Product: Stevenson Custom Telecaster
Price Paid: US $1800
Submitted
09/20/2005
at
10:04pm
by
Jonathan Palevsky
Features
:
9
This guitar was completed in August of 2005. The guitar was custon made in Montreal Quebec Canada. The top is solid figured maple. The neck has 22 medium jumbo frets. The controls consist of a three way pick up selector, one volume and one tone. Both pickups are custom wound Stevenson humbuckers. The body is made of Basswood and the neck is maple. The fingerboard is ebony (rare on a tele) with abalone markers. The markers consist of a large abalone oval at the twelfth fret and abalone microdots at the third fifth seventh ninth fifteenth and seventeenth frets. The top is figured maple and the is a thin nitrocellulose lacquer. THe body style is similar to a Telecaster but the back is contoured. The bridge is a WIlkinson VS 100. The tuners are Sperzels. The neck is a D shape rather than the standard rounder fender neck. Locking form fitting monogrammed Stevenson case was included.
Sound
:
10
I ordered this thing so it better suit me. The joy of custom made guitars is you get what you want...or at least what you deserve. I play this through two amps. 1)Stevenson Jazz combo amp. 2)Fender 70's Twin Reverb with Electrovoice speakers. The guitar is super quiet and suits my music style. I play mostly chord melody solos and have a really light touch. The action is super low and doesn't stress my hands. Despite the Tele shape this has a very jazzy sound to it. I almost always use only the neck pick up as it has a more mellow sound.
I love the feel...I miss having a cutaway but the contour in the back would not allow for that. I am pretty happy!
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
I have had three guitars made by Ted Stevenson and they come ready to play. These are players! I picked it up and it felt like it had always been mine. It's very well ballanced confortable and easy to play. The level of quality workmanship is high.
Reliability/Durability
:
No Opinion
I am pretty easy on guitars so I have no idea if this would stand up to abuse!
Customer Support
:
10
The guitar is covered as long as I own it. I have had a very successful and pleasant relationship with Ted Stevenson for a number of years.
The only problem is that craftsmanship takes time. If you are not a patient person then the commissioning process is not for you. You also need to believe in the maker and trust his ideas.
Overall Rating
:
9
I have been playing for 32 years. I own another Stevenson Telecaster...hollowbody thinline/a Stevenson hollow body. Eastman Archtop, Gretsch Nashville Jr. Oscar Graff Classical Guitar.
Look! I asked for a certain instrument and it was built for me. Does life get better than that. This instrument has everything except pedigree. I don't know if it will ever be worth a huge amount of money but it's a player not a shower. It feels fabulous in my hands and responds to what I want it to do.
I can't honestly think what I would want more. I will say this...if you are patient and trusting this is a great way to purchase an instrument. If you are into instant gratification and need to play something before you buy it then you need an off the rack guitar.
