Fender Standard Telecaster Electric Guitar

I bought this MIM (Made in Mexico) Fender Standard Telecaster to have a good guitar at a low price. Also, I wanted a guitar I could modify and improve. I knew the MIM Fenders are not of the same quality as the American Fenders so I wasn't under any illusions when I bought the instrument. To my surprise, it is better than I'd expected. I've had MIM guitars before and the problem is the quality is inconsistent. Some are good while others show sloppy craftsmanship. You never know when you buy one of these guitars so it's a bit of a gamble. I made an offer in "best offer" and got the guitar new for $300. Frankly, I was surprised they accepted my offer, but since it was a floor model I think the store wanted to move it out of their inventory. On this particular guitar the overall work is good but the pickups are weak. They don't have the strength of an American Fender, however, that is something that can be corrected. I plan on installing Rio Grande pickups to replace the rather weak Fender pickups. A Dirty Harry in the bridge and a Muy Grande in the neck should do the trick. They'll cost me around $160 for the pair, about $50 for the labor and I should have a pretty good guitar for around $500 total once all is said and done.

The Fender Telecaster is excellent, it has all of the qualities I wanted such as it stays in tune, the tonal quality is excellent and at a price that was reasonable. The finish was original which is good but could have been better as there was dust on the instrument when the finish was applied. The neck of the guitar is straight and the frets are all tight and smooth. The guitar came with intone setup so I didnt have much work to do to set the instrument up.The fret were poor as they had not been dressed properly on the side of the neck. I own Les Pauls also but would not trade them for this guitar. This guitar palys itself.

The build quality is pretty good on this guitar. Sounds good with the stock Duncan design humbucker in the bridge. The electronics are sub-standard on this particular guitar. The neck pickup did not work. I pulled the control panel,wiggled the wires,and got it working. It has since stopped working. The wiring is cheap and the thinnest wire I have ever seen on a guitar. You get what you pay for. A new wiring harness,and this would be a real nice guitar.

With many setup options and many aftermarket parts available, the Fender Telecaster can be customized to meet most any guitar players needs. I enjoy customizing telecasters with modifications to the electronics and other hardware. A few little details can be changed to really make tele guitars personalized. With bolt on neck style Telecasters it's really easy to swap parts. It's just as simple as that. There are a lot of Franken-Teles floating around as a result.

This is a nice guitar. Has the same neck as the Highway One, which I have also owned, and plays just as nice, for a lower price. I was looking for a Tele, cause I missed the Highway One which I sold on Ebay, but was a little short of cash. So, I went to guitar Center and tryed out the Made in Mexico Fender. I always went for the Made in the USA thinking they were better. I was wrong. These are good guitars. Try em you'll like em.