This is my favorite guitar, plays like a dream and sounds amazing. My only gripe about this guitar is the Abalone Dots, I absolutely hate them from a players perspective, they may make the guitar look pretty but as a guitar player they are very hard to see. That is one of the things I would change on this guitar, the other is having an unpainted neck, but the neck painted doesn't affect my playing at all. I will never buy another guitar with those crappy dots on them ever again. I ended up putting a tiny black dot on them so I can see them and that seems to be working for me.
The fret board radius on this guitar is very flat, it took me a little while to get use to it being that flat.
The first time I got this guitar from sweet water the low E string was slipping off the fret board, the nut was cut wrong. Sweet water sent me a replacement guitar and it plays fine. They should name this guitar a Telepaul, it sounds like a telecaster and a les paul, fantastic combination. This guitar is one of a kind. I suggest you buy it because I believe it will go up in price. It already has since I purchased this guitar.

This is my favorite guitar, plays like a dream and sounds amazing. My only gripe about this guitar is the Abalone Dots, I absolutely hate them from a players perspective, they may make the guitar look pretty but as a guitar player they are very hard to see. That is one of the things I would change on this guitar, the other is having an unpainted neck, but the neck painted doesn't affect my playing at all. I will never buy another guitar with those crappy dots on them ever again. I ended up putting a tiny black dot on them so I can see them and that seems to be working for me.
The fret board radius on this guitar is very flat, it took me a little while to get use to it being that flat.
The first time I got this guitar from sweet water the low E string was slipping off the fret board, the nut was cut wrong. Sweet water sent me a replacement guitar and it plays fine. They should name this guitar a Telepaul, it sounds like a telecaster and a les paul, fantastic combination. This guitar is one of a kind. I suggest you buy it because I believe it will go up in price. It already has since I purchased this guitar.

I own several Fenders, SEs and a few others. I just play as a hobby and just like collecting guitars. I bought this one when they were still about $. I have a Mex Tele and Strat and an American Strat. The Tele Special Edition is hands down my favorite. The tone range goes from (near) standard Tele to LP like. The neck is like butter, with the lowest action of any of my guitars. It stays in tune and it would be hard to find a lighter guitar, yet the sustain is excellent. , it's worth it. I would love to see a version of it with a tremolo bridge. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

I was looking for a HH style guitar and have always been a Fender guy. The beauty of this guitar caught my attention but I was concerned with going from a Lone Star Strat with a rounder fret board to a much flatter radius with this one. Was I wrong. This guitar feels so good in my hands I haven't picked up any of my Strat's since. My Sales guy Jay told me not to worry and I was going to love this neck and he really set me straight.

Love the Seymour Dunkin's as well. 59' in the neck and Pearly in the bridge. I did the set up and the guitar was literally perfect when I took it out of the box and it was even still perfectly in tune. 5 stars to this guitar and 5 stars to Jay and Sweetwater.

If you're not a Fender fan. This guitar will make you a fan. Playing the blues or metal, this guitar can do that and more. If you want great tone and a screamer. This is what your looking for. Oh and and the neck is perfect. I'd buy it again in a different color lol. Buy this guitar, you won't be disappointed!

Excellent guitar for the money. Plays easy and has a great feel. Solid workmanship and has a nice weight to it. And also looks fabulous!

The special edition custom HH Telecaster is a real sleeper of a guitar. Beside being very light weight and contoured for comfort, the two Seymour Duncan HB pickups, with coil-splitting, allow this instrument to cover a wide variety of material. The hardware is solid and allows great tuning stability. I give Fender credit for not being afraid to think outside the box in both design and use of third party appointments!!

I have a Les Paul and a Strat. Wanted a Tele. Now, this is not a traditional Tele, but combines the best of both the LP and Strat. easy to play like most Fenders, but allows you to get the LP humbucker sound. All-around good guitar.

This ax is a classic waiting to happen. The tone is incredible. Undervalued IMO.
Thanks Steve Gray... stud of an engineer

Amazing guitar! I thought long and hard about buying myself a new guitar. I knew I wanted a Tele and knew I wanted a Fender. After checking out numerous options I landed on this guitar. I called Eric at Sweetwater because I had purchased a Taylor T5z 12 string from him a couple of years ago. He was great (again), and a few minutes later I had my brand new Tele on the way. Eric helped me pick out the specific guitar and when it finally got here (not "finally" as in it was late shipping but like a kid anticipating Christmas morning) I tore into the shipping box and Holy cow! Absolutely beautiful! Then I started playing it and the neck was like a warm knife going through warm butter. Still getting used to all the sounds. The push pull on the tone knob is awesome switching from double to single coil pickups. This baby can rock with the best of them but also great for picking. 3 years no interest with my Sweetwater Credit Card was great too. Oh 1 more thing, this guitar is much lighter than my Les Pauls. A big plus for me. I highly recommend not only this beautiful work of art (made in Indonesia) but buying it through Sweetwater. It helps to know there is such a solid company behind it all!

This guitar is sharp looking with its flamed maple top, dark metal hardware and black headstock. Fit and finish are top notch as are the frets and the binding looks nice too. The neck is a bit chunkier than my Pro Strats and Suhr Classic S and it's thinner and slightly lighter than those models. I really like the clarity in its Seymour Duncan humbuckers. The coil split gives it some nice tonal options. It does not sound quite like a Les Paul or Telecaster, but it has shades of both. I understand why it's a popular guitar on Sweetwater.

I've had this guitar for almost 2 years now and I've played the crap out of it. I of course love the look and finish on this thing, and it definitely has a solid weight to it and feels like a high quality instrument. The playability is of course great. The neck feels smooth and it easy to glide around on this thing. It also seems to be quite versatile in terms of the sounds you can get out of it. I've tried playing clean pop tones and it sounds great, especially on the high end, but I've also turned up the gain and this thing pulls off rock and even metal tones quite well.

I have no regrets about buying this guitar and my sales engineer, Sam Cohee, has provided fantastic service with every purchase I've made from sweetwater!

Although I have over a dozen guitars, this one has quickly become my go-to favorite. Besides the obvious aesthetic brilliance, the sonic qualities far exceeded my expectations (and quite frankly, blew me away). In fact, this guitar beats more expensive ones in the sound dept, hands down. I have read about the sustain effect of one- piece necks, and now I have an amazing example of that. This is not a telecaster, despite the shape, some people complaining about that should do their homework before purchasing. Blues, blues rock, and classic rock have never sounded better in my intermediate hands. I'm sure country music would sound great as well with this axe. Fender hit it out of the park with this one. Truly amazing!

This is my second Made In Indonesia guitar. The other is G&L tribute. Both easily rival my USA Les Paul studio, American Standard Strat and Tele. The Seymour Duncan HH sound rich and clear with tonal qualities beyond my LP. I play through a Marshall Valvestate 202. The neck plays smoothly. I finger style all playing Rock, Blues, Country et.al.and have no problem with string spacing. The only possible difference between the Indonesian and USA guitars that I have noticed is price. I suppose that all of these guitars are cut with the same CNC and wired with the same specs as the USA guitars. Therefore the main difference appears to be location and, of course pride in ownership of a USA model. Bear in mind that the Made in Japan Fenders are equal to the USA Fenders in every way.

