Telestar Mona

Not sure of the year. What I do know is that it was essentially unplayed. Got it on ebay. Came with the amp in case, but I wanted only the guitar and the seller agreed to sell just that. Judging by condition, it was never used. Mine is the sparkle white (sort of) Other posters here covered the features pretty well. I got curious about these because of a JJ baritone I now own. The JJ is such a wonderful instrument, a huge improvement over equivalent vintage gear. The Telestar sounded like it might be in that league as well. Feature-wise it is. An intonateable, height-adjustable bridge, decent-sized frets ... already a big step past the original vintage Silvertone model this one was based on.

Right here is where it gets interesting. These lipstick p/us show a lot of potential. As others have noted, they are very flexible. It can go from a sweet, ringing clean sound to a singing, saturated drive tone. Not cheap sounding p/us in the least. Relative to the JJ pickups, I think they are a bit lower output. I'm going to try a set of the JJs, as an experiment. Truth is, that's an indulgence. This guitar has a lot of tone going on stock. I play loads of blues, primitive rock, original surf instrumentals. The Telestar is right at home with those sounds. Depending on the amp, it can do convincing blues tone, lots of sting and crunch if you want it. Excellent sustain for a lightly-build guitar. So far, the best match up is with the lower power tweed twin. Add some clean boost, delay and reverb for a HUGE sound. On that amp, the neck p/u is king. On lower wattage, less clean amps (such as the Gibson GA40), it's the middle and bridge only settings that work best.

I'll rate this for post set-up. Out of the box, the plastic nut pretty much defeated playability. Some fret sprout on the the sides of the neck didn't help either. Just got it back from my guitar tech. He put in a graphite nut, touched up the frets, adjusted the neck relief and intonation. Wow. what a huge difference. This turns out to be that rarity in cheaper instruments ... plays just as good as it sounds. The neck size and carve is just about perfect, not too thin or fat. Fits just right in my hand. The fretboard edges are rolled, no sharp corners here. And the frets are larger than vintage size and good quality. Add to that the very decent rosewood fretboard, you've got a real player. It's set up now high enough to play slide, yet low enough to play easily without slide. Excellent.

No way to know. Just got it.

I think not.

This guitar is impressing me. It may not quite be up to the Jerry Jones standard, but is not far behind. It does not sound in any way cheap, or feel that way. There is far more tone here than I expected from a such a modest guitar. Even unplugged, it has an appealing voice. And the whole thing vibrates. I'm really pleased with this. It also seems to be what I so rarely find ... a guitar equally at home in standard tuning and in open tunings with and without slide. That was entirely unexpected. If you can find one, grab it. The Telestar has soul.

OK......yes.....I'm still in the honeymoon phase with Mona, I'll admit that.....but now that I've had her for a few weeks, I can state without hesitation, this is a well built, excellent playing, great sounding, FUN guitar.

While Mona may be cheap and floozy in design, she continues to surpise and impress me with a refined culture that belies her pedigree. I mean, what can one expect from a cheap, Korean copy of a dirt cheap, 60's guitar that originaly sold for peanuts in the Sears catalog??

As stated previously, I'm a sucker for Silvertone/Dano guitars. Love em!! So, after initially shunning Mona, she wormed her way into my heart and I knew I had to have her.

When I got this guitar, it appeared to be brand new. I believe the previous owner never played it and even the strings looked to be original. I was having a hard time keeping it in tune, so on went a fresh set of Vinci 10's. After I stretched em in, I plugged in the ol tuner to set the intonation. Imagine my delight when it was spot on and required no tweaking. I did lower the strings a bit and now, in addition to perfect intonation, she plays even mo better and buttery than before.

So.....no real great shakes here. I just wanted to opine on what a fine, fun guitar this is. If you ever come across one of these guitars, don't pass it up. Not only are the light as a feather and fun to play, they have a wonderful, yet different tone to them. Great for adding rich jangle to a recording or cutting through the din in a live setting.

I used Mona live for the first time ( the first time in several years I have played anything other than my tele )yesterday and received several compliments on how good the guitar sounded. Not only that, people seem to be very smitten with the very cool, classic cheeze look of this guitar. Several had to touch it, hold it and strum it. I have rarley had that happen with any other guitar.

