EagleeyeDave from Redding, CA USA USA USA USA USA USA!
Subject:
THIS is the TELECASTER!
Quality:
PERFECT QUALITY! Are you kidding? This thing plays better and sounds better than my expensive American made Fender. Maybe because the HO is American made also.
Sound:
This is it! It is like stepping back in time! Also great with distortion and awesome clean!
Reliability:
SO far it plays better than yesterday and sounds better every time I play it! Very easy player!
Overall:
AWESOME guitar! Great sounding pickups!
Playability and Feel:
Plays like a Fender should! The neck is perfect and plays fast. I will eventually switch to a reverse control plate but for now it is all good.
Tone:
Any tone you want this thing can dish out! This is a players DREAM!
Finish:
GREAT NITRO finish! Very thin which makes it sound like it should! I LOVE IT!
Action:
It needed a little work to get it where I wanted it. Dropped the strings intonated them all and now it SINGS!
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
OF COURSE!
Date submitted:
11/21/2009
johnstauros from perry hall, MD USA
john@stauros.com
Quality:
nice quality construction- should last a long time
Sound:
clean and twangy sound- don't like the three barrel bridge... quickly replaced it with six saddle
Reliability:
needs usual neck adjustments- otherwise good
Overall:
worth the money- nice players guitar
Playability and Feel:
nice smooth neck- fast and clean
Tone:
twangy soun... its a Tele?? pickups are hot- for a Tele!
Finish:
nice- I like the "matte" finish
Action:
needed immediate adjustments
Do you own this product?:
yes
Russell Parker from Gibsonville,NC USA
Subject:
Spend the extra dough and get the American Standard!!!
Quality:
Made well and dependable.
Sound:
Tone is ok, but the alnico 5s kill the 3s.
Reliability:
Sturdy, so I imagine it'll last.
Overall:
Decent guitar, a little pricy since the real deal is only 300 more with a hard case. I sold mine for $500 and put it towards a standard, which I LOVE!!!!
Playability and Feel:
Very lightweight.
Tone:
Pick ups are good, but I'm spoiled by the Alnico 5s and Gibson buckers.
Finish:
I like gloss,don't dig the nitro finish as much.
Action:
Little higher action than a standard.
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Bogart' from Fla.
Quality:
High quality seems like it will hold up just fine!!
Sound:
typical fender ..... warm and fuzzy!
Reliability:
just got it!
Overall:
amazing guitar,right out of the box,very user friendly!!!
Playability and Feel:
the neck is quick,and like I said before.. USER FRIENDLY!!!
Tone:
warm and determined!sounds great!
Finish:
looks like it needs to be played often!
Action:
changed the strings to my preference but right on the money!!
Do you own this product?:
yes
bluescat from Bakersfield, Ca
kenreimer@att.net
Overall:
Great guitar for the money, not as over priced as the rest of the USA models. Not a flaw, changed strings to 10's and set up to my own taste. I have had several Highway Strats and Teles and havent had a problem with a single one. I have had American standards USA reissues that I cant say the same about. I recommend the Highway series to anyone wanting a great guitar without spending hundreds more just for a gloss finish
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Date submitted:
10/03/2009
Luke from Norman, OK, USA
Subject:
Not just for country!
Quality:
Yes, I think this product is very well made. No visible flaws whatsoever and feels very solid. No loose screws or uneven joints.
Sound:
Excellent. This guitar has some of the best clean tones I've heard coming off my fingers in a long while; what else can you expect from fender. I might be one of the few tele owners that doesn't play country nor do I chicken pick, even though this guitar is perfect for that. Even so, I still think the neck pickup is the warmest, cleanest, smoothest single coil I would ever need while the bridge pickup has plenty of punch and "twang" if you need it.
Reliability:
So far so good, although I might replace the bridge soon as it looks a bit rickety, but certainly playable.
Overall:
This guitar is a tone machine! I was a little weary of ordering a guitar directly from an online store but American Musical Supply alleviated all concerns from the start. They provided quick shipping and excellent customer support. The guitar arrived on time and came nearly ready to play right out of the box. The neck joint was fine, finish was what I expected, and after a minor adjustment of intonation and the truss rod, it was completely perfect.
Playability and Feel:
The guitar isn't heavy, just right. The c shaped neck is very comfortable and the finish on the fingerboard is definitely enjoyable; not the satin finish but smooth none-the-less. The controls are in the perfect spot on all telecasters!
Tone:
Pickups are a bit hotter than the Mexican Teles I played in the store. The bridge pickup is bright and punchy while the neck is dark and smooth, pretty jazzy even.
Finish:
Three tone sunburst looks great!
Action:
The action was pretty close to how I like my guitars set up, right out of the box.
Do you own this product?:
yes
Date submitted:
September 30, 2009
JG from Hayes, Va USA
Subject:
Covers all the bases!
Quality:
For the price one can't beat a MIA Tele for $600.
Sound:
The tone is great on the neck pup but even better on the bridge pup. I feel the hwy 1 is more of a rockers axe than the standard.