I bought this guitar March of 2021 when it was only $ and I'm glad I pulled the trigger. This guitar has some interesting strength - It plays as smooth as a telecaster and definitely rocks with the dual humbucker pickups (which alone are a little over $). I had my guitar tech make minor adjusts to my liking and it is a dream to play. It's a bummer you don't see too many of these in stores; I think if more people had the opportunity to play it in person, they'd buy it without hesitation.

Stumbled across this on YouTube, everyone saying Fender's best kept secret. I totally agree. Who wouldn't love a Tele with a couple Seymour Duncan humbuckers? They're hot enough to sound great with finger picking. Many different tones. Playing through Andy Timmons Keeley Halo pedal. Very cool. Initially concerned about a 15.75" radius, but feels super, very fast neck and easy to play. Had it setup and added black locking tuners on the Black Cherry burst. Looks awesome. Thanks to Kyle Zillioux for his continued excellent service and recommendations. Also received a follow up call from Kyle two weeks later to check in. Very classy move, Sweetwater. Would definitely recommend. My only complaint is that I've never been to Sweetwater in person. Bucket list..

Works for all styles of music I play!

I'm not a pro. I play for fun, and am learning later in life. I've had this guitar for about two months now, and let me tell you, this is a really fun. guitar to play, one of my favorites of the 11 in my stash. It feels great, sounds great, and is really comfortable. I reach for this before I reach for more expensive guitars. Oh yeah, and it's beautiful. It would be a great choice at even twice the price. In this price range, though, it would be hard to beat.

OK, so I didn't but this new, I bought it from a friend and it's an earlier model that did not come stock with the Seymour's. So it didn't sound all that great, but I dropped in a set of Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Specials, some locking tuners, and holy arena rock Batman, this thing is awesome! It has a maple cap - not veneer, a set neck, humbuckers, so sort of a Les Paul. It also has coil split pots, so you can get Tele tones also - almost... It is made in Indonesia, but is very well built, except for the dime sized pots - but this thing can rock, and still pull off some twang.

It took a bit to tweak my older version to get it to what is basically the version you can buy here ready to go, but if you're on the fence about getting one of these, just get it.

Randomly was searching for a tele. Stumbled across this model. Researched it a bit, had never seen this model, and found it on Sweetwater. Decided to pull the trigger. Been a great addition. Had it setup by Sweetwater. Play's great, sounds awesome. From chuggy dropped tuned stuff, crunchy classic rock, to bluesy cleans. Black Cherry Burst Looks amazing.

My guitar line up was almost complete except for 1 tone - That 70's Les Paul hard rock sound that every guitar player needs sooner or later. I had one problem..... I'm not a Les Paul fan (sorry Gibson faithful's)
To me they are just too heavy, "clunky" and hard to play lead from the 14th fret up. It's just not a comfortable guitar for me. So I went on a hunt. Came across this unique Fender in a search and found several YouTube videos on it. After weeks of being on the fence I pulled the trigger. Just WOW. It is indeed Fender's best kept secret.
I've been playing Strat's and Tele's for 30 years. Have 2 currently and love them both. But this little axe is different. Best way I can describe it is - It's Hot Rod! If it were a car, it would be crazy fast and corner like it's on rails.
Very versatile. The Seymour's give that super rich Fender tone from the neck, and that LP chunk from the bridge.
It's also VERY lightweight. Mine is 7 pounds. The neck feels like a LP but access to high register is fantastic. It's lightning fast and I get the perfect LP sound/tone out of it. Played it side by side with a Paul and it's spot on. My friend with a Paul tried it and now he decided to get one.
Build quality is actually better than my Tele from Corona. Fret work is way better. Usually I have my Luthier do a fret leveling on everything I get, but this is the first "new" guitar I've bought that won't be going to him. I did have to do a complete set up and put my preferred strings on it, but that's true with any new axe. This Special Edition Tele is a beast. If you don't have one, you need one.
BIG shout out to my man Austin C at Sweetwater!! This is the 2nd guitar he has helped me with. He is always very professional and extremely helpful.

This is a beautiful, light weight, great handling guitar! It is comfortable to play and it just feels great. It gives you the best of the Fender, and Gibson, worlds all in a very attractive package. It has the renown tone wood combination of a Mahogany body and neck, plus a Maple cap; like the Les Pauls from Gibson and the shape of Fender's Telecaster. The Seymour Duncan humbuckers give this guitar the power to easily over-drive a tube amp, and the push-pull knob lets you split the coils for single coil tones. The build quality, and the finish, is excellent. I am very happy I got mine while the price was still under $1K, but this guitar is worth more than that! I love mine, and I am sure you will love yours as well.

I've been wanting one of these for a while. Starting off, the service at Sweetwater was awesome as always. I received the Tele in very good packaging and well protected. The quality of this guitar is second to none. It was close to my preferred setup, straight out of the box. Lowered the action ever so slightly and adjusted the pickups accordingly. The neck is smooth and fast. The versatile pickup configuration gets any sound I could want. This baby has tone for days. The pickups are HOT! My brother played it on a show in the first week having it.... now I have to figure out how to keep him from stealing it. Completely perfect choice in guitars for me. Thanks you Fender, and thank you Sweetwater!

The first guitar sweetwater sent had a badly cut nut, the low E string was too close to the edge of the fret board making it very awkward to play with the E string slipping off the frets. Sweetwater was very quick to send me a replacement. Now I understand why sweetwater is the best at customer service. The exchange was fast and easy and the second guitar arrived and was perfect. This is now my favorite guitar of all time. The tones are inspiring and the guitar is very easy to play. Because the fret board is flatter than most telecasters you can fly on this guitar with very easy effort. Buy this guitar you will not be disappointed, just do yourself a favor before you buy, look at the pictures to look at the distance on the E strings to the edge of the fret board to make sure it is aligned correctly.

This is a sweet Tele with a fast neck. Beautiful, especially for the price.

Sounds great, feels great, very versatile, Probably the best guitar in its price range.

Hands down my FMTHH custom tele is my top choice out of 12 other guitars I have on my wall. PRs, Paul's, Strats and I find myself going straight to this gem. I did get it set up to my liking but it was fine out of the box. My go to axe that produces.

Wasn't sure about the made in Indonesia, one piece body & neck, but has held up the last 2 years of daily playing in different climates. This guitar is fun to play, has good action, good pickups & looks great. Get one!

I'm an intermediate player at best but I have been around a while and have had a few guitars. This Fender is quickly becoming my favorite. I love the feel of the neck- it seems easier to move up and down. I've heard the term "fast neck" somewhere I think this is what they mean. It's much smoother than my MIM Strat. And the humbuckers are really something.
The back of the guitar is contoured like the Strat and the guitar feels lighter than the Strat.
It's beautiful to look at, too.
I had been wanting a Les Paul but when I came across this Tele I was intrigued. I'm glad I went with the Fender.

