Fender American Special Telecaster (Olympic White) Reviews

4.8/5.0 based on 12 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Mike J
from Fargo, ND USA
February 26, 2013Music Background:
Lifetime music/guitar lover

Awesome American Tele

I got my Telecaster Special a few days ago and am really loving everything about it. I'm playing through a Fender Supersonic '22 and when it's on the "fat" boost, it really brings out a great Telecaster tone I remember hearing a long time ago. I'm just getting to know the guitar but I love it so far. Initially thought I'd get the 3 Tone Sunburst but went with the Olympic White (cream) because it wore on me. Plus my guitar hero, Vince Gill plays a white '53 Tele. My next piece will be be a Wampler "Ego Compressor" to get that great "chickin' pickin'" sound.

Jim Rokes
from ROCKWELL CITY, IA
February 22, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

WOW - what else can I say

Just received this guitar this morning - took it to the guitar shop tonight and played it ... what a great experience ... sounds great - plays well ...I just love it ...

Tony Essoe
from Laguna Beach, CA
December 27, 2012Music Background:
unofficial Rock Star and serious guitar collector

Fender has never been better

The American Special is so flawless that if you were blind-folded, you would think they are Custom Shop creations! I love this model so much I bought 5 of them! You get jumbo fret wire and Texas Special pickups, what more could you possibly want for this price? It will take the rest of my life just to wear them in, but that won't be long enough to wear them out! YOU NEED THIS TELECASTER!

Johnny Wishbone
from New York, NY
September 22, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist / Amateur Musician

Fantastic Guitar, great bang for your buck!

I've been a longtime Gibson guy (over 20 years to be exact), but I decided to take a flyer and try this guitar out on a whim. Needless to say I was completely floored by the feel and its tone. Picking up this guitar, you can feel the weight - it's a solid block of wood. The pickups give it some real bite when you plug it in. I also love how you can go from a nice jangle to a hard edge. This is one great guitar that can play a variety of styles. At under $1,000 and made in America, it's a great guitar for your money.

from
July 24, 2012

Great playability and tone at a great price

One of the best guitars I have ever played.

Monty
from American Midwest
July 4, 2012Music Background:
Playing music with friends

I love this Telecaster completely

This Tele has been my favorite personal possession since I acquired it in November 2011. It's so easy to play that after decades of playing nothing but open chords to accompany my singing, now at last I'm doing blues riffs and licks, and it's fun and comes naturally. Barre chords are friends instead of enemies. The sound this guitar produces is amazing, the fretboard feels like silk, and the whole thing is gorgeously finished off. A great instrument helps one to learn better. I wouldn't trade this guitar for any other guitar, although I hope to add to the collection in time. Now that I'm playing in a band with friends, I try out other guitarist's instruments, but I'm happiest coming right back to this Telecaster. No regrets. No second thoughts.

Roy L.
from Philadelphia, PA
April 7, 2011Music Background:
Semi Pro

The Smooth Player!

I recently purchased this remarkable guitar. Actually looks like I purchased the last of this batch. The Olympic white finish is fantastic and the guitar is just so smooth in looks, feel, playability and the Texas Specials are awesome to say the least. The blues I play never sounded better than with this axe in my hands!

This guitar is my all time favorite. My beloved Strats have now taken a back seat to this white beauty. I have quite a few guitars in my collection including a 1972 Tele that I purchased brand new for my 19 birthday. Yeah I know … I am getting long in the tooth! I do not own any electric that is not American made. This guitar is not much more than the Fender imports. I never had one of those import guitars in my hands that felt right, or played sweet like the real deal. This American Special Telecaster is the sweetest playing guitar I have ever held in my hands bar none. The action is low and the neck is very, very, very fast. The Jumbo frets are incredible, and you can bend the strings on this baby like no other. Not a buzz to be found on the entire neck. It sings sweet and screams when I want through my Fender Blues Junior III amp. It was set up perfect when I opened the box.

A real nice touch is that it has the Telecaster 60th Anniversary engraved neck plate. No mention of this in any of the literature, and I have only seen it advertised as being on the 60th Anniversary Special Telecaster. I did notice it on the Sweetwater pictures posted for this Tele's serial number. A very nice touch indeed!

This is the second guitar this month that I purchased from Sweetwater. A beautify Wechter Pathmaker Elite acoustic was the other purchase. Cannot be more pleased with the service and the delivery time is unbelievable as compared with their competitors. And it’s free! I can only say one thing: BUY THIS GUITAR AND LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE TALKIN!!!!

Robert C.
from Sacramento CA
April 2, 2011Music Background:
Garage player

I am in Love!!

