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Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]
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All user reviews for the Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]

4.7/5
(21 reviews)
71 %
(15 reviews)
29 %
(6 reviews)
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Value For Money : Excellent
Editorial review
Legends Get a Face Lift

New American Standard Telecaster & Stratocaster Test

Fender has added some new features to a few of its classic instruments and announced the New American Standard series. Here’s a great occasion to come face to face (or body to body) with two of rock’s oldest and dearest friends: the Stratocaster and Telecaster. Read more…
Users reviews
  • SonicPulverizerSonicPulverizer

    Rocking the twang

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 09/03/12 at 05:37
    The Fender American Standard Telecaster is an exemplary guitar. Features include an alder body, maple neck and fingerboard, and proprietary Fender tuners. Onboard electronics consist of a pair of the American Tele single coils routed through a three way switch and shared volume and "delta" tone controls. The blizzard pearl finish is striking, definitely one of my favorite color options that Fender has available.

    UTILIZATION

    The Standard Telecaster's "modern C" neck profile is a happy medium between thick and slim. It is easy enough to move around the guitar but don't expect lightning fast playability. Tuning stability was so-so. I think the Standard could use an upgrade in the tune…
    Read more
    The Fender American Standard Telecaster is an exemplary guitar. Features include an alder body, maple neck and fingerboard, and proprietary Fender tuners. Onboard electronics consist of a pair of the American Tele single coils routed through a three way switch and shared volume and "delta" tone controls. The blizzard pearl finish is striking, definitely one of my favorite color options that Fender has available.

    UTILIZATION

    The Standard Telecaster's "modern C" neck profile is a happy medium between thick and slim. It is easy enough to move around the guitar but don't expect lightning fast playability. Tuning stability was so-so. I think the Standard could use an upgrade in the tuner department. I enjoyed the hand rolled fingerboard immensely. The comfort level between this and a lower priced telecaster are night and day.

    SOUNDS

    I played the Standard Tele through a Bogner Alchemist Combo. No pedals.

    The guitar has a bright percussive attack that is very signature to the Telecaster. Even with gain applied, the guitar maintained a chime and clarity that you simply can't attain with humbucker equipped guitars. The alchemist was set up for a variety of sounds from plucked blues to softer contemporary rock up to higher gain territories. The Telecaster handled all of them exceptionally. I used to shun single coil guitars (especially Telecasters) for the longest time, but my experience with this has changed all of that. I feel fully confident in using a Tele shape guitar in more aggressive styles.

    OVERALL OPINION

    The Fender American Standard Telecaster would be a good introduction to the line if you are unfamiliar with Fenders. The feel and tone of the guitar is greatly superior to the lower cost models offered by Fender, accurately representing the craftsmanship that fans of the brand have grown to love. The American Standard fetches $829 new. There are many of these circulating in the used market.
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  • MGR/Demian kausMGR/Demian kaus

    Fender American Standard Telecaster

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/04/01 at 15:00
    I bougth this guitar in buenos aires in ¨romulo garcia¨ .
    I´ve paid $1100 for it.
    I acquired this axe because i needed a very versatile guitar for playing any style and for it´s incredible sound and playlabillity.

    The best of this telecaster i thik , is the Maple neck (shape & wood) Because it is so easy to play whit.
    The other thing is the pickups, Delta Tone that give that incredible clean, shiny fender sound, and they can also create the most fat distorted tones for rocking hard.
    Don´t forget the body wood (alder) and the incredible shaller machine heads.

    MMM it´s hard to find bad things about it.
    And i also pay it very low for my country, so...
    You can´t play jazz whit it ,but i…
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    I bougth this guitar in buenos aires in ¨romulo garcia¨ .
    I´ve paid $1100 for it.
    I acquired this axe because i needed a very versatile guitar for playing any style and for it´s incredible sound and playlabillity.

    The best of this telecaster i thik , is the Maple neck (shape & wood) Because it is so easy to play whit.
    The other thing is the pickups, Delta Tone that give that incredible clean, shiny fender sound, and they can also create the most fat distorted tones for rocking hard.
    Don´t forget the body wood (alder) and the incredible shaller machine heads.

    MMM it´s hard to find bad things about it.
    And i also pay it very low for my country, so...
    You can´t play jazz whit it ,but i don´t care so much!!!

    The finish is exellent and the colour is great(brilliant red) and the neck and frets are perfectly assembled.

    It´s one of the best industry standars and it is a fender!!!
    no more to say...

    This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Black momba

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 12/31/11 at 12:59
    Fender telecaster is a great sounding instrument for those who want to good clean gain type guitar that really highlights the dynamics of the guitarist using the instrument. These are guitars that have a great spanky clean tone that if you get a little grit or little dirt if you get great bluesy tone. It's a very simple and minimalistic idea to this instrument. Basically to single coil pickups with the volume control knob a tone control mount any pickup selector. Other than that that's pretty much about it as far as features come.