The previous reviewers have done a splendid job with the details. This one is Silver metelflake in color. If I had my druthers, I'd opt for a more subdued, masculine shade, but since it's such a steal, I will not complain about the color one iota. As far as features...well, it has everything ( and more ) I need in a guitar, so what the hey.....lets give it a 10!

I'm old and have been playing guitar for a mighty long time now. I have an old 50's Silvertone/Dano U-1 and have owned, played and loved several Danos and Silvertones throughout the years, so I know the tone and feel of these gloriously fun and great sounding guitars.

The Mona seems to have a bit more power and girth than the stock lipsticker in the U-1. Not a bad thing mind you, just different. That said, I'm very pleased with the way this thing sounds. Great blues tones. Works equally well for lush clean tones, ( run stereo with two amps and modulated delay )or hit the overdrive(s) and balst into some Texas style blues. I do prefer the clean and slightly overdriven tones with these types of guitar though. It's also very quiet much to my delight.

I love the neck pup. The two pup tones are wonderful and the bridge pup alone cuts very well. You are not thinking of refined ES-335 tones when playing Mona, but again....I DIG the cool lo-fi tones Mona puts out. For what it is and what it does, it gets a big fat 10.

This is the gravy portion and was instrumental ( ha-ha...I kill myself ) in selling me on this guitar. The thing plays like butter! Nice, medium/low action. Easy and low enough for comfortable chording and doing some blues bends with, yet med/high and stiff enough to play slide ( as is ) with. A nice mixture for sure.

The intonation is spot on with the refined and highly adjustable bridge. The nice enclosed tuning gears do a very good job at bringing it to pitch and keeping it in tune. On the U-1, I just tweak that piece of rosewood bridge till I'm close! Years of playing it have given me an insight into tuning with 1/2 inch of slack in the gears....so of course, Mona feels like a Ferarri!

For a Korean knock off of a cheap, American guitar, it has everything a David Lindly/Ry Cooder fan could want in a funky little geetar! It's a great playing, great feeling and wonderful sounding instrument.

I much prefer Mona to the many Dano RI's I've played recently. They feel stiff, bulky and somewhat stuffy compared to Mona. Mona feels like a good old, cheap Dano....while the new ones are trying to be something they are not. Not only are the new ones priced out of whack...the just do not feel good to me. I apologize if I'm offending anyone who has a newer, second generation RI. As I said, I've played well over a dozen of them the past few months and not one has reached out and grabbed me the way Mona did. She just feels greasy, sleazy and cheap enough to be the real deal. And after all, isn't that what we love about the old Danos?

Time will tell the tale on this one. I'm buying it second hand. I'm assuming it's 5-6 years old, but it looks like it just came out of the case....nickless to be sure.

My U-1 is probably 45-48 years old and it works just fine....other than a snapped neck! But that was not the guitar fault. I was stupid enough to leave it leaning against a chair and my wife accdiently knocked it over. Found another neck from the same era however and all is well. Yes, the paint is faded and chipped, but the electronics still work like a charm and she sounds like a good Dano should. So, as long as I take care of Mona, ( and I do take swell care of my geetars...cracked neck be damned ) I forsee my grandkids having a ball with this thing in 20 years. Since I don't have a crystal ball and the company is out of business, I'll forgo a rating in this catagory.

See above

I would not even be buying this thing if it were not such a smashing deal. Whhen I came upon it in the store, I picked it up ( I had played these years ago and almost bought one when they were closing them out a stupid prices )and proceeded to be blown away by how damn good it felt. Plugging in in confirmed the delightful acoustic tone. When the man gave me the price of $100, I almost pulled my wallet out then and there. But, I continued to play it for a while and reminded myself of the other 20 gutiars at homee sitting cases I don't play. I guilted myself out of buying it. For ht next three days, I could not get htis thing out of my mind. Finally, I aquiessed and called the store and had em hold it for me. For $100, I just can't not buy it. Yes, my wife will shake her head and remind me of the other guitars I "had to have " that I don't play. I don't mean to make that sound bad....she is an awesome wife and supports me in everything I do......and letting go of some of the gutiars I do not play has been my idea, not hers.....so, it's my own big mouth that comes back to haunt me in these things. I'm sick I tell you! I just can't pass on deals like this ..... and have about 10-12 guitars that same to me the same way as I could not pass up a deal. The thing with Mona though is, I will play her. She will amke a ncie compiment to my beloved tele and be one I can take anywhere......from a quick jaunt to the beach to a local jam...and not worry about it getting nicked.

