Fender Jim Root Telecaster HH - White with Ebony Fingerboard Reviews

This is an amazing guitar IF you do the following... you'll thank yourself for many years to come... get setup, upgrade the string gauge to 10-46, and get a plek job.... Lastly, if you want sustain FOR DAYS, have Sweetwater change out the nut to a Graph Tech too.

It's just a telecaster that sounds like a Shecter , feels like a Gibson and plays like a strat. It's the best guitar ever made.

This is a fantastic metal or hard rock guitar.... fast neck, EMG pickups, and looks great too.

Hands down, this is my favorite guitar I've ever owned, and it is because it is the best guitar I've ever owned. The weight and feel is perfect for metal. The look sells itself. And the pickups? Bold and in your face. This is a fun guitar, built well, with your every day metal player in mind. I keep it drop B and have no issues with tuning, buzz, clarity, etc. The locking tuners are killer as well. Get it, you'll love it!

I have always been a fan of the telecaster, but it was never a guitar that fit my style of playing or writing. I had been looking for a guitar to utilize for the drop C tuning I occasionally write in. I came across this gem, and while this is my first Fender branded guitar, I do have an EVH Wolfgang built in the same Mexican factory. The quality and playability are both excellent, and the EMG's sound better than I remember. I'm a sucker for the gorgeous red case as well. I am very happy with this purchase and Fender is now on my radar. Cameron my sales engineer really made this an enjoyable purchase.

I'm really bad about leaving reviews, especially where they're needed. I bought this guitar about a year ago, and it's everything I expected it to be. I love Slipknot, I've been a Maggot for a long time, so I was very happy when I saw this was an available item. The only thing I would have to say is that the shipping took a little longer than specified, but this was in 2020... So, you know, haha, it wasn't an issue. I'm a very patient person, but the anticipation was killing me lol.
Sounds amazing, not having a tone knob does take some getting used to, but I actually like that feature because, I never really liked tone knobs.. Always saw them as one more thing haha, but once you get used to it, this thing sounds beefy!
Thank you to my Sales Engineer, Sean Geyer, for being an awesome guy and always following up with me on purchases and always being available, not to mention always having recommendations for gear on hand and ready when it's mentioned, that's pretty cool.

Also, I have to add, I bought this when it was out of stock, so I was basically a pending purchase for a couple of months, and totally forgot about it, but once it hit the warehouse, I was notified that my purchase was on the way. They wasted NO time! I absolutely love it! Thank you, Sweetwater, till next time.

Great playing guitar. His lots of high end bite. And plenty of lows. Plays great.

This guitar is just great. It is the always wanted tele with a very thick sound. Satin finish looks awesome with black hardware. The neck feels very comfortable and slick. Playability is out of this world. Extremely easy to bend strings and the saddles are a breeze to adjust to your preferences.

I love playing this guitar. Love the matte paint and the super sleek neck. Sweetwater's setup was perfect. The best part is the sound. It has a very aggressive sound, making the guitar beg to be cranked up!

Bought this guitar on a whim first tele style guitar I ever owned the neck is super smith and fast excellent quality from fender Mexico would put it up against any of my Gibson’s thank so much to my salesman Chris Jenkins I’m a Sweetwater customer for life.

Got this guitar on a whim first fender telecaster I ever owned.Cant say enough about the quality and playability. Glad my salesman recommended it. Thanks Chris Jenkins I’m a Sweetwater customer for life.

This guitar is absolutely amazing. A tele that can shred and play metal.

I have Jim Root's signature Stratocaster and Jazzmaster as well as several of this signature Squier Tele's. This Telecaster is a great guitar. It plays really well out of the box and sounds amazing! The 12" radius neck is the perfect balance in my opinion. I also love the ebony board. The fretwork was really, really good and the fit and finish is great. You can't go wrong with this beast!

This is a great guitar! The EMGs are clear and powerful. I love playing this thing. It went from good to great once I gave it a proper setup and threw my .11s on there. I will look to get another one so I can put some thicker strings on there and down tune it. Also, Will from Sweetwater was nothing less of fantastic. The guitar was back ordered when I placed my order, and I still had it to my door within a week. I won't shop anywhere else for my musical needs!

This is one fine guitar. I couldn't afford a new one, but was able to find a used one. I,m still very impressed with it. The pickups are very good and sound just beautiful. I had another Tele with EMG pickups and was very happy with the pick ups in that Tele but the neck was to small and I had to return it. You don't need to worry about the neck it is good sized,and is as fast as any you'll ever play. If your looking for great sound, good playing, and great looks you'll be happy with this guitar.