The appearance was just as pictured and came well packaged. I really like the feel and weight of the guitar. Then sound is great also. The service at Sweetwater was great as it always has been.

I was hesitant about buying a guitar online at this price point. However, this guitar grew on me pretty quickly. It's lightweight like an SG (had an Epiphone SG previously, but it felt cheap compared to the FMT), and sounds somewhere between a traditional Tele and a Les Paul. The split coils have a noticeable drop in volume, but the tones are useable in a live scenario where you would need a Strat or Tele type sound. I replaced the bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan JB to get a little extra bite, and now it's perfect. Plays any style you would need from Jazz to 80s metal and whatever you'd like to fill in between. It's a C shape neck (standard for a Tele) which is not my first preference but once I started playing it I didn't mind it at all. The tone knob feels a little loose, but a guitar tech assured me that couldn't be helped because of the push-pull knob. Aside from that, this might be one of the best guitars I've ever played, and it's a third the price of a Gibson Les Paul. If you have the money, I don't think you can go wrong here. Sweetwater set it up for me with a bone nut. A great find.

Ok so cons out of the way first, these are the only things keeping it from a 5 star review
I'm personally not a fan of gloss finish necks, I don't like the feel. slippery and unreliable; if I were to try to put it in 2 words. That's just personal though. Maybe you'll love it.
Second, the tuning pegs work, I guess. But if you plan on using anything other than a standard tuning or changing tunings more often than one normally does, like I find myself doing a lot, these tuning pegs probably could get upgraded to some hipshot lockers or even the standard fender locking tuners. Just a personal preference thing so no deal breakers here.

Pros: hard to choose where to begin. The neck profile is a perfect shape for my hands. The neck-through design gives incredible ease of access to the high end and the body itself is incredibly lightweight. I heard some problems people were having with nose dive while wearing a strap and I haven't noticed any such thing happen despite agreeing that this thing is amazingly comfortable to wear on a strap due to its light body weight.
The stock seymours in this thing sound amazing and I was worried I would need to be upgrading those to something else but luckily there's no such issue, the stock pickups sound amazing through an orange micro dark over an orange 4x4 with absolutely no other pedal magic. Pure Amp and guitar sounds great on its own. I made sure to check lol.

Highly recommend to anyone looking for a telecaster. This thing hits all the boxes on what you'd want from one along with the versatility that comes with the beefy tones you can get out of the humbuckers.

Received mine today and was absolutely, destructively torn between this and a PRS SE. Ultimately, I decided that fretboard radius and tonal options were most important to me. I prefer a flatter neck for a bit more spacing between strings (I have chonky fingertips), so the large radius fretboard made a bit more sense in my case. I also really adore that this guitar has great pickups, a SD 59' in the neck and a SD Pearly Gates in the bridge - both great, high quality humbuckers.

I received this guitar today, in perfect shape. Couldn't have asked for better, more secure packaging and the setup was completely playable right out of the box. I'm honestly blown away by the quality of this guitar. The first thing I did was inspect the fretwork, neck, and electronics. Absolutely mesmerized by the quality work behind the cover. Great soldering, great wire management, all around fantastic craftsmanship. My only gig is that the saddles needed just a shade of lowering to bring the string height a bit more into my preferred distance (usually around 1.3mm at 6th string). Absolutely in love.

Big thanks to my sales engineer, Jay Aden as well. He's the reason I bought from Sweetwater specifically. Great work all around. Thanks so much.

This is a pretty cherry burst finished guitar with Seymour Duncan humbuckers that sound amazing. I'm not an expert but the pickups sound really balanced and just good. Also, it's a great feeling guitar up and down the neck. This guitar was setup perfect right out of the box that I could see. The SN I got was the lightest one they had at 6lbs 8 oz and feels very comfortable. Definitely not your usual Fender Telecaster, feels and looks very modern. Top quality, highly Recommended. Thanks Josh for all your help.

I use this guitar almost daily. I can use the humbuckers in it when needed for that thick loud sound or coil tap for more of the tele sound. The finish is great other than some trouble with the EQ coil tap pot it is spot on. Highly recommended

Built like a Gibson, shaped like a Fender. If you want a Gibson sound but like the Fender ergonomics, this is a match made in heaven. I got the lightest one of the bunch and it has a tiny bit of neck dive, but using a strap with some friction got rid of the issue like "forget about it". Maybe a heavier one would be no issue, but I still prefer the lighter one.
This guitar is A W E S O M E. The humbuckers rock. Split single coil sounds would never sound like a tele because the woods and construction are totally different. Nevertheless, splitting both pickups in the middle position gives you a "bonus" sound that is extremely beautiful and clean of hum.
I love this guitar.

Love this guitar !!

Arrived on-time , in tune and ready to go .

As usual , a great experience with sweetwater .

Justin Dunn did a great job with questions and fulfillment .

Tom W

So before purchasing I read a ton of reviews, some loved it, some hated it. I figured I'd give it a shot. Got this guitar and I love the look, it's really stunning, but something was off right from the get go. There is a drastic change when going from bridge to middle to neck. Pearly gates are mean and growly (great for heavy rock/metal, very bright), then middle position muffles the tone, instead of increasing the low mids. The neck is warm and beautiful. The problem is the pickups are unmatched, they look great on paper, but not good practically speaking. This was a gift, so I didn't want to return it (besides it looks cool as heck) so a friend of mine traded his Alnico Pro II's for my mismatched pickups. Now this thing is perfect. Sorry to burst your bubble. Buyer beware.

I ordered mine Thursday morning before Christmas and it arrived Christmas Eve evening. I have a lot of guitars, including a couple Gibson LPs and a Fender Player Telecaster. This guitar is its own thing. It is beautiful, the fit and finish is flawless, the neck comfortable, frets well-finished, knobs and switches are quiet, and the pickups have great tone. It has a thin body and is light weight. This has a set neck with good sustain, but not Les Paul kind of sustain. Sometimes that can be a good thing. I did have to tighten the jack nut, but not a big deal. I like this guitar a lot and glad to have it in my collection. Excellent service from Sweetwater especially so close to a holiday.

This guitar ranks high on my list of favorites along with my Gibson Les Paul and Ibanez RG550DX. It sounds like my Gibson and plays like my Ibanez. And it looks prettier than both of them. I lowered the action a little the way I like it and it's just a dream to play. I can't believe it only cost me $. Sweetwater shipped it the day I ordered it and it arrived 2 days later (I paid for 2 day shipping).

My only regret is not buying this guitar sooner! I havr several fenders including American strats, a custom shop guitar, and two telecasters among them. This is a different beast, but not really that much different. I recently joined a band that covers 80s and 90's hard rock and some metal and really needed another humbucker guitar to match up with my Les Paul, but also versatile enough to cover clean fender tones. This guitar answers the mail in all of those categories and the bridge pearly gates humbucker is a beast when you need it to be in a beauty when you want it to be.

