Johnson Telecaster Copy

I got 2 of these 2001 or 2002 copies of a 1952 tele on eaby. They are made in China. I have no idea, nor do I care what a 52 tele was like, but this guitar is supposedly a copy (per the ad text). It has a 3 piece alder body with the typical tele pickup/controls layout. The bridge pickup is 15K ohms, the neck pickup is 10K ohms. 3 way pickup selector switch with master volume/tone controls. Noiseless electronics, unless you are standing close to your amplifier. Huge, massively thick 22 fret maple neck with a maple fretboard. Small frets, fretboard radius like a typical classic Fender tele neck. Fast-ratio tuners. 3 barrel type bridge with bridge plate anchoring (not thru the body).

By no means do I beleive a typical guitar with 2 single coil pickups to be a versatile tone machine. It does a couple of things, and thats that. The Johnson has some good treble with the bridge pickup, and some nice mellow tones with both pickups. Just like my original 71 tele, and most any other one, the neck sound/tone is kind of anemic, but you can get some classic blues tones out of there. Could be because that's what alot of the old guys originally used in the 50's and 60's. Noiseless electronics and some decent range on the volume and tone pots. The neck/body joint is pretty good on these guitars, that likely being a contributing factor to the decent sustain one can get. I may convert them to thru the body string anchoring for a little different tone. They are not bad as they are, but don't expect a fire spewing metal monster or a shred machine. The neck and pickups just aren't suited to do that kinda stuff.

The bodies were both finished decently with no great surface flaws being obvious. Because they are both transparent finishes, you can see that the wood is not the greatest as far as grain quality and all that, but they are OK. The necks are finished nicely and are very smooth. The fret ends are finished off OK but they stick out just a little further than I am used to and prefer. Both guitars needed a thorough set-up and intonation. I also removed the necks to clean out the crapola that they left in there during assembly. The surfaces were smooth and tight, but all that sawdust and grit in there doesn't allow a perfect body to neck mating. Cleaning out the neck pocket REALLY changes the sound/tone of these guitars (and any others for that matter). I managed to adjust the guitars to have quite acceptable action. The necks were both straight and true - no warps.

Seems to be pretty solid. I did the first review of the earlier production Johnson tele copies and the newer production models seem to be decent quality for $100 guitars. Transparent finish seems to be durable and the chrome plating seems OK. Strings need to be replaced ASAP.

Don't know, don't care for this price. I will probably end up modifying them so any warrantee that existed won't after I do that. Mandaly Music are very decent folks to deal with.

I've been playing about 37 years now. I've owned alot of expensive and cheap guitars and amps. The Johnsons are pretty close to ground zero for low price, but the quality is acceptable, especially for simple designs like a tele. There ain't nothin special there you know, the design is 50 years old, and pretty easy to copy, even with slave labor. Like I said in the earlier review, the Johnson's provide a decent platform to build upon, at a price about 1/3 of what you have to pay for a boxload of parts that you have to fit and finish. I like tele's in any form, and I like the Johnson copies. Tough to beat for $100, but that big neck will not appeal to everyone.

Year 2000 leftover that was unsold..ive had it a year 22 fret transparent wine color <havent seen another like it> vintage style bridge 3 way switch...tone and volume lipstick neck pu and standard slanted bridge bickup, 3 ply pg sealed tuners passive pikups... alder body...maple neck rosewood fretboard string thru bridge instead of body all the standard tele features u could want.

i play a little bit of everything...this guitar can twang ... crunch...or strum with the best of them ...use a zoom 9000 <old and underrated> with a fender deluxe reverb II almost too brought...good thing the tone knob is quality. NOt noisy unless i stick it under my computer monitor. <duh> Un believable for the price...ive played plenty of real tele's that arent really any better.... which is shocking....

setup was screwed... intonation was screwed....neck was screwed...pickup height for the neck was screwed... fit and finish otherwise were very pretty... unusual wine red transparent <burgundy> finish...with the hint of alder grain coming through...matches chrome hardware very nicely... so i spent and hour or 2 with setup.. whoopee..at this price.. its a small sacrifice..i mean 78 bucks...WITH gigbag??

okay.ive had it a year.....ive had to replace the ultra short 2 screws mounting the input jack cover plate. NOT a big deal..i gig with this weakly..its NEVER busted a string..and i bend and pound on it heavily...shows little play wear ...except on the frets... <duh> people are amazed by the quality..and the price floors them...other guitarist clear thier throats..and try to satiate themselves that something MUST be wrong with it..or im some kind of liar. finish still looks like the day it arrived... hard to see scratches on a white pg...may change one screw on a strap button. Used it with and without backup...whenever the mood strikes. VERY Dependable

havent needed them

played 2 years...10 years ago....put it down...started up again 3 years ago... and having a damn blast. I have an old ovation strat from 1987 Celebrity model..that ive grown to hate...<too heavy...hate the tremolo... ugh> Fender Deluxe Reverb II... Zoom 9000 effects box with foot pedal... Johnson thin body electric acoustic...<not bad but weak in the bass side> I LOVE my tele copy....i would definately replace it with another one but i wish it was string thru the body. I wonder if the new Johnson brand AXL teles are string thru body??:? U guitar snobs out there...get over it... This guitar is FOR REAL!!!