I bought my American Special a few months back and I love this guitar more and more as time goes on. I love the simplicity of this axe. It is basically a no frills guitar that plays great and sounds even better.
I have a few other guitars including a Gibson Les Paul Standard and Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster that are currently taking a back seat to my new American Special tele. Trust me when I tell you that if you are at all interested in purchasing a telecaster, you can not go wrong with this guitar. Great looks, great feel, great tones, great price!!

Don Fetner
from Columbia, SC
October 22, 2010Music Background:
Off and on player, but as a bassist. That could change.

Very Pleased

First I have to say I'm blown away by Sweetwater!!!!!!!!! This was an order of faith and boy am I glad I made it. Thanks Mike for all the help!!! I am primarily a bassist and once owned a 1968 Telecaster. I was hoping to find a USA made Tele I could afford that would be close to my 68. I truly think this is better in many ways. I am 100% pleased with this purchase, the only change I have in mind is a different pick guard. Thanks Fender for making an American made guitar that is affordable.

Mark
from Ohio
April 8, 2010Music Background:
Gigging Musician

Very nice Tele!

I've owned a lot of Telecasters over the years, but this has to be the best one, yet. The sound from the Texas Special pickups is rich, full, snappy, and the guitar just sings. I play in a country band and a rock band, and this guitar is perfect for both. It sounds fantastic through my Twin Reverb reissue and also sounds great with distortion. It is also lighter than most of the ash-bodied Teles that I have played. In my opinion, you get the best of both worlds with this guitar: the brass string saddles and black pickguard echo the '52 reissue, but you get more powerful pickups and a 9.5 fretboard radius, which makes it much easier to play than a '52 reissue. I should know, I had 2 '52 reissues in the past, but I like this one better. I can't figure out how Fender can offer this at a lower price than the American Standard, but hey, I saved a few hundred dollars, so I'm not complaining! Don't be fooled by the low price, this one is destined to become a classic.

Mike Keller
from United States
November 14, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician

Very Pleased

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Tele's. I love hearing other people play them but don't like myself playing one. I have bought and sold more Tele's than any other guitar in my musical life.

For months I have been gassing for a Tele again - so decided to purchase the American Special. I wanted a domestic made instrument and like the vintage style bridge and brass barrel saddles more than the modern bridge on the AmStnd line.

I am very pleased with the guitar. The texas special pickups have a great sound, both neck and bridge pickups sound great. Quality is excellent and this is indeed a great value.

Kudos to AJ & Sweetwater for superb customer service as always!!!

Buck McCoy
from Nashville
July 13, 2011

Tele in Nashville

It's hard to buy a something without playing a note. But this tele is perfect. In tune and a working guitar every day of the week. cheers!

inSync Review

Mitch Gallagher
8-26-2011

"Built by the people, for the people & within your reach" is the slogan on 's website describing the new American Special line of guitars and basses. And it's an apt descriptor: the new instruments are made in the USA and come in at stellar prices. I had the chance to check out five instruments: a Telecaster, a Stratocaster, a Stratocaster HSS (with a humbucker at the bridge), a Jazz Bass, and a Precision Bass.

All five instruments were top notch. They were solidly constructed, well set up right out of the box, and primed for making music. I ran them through a Fender Mustang III amplifier (see sidebar for more on this amp). Each one produced the tone I've come to expect from a high-quality Fender instrument, from the twang of the Tele to the quack of the Strat in the in-between position to the crunch of the HSS humbucker to the rolling thunder of the two basses.

We're talking classic good looks combined with classic tones. Each of the instruments rang well, with plenty of sustain. The pickups were solid, offering full, rich tones. And the hardware was of the quality you'd expect from an American-made guitar or bass. These were U.S.-made Fenders all the way.

How much did I like the American Specials? Well, I ended up spending my hard-earned dollars to buy the Precision Bass for myself, and I couldn't be happier. It plays great, it's light, it rings like a bell, it sustains well, and the tone is true P Bass all the way. The same can be said for the whole American Special family; they all deliver the real thing at a great price, and they're made in America - very nice!
BONUS: Mustang III
I had the opportunity to play the American Special guitars through the new amplifier. This is a pretty amazing piece of work from Fender: 100 watts, 12" speaker, built-in effects, and excellent-sounding amp models of all types. Whether for home practice -- yes, it sounds great at very low volume levels despite the high power rating -- rehearsal, studio work, or live performance, there's a ton of tone in this lightweight, highly affordable amp. It's the first Mustang I've played through, and I'm sure it won't be the last -- Mustangs rock!