Reliability:
Only had it 1 month but so far so good.
Overall:
My first Tele and I was considering a MIM but when the price on the HWY 1 went from $900 to $700 I had to consider the MIA option and am glad I did.
Playability and Feel:
The neck is fast and I like the jumbos although at first I had the adjust to the open chords so notes wouldn't be sharping especially the open A and D chords etc.
Tone:
Bright and dark. One can play anything on this Tele from metal to country and everything in between. The greasebucket tone control give the Hwy 1 even more versitility than guitars without it.
Finish:
At first it almost kept me from getting it, but the nitro is more of a retro paint job and it polishes just fine and has great sustain. I'm in no hurry for the road worn look though. It looks great I have the sunburst color.
Action:
I changed from 9s to 10s and did a slight saddle height adjustment and intonation. But shes right now and the adjustments arn't rocket science.
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
YES
Date submitted:
9/25/2009
Daniel C. from Saint George, Utah
Subject:
Like a studio version of the American Std.
Quality:
Well done, Fender. Factory set-up was great. The screws all fit snug, the neck is on good and tight. I did find a random screw stuck to the wax potting on the bridge pickup, that was odd but not an issue: I just took it out.
Sound:
This guitar's bridge and pickups create a good mix of vintage on modern Tele sounds. Plenty of snap from the steel saddles and the overwound pickups sound good dirty. You can roll the vol. back to get a bit more vintage-sounding twang.
Reliability:
Had it almost a month and I can tell I won't have any problems to speak of. Everything's put together and won't come apart.
Overall:
I'm very happy with this guitar. Everything comes together well and It's a joy to play.
Playability and Feel:
Nice medium profile neck, big frets, good tuners and a well-cut nut.
Tone:
Unplugged, it has the traditional alder-bodied tele tone (not too mid scooped). Plugged in, the heavily overwound pickups do darken the tone a bit. It's a good tele sound in it's own right but I like that brighter, cleaner tele sound. I will change the pickups on mine.
Finish:
The blonde finish is a bit anaemic, but I love the wood grain showing through. Nice thing is, it's lacquer, so you can refinish it easier than with poly. Neck satin finish is smooth and I wouldn't ever change it.
Action:
Action was at fender factory specs out of the box for 9's. It played well and I barely had to adjust anything for 10's.
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Mark from Bethesda, MD, U.S.A.
Quality:
Fender is the best!
Sound:
Tone=Telecaster. Love it!
Reliability:
Only been a month. So far so good.
Overall:
Just what I expected/wanted.
Playability and Feel:
All good.
Tone:
See above. It's a Tele!
Finish:
Honey Blond looks great. I love the way you can see the wood grain through the finish. Should wear nicely.
Action:
Right out of the box it was good. Haven't had time to take it to my local guy to run all the tests, but it seems great.
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Christa from Vasoin Island, Washington. U.S.
Subject:
A Player's Telecaster for the Rest of Us
Quality:
First off, Fender should be ashamed at the way this was shipped out. I had to give this guitar the same treatment I would normally reserve for a Chinese Knock-off. Loose screws, over-routing at the bridge pickup, intonation and action a mile off, a stripped screw hole at the control plate, very "generic sounding" pickups (the "new AlNiCO 3" - ugh)
Reliability:
I've only had it a few weeks, but at heart, it's a Telecaster. I expect the super-thin satin finish to be 'road-worn' all by itself pretty quickly, but, after fixing it up, what could go wrong?
Overall:
I only kept this thing because, even with the horrible quality as shipped, it was so lively and 'spanky' once we corrected the action and intonation. Without plugging in, I knew this one was going to be worth it! Gobs of sustain, even before swapping out the cheesy saddles for Callaham Enhanced Vintage/brass. It's a great platform if you are well versed in guitar care and mods - or your luthier's best friend!
After set-up, and fixing the quality control issues, swapping in a Seymour Five-two at the bridge and a Lollar 52T at the neck, I have to say I'm pretty darned happy.
Playability and Feel:
The guitar is light and comfortable. The satin finish on the neck and a great fingerboard (They got the frets right!!) really make this a dream to play. Fast. I normally shy from 7.25 or 9.5" radius fingerboards, but this one feels great, with the action at 1/16" at 12, I have no problem bending double and triple-stops at the 12th fret and having them come through clean and pure.
Tone:
After the work was done, she is SPANKY and bright! Fat, too! The stock pickups are paper-weights. I gave the bridge pickup to a friend here on the island to use as a sinker when he goes fishing. But with a good set of pups, this Tele sings! Wound strings come off like a clavinet in my Vox AC30/AD50 and AD30VT. Total vintage pure-Tele country in my '74 Princeton. Want 'Stones? - Plug into an old tweed Bassman or Champ and rock out.
Finish:
I ordered the "Honey Blonde" with maple fingerboard - It looks like un-cooked pie dough. But it might grow on me.
Skill Level:
Pro-Rock Star
Do you own this product?:
Yes