The build quality is excellent. Completely ignore the fact that is made in Indonesia. It is every bit as good as every fender I own and better than some American made that are much more expensive.

10/10!

This is such a great guitar. I have been buying guitar after guitar looking for "the one", only to find it here where I wasn't really looking. It combines the classic Fender 25.5" scale length with a Gibson/PRS set neck and mahogany construction. Add in the vintage '59-inspired pickups and you have a roaring classic rock machine that also plays exemplary Fender clean tones with the coil split. It just looks, sounds, and feels great. Two small items of note - first it is very light and has a touch of neck dive, I resolved this with three small adhesive wheel weights in the control cavity. Second, the tuning keys have the two-pin design of MIM/USA Fenders, but it is a different design and Fender locking keys don't fit, nor do any other classic footprint keys. I used the Hipshots with the universal mounting plate with no problems.

As always great support by my Sales Engineer Jeff Bohan, with responsive management of my order and fast shipping.

First, I have only one negative thing to say about the guitar and it might be me and the way I play and not the guitar at all. That said, I find that my finger wants to slip the high E string off the fretboard when fretting open D and G chords. Once I get used to playing on this neck I expect that problem will go away.
Now for the positives and that's everything else. If you love Fender guitar and you want a Les Paul and can't afford it, then this is the guitar for you. The scale length is the longer standard Fender scale length and not the shorter Gibson length, so the frets will be located exactly where you'd expect them to be if you play other Teles or Strats.
The pickups on this really Rock. The Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates pairs very well with the 59 in the neck. I was taken by surprise when I plugged it into a PA system totally clean and got the such clarity out of both the neck and bridge pickups. I found that I didn't need to engage the coil slits when playing clean get clear note articulation, but you will appreciate being able to go from a full humbucker to a near single coil under some gain using the coil splits. When playing dirty the humbuckers did exactly what you'd expect a pair good of Les Paul style PAFs to do. These pickups are fantastic.
The guitar looks great and is the lightest Tele I've ever played. If you have ever picked up a Gibson LP, this will feel like a feather in comparison. The frets are well polished, the glued in neck joint is flawless, and the neck is smooth and easy to play on. The binding, inlays, and finish all make this a guitar that is as fun to look at as it is to play. This guitar is all Fender to play but sounds so Les Paul.

I love the fact I was able to select my specific guitar from the Sweetwater website, I opted for the lightest one (6lbs 2oz). I also bought some 10's and had Sweetwater put them on and do a setup/intonation for me. 5 days later, it arrived with a certified fit hard case and I couldnt be happier. I received this about 3 weeks ago, it hangs on my wall behind my desk where I work from home and I am constantly grabbing it and noodling around. What a sweet guitar, very light, thin, and comfortable and the humbuckers have a great sound. Adam Trudel from Sweetwater is an awesome guy to work with. I am very happy with this purchase, if you research this guitar anywhere on the web almost everybody that reviews it gives it 5 stars - its a unique telecaster. Definitely a keeper, I'd say if your considering getting one - do it - you will be happy.

I'll start out by saying this is an amazing looking guitar! Thanks to Sweetwater for letting the buyer pick out their instrument by serial number, you get exactly what you want. Very important when picking out a flame or quilt top guitar. You won't be disappointed by a lackluster grain when you open the box! You also get to consider the weight of each individual instrument.
The finish on mine is flawless (Except for a very small, nearly invisible, scuff on the back of the neck, probably put there on the setup bench.) The flamed top is beautiful and the matching headstock and black nickle hardware really enhance the visual impact.

Now for the business end of things.
The factory setup on mine was actuality pretty good, with a reasonably low action. The upper three strings were buzzing a little, so I raised them a hair. I may also take a little relief out of the neck to flatten it out a bit, but it's very payable as it is right now. The biggest challenge, I think For me anyway, is getting used to the seymore Duncan pickups. They're not bad, don't get me wrong, but they're a little tricky to dial in. (I always tweak my pickup height on every guitar I own) the sweet spot for these, is where the humbuckers have the best clarity while the coil split still has presence. The single coil sound can be a little thin on these (but it'll still deliver telly spank!), and that's the primary reason it's not a solid 5 stars for me. Overall though, this is an amazing guitar for the price. If these guitars were made stateside, it would easily sell for $1200 or more.

This is the first guitar that I have ever ordered from Sweetwater. I talked to Sales Engineer Bill and he walked me through the process! I don't think I have ever been treated as well by anyone in a guitar store except for my buddies at Jacksonville Guitars. When Steve and Bob retired and sold the store… I thought my days of having friends at a guitar store were over. But then I found Bill and Sweetwater!
My guitar is a Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH Black Cherry Burst and it is nothing short of spectacular. I have always played cheap guitars… I did not know what I was missing until now. The playability and tone of this guitar is inspiring! I paid Sweetwater to have a pro set it up (not the Plek thing, just a basic set up) and WOW… this guitar is smooth and fast! And it is beautiful! I just played this guitar for two hours straight and decided to write this review! It is OMG good! I cannot thank Bill and Sweetwater enough for their kindness, knowledge, professionalism and getting me the perfect guitar in perfect shape! 10 stars!

I have over a dozen guitars and I have never bought a guitar online, "sight unseen" before, so I was a little hesitant to drop money on this without trying it out first. The reviews were gushing, the pictures make it look beautiful, and once I saw it....I could not unsee it. I had to have one.

So I put on my big boy pants, opened my wallet, and called my sales rep (Christian is the man!). I have been so happy ever since. It plays wonderfully. The humbuckers really set it apart form my other standard Teles. Like others have said the biggest drawback is that you cannot photograph how beautiful this thing really is.

If you are on the fence, just buy it. You will be glad that you did. I suffered for two months trying to decide whether to buy it or not, and it was two months I could have been enjoying it.

Just got this guitar and all I can say is WOW ! I have been playing a PRS 245 and a Player Tele but it just seemed like something was missing. Love the way the PRS sounds but turns out I don't like the shorter scale. The Tele plays great but I guess I'm just not really big on single coil sounds. I saw a review of this guitar on YouTube and it seemed like the perfect combo. This guitar rocks ! Great overdrive sounds and nice clean tones too. Has split coil switch but I like the way the humbuckers sound. Came ready to play out of the box but I did my own setup on it and it plays great. It really is an outstanding guitar for the money and I'll probably keep it forever which is something I don't usually do.

After the Honeymoon of ownership I am still in love with this guitar. To me guitars are fine art and as I do, should be displayed as such. I display my favorites on the wall. This guitar still sounds better than anything in my lineup of fine art. It hangs across from the entry door because it is beautiful along with my other Sweetwater guitar the DC Pro and my 1976 Moonglow frisbee. I love this guitar... Period.

My beloved son sent this Tele to me as a gift. He is a good boy and he is making bank.

I have owned a lot of Telecasters but never one like this.... The "set" neck kills me. Low tones actually vibrate my chest so that I can feel them! Amazing.