    UTILIZATION

    Features
    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body (black, 3-color sunburst, candy cola, and blizzard pearl) or ash body (2-tone s…
    Read more
    Fender telecaster is a great sounding instrument for those who want to good clean gain type guitar that really highlights the dynamics of the guitarist using the instrument. These are guitars that have a great spanky clean tone that if you get a little grit or little dirt if you get great bluesy tone. It's a very simple and minimalistic idea to this instrument. Basically to single coil pickups with the volume control knob a tone control mount any pickup selector. Other than that that's pretty much about it as far as features come.

    UTILIZATION

    Features
    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body (black, 3-color sunburst, candy cola, and blizzard pearl) or ash body (2-tone sunburst, natural, crimson red transparent)
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    Highly finished frets
    Detailed nut work
    Bent steel Fender saddles
    American Standard Tele® Bridge Plate (steel saddles and brass plate) for improved resonance
    Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
    Rosewood or maple fretboard
    Staggered machine heads


    SOUNDS

    I really like these guitars and a clean median gain setting. I've never found it really useful tone when using this type of guitar with the high gain amplifier. It doesn't really give me the necessary sound and frequencies that would like with a high cranked tube distortion tone. But what it really does well is when you get a good clean tone all the way to a medium low gain tone you can get some great sounds. So if you're playing this guitar with Fender or a Vox amp you will get a great sound thats going to be extremely musical and dynamic. These guitars are a lot of fun to play and if you play something that uses a lot of effects then you guiyar sound will be extremely fluid and dynamic the more you really dig into the strings.

    OVERALL OPINION

    These guitars are American built classic sounding instruments. They have a great sound that will push through most if not all bands mixes. You can find them new for right around $1000 or so which is a great price for an American built telecaster. I recommend this guitar to anyone because it has a great sound and it's great for gigging or recording. It may not be many peoples sound if you're into hard rock or metal but if you like something that's a good clean sound in a dynamic tone and this is a great instrument.
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    vintage look and tone

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 12/31/11 at 10:50
    The fender telecaster is an iconic and dynamic guitar that has a fantastic time and feels great when playing. It is a very smoothest and thinner neck compared to the Fender Stratocaster guitar which makes playing a little bit easier on this guitar. The features on this guitar are pretty minimalistic in their approach. Gift to single quill pick up a volume control knobs and a tone in Omaha. Other than that that's pretty much about it. You're the basic slider pickup selector and that is all that this guitar features. Even though it's very minimal and its features it still has a great versatile sound that can carry on from genre to genre of music.

    UTILIZATION

    Features
    Alnico V pickup…
    Read more
    The fender telecaster is an iconic and dynamic guitar that has a fantastic time and feels great when playing. It is a very smoothest and thinner neck compared to the Fender Stratocaster guitar which makes playing a little bit easier on this guitar. The features on this guitar are pretty minimalistic in their approach. Gift to single quill pick up a volume control knobs and a tone in Omaha. Other than that that's pretty much about it. You're the basic slider pickup selector and that is all that this guitar features. Even though it's very minimal and its features it still has a great versatile sound that can carry on from genre to genre of music.

    UTILIZATION

    Features
    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body (black, 3-color sunburst, candy cola, and blizzard pearl) or ash body (2-tone sunburst, natural, crimson red transparent)
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    Highly finished frets
    Detailed nut work
    Bent steel Fender saddles
    American Standard Tele® Bridge Plate (steel saddles and brass plate) for improved resonance
    Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
    Rosewood or maple fretboard
    Staggered machine heads


    SOUNDS


    One thing I love about this guitar is it's fantastic tone when you use a proper pick up installed in the guitar. It really brightens up this instrument even more. For instance if you swap out the pick up which I've never been a fan of Fender pickups in general no matter what they are, you get a great sound that is very dynamic and full of warm tone. If you put in a Seymour Duncan single coil pick up your to brighten up this guitar little bit more and it's good to be a little bit more dynamic fluid in tone. But really no matter what you use with this guitar it's good to sound fantastic. I've always been a fan of this guitar when a good medium gain bluesy sound is involved. It really allows that clean type of gain to come through in you're playing. So what I mean by that, is that the sound is going to be distorted but it's good to be clean distortion that really shows off the dynamics and playing skills of the guitarist using it. It's a very dynamic guitar and a whole lot of fun play.

    OVERALL OPINION


    These guitars coming new right around $900 or thousand dollars. It's not bad price for American built guitar. Overall this is a great instrument that can add to any guitarist collection quite nicely. They're fantastic for recording as well as gigging or any other garage or basement playing or jamming. I believe that everyone should own one of these at some point in their playing careers.
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  • mrbejimmrbejim

    I needed a one ...

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 07/17/11 at 07:31
    (This content has been automatically translated from French)
    Tele USD. New model since 2009. No big change from the old.