Mine was made in the mid 90's, Korean mfg., and came with all the accessories such as case with the built in amp, truss rod wrench and allen wrench. This guitar has two chrome lipstick pick-ups, volume and tone controls with the telestar logo on each control knob, 3 way selector switch, fully adjustable chrome bridge, high quality individual tuners, metal truss rod cover with the model name on it, and in the vintage reddish sunburst color with glitter in the finish. The fingerboard is a very smooth semi-gloss rosewood, real easy on the fingers and playability is extreamly comfortable.

I plugged it into the case amp that it came in not expecting too great a sound, but was blown away by the real 60's type sound it produced. Being only a 10 watt amp with basic controls it makes a really great practice amp and you get a nice crisp clear tone typical of the surf sounds of the 60's. I then plugged it into my Fender twin 12 and was utterly amazed that this simple looking guitar could sound so good. By selecting the different positions of the 3 way switch you can get about any sound from the mellow, but clear tonal sound, to the sharp and crisp lead sound you'd hear out of other guitars costing several hundred dollars or more.

The guitar was set up perfectly out of the case, with the action low and no buzz up the fretboard. The neck is perfectly straight, the finish is flawless, and has a really good all around feel to it. I couldn't find a thing wrong with the workmanship no matter how close I looked.

I see no problem at all with live performance with this jewel and it looks like it could last forever. I'd have no problem gigging without a backup to this one.

I believe they are out of business as I could find no corporate information on Telestar. I doubt I'd have any problem repairing this guitar because of its simplicity and easy access to its component parts.

I've been playing over 35 years and own a Gretsch 3140, a Kramer, and Rickenbacker 360/12 string. I owned the Sears Silvertone amp in case type that was similar to this Telestar and found that the Silvertone was extreamly crude when compared to the Telestar Mona. I've looked for this particular color and model in this pristine condition, and would defenitely have to find another if this one were lost or stolen. This guitar is really underrated and I believe it will become one of the great hard to find collectables in the very near future. If you want to recapture the great 50's or 60's sound of the birth of rock n roll with its crisp, twangy, clear sound, you can't go wrong on this one.

The Telestar Mona was a re-issue of the original Silvertones made in 1962. The re-issue were made in Korea 1990. It was designed and reworked by former employees of Gibson. The company went out of business due to lack of sales in 2003.

The sales were poor because during it's release period, it went up against a re-issued Danelectro. People thought that Telestar was a knock off brand.

There was a point in time were you couldn't give these guitars away. The company no longer produces these guitars and is no longer in business. Owning a Telestar is owning a piece of history.

Ah, here are the folks who've managed to get their hands on what I predict will become a prized and sought-after vintage gem of a guitar.

The Mona is straightforward, features-wise: A semi-hollow masonite body, is finished in a flawless black sparkle poly finish with two TeleStar lipstick pickups. A 3-way switch with a single volume and a single tone pot, along with a strat-style, thru-body hardtail bridge completes the very solid package. All this is bolted to a 25.5" scale glossy matching maple neck with an exquisitely finished rosewood fretboard and rock-soild (Gotoh?) tuning machines.

The body is an upgraded verision of the Silvertone/Danelectro Strat-style guitars that came with the amp-in-case. Unlike the Danos, there's no tape around the edge of the guitar- the gloss finish just keeps on going, all the way around the guitar. For a masonite on plywod frame guitar, the Mona is surprisingly solid feeling and well-balanced. I suspect that the placement of the strap button on the backside of the upper horn might offset some of the heaviness of the neck. The neck is straight and true, has an adjustable truss rod under the chrome "Mona" engraved cover, 22 medium frets and a 17 degrees (or so) angled back headstock.