And so much flexibility.... HH config with Seymour Duncans allows one to get most of the twang of the original. This guitar also delivers deep deep tones kind of like a Les Paul I owned. Outstanding.

The setup was OK with screws on the jack plate a little cockeyed and the high e string is stiff (just like every Tele I've ever owned) Fender service really wasn't that much help but I never called Sweetwater. I just wanted to see how they were.... same as 1967. The fix for this is easy. I loosened the string tree and smoothed the nut groove with a leftover string. Natural, normal, what I would expect on any new guitar.

It sounds fantastic! I love it! Thank you Fender and Sweetwater!

The looks, the feel and the different sounds that I can get out of this guitar are nothing short of awesome. I thought about this guitar for quite awhile before buying it. It was haunting me, everywhere I went on the internet, it was there. The Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH Black Cherry Burst is excellent in looks, feel and playability. I couldn't have bought a better guitar. I had it PLEKed before it shipped and I couldn't be happier with the results, it plays like butter. If you're on the fence about this guitar, let me reassure you, this guitar is awesome.

First off, this thing is gorgeous. The deep, dark cherry burst is beautifully done. Fit and finish is impeccable. Intonation was quick and easy. The Seymour Duncan's produce beautiful cleans and easily push the envelope when going for high gain. These pups are much hotter than my previous EMG's, and I've had to turn down my gain settings on most of my patches (ZOOM G6). The pull up coil split gives a thinner sound, accentuating the sound of the strings, altho not exactly the chimmey sound of a Fender single coil. With all of that said, the real reason I chose this guitar is because of its weight...or lack thereof. My previous Schecter was 8.5 pounds which was getting a little heavy for me. This guitar is 6.2 pounds, making it much more comfortable for extended use. And Kudos to Sweetwater for posting pictures and WEIGHTS of each of this model they had in stock. Makes the selection process more informed and more fun.

This is my 16th guitar in my obsession of guitars. I have PRS, Fender Strats, Gibson Les Pauls, Ibanez, Martin and Taylors and now this truly icon guitar. It feels good, it sounds great and it is truly a work of art, it is beautiful. I think it will surpass my Paul Reed Smiths for sound quality. It was delivered fully tuned and the intonation was expertly set. The neck was definitely given the attention to detail that anyone can appreciate, The frets have soft edges and the crowning is perfection. As you may see, I love guitars and this one is a keeper. Sweetwater is very much appreciated for their excellent service and Zack McCord is the best. Thanks Zack, great guitar and a truly great deal.

1st - I never thought I'd buy a solid body electric guitar - I was a steel and nylon string acoustic/acoustic electric player for decades. The need arose for a solid body or hollow body electric and I always had, in the back of my head, that if I ever HAD to get a solid body, it would be a PRS. So I ordered one. Couldn't play it and came to the conclusion that is was because of the fretboard radius.(Not the width -the "radius") It was crazy small (curved) for me. So, I began looking for solid bodies that had as large (flat) a fretboard radius as I could get - because that is what is most comfortable and playable for me.

In a million years, I would have never considered a Fender, and in 10 million years I wouldn't have considered a Telecaster if it was a Fender, because they are ugly dogs, IMO. Storied, but ugly.

Well, when I took a look at the specs on this guitar, and found the very large (flat) fretboard radius AND the non-Tele look it has, I was ready to fall in love with a most unlikely candidate. The Black Cherry Burst was right up my alley and thanks to the Sweetwater Guitar Gallery, I chose exactly which of the FMTs I wanted. Such a great way to buy a guitar online!!

I love this guitar. I play it constantly. Tone is great, the set neck offers excellent sustain and she is so very playable. I like the gauge of the custom string set - but as soon as it arrived I put on DR Pure Blues in that gauge, rather than the strings with which it was shipped. It's one sweet guitar. An added plus for me, being a petite woman is that it's lighter than any other solid bodies I have played.

If you buy this guitar, you will not be disappointed. It sounds and plays like a much much more expensive guitar. Just be sure you have it set up by a pro - either Sweetwater's of your own luthier. Once it is - it will just sing. I can't believe I love a Fender Telecaster but I do.

Got this about a month ago and I'm very pleased with the results. Nice action beautiful finish with a cherry Sunburst and quilted top. Not anything like your original telecaster, which I always found kind of boring. This one has an arch top And a set neck Which really adds to the sustain. I have my guitar connected to a GR 55 guitar synthesizer so I haven't even tried out the pick ups yet but I heard really good things about the Seymour Duncan's and the coil tapping. Really really enjoy this guitar it's easy to play and pretty to look at. Alan Finkbeiner has been a salesman of mine we're over 20 years and set Me up with a nice deal. This guy seems to know everything about every product so he be the guy to go to for questions about many things music. If you want a first guitar or you've been playing for 30 years or more, you should try out this guitar,a really great playable guitar.

I'm not really sure what Fender or Sweetwater seems to mean when they say 'Special Edition'. This term seems to apply to anything these days, special or not. You lose half a star for that. Otherwise the guitar plays and sounds great.

It is nothing like my standard tele. Also it's much lighter than my Strat or Les Paul. I'm used to a weight bias towards the body but this is so light it has a bias to the neck. Mine has been plek'd and I changed the push pull to a push push setup. Sound wise it more closely resembles my Les Paul than my fat strat. The neck is also closer to the Les Paul than my tele or strat. Overall great guitar and bargain for the money.

This guitar has been played everywhere from church to a live outdoor gig. Absolutely slays. So many possible tones with the split coil set up. Paid for the plek pro adjustment and a tusq nut, absolutely worth it. Hands down I'd pick this thing up over a custom shop thinline.. about the only thing I might pick up over it is a musicman and it obviously was bought for the same price lol. Seriously... if you are sitting on the edge trying to make your mind up on this guitar... stop thinking about it and buy it. You won't regret it

I received mine from Sweetwater. It was a gift from my oldest son. I was actually thinking about a cheap Les Paul copy to bang around on. Hmmm... is Fender trying to compete with Gibson? Mahogany body and neck, humbuckers? Fender built this one to sound just as a Tele should but also like a Les Paul Standard should? It is crazy! It goes from that snotty bridge pickup tone of the tele but allows for smooth distortion. It is a very sweet sounding guitar. So far the cons are.... It is HEAVY about 11 pounds! It comes with Fender 09s installed. As usual the high e is stiff.... Like that on every tele I have played... Fender? Fix it, please. I removed the string tree and set the intonation carefully (it came well set up right out of the box... TY Sweetwater) with the intonation set and a couple other minor adjustments it is OK but still a little stiff. HOWEVER, the FLEXIBILITY of having many tones (all usuable IMHO) to choose from and the outstanding sound makes up for my two little nits.... Great guitar... get one before they become more expensive. You will love it!

This is it, the closest thing to ZZ Top that I have on tap. SD's 59 PAF at the neck and a Holy Grail at the bridge. The only thing that I will eventually have done is to have a neck dress done. The fret wires hang over a bit and could use some rounding and that's about it.

