I've had this guitar for less than a week but I must say I'm mightily impressed. The ceramic humbuckers offer a wide range of sounds, all very pleasing to my ears. The neck is smooth and fast, and the metallic black finish looks great.

Sound
This model features ceramic magnets (as opposed to alnico). I'm not usually a fan of "ceramics" when they're of the 'melt-your-face-and-punish-your-grandma' variety ie; super high output like the 500-T & 496-R as produced by Fender's heel-biting competition. These pickups sound terrific on a clean setting. (I've been test driving this guitar through my Fender 'Rumble 25' bass amp, a GREAT amp for guitars, btw.) Being humbuckers, they have a very full bottom end, especially through a bass amplifier, and the highs sparkle but aren't sterile and shrill like other ceramic humbuckers I've played. When I kick in my MXR Distortion+ this little beauty absolutely wails. My musical tastes lean towards mid to late 60's British; Beatles, Yardbirds, PFloyd, Beatles, Cream, Jimi, Zep & Beatles so I like a guitar that can cover a lot of ground in terms of dynamics. This guitar is capable of all of this and more. If you like the feel if a "Tele" but aren't crazy about the biting treble of a traditional Telecaster bridge pickup, then this is a guitar you may enjoy playing. I found that rolling off most of the treble with both pickups on gives a nice subdued sound perfect for jazz.

Features
This… read more model features your standard Tele configuration; two pickups with master volume & tone and a three position selector switch. I personally prefer the two volume & two tone setup as found on Squier's Custom & Deluxe Teles but I'm still able to squeeze out a variety of great sounds. One thing this Tele has that many others do not is a 22nd fret. I'm still getting used to not having to bend up from Db to finish an extended D major chord.

Ease of Use
This Tele has a satin finished neck so it feels and plays much faster than the standard gloss finish when can get sticky from perspiration. While I prefer the satin finish on the back of the neck, I prefer a gloss finish on the fretboard. 'Gloss' is thicker and will hold up better over time. The 12" fretboard radius and large frets make for effortless bends and if, like me, you do a lot of trills (think 'Danny Kirwan'), you will love this neck. What I found greatly facilitated 'Ease of Use' was that the intonation was absolutely spot-on. This really impressed me for a reason I will explain in the next chapter of this book I seem to be writing.

Quality
The guitar seems to be well made and solidly constructed. The finish is good and the hardware seems pretty decent for this price range. The six saddle bridge is a real beauty - much nicer than the one on Squier's Tele Deluxe. The tuners seem to be middle of the road; not great, but certainly not awful. I do know this model can take a hard whack and not come apart. I'm a big fan of zZounds' blemished model discounts. I've purchased more than a few with only one having an issue that required being returned - and that was due to a faulty pot, not the "blemish" (which I couldn't find anyway). This particular baby was discounted almost 25% because it was a 'scratch and dent' model. I figured "how bad can it be?" and happily ordered it. What arrived was a beautiful baby Tele in mint condition with one little, uh, "scratch". Somewhere in this young fella's history was a serious run-in with Isaac Newton ('gravity'). It had taken a fall and impacted hard on the lower body right by the output jack which knocked off a chunk of the finish about the size of a penny and left a small crack between the face and the output jack socket. Other than this the guitar was perfect, PERFECT. Intonation stayed true, neck pocket wasn't affected, etc. I found the broken chunk of finish in the box and was able to glue it in place with only minimal evidence of a really bad day. What I did notice during the repair was that there appears to be a dark wood veneer between the finish and the light colored poplar body. Maybe this is for cosmetic reasons, finish adhesion, etc. Who knows?

Value
Value... For the money I would say this particular model offers Great Value. Better playing, with better pickups than any Epiphone you'll find for this price. If you want a "traditional" Tele I would say get the 'Classic Vibe' 50's model (I have one and LOVE it). If you're more into 70's rock, this guitar is a good choice. I own six Squiers, three Chinese made and three Indonesian made. It has been my experience that the Chinese models have better QC. (Of the three Indonesian models, two have had to be exchanged, one, a VM Jazzmaster, due to a grounding issue and the other, a VM Tele Deluxe, due to a faulty volume pot. The replacement Tele Deluxe has an off centered bridge with causes the high E to slide off the fretboard when doing pull-offs. For these reasons I'm not too impressed with the Indonesian Squiers. When they're good, they're great but when they're not good...)

Manufacturer Support
I've never, NEVER, had an issue with a Fender or Squier product that required contacting them.

The Wow Factor
Wow Factor... The metallic finish sparkles - it would serve you well on a stage under bright lights. The painted headstock on the black model doesn't look all that great in the online photos but in person it looks terrific. What I am most "wowed" about is the durability of this relatively light weight guitar. I name all of my guitars and I've named this one "T.H.U.D." (Telecaster Having Unexplained Damage).

Musical Background:
Former semi-pro now a stay-at-home jammer.

Musical Style:
Rock, mostly mid to late 60's British... read less