The Mona has found that wonderful place between purring and growling and it's as much of a surfbox as it is a gutbucket blues machine. The TeleStar lipstick pickups have more output and midrange than the old Danos and they easily push my Deluxe Reverb II into a smooth overdrive.

The bridge pickup is twangy and punchy with plenty of harmonic complexity; side-of-the-pick squeals leap from this guitar when the amp is cranked up and a souldful twang is easily coaxed out with a touch of reverb on the clean channel. "Waterloo Sunset" and "Astronomy Domine" tones are just as easy to get as "Seven Nation Army" crunch.

With both pickups egaged, the open and ringing character of the airy body comes out. The Mona doesnt have quite the ringing chime of my vintage Dano; it's a darker and more complex tone, but is still airily acoustic when strummed.

The neck pickup is smoother and has a full roundness to its tone, but it's no jazzbox. There's too much feral growl and bite to this, even with the tone rolled all the way off. This pickup was born to play covers of Tom Verlaine songs- try his lines on "Marquee Moon" and listen to the way the trilled double-stops have that perfect blend of silk and bite.

Run wide open into the lead channel the Mona really sings. Ease back on the volume knob and the tone mellows slightly, in an even and musical fashion. The tone pot is musical, but has a somewhat limited sweep with a sudden roll-off just before it bottoms out. Useable, but could be better.

My Mona was set up by J.T. Riboloff himself and played like butter right out of the case. Low, speedy action and well-intonated, the guitar holds tune like its life depended on it.

The set-up ad finish are flawless and the finishing on the frets is as good as any instrument I've played. Really impressive for a guitar of any price, downright amazing on one that sold for what it did.

I've been playing this guitar since last Christmas and it's holding up beautifully. The hardware is top-quality and looks like it's in it for the long run.

The poly finish looks thick enough to stand up to years of playing without breaking a sweat and there's nary a rattle to be heard, six months of playing on.

It's probably reliable enough to gig sans backup, but what's the fun of gigging with only one guitar? I'm too nervous to rely solely on a single guitar.

TeleStar has gone out of business, so it looks like we're on our own at this point.

I've been playing since the early 1980's and have a stable of guitars- a 1984 Fender '62RI Stratocaster, a transparent lucite Pignose guitar, a 2002 CIJ Paisley Telecaster, a 1996 Fender Tele-Sonic, a 1997 Rickenbacker 325v59 "Hamburg", a 1981 Hamer special and a Fatdog-reworked early 60's Silvertone/Danelectro with a birdseye maple top.

The Mona has to be one of the most fun guitars I've ever played and has mojo to spare. In addition to it's sterling electric tones, it's acoustically resonant enough to be a fine bedroom strummer and songwriting buddy. Mine came with the TeleStar amp-in-case (which is a hoot to play through, if not as toneful as the original tube Silvertone amp-in-case), and the two make a great travelling pair. (Just don't check the case if you fly- it's not super-sturdy.)

I'd be devastated to lose this guitar. I'd replace it as soon as I could, but doubt it would be wasy to find another one. The Mona is a classic.

I have been periodically checking this database to see if anyone else out there owned a Telestar. I'm glad there are some other happy customers.

I purchased my Mona in Nashville, December of 1999, so these new Telestars have been around for at least that long. It seems like the other reviews have pretty much covered what features are available. There is a telestar website that gives a bit about the company, so I suggest that anyone seeking more information should check it out.

The sound on this guitar is was initially drew me to it. I went out to buy a Dano because I love that sound, but i'm happier with the Telestar. It's got a surf-twang 'bounce' that i love to use for solos, but it fills out nicely. Add some distortion to get this guitar to rock out.

Besides the occasional adjustment that comes naturally over time, I have never had any complaints with any part of this guitar. The fretboard and pick-ups are of fine quality.

I've been playing this guitar for over 2 years now with no trouble. I have only been with a band for about 6 of those months but it survived our gigging well. I will deffinately continue to use it live. This is a very reliable guitar.

What warranty? This is a gray area. I can only hope that because Telestar is a small company that if i ever needed their assistance they would be willing to help. I am confident enough in the guitar that I'm not too worried about needing any customer support.