This guitar jumped out at me. It sold itself. When I saw it on the Website, I had to have it. Thank you to my Sales Engineer, Austin Zackrich, he made it happen. Have plenty of time on your hands, you will have a problem putting it down.

I had been looking at a different, cheaper guitar but coming back to the Fender because she was so gorgeous. When I finally made the decision, I called Chris and we put together a great package. Guitar, case and set up. I ordered it on Monday morning and received it Tuesday at lunch. I opened the case up and was floored by her beauty. Then I picked her up, nice. I highly recommend this guitar. I've got two Les Pauls and this is just as good as my Gibsons, but plays better, and Chris and all the Sweetwater staff offer excellent service. I could of picked this guitar at the local big box, I will only deal with Sweetwater. Thank you Chris.

I jumped off into the deep end when I purchased this guitar. Before this guitar, I had never bought a guitar that I had not ever touched or played. I have a Fender Strat that I built for myself with 2003 body and 2020 maple neck fender pickups in the neck and middle and Seymour Duncan cool rail in the bridge. I have a Fender Modern Player Telecaster and and Fender Jazzmaster store bought. All of which have their own distinct sound, sound great and play great but still have that Fender feel. With this variety of Fenders that I have I kind of shopped around locally and online to find something that I didn't have and certainly found it with this guitar. Firstly, this guitar cannot be found locally or anything even close to compare it to unless you get the guy in the store to pull the Les Paul down from the guitar hanger that's too high to reach without a ladder. Secondly, you may have to take a leap of faith and order one for yourself like I did but I can assure you that is not a bad thing. Sweetwater is awesome to work with. The guys I dealt with were really engaging and addressed all of my concerns. I was able to choose my guitar personally through the great pics on the website. I chose the heaviest one availavble 7 lbs 9 oz. I think the next heaviest they had on hand was 6 lbs 9 oz. and the lightest was 6 lbs 3 oz. Also, I chose to have it set up and had my own strings installed, which I highly suggest because it was playable out of the box. I took the advice and let the guitar acclimate to my house (Did not wait 24 hours but a good 15-16 hours, which was really hard to do by the way). Sweetwater has a climate controlled warehouse I'm told and it shipped in two days from Indiana in the cold weather so thought that was good solid advice. This guitar really is special. It in no way feels or plays like a Fender. Right away, I noticed that the look of the body of the Telecaster is where it ends and everything else just is different. It's not Les Paul heavy 9-10 lbs but feels more like a Les Paul. The Seymour Duncan pickups give it that Les Paul edgy sound and almost feel but I'm betting that you'd pay at least $1500-2000 for a Gibson that stays in tune. I've found myself playing songs that I just stayed away from in the past because the guitars I was trying to play them on just did not have that Les Paul sound. I think most of you would be like me and be a little leery of buying online but Sweetwater really made me feel that if at any point in the tranaction if I felt dissatisfied, they would make it right. I am very happy with the guitar and the experience of buying it from Sweetwater.

This has become my favorite guitar. Period. I originally intended to buy another brand guitar (as a backup guitar for my main one), but this caught my eye. After looking at all the specs, I not only was shocked that it was a Fender (which I'm typically not a fan of), I was blown away at how it *appeared* to be the perfect guitar. After receiving it, it turned out that it is. I can't say enough good about it. It was/is so good, I made a video review for it... Oh, and it's become my new main guitar.

Only downside to the Cherry burst is trying to capture the gorgeous color on a normal camera... it's gorgeous, but perhaps too gorgeous for certain video cameras to handle. Aside from that, it sounds great, plays great, stays in tune, and is the perfect weight. It's a definite 'I gotta have this' guitar. Thanks to my salesman Charles for getting this one in my hands at lightning speed (like they always do). Sweetwater is amazing... this guitar is equally amazing as well.

The price went up since I received mine last weekend, and I tell you it's still worth it. Fate took me in this direction and I decided this to be my drop D guitar for some reason. Intuition. Great decision. The Duncan Humbuckers beat the PRS I bought months ago. I had a dead guitar for drop D and other tunings and this is now my favorite. The thin neck is really comfy, and its thin and light, but the sustain is better than the PRS. It's better than my Fender Toronado, which, by ear, I recognize as Fender's version of the Les Paul. Toronado still has deeper low end, but this thing has an amazing tone and it doesn't do the high pitched annoying feedback, but it does feedback at a lower volume than my others, but it is a warm feedback from sustain, which is beautiful. I tested it out in 3 sessions, Tool's Aenima on humbucker (was so much clearer than dead guitar had to adjust habitual dynamics a lot), Incubus' A Crow Left of The Murder on single coil, mostly (Einzinger switched to Tele from PRS on that album in '04, and it sounded sweet), and Deftones Adrenaline. The frets are a little small so I overshot a few times, but wow is the fretboard smooth, and the luthier set me up with perfectly low action. No buzz, and the intonation was sweet. You didn't stretch the strings again though. I know, it adds 5 minutes to the job, or less. Normally takes 3 stretches and retunings per string. I'll let it slide though since you even take sweet studio pictures for me. It's a pretty guitar too. Not like the old steel car laquer paint tele. Ugly like a 1970's mobile home.

This guitar will be whatever you want if you don't require a whammy bar. I think it's my new favorite. You'll have to wait 24 hours to open the box if you order in the winter though. It sucks. You'll shake like a crack addict. Oh God the wait was worth it.

Everything said in the reviews about fit, finish, playability, design. The coil taps are great. It's missing locking tuners but I've played this guitar inside and outdoor gigs and it holds tune very well. The plating has worn off some of the hardware, but when the summer gigs are hot, sweat happens. IIRC, the pups are Pearly Gates?
I have a "Too Large" collection that's heavy on the Telecasters. The FMT HH stands out in the crowd. I like the painted back because the wood on the transparent finishes isn't that pretty.

I'd buy it all over again.

After unpacking this guitar, and looking at the beauty noticed several items. It was light, cool. Thinking this guitar should play and track as great as it looks. And indeed it was fantastic. All I said for an hour playing the telecaster was, " Yes, Oh Yeah, Dang, Yes, Yes, Oh Yeah, I like this guitar!" The strings tracked very well with these Seymour-Duncan pickups any where on the fret board. The push/pull knob allowed for a different sounds as well. The second hour of playing, realized there is much to explore with this Fender Telecaster. Impressive guitar and a good investment for the price. Purchase one and any individual will understand. OH YEAH!

This is a wonderful guitar that sounds like a Les Paul mixed with a Tele! It has a awesome finish and has a really great flamed maple top! Also the price is great! 100% recommend if you like Teles but want the humbucker sound!