I'm not sure what year and it doesn't tell you.This is a China made copy of the Fender Telecaster. 22 frets/solid alder body/maple neck/rosewood fingerboard/one lipstick - one coiled pickup/Black finish/tune-o-matic bridge,. strung thru bridge
First of all how do you knock a $97.00 guitar that performs like this one does. My rating system will be based on the quality verses price scale.
The finish is good but not perfect, I notice little inperfections in the surface. but overall the finish is very good especially for the price.
Most of the hardware (tuners, bridge, ect.) are lower end quality compared to the real tele. but more than sufficient for a 97 dollar guitar.
I had to do alittle set up on the Johnson, it was a little rough when I first got it. In 30 minutes it was playing great and sounding great.
It came with a cheap but sufficient gig bag, cord, strap, allen keys.
I have compared this to squires and this thing is considerably better in my opinion. Based on the price andquality and compared to other Tele copies this thing is close to a ten. I think a nine is fair.

I have been playing a late 1950's Tele and fell in love with the sound.
I wanted a guitar to preserve the Tele and mimic the Tele and started to investigate copies. I would only buy if the tone was there. I tried the Johnson. I plugged the Tele and Johnson in side by side into my digitech rp200 and played each guitar. There was virtually no difference, the Johnson was actually alittle brighter in the bridge setting, and had slightly less output in the middle and neck positions but was very close even in those settings.
The pickups are average in the noise catagory with some humming but not that bad.
I use the digitech effects box and get very sweet mellow tones and tail kicking scream through this guitar in the various pickup settings. I think it is just right in the twang catagory.
I love this guitar..so much pleasure for 97 bucks you can't beat the sound. I tried squires that couldn't touch this thing! purest put their noses up, I let my ears and fingers do the judging

The factory setup was not that great but I quickly set the intonation, string height and adjusted the neck. The action is just the way i like it.
I also adjusted the neck pickup height. It was too close to the bass strings.
How much time will the factory spend on a guitar that will retail for under a hundred? Lets get real people. you can barely buy no name replacement pickups on ebay for under a hundred bucks.
I didn't notice any standouttype of flaws besides the slight pock marks in the finish, and they are not really noticable from a foot away.
The pick-up selector is cheap and it may be the first thing to go in the future..generally speaking can't complain about action fit finish.

I play this guitar live every week since early Nov, (Its Feb now)and it does just fine. When other people play it that tell me it is a very nice instrument. (then i tell them the price and blow them away)
The hardware seems like it will last moderately. Mainly the pickup selector is a little questionable but heck if it goes it is a cheap fix.
The finish will last I think it is pretty good.
The strap buttons are ok so far.
I think I can depend on it... But who would Gig without a backup? Any name or price guitar could develope a problem.

5 year limited factory warranty.
Haven't tried to contact company.

I have been playing for about32 years (I still stink) and i have owned too many guitars to name them all..Hagstrom..Gibson..Ibenez..Guild..Ovation..etc etc etc.....
If this guitar were stolen i would imediately buy another. You can't beat it for the price.
I love the fact that I don't have to worry about it. I worried about the vintage Tele enough to buy the Johnson. If it gets dropped stolen stepped on whatever another one is just 97 dollars away.

Made in China, date unknown, probably 2000 or 2001. 22 frets, alder body (looks to be 3 pieces) maple neck with maple fretboard, rosewood skunk stripe. Lipstick neck PU and Bridge single coil, with standard Tele knobs, switch. strings through back of bridge, gotoh-style tuners. Included with gig-bag (light, but decent), strap, cable and allen wrenches. Everything that you'd expect on a tele copy. Still, I'd have liked it to string through the body.

I play mostly rock and it's actually very close to the sound I want. I play it through a Squier 15 (older Japanese model, much better than current Squier stuff) and occasionally through a BOSS Super Chorus pedal. It's no noisier than my Squier Standard Tele and I actually like it's bridge pickup better. The neck pickup in the Johnson isn't as warm as my Squier but the bridge PU has much more punch to it. As with most teles you've got fewer choices for sounds than most other guitars but it's nice sounding wood IMO.