I have been playing about 4 years. I also play an Ibanez accoustic, but the Telestar is my love. I would want to get another Telestar were something to happen to mine. I get a lot of comments on it because nobody (ok, 4 other people) has a guitar like this. The Telestar's uniqueness is a part of its coolness. I kind of hope that Telestar doesn't start selling them everywhere, because at the price they go for, everyone would (and should) have one.

2000 year model made in Korea (the now typically high quality stuff) 22 frets, rosewood board...a high quality reissue of the Danelectro Sears Silvertone guitar of the early 60s...
It is made along the lines of the Danelectroes but with a more Jerry Jones-ish approach to quality. It has string thru body ala a Telecaster so you know there is a bridge support unlike the new Danoes, and I own a DC3 which I use for slide and it is fantastic that way...and it has two lipstick tube pick ups...that are much more quiet than the new Danoes...
If you can find this guitar buy it....I just traded a 1983 USA Strat for another Mona with the Amp-in-case....and a Voodoo Labs Analog chorus......???!!!! It is worth it. I garnered my first Telestar Mona from Atlanta Vintage Guitars...used...and I paid $225 for it and that included a high quality gig bag....not bad!!! I am doing the trade with Fair Bargain Music in Georgia, also...(Georgia must have a run on these models...but there is little to uncover about the company.....there is no website that I know of....and for all I know they could have gone out of business....which would be a shame....as I really like these guitars!!!! It has the usual two pu and two knob set up and one toggle.....standard stuff...but the sound is between a good Fender and a Rickenbacker!!!!! Clear, solid and very present....high on vibe and twang.....retro and then some.....
If you can fin

see above

it came set up very nicely.....playable right out of the box....did not even have to adjust the action...and the neck is buzz free....hope it stays that way....but unlike the old Silvertones this guitar has updated attitude and that includes the angle headstock with truss rod adjustment there...

this guitar is too new...but I ordered a second one....that should tell you something....right?

who makes this thing anyway??????? wish I knew.....

I have been playing for 35 years....I am a veteran of the whole 60;s scene....and the retro vibe on this axe is high...but it would also appeal to a grunge/punk player because of its spartan aura....
as for other guitars...I have owned them ALL at one time or another....not simultaneously mind you but successively.....and I am talking about the days when I could buy a 1951 Fender Esquire for $250...which I did by the way...but I traded it off long, long ago...
I like this guitar...for it's THEN AND NOW approach....
I like the guitar with the 10s it came with....9s are too thin and weak for my tastes now....and I have gone back to 10s.....
As I said...this guitar is closer to a Jerry Jones...if you know what they are????!!!!! you should.....
and surpasses the new crop of Danelectros for quality feel and manufacturing....

This is a new TeleStar Mona made in Korea. It is an updated version of the old two pickup Silvertone/Danelectro amp in case model. I own one of the old ones and it's pretty darn crude. Don't get me wrong. I have owned three Danelectros and I like that sound but they remain what they are, ingeniously designed cheap entry level guitars from the past. This TeleStar Mona is an improvement in all areas: It has real quality machines that keep the guitar in tune. It has a real adjustable truss rod that keeps the neck straight. It has a well fashioned nut. It has a modern 22 fret slim neck that is a true joy to play. It has a string through body hard tail bridge. The horrible intonation of the old Electros is gone! The newly designed lipstick pickups are HOT! The shape of the guitar is wacky 50's space age design and the color is a fantastic HIGH gloss black sparkle. The package also came with a very sturdy case with a built in amp. This TeleStar is a vast improvement over the old Silvertone/Danelectros.

When compared to my old Silvertone/Danelectro this Telestar has much fuller, brighter and richer tones. In moderate overdrive it has a very nice singing quality. I play Blues and this guitar is a fantastic alternative to the Gibson/Fender sounds. It's got buttery smooth tones with a bit of twang and some quack thrown in for good measure. I use a Boss GT-3 processor that splits into a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12 plugged into a Rivera 4x12 cabinet on one channel and an old Silvertone tube amp with a single 12 on the other channel. This guitar sounds great!