This guitar is a fabulous acquisition. I can say nothing but good things about it. She can hum a sweet melody or just plain breathe fire. I think the craftsmanship is magnificent. That's my opinion. She's nice and Light but packed with a lot of different tones. The coil Spitta isn't definite plus. I have Seymour Duncan's on all my electrics. But these pickups are the most versatile. I have a strat, a PRS and of course my Les Paul. All of which have Seymour Duncan's in them. Sustain on this Telecaster is amazing. I've only had her a week but I can't put her down. A beautiful addition to my small harem. She's half the weight of my Les Paul but full of Fire. As usual Sweetwater you have done it again. And Brad Jahn is the man. This was a Christmas present for me from me. A very happy Christmas. Thank you so much.

We COVID has caused so many problems in our Society. The least of real problems is shipping bottlenecks because people are relying on mail order / e-commerce solutions to brick and mortar vendors. Thank you Michael Saulnier for getting me a guitar in my hands again.

I have a Tele American Elite but was looking for the same feel with more punch. This guitar was like my holly (small h) grail. This guitar comes in some are between a Tele and Les Paul. This guitar sounds great with the Seymour Duncan drive. It's half the weight of my Les Paul (it seems anyway). The frets are amazing. No Jagged edges and polished right out of the box. The action was a bit high. The Intonation is off a bit. Both are easily fixed. If you are not capable of that pay for the setup. The finish on this guitar is amazing.

At this price point this guitar is absolutely amazing. Thank you Sweetwater and Michael. I can't wait for Gear Fest. Hopefully we get to experience it in prison and live this year. I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and holiday season. We are so lucky and blessed. Everyone keep your heads up and stay safe. We will get through this pandemic and be better because of it if we respond appropriately. May music be the social equalizer that brings us all together. Stay positive and jam!

I picked up the black cherry burst Telecaster about a year ago and I can't put it down. This guitars seymour duncan pickups make the notes scream through my blackstar club 40 mkII. I got the pleking service done on this guitar and I would recommend it get done on any guitar you get. I got the guitar about 4 days after ordering it only took about an extra day due too the pleking. This was the first of many guitars I will buy through sweetwater. A special thanks goes out to my sales rep Myron.

Was looking for and affordable well made electric. This guitar caught my eye visually and the price point seemed too good too be true. I did get it pleked by sweetwater... Long story short... the value is great. Got to pick the from the grain options available as well, which is an awesome plus from sweetwater. I went with the gold color. Gorgeous guitar, plays great, feels great. :)

UNBELIEVABLE quality at this price. Plays beautifull variance of tone. The finish is georgeous. Love everything about it.

Bedroom player. Didnt know that Indonesian Fenders existed until I started looking for humbuckers in a tele. I thought that the thinner body than I was use to might throw me off ... but not. Weight and ballance are good. Fit and finish is good. Great paint. Slightly rough around the truss rod hole if you look for it. Output jack slightly off angle but flush with body ... but who cares. Neck joint is undetectable and smooth. Binding is way better than I expected ... on the body and neck ... no issues there at all. Fret ends could use a little work. Nothing sharp ... perfectly acceptable ... just a little more rounding and polishing for my preference. Fretboard is good. Dot inlays at 3 and 5 can be felt slightly ... hardly noticable ... barely an inconvenience. Pickups sound good to me ... not muddy or muffled (your mileage may vary). Bridge seems fine, tuners acceptable, nut is black ... not sure what it is ... seems to work okay for now. Stays in tune.

Switches and knobs ... not too great. They seem to work fine for now ... but wobble side to side. Not worth sending the whole guitar back. Will get replaced myself when I need to (or maybe before).

All in all ... love it! Couldn't ask for more for the price.

This baby is awesome!. I was frustrated by not being able to see one in person before buying, but they are never in stock at local music stores, and have been on back-order forever. I took a chance, and pulled the trigger on this purchase as soon as I saw that it was in stock.

I was not disappointed at all. First off, everything about this guitar screams beauty and quality. The smooth shape, color, and finish put any standard Tele to shame. The neck and frets fit nicely in the hand, and the matching burst finish on the head is a very nice touch. I saw some complaints regarding how light it is, and that it throws off the balance, but I don't have any issues with that. I think that some folks are just picky.

Now to the actual purpose for the guitar. Beyond being a beautiful piece of wall candy, this axe has sound to match it's looks. If you want to play some beautiful music, you're covered. IF you want to shred, good to go. Playing rhythm, or rocking out a solo, the double humbuckers from Seymore Duncan have a rich, full sound, and paired with the right effects/amp, make this a quick "go-to" piece in my small collection.

Great tone, great quality, very light weight rock machine. Love the Duncan pickups, and this thing will sustain for days. I had looked at one for years, but my man Tyler Moore gave me a great deal. Highly recommend him and the axe. Seriously, buy from Sweetwater. You will never regret it. BTW, I'm playing it through either an Orange Dark Terror, or a Micro Dark and the sound is unbelievable!

I have several high end guitars Les Paul Standard, PRS custom 24. Custom Strat. Although this guitar is not at the level it's not far from it. The build quality feels American made, great tone, great neck profile overall outstanding guitar. At this price it's a steal! The guitar looks, feels and plays like it should cost twice as much. It's a rocker when using the humbuckers and you can play twang when you tap the coils, I don't tap the coils because the humbuckers really sound clear, bright and full. If you like the look of a tele but play rock buy this guitar, nothing better out there at this price.

I am a big fan of the SG guitar. Light weight and great sound. But I do have a couple of Telecasters in my collection. The FMT is a combination of both and has become one my favorite guitars. Like the SG it has a thinner solid body and a fixed neck. Fender also picked a great combination of Seymour Duncan Humbucker pickups. The back pickup is one of my favorites, The Pearly Gates. The front is a 59. Add in the coil tapping and you have a great sounding guitar that's Perfect For Blues Rock!

Stellar fit and finish. Beautiful grain nicely book-matched. Great packaging. The guitar arrived in tune and all set up. The technician attended to every detail. Easy to play—very nice action. This is a very high quality item. Thank you for allowing me to pick the actual guitar from photos.

I have been playing guitar for several decades and have owned many guitars of different brands, including Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, Taylor, as well as some lesser known brands too. I have to say that this Telecaster FMT HH is a different beast. First of all, the fit and finish is absolutely stunning, and the playability is fantastic. The tones I get from this guitar are so melodic and sweet, it is hard to describe, and I can't seem to stop playing it. I have several other guitars that I really like, but after playing them, and then picking up the Fender, well, the difference is great. It feels like butter in my hands, and it does not feel like any Telecaster I have ever played before. In fact it feels so different from anything else I have ever played. I play through a Bugera 22W head with a Laney 212 100W Cub Cab cabinet, and the sound that is produced is just so great on the clean channel. This is a great guitar and I applaud Fender for keeping it in their lineup for so many years. It might be Fender's best kept secret.

After owning a Fender Strat for a while I decided to buy a Tele. I love working with James Wroblewski at Sweetwater. I called him and told him what I was interested in. I decided on a Special Edition Black Cherry Burst. James had me review the photos of the guitars they had to be sure I got just the one I wanted. He also assisted in getting it shipped to me on a day that I would be home. The guitar came set up and ready to tune and play. I absolutely love it. Great guitar and great customer service from Sweetwater.