First off, the buying experience alone was top notch. The follow up as well. Can’t say enough about the level of customer service. Then the guitar arrived. Wow! I’ve been playing a Les Paul Studio for around 10-15 years now and the feel of the fender’s neck is awesome. The thing plays like butter. The simplicity of just a volume knob in combination with the EMG pickups makes it easy to get any tone I’m looking for. From sparkling clean to blues to straight face melting metal, this guitar can pull it off. The action is even from nut to bridge and comes with 9 gauge strings to start. I’ve played on 10 gauge for years and I’m reconsidering going back to 9’s with how well this plays. I love the finish (matte white) and the case it came with. My only problem is I want the black version now. If you’re looking for a guitar with a classic look and a modern feel and sound, this guitar is for you!

If you want metal that is set to take ppl's heads off and annihilate the neighbors and leave your screaming, adoring fans left lying in a pool of gore then the Jim Root Tele is for you. I actually play this through an Egnater Tweaker 112 Combo with a Blackstar DISTX in front. It's by far the BEST metal tone I've ever had and that's beating the Line6 Spider 3, POD 2.0, POD XT, and POD X3. This combination will lay waste to anything you put in front of the speaker. It'll kill flowers, drive away pests, irritate your spouse and send a chihuahua into a frenzy! Everything a great metal guitar should do. If you're little black heart is in dire need of sinister tones then by all means pick up a Jim Root Tele. CAUTION: Could summon Cenobites

This is my second Jim Root Telecaster. Now I have both the black with maple fingerboard and the white with rosewood. Both guitars are awesome. The active EMG are hot and very responsive to attack. For a MIM Fender, the craftsmanship seems flawless. I don't care much for the self locking tuners, is the only downside. And, if you are like me and want to put some heavy strings on, you will need to file out the nut a little. I use Everly Way Lows (12-60 and 11-56) for drop tunings. There is some difference in the necks for both colors. I prefer the neck on the white model as it is a satin finish rather than a varnished finish as on the black one and is much more easy to make your way up and down the neck.

I have been playing this Tele for about a month now and I must say I love this guitar. Absolutely no issues with it. Stays in tune, the EMG"s are clear and punchy but with a good sizzle to them and they clean up great. The fret work is on par with my PRS CE 24 and that is saying something. The nitro finish on the body is nice. The satin neck feela and plays fantastic. All guitar necks should be done like this in my opinion. I was unsure about how the ebony fretboard would as as all of my other guitars have rosewood but I must say the ebony board feels really good inder the fingers. The case that comes with the guitar is the worst part about the whole thing. The top (when standing up) has the nail heads sticking out and showing. The inside of the case loloks nice but it is not a custom fit to the shape of the guitar. Although a hardshell case, I don"t feel that it is as rugged as it could be and it feels like this is where Fender cut some corners to save money. Overall glad to have the guitar in my collection. It is the 4th one I have purchased from Sweetwater over the past three years and the customer service was as good this time around as it was three years ago. Thanks to A.J. for all of the continued support!!!

Guitar Great
Case Pretty Good.

It REALLY isn't your dad's Tele. I did have to have it set up (truss rod, intonation, etc.) - then it was like butter. I have the White with Ebony fretboard. Pickups are white hot, but give clean tones if you are not punching into a solo. Nut does require filing, or the 6th string rides high. Great instrument.

No guitar is perfect and each has their own character and flaws. That being said this guitar sounds and feels great. It is my work horse. It is respected. It takes a beating. It is loved. It does what I want, when I want. Plays all types of music. It is not a one trick pony. It's a solid guitar. I had mine plek'd and it's super easy to play. Sustains for days. It's in the case right now still sustaining. The ebony fretboard is pretty good only a spot or 2 that I question but like I said this guitar is my work horse so play and feel is what matters here and the wear it gets will only add to its attractiveness and to its story. I recommend.

I recently bought this guitar to add a new sound profile to my collection. I'm an old guy, I've literally been playing for 50+ years. So to be up-front honest, I'm not a shred player. But I thought the EMGs would give me a ton of gain while still giving me good articulation and I like new sounds so I bought it.

Pro's:
The pickups performed as expected. Fun! Especially using my Mesa Boogie amp.

Con's:
The frets were typical Fender with the ends cut almost flat and the fret edges unpolished. They're so uncomfortable that running my hand up the neck was a constant reminder of why fret files were invented. I'm not joking. They are sharp edged and it almost hurts to run your hand over them. In my opinion there is no excuse for Fender to send out a guitar in this price range without breaking the fret-end edges so they are smooth. Fender doesn't do this work because they're famous and hey, they can get away with it.

If you decide to buy this guitar you'll love it if you take the time and money to correct the deficiencies. It does what it was designed to do and does it well. But..... be prepared to shell out a couple hundred bucks to have the frets leveled and polished. If you do, well... you'll have a very nice guitar.

Little Jim