mostly rythym with just a few riffs now and then. Well, you aren't gonna get a big variety of sound from a telecaster. It is simple and that is what I like about it. But, you can play all of the styles of music I listed above just fine. I love this guitar and the way it sounds. Makes a Squier Affinity or Standard Telecaster sound like crap in comparison, and probably sounds better than the Fender Mexican Teles because I think the pickups are a bit hotter. Don't expect it to sound like a thousand dollar American Standard tele though.

It came set up perfectly. Didn't have to change a thing. It was in tune. All I had to do is plug it in and play. Action is nice and low like I like it, without any buzzing anywhere. Pickups adjusted great. Everything was perfect.

This sucker is heavy and seems solid as it can get. I believe I could use it to cut wood with and it would still work. The finish is great, strap buttons appear solid. I'd gig with it, but I would never gig with anything without a backup....never know when you might break a string.

Haven't had to deal with it. My father got it off ebay from a super nice guy and the guitar is going to my nephew.

I've been playing for 35 years. I also own an Epiphone Les Paul 100, an Essex SLPJR, a Nelsonic Telecaster Copy, a Takamine EG230 Acoustic Electric and a Martin Acoustic. In the past I have had Gibson Les Pauls, Fender Strats and Teles (both American Standards and Mexican) and I owned a Squier Telecaster too. If it were stolen, I'd probably get another one. I don't hate anything about it, and what I love about it is the neck. That is what I like about all telecasters...are the smooth necks on them. Easy to play.

I bought it used, I'm not sure where or when it was made ( probably 1986 or so ) Black with cream binding, 22 fret maple neck w/ rosewood fingerboard. Not sure of the woods on the body, but it is solid wood ( probably maple ).
Bridge is a Kahler...I really like it better than a Floyd on this guitar, which is the opposite on say a strat ).
Pickups were stock, OK ....now they're EMG humbucker in the bridge and a EMG single coil in the middle and a double rail humbucker ( the size fo a single coil ) in the neck ( Dimarzio? )
This gutiar really reminds me of a Schecter PT Tele ... just less expensive

Sounds great after I tweaked it a little. The new pickups are great!! I play rock with this guitar and it does the job fine. The bridge pickup is what I use for rhythm and leads ( on rock ). I don't use the middle much .... the neck is great for bluesier soloing. The sound is prett bright, but balanced.

Beautiful guitar. I thought that JB Players were cheap or suited only towards big-haired guitar players from New Jersey, but this is a well constructed, fantastically ( classy ) finished guitar. A #1 all the way.
The only problems I found were from me trying to install the new pickups myself, but I got that fixed )
The finish seems to be made of steel, hard to scratch or dent !!!

I can count on this guitar in all situations, very good on the strings....

A real workhorse. I use it as a backup mainly for my Les Paul and Strat, but I have no reservations about using as the main axe when I gig out.

never dealt with em ... are they still in business?

for the price thsi guitar rocks!! I would've paid $500 for it used. It is that good. It is kinda like a cross between a Charvel superstrat and a Schecter PT Tele. It sounds fantastic ... It's very versitile .... looks stunning
If lost or stolen I couldn't buy another, it's unique. I'd go out and buy a Schecter PT