Going on my second week with this one. I can’t find anything wrong with it. I’ve had plenty of guitars and can usually find some quirk but I like everything about this one. It’s lightweight but solidly built. The finish is flawless. The binding is beautiful and the matching headstock is a real bonus. The price is unbeatable. The Seymour Duncan’s sound incredible. They’re tight and full and the pull push single coil tone knob is another bonus. The humbuckers sound so good I forget about the single coils! Fender is producing a lot of quality instruments in a broad price range.

I want to give a shout out to my rep Roq Martin. This is the second item I bought through him and both items were shipped as requested and without flaws. Plus, Roq sent a nice Sweetwater jar of candy with it (gotta have that Sweetwater candy it’s a Sweetwater Thang!) Thanks Roq. I also appreciate the 55 point inspection done by Vidal, Grant, Pat, and ACBR too. I just have to say keep up the good work guys. I’m a Sweetwater fan.

I own a Tele Nashville Deluxe and replaced the original pickups with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails....these guitars will rock. This will be my next Telecaster. Would have bought it if I had seen this one first....there will be more.

Amazing Guitars !!!

Like the title says, it"s not a classic Tele. If you"re looking for classic Tele sounds, this isn"t what you want. If you do want a guitar that can go from sweet clean tones to fire breathing metal tones, you might want to check this one out.

I play at worship to put it simple very nice guitar

Beautiful lightweight easy to navigate the fret board. Selector switch is low quality, ordering a replacement now. May upgrade wiring also. After that she should be comparable to a $1500 Tele.

I purchased one about a year ago and it immediately became my go to guitar. The set neck and humbuckers give it great sustain and the coil tap is a pretty good feature but the build and finish are astounding. I would take this guitar along for most any music except maybe metal or something harder than that. Just get one!

On the fence about this guitar? Just buy it. The sound is amazing and the set up is perfect from factory. You will love how this guitar sounds and feels. Believe them when they say this isn't your daddy's Telecaster.

I love this guitar! I had mine Plek'd and strung with D'addario EXL125 Super Light Top / Regular Bottom (9-46), and I'm thrilled! The feel of the chunky, flatter neck is very different from my most used Strat, in a very nice way. This set-in necked guitar has terrific sustain, the bound Black Cherry Burst finish, including the neck and headstock, is stunning, and my example is extremely light. So far, I'm very happy with the value at this price point. I can't see myself changing anything. The pickups sound great, the tuners hold pitch well, and the hardware looks great. Be aware that my 2/2018 purchased example did not include a gig bag as some older reviews mention, but one wasn't advertised as being included. I purchased a Fender molded Strat / Tele case with the guitar, and it fits like a glove.

This is the guitar of my dreams. All i have done to it is add locking tuners. The guitar is a metal machine. And does church great.

First off all, visually the guitar is an absolute stunner... It sounds amazing for cleans and you can get some really great tones out of it with a tubescreamer or mild gain/crunch, even works well for blues. If you are looking to use this guitar for hi-gain riffing, hard rock, or perhaps even metal, (in my humble opinion) it does not produce the correct tone to satisfy that need. These SD Pearly Gates have a distinct spot in the lower midrange that just doesn't agree once the gain gets past a certain point, and interestingly with the coil tap up that spot seems to level out but you lose the growl and low end from the humbucker. Again, just my ears talking here. I also agree with the previous reviewer that there does seem to be some sort of misalignment with the graphite nut, causing a spacing issue with the top E string. It's the first guitar I've ever owned (or even played) with an "Indian Laurel" fingerboard. I would have really appreciated Fender going with an Ebony board (rosewood would've been nice too but I understand rosewood has some import/export drama going on at the moment) with the black cherry color I think would've matched really well. My recommendation would be to have this guitar Plek'd and go with a Bone or Tusq nut. No wrenches come with it... and the soft gigging case is decent.

Just picked one up used and I am amazed at how well it plays. I have waned a telecaster for a while, but couldn't justify adding one to my collection, since I mostly play punk rock and grunge style music and your average tele just doesn't quite fir the bill for that application. However, this is the first and only one that I have ever come across to be the perfect balance of hard-hitting and elegance. The pearly gates in the bridge is familiar territory for me, having owned a lone star american strat for some time. It sounds just as good if not better in this guitar. I usually only buy american made guitars, but this was a welcome exception. I have still yet to discover an american telecaster that boasts the properties that this model has. I would recommend this guitar to just about anyone.

Visually this guitar is a stunner A very slight raised contoured maple top instead of the standard flat top Tele look, and you get the the color matched head stock. The cream binding really contrasts nicely against the gloss Black Cherry burst. All hardware color is Black Nickel: Tuners, Bridge, Pickup mounts...etc.

Pros

Both Seymore Duncan Pickups are great here. Neck pup is great for melodic chord tones while the Bridge pup offers nice defined defined mid rang, screaming highs, and moderate lows. Need deeper tone, roll back the Tone knob. Very versatile guitar.

Neck is Modern C with the 15.75" radius makes for a speedy neck.

The Neck Heal is thin and very nicely contoured - gives optimum access to higher frets.

Tuners hold up well. Stays in tune nicely.


Cons

Graphite Nut: Groove for the High E string on mine is set further away. Spacing compared to other grooves is notable. Potential for some players to hammer on and fret off the the finger board. I don't know if that's just my guitar or by design.

Coil Tap is ideal for use on Clean, lower Gain tones. Ideal for Blues, Jazz, or melodic Rock tones, but the overall effect is lost on higher gain or more processed pedal effects. If you're looking for mild attenuation of high gain, this Coil Tap works Ok for that. It mildly dials back volume the allowing smoother tones. If your ideal tone is in pursuit of Hard Rock or Metal range, the Coil Tap effect is greatly diminished or lost.

Bare Bones out of the box Interesting that there are no Truss or Bridge keys provided to make any adjustments. There's no distinguishable documentation aside from the standard Red Fender tags that come with new guitars. Its pretty much set to be tuned and played out of the box. Not a Con, but its worth noting that the High Gloss finish on the Neck may be sticky for some.

It comes with 9's which I switched to 10's without issue. After a week of play and adjusments, I have this one dialed in and playing perfectly.

This is the best sounding guitar that I have played on. I was looking to replace the les paul that I have been playing on for 18 years. I wanted a simple no nonsense layout with great sound. I had the guitar plek'd and a tusq nut put in. I love the Seymour Duncan pick ups, the one volume and one tone knob. It is ready to play when you are. Every note rings out beautifully.

I play ambient post rock on with lots of delay and reverb petals. Sounds great with all of them.
(TC's Crescendo auto swell, Keeley Red Dirt overdrive, TC Hall of Fame 2 reverb, EQD Afterneath reverb, EQD The Depths optical vibe, TC Flashback 2 delay, Keeley Mesmer delay, Red Panda Tensor delay, TC Ditto X4 looper)