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Author
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SgtThump
Registered: April 2004
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Wed April 14, 2004
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $530.00
| Rating: 5
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This review is posted on both the www.harmony-central.com (amp board) and www.fenderforum.com (telecaster board) forums.
I just bought a new Fender Lite Ash Telecaster and wanted to share my opinions on it with you guys. I just bought it yesterday and had it apart last night, so this review only includes my initial observations. Obviously, I haven't used it with a band or tried to record with it yet (but that will happen in the near future).
First of all, here are a few pictures of my new guitar.
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_front.jpg
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_top1.jpg
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_top2.jpg
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_back1.jpg
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_bridge1.jpg
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_electronics1.jpg
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_fretboard1.jpg
http://www.chrissnider.net/temp/tele_headstock.jpg
I have never owned a Tele before, so I can't comment on how "Tele-like" this guitar sounds. But I have owned a few Fender MIM Strats and a couple of US Strats, so I can comment a little bit on the quality of Fender guitars. Also, I currently own a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a GMW Charvel Rock Replica, and an ESP Jake E. Lee Signature model guitar, which are all very nice high quality guitars (and have owned numerous nice guitars in the past).
Anyway, I'll start off by saying that I purchased a new Fender US Highway 1 Stratocaster this past Monday for $575 + tax. I was hesitant about getting it, because it honestly didn't feel that nice to me in the store. But the store had a 5 day return policy, so I thought what the heck. I got it home and set it up to my standards and spent some time with it... First of all, I didn't dig the tone at all. It sounded harsh and bassy at the same time (if that makes sense). I made a few temp recordings with it and I just didn't dig it. It just didn't sound like a good Strat to me. The Highway 1 was probably the worst sounding Fender guitar I've owned and that includes lesser expensive MIM Standard models. Keep in mind that this is ONLY my personal opinion and I know others disagree. But I didn't like the pickups, didn't like the flat finish, didn't like the hardware at all, etc... The neck did feel nice, though. But all in all, it just didn't do anything for me.
So... I went to Guitar Center the next day (Tuesday) to check out other Fender guitars in this same price range. I already knew about the Lite Ash models (thanks to a few friends) and planned to check them out. The local GC had both a Lite Ash Tele and a Lite Ash Strat in stock, so I spent a few minutes with both. Well, the Tele jumped out to me bigtime. I recently started wanting a Tele, so this guitar had me very interested. However, the Lite Ash Strat was really nice as well. Anyway, I bought the Tele on the spot and returned the Highway 1 to the store I purchased it from that same evening and received a full refund.
I bought the Fender Lite Ash Telecaster for $530 ($610 total including tax and a hardshell case). Let me tell you... In my opinion, this Lite Ash Telecaster is 20 times the guitar the Highway 1 model is and it's much nicer than any other Fender I've played in this price range. This Tele feels like a top of the line Fender guitar in every way. No kidding.
I just read around the Fender Forum and saw where people were complaining about it being a Squire with a few more features. WHAT? Man, not even close! LOL! This guitar is nicer than most other Fenders I've played in my lifetime and DEFINITELY nicer than any MIM or US Strat I've owned! It's incredible! I can't believe how nice this thing is... I know it's made in Korea and I have reservations about that, but wow... This thing is crazy nice.
I've also read complaints about a thick sticky body finish, the unfinished birdseye maple neck, and the abalone inlays being "cloudy". First of all, the clear coat on the body doesn't look abnormally thicker than any other Ash Fender guitar I've seen. But I'm not an expert on finishes, so I'll leave that alone. However, insinuating the unfinished birdseye maple neck and fretboard is a cheap way of making a guitar is insane! Many people (me included) prefer unfinished and oiled necks and fretboards. I actually WANT this feature on any guitar I can get it on. To me, it just adds a nicer feel to any guitar. My current GMW and previous Peavey Wolfgangs all had unfinished and oiled birdseye maple necks and the neck on this Lite Ash Tele is no different. The neck is the same high quality as the other nice guitars I've owned. Also, the abalone inlays look absolutely stunning. Beautiful! Not cloudy or poorly installed at all. No gaps around them with glue gunk or anything like that (you can see this in one of the pictures above). This guitar feels and looks like a very, very high quality instrument all around!