The guitar was set up well for my needs but those needs are simple. The action is slightly lower and the guitar is free of buzz (which is nice, compared to some others I've played). The hardware is quite solid. Knobs are larger than a standard tele but one of them sticks a bit so I'll have to adjust it. The tuners are superior to the covered tuners you'll find on most low-end guitars. These are sealed tuners that resemble Gotoh's version although it's apparent just upon looking at them that they are not as well crafted as an after-market upgrade. The finish is where my model falls short. It's a clear coated, natural dye alder. There are flaws in the alder that show through the clear coat. One of the joints of the alder pieces has resulted in a small cracking of the under coats in the cutaway portion of the guitar and there are a few finish flaws, dings and pools. I'd have expected that Johnson would've just painted this baby black and avoided the flaws. Oh well, my plan is to refit and repaint it anyway so no loss to me. The neck finish has some rough spots and will need to be sanded and refinished to my liking. I still prefer a rosewood neck and have to work harder to move on this fretboard. The frets also need a quick edge filing to remove roughness. Overall, superior hardware but inferior craftsmanship.

I would not play with this live as is. Once I've given it some TLC it might. The hardware, overall, is good and should last. I will change the strap buttons though, they just don't have the width and correct angle of a good button. I would never gig without a backup. But at this point I don't gig...

It's offered with a five-year warranty through Johnson and the Music Link Corporation in Brisbane, CA and the music company that sold it (Mandalay Music on eBay) has a spotless reputation. Still, I'm going to make changes that will likely void the warranty.

I have been playing (poorly, but playing) for 18 years. I also own a 1987 Squier Stratocaster (Made in Japan, a truly great guitar) and a 2000 Squier Telecaster (beautiful to look at, average quality). If it were stolen I'd probably buy it again because it's still a great value and I'm good enough at refinishing and adjustments that I can make it sing even if I'm a crappy player myself. I still wish it was strung through the body and I may look into making that modification before I refinish it.

Stratcaster copy: Make in China, 2001, 22frets, maple fretboard, Alder body, S/S/S pickups, natural finish - look very nice though.

Pickups are too weak, sound are thin - don't like it.

Action is too high, any lower will get a fret buzz. The fret are too thin, some fret are higher than others(bad). Got a bright buzz (bright is suck).

probably will last forever since I wouldn't be playing it.

N/A

Useless because of the problem with the fretboard (some fret are high than other) - that make the action would be too high to play.

This is a China made copy of the Fender Telecaster. 22 frets/solid alder body/maple neck/rosewood fingerboard/one lipstick - one coiled pickup/natural finish/tune-o-matic bridge (real tele's have thru the body)

I use it with a Crate 15R practice amp. It sounds very good with either the distorion on or a good amount of reverb. The coiled pickup is sharp. The lipstick pickup is not as sharp but lends itself to a warmer sound when switched up. The thing you must do is change the strings! I put simple Fender 150s lights on and it made a world of difference. My Brother owns 2 real Fender Tele's and My Johnson gives these a run for their money especially thru a better amp. The price I paid was in an auction so I got it cheap. But even if you pay $120+ It will beat out a Squire any day. So a "9" based on the price.

The Johnson may need some ajustment but this is mostly depending on the way you play. It is put together well. All the hardware is good. But the cool thing about it is that you can upgrade the looks with Fender parts. Mine came with a White pickguard. With a little ajustments (and I do mean little) you can replace it with a black one for that classic Tele look. I put a turtleshell one on and it looks great. Hey if you want to go all the way - the standard Fender chrome "ashtray" snaps right on!

I haven't played it hard enough to tell how long it would last but I would take it on stage as a reliabe back up.

I have both the Johnson Strat copy as well as the Tele. (I would not give the Strat as high of a rating). But for the price you can't beat it. Forget Squire,Hondo,Samick. It's a great starter guitar and one I'm going to hold on to when I decide to get that $1000 Fender.

Pretty much an exact replica of a Fender Telecaster, except the strings connect to the bridge rather than pass through the body. White in color with a maple fretboard.

This guitar produces a wide variety of tones. The neck pickup is dark, yet you still get that Telecaster twang. The bridge pickup is loud and bright. I spend most of my time using both pickups which compliment each other, rather than cancel each other out. There is no hum from either pickup. The three way switch and pots are quiet and sturdy. One thing I like is the linear nature of the volume/tone pots and the nice chrome knobs. The guitar is very well suited for Country Music, for which is was purchased. I would have prefered a maple fretboard, which would have made it even brighter, but I've never seen a Johnson with the maple, only rosewood.