This guitar was set up beautifully. It plays better than any "out of the box" guitar I have ever owned. The guitar is professionally finished and well detailed while still managing to retain the "cheesiness" of the older Danelctros.

This does not appear to be a rock solid guitar like say a Les Paul. It is extremely light weight, however, I do not anticipate any problems as long as the guitar is treated with a little tenderness.

I've been playing off and on for 35 years. I own various other guitars: a 52 Tele, a 73 Tele Thinline, the Silvertone/Danelectro, a Hagstrom I, various old Kays and this TeleStar Mona. I'm planning on buying another one. I think it's one of the best values on the market.

Recent (2000?) Korean-made copy of the old Danelectro/Silvertone amp-in-case guitar made in the '60s. Bolt-on neck, two "lipstick" pickups, one tone and volume control, toggle switch. Black sparkle finish on body and neck. The Tele-type bridge and string-through body anchoring are a major improvement in design over the original Danelectros. Rosewood fingerboard and standard truss-rod access at headstock. Body is "semi-hollow", and made of "tonium". Yeah, whatever. The old Danos were Masonite, so who cares what you call the composite material.

Just as the old Silvertones did, this guitar has a unique sound due to the construction (chambered body) and cheap materials used for the body itself. I still like the sound of my old Dano pickups better, but this thing may sound better, given 40 years to age. You can get a pretty good range of sounds from dark to bright, and through a Fender amp it sounds pretty neat. IMHO, it's suitable for a wide range of styles, with jazz being the least favored by the raw tone of the guitar.

The guitar was set up very well, the action is low, and the finish detail is excellent. I'm not particularly whacked out by the sparle finish, but it's better quality than my old Silvertone/Danelectro. Very nice craftsmanship and quality, especially at this price point.

I've been playing for over 35 years, and have had hundreds (no lie!) of guitars over that span. My first was a Silvertone/Danelectro amp-in-case, and although I don't have that particular axe, I still have one of the old ones. This guitar incorporates the basic features and looks of those early Dano guitars, and improves on some of the original "liabilities", such as the cheaply-designed bridge and lack of truss-rod adjustment. This guitar is a great value, and I would definitely buy it again if it got lost or stolen (if I could find one!). The Mona won't please everyone, and if you're into "what's on the headstock", you'll probably want to pass. But if you are looking for an inexpensive, solidly built guitar that sounds unique and plays well, and you can live with the outrageous paint job, this guitar will not disappoint you!

2000 model, not sure where it was made. Guessing Korea. This was an offshoot company started by J.T Riboloff, the head designer at Gibson for 12 years. It's a Tonium composite top and back (think Danelectro) type body with 2 wicked slidebar (lipstick)single coil pickups. One volume, one tone and 3 way toggle switch. String through body construction. Finish is white with gold sparkle over entire body and back of neck. It's a bolt on style hardrock maple neck, 22 fret, with an Indian rosewood fretboard. It has 3 ply pickguard. Kind of strat style body with the double horns and a hardtail style bridge. I beleive the tuners are 15:1 Gotohs. Seems to be very well designed.

I've only been playing a few months, but the action on this guitar is low and sweet and the neck is thin enough that I can make most of the chords I know. It's got that kind of twangy surf sound, but I really can't comment much on that since I haven't played long. The 2 pickups give a fair range of tones.

The guitar seemed to be setup very well from the factory. Apparently the place I bought it (Guitars and More) in Indianapolis, had them brought in by Riboloff himself. The neck was straight as an arrow and sounded great right off the stand. Riboloff obviously knows what he's doing and those pickups are his design.

I have no desire to play live, so I have no idea whether this guitar would stand up to stage use. I would have to assume it would. It seems like a very solid guitar. But, it certainly is a lot easier to buy them than to learn to play them.

I can't get the website to respond (www.telestarguitars.com), so I have no idea if they are even still in business.

Only been playing a few months, but I have several other, mostly Fender guitars. Yeah, I'd buy this guitar again, because it's very light, and very well designed, and very well put together. I was wanting a Danelectro, but decided on this because of the presence of a truss rod, playability, and price. I'm obviously not the kind of person you would use as a basis for buying this guitar because of my lack of experience, but maybe it will give you an idea of what you might be looking for.