The tuners and hardware in general feel nicer than the Highway 1 Strat as well. The fretwork is a little nicer too. There are ZERO sharp fret edges or unlevel frets. It just feels awesome. The neck has a chunky profile and actually reminds me a bit of the Ernie Ball/Music Man or Peavey Wolfgang guitars. Like I said before, I'm no expert on Tele tones. But I am a fan of Seymour Duncan pickups in general and these DID NOT let me down one bit. They sound very balanced to me. Not too trebly, harsh, or bassy (like the Highway 1 pickups). Just well balanced. It's nice not to worry about replacing pickups with nicer aftermarket models. These aren't going anywhere.
The pots don't appear to be junk, but I don't know much about them. The toggle switch does appear to be kinda cheap, but I might be wrong. Can someone look at the picture above and tell if the toggle switch is a crappy cheap component? I can't tell. It doesn't feel bad or anything, but it looks different than what I expected. Heck, maybe it's nice quality too? I don't know. I don't really care for the ugly gold Fender logo on the headstock, especially when every other picture I've found on the web and in the mail order catalogs show a "spaghetti" type of logo, but whatever... I'll get over it. lol... I would much rather have the classier looking "spaghetti" logo, though.
Bottom line... This new Fender Lite Ash Telecaster is a remarkable instrument for the price. Heck, I'd even say it's a remarkable instrument for $1,200 or less. I hate that it's made in Korea, but that's really only because I like to support US companies. But man, this thing is awesome. Yes, I've only had it for one day and I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase, but I have ZERO regrets about purchasing it. It is MUCH nicer than I expected and I am in awe that Fender put out an instrument of this quality, made in Korea, and at this price. It's worth much more than $599 to me. Extremely nice guitar.
So, does anyone else own one or plan to get one in the future? Hope this helps someone out! Thanks!
Chris
www.chrissnider.net
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JJRaccoon
Registered: March 2005
Location: Punta Gorda, Florida
Posts: 83
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Review Date: Sun March 13, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $520.00
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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ash body, birdseye maple neck, great pickups-Alnico Pro II
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Cons:
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Neck pickup was mounted without a spring - switched it to pickguard mounted
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I've owned it for about two weeks and while I was thinking of buying one, I was trying to find something wrong with these made in Korea Teles and couldn't. This is a great guitar for the money - you can't ask for more guitar than this. Like I mentioned, the neck pickup was mounted without the springs and stuck out of the pickguard at an angle so I mounted it on the pickguard which I like alot better. The 3-way selector switch is kind of cheap feeling and the tip isn't shiny like the others but it works. I'm planning to upgrade the saddles to compensated ones - probably StewMac. Maybe a new loaded control panel, maybe reversed. I only have a cheap amp right now but I've always been an Ampeg guy and I'm lookin for a Jet with reverb or a Superjet. I'm sure I'll do more mods but I'm glad I made this perchase.
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cartier
Registered: October 2006
Location: Bloomfield, NJ
Posts: 87
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Review Date: Thu March 15, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 0
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Pros:
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Looks and Plays great
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Cons:
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None
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I got mine used. I played it at a local Guitar Center and put in on layaway. For $500, I got a great axe. I had a problem with the out put jack, brought it back and convinced the GC Manager that he needed to replace it. I had the tech install a les pau jack and it is a lot more solid and looks pretty darn good. I have always thought a natural tele is the classic look of a tel and this one shines. It looks great and sounds great! It has the tele growl and its tonal range is amazing. It also fits nice because of the weight of the body. I like the neck and it is easy to play. I am wondering why everyone has had problems. When I played it through a vox pathfinder and leslie pedal it gave me the rosewood tele sound of George Harrison. Through my blues deville 410, it had the deep bassy Springsteen sound. I like it as much as I like my Clapton Strat. Initially, I was going to change the pickups to SCN's with an S-1 Switch, but decided against it once I really gave it a ride. I could care less where it is built. If it sounds good, pays good and looks good, that is all that matters.
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"...Boxing is a sport, where only the ring is square"
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Telecaster Guitar Forum