It's a good looking guitar(the headstock isn't really that bad) with a nice paintjob. The chrome pickup cover(neck), chrome knobs, and chrome switchplate contrast nicely with the white finish. This guitar has the FEEL of a much more expensive guitar, and the quality pickups, switch, and pots reinforce this impression. Unfortunately the guitar (as shipped) was all but unplayable. The action was very low with a little bit of buzzing (not a problem), but the intonation was terrible. The guitar could not even be tuned. This was not a problem for me because within an hour I had it setup, but had the guitar gone to a novice, they would have been very disappointed. Then again, since the guitar only costs $82.00, you could afford to bring the guitar to a shop which would have probably charged no more than $25.00 to adjust the intonation. It is a little disappointing, though, that nobody at the seller's shop could spend 15 min to send out a guitar that was playable.

Due to the overall quality of this guitar I would expect it to be quite reliable.

The guitar came with a two year manufacturers warranty.

I own a USA Strat and an Epi Les Paul. I've been modifying the LP, which means I've invested some time and money into it. My point is this; I had two guitars that I care about and I wanted something that I could throw in my car and if it got dinged or a beer spilled on it, big deal. At the same time I REALLY wanted a Tele (some of you know what I mean 8=). I looked at the Squire Infinities ($130) and was not impressed with the sound or the feel. I started seeing alot of Tele copies on E-bay cheap and (with the help of this database) started tracking the various makes and what they go for. I also considered the Squire Standards, although they were considerably more expensive than the copies. A number of these Johnson's were being auctioned off at the same time (Dec '99) and were going for $65-$85 (plus $20-$25 shipping, w/no tax). I decided to enter one of the auctions, which I won. Aside from the intonation problem, I have been totally impressed by the guitar and IMHO anybody looking for a cheap Tele knockoff should keep their eyes open for one of these babies. A side note: a friend of mine asked me to keep my eyes open for a cheap accoustic on the internet. I won an auction for a Johnson JN-610N which is on route. It is Nato (which I actually like) with a spruce soundboard. I paid $59.00 + $20 shipping and will review that guitar in time.

1998 model Telecaster clone made in China. Alder body with 21 fret thin, skinny maple neck with medium jumbo frets and rosewood fretboard. 2 single-coil pickups with 3 position selector switch and master volume and tone controls. 6.5k ohm neck pickup, 15k ohm neck pickup. Typical 6 saddle adjustable bridge pieces with strings anchored thru the end of the bridgeplate, not thru the body like a typical telecaster design.

Typical telecaster sound using the neck pickup. Nice rhythym/lead sound using both pickups. Good hot lead sound with bridge pickup. Surprisingly quiet single coil pickups - just a hint of hum when using either pickup alone. Typical telecaster sound when not amplified. Mimics Telecaster very well, with just a little more output from the bridge pickup. The full range of the pots can be utilized effectively, unlike numerous other guitars out there.

Set-up as received was decent, but I tweaked it to my preference. Has very good action and is playable right up to fret # 21. Pickup adjustment is a bit of a pain for the neck pickup - you have to remove the pick guard to get at the screws. Pickguard is only 1 ply plastic, but it is finished/fitted well. Black finish on guitar is flawless and of professional quality. Rosewood fretboard is smooth and true and the frets are finished well, with some slight sharpness on the ends of some of them. Back of neck is smooth but isn't fast, could be the finish material used? Tuners are sealed and hold tune effectively. Headstock shape is UGLY. Looks like an arrow-head, and is not proportioned well in my opipion. Good chrome finish on all hardware. Heavy duty switch and pots. Excellent neck/body fit-up. The surface of the body where the bottom of the neck seats was a little rough so I smoothed it with some #600 paper before reassembling.

This seems like a pretty tough, well made guitar. Some care has been taken in designing, fabricating and assembling it. Should be able to suffer typical abuse of live playing. I've only had it for a month and I am generally not abusive of my instruments. I do play them hard though with lots of string bending and hard picking.

I have no idea about warranty/ customer support - bought it thru on-line auction and don't care.

I've been playing mostly blues based music for about 33 years and have a large collection of clone and copy guitars. I buy and sell according to my middle-aged whims. I wanted a cheap guitar with a soild tail to modify/experiment with. The telecaster style fits this description and this is the first one I saw up for auction for awhile so I bought it. I was contemplating buying the parts or a kit guitar but that would have been at least 3 times more money?? Why are these parts/kits so expensive?? This guitar is a whole lot more guitar than I expected, even if it cost twice what it did. It is fine as it is, but for my purposes is solid, and a good platform to build upon. Nice solid alder body with a decent neck attached to it. I am going to add a humbucker between those 2 single coils and see what I get. I can't believe what these guys can put together for a hundred bucks. Just another reason why I haven't bought a 'big name' guitar for over 20 years now.