    Rosewood handle (I do not like mapple) super very cozy (satin) and easy to play.

    I wanted a tele like guitar to do everything (mostly rock, I do not play it) that I change the stratocaster and the LP. Used the handle of the stratum and fan, I wanted something like without spending too much.
    I tried everything for months: the bajas, Mexicans, worn rod, classic 50, 60, etc ... And that is why I took a US:
    - Sleeve satin varnish to touch
    - Rosewood fingerboard to add roundness (the snapping mapple too)
    - A bridge with 6 saddles instead of a vintage (at least you can adjust the intonation as needed)
    - The pickups and el…
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    Tele USD. New model since 2009. No big change from the old.

    Rosewood handle (I do not like mapple) super very cozy (satin) and easy to play.

    I wanted a tele like guitar to do everything (mostly rock, I do not play it) that I change the stratocaster and the LP. Used the handle of the stratum and fan, I wanted something like without spending too much.
    I tried everything for months: the bajas, Mexicans, worn rod, classic 50, 60, etc ... And that is why I took a US:
    - Sleeve satin varnish to touch
    - Rosewood fingerboard to add roundness (the snapping mapple too)
    - A bridge with 6 saddles instead of a vintage (at least you can adjust the intonation as needed)
    - The pickups and electronics and typical traditional TV.
    - A US (snobbery)
    - A good case

    UTILIZATION

    Easy to use, but curious to say mat that strato.

    The two pickups are good, regardless of the position set, easel, two at a time. It has a lot of sounds for blues, rock, hard to light. I tried direct repeated on a good sample of the directory (stones, beatles, telephone, SRV), while going without breaking the head.

    No pb. Getting Started (I play Fender for 40 years and only LP from time to time), not too heavy. I rise from 10 to 46 (standard as it is in the layers 9-42) because everyone says it sends more. And agree it is sending. Had no trouble with this new draft as what it is like for the rest we Gamberg lot instead of trying ;-).

    SOUNDS

    For the types of sounds, from light to bold it was everything you want. I really liked the neck pickup (which I never use the LP and rarely on the stratum: hendrix and SRV only), super middle position (in a delicious crunch), and the bridge though and slamming into a clean good amount of saturation remains fairly well defined.

    I play with a VOX ToneLab and Tech21 PE 60. It may require that I redo one set of settings for the TV (or I drop a few mics) because the output level of the microphone is stronger than the strato so I a little more crunch everywhere. Not too much hum (unless my strata). Of all the presets I made it works well (I did pRSET quite simple and as close to the simulation of VOX amps, Marshall, TWEED).

    OVERALL OPINION

    As I said I took the time to look at all models of tele. In the end it was worth the money, a US-hand is a good plan (22 round boxes, satin, microphones that can keep a case, bridge jumpers 6). I did not even really tried the best plan, I made it simple, I bought used. in my local store (which was one that day) because I was too lazy to spend ten phone call to find one without the two pets and three for 50 Euros less.

    So mission accomplished (except for the wallet because I put more than expected).
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Nice natural look!

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/15/11 at 22:00
    The Fender telecaster has a unique body unlike the Fender Stratocaster. Is a one-of-a-kind build by the fender music company and has been one of the most iconic looking guitars since the 50s. It has a great tone that has a very clean tone and extremely usable and versatile overall voicing.

    What I like about the fender telecaster is that it has a great sustain unlike a Gibson Les Paul. A Gibson Les Paul has a natural mahogany sustain where this is a nice ash maple sustain. This is a throwback to the old 50s style telecasters made in America here in the great state of California. The look of this guitar is very classic with its natural ash unpainted body but a lightly lacquered body with …
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    The Fender telecaster has a unique body unlike the Fender Stratocaster. Is a one-of-a-kind build by the fender music company and has been one of the most iconic looking guitars since the 50s. It has a great tone that has a very clean tone and extremely usable and versatile overall voicing.

    What I like about the fender telecaster is that it has a great sustain unlike a Gibson Les Paul. A Gibson Les Paul has a natural mahogany sustain where this is a nice ash maple sustain. This is a throwback to the old 50s style telecasters made in America here in the great state of California. The look of this guitar is very classic with its natural ash unpainted body but a lightly lacquered body with a nice black pick guard any fantastic looking maple fretboard.

    UTILIZATION

    * Alnico V pickups
    * Deluxe hardware
    * Ash body
    * Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    * Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    * Highly finished frets
    * Detailed nut work
    * Bent steel Fender saddles
    * American Standard Tele® Bridge Plate (steel saddles and brass plate) for improved resonance
    * Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
    * Rosewood or maple fretboard
    * Staggered machine heads


    SOUNDS

    I absolutely love the tone of Fender telecaster. There is no other guitar built today that sounds quite like a Fender telecaster. These are very versatile guitars that can jump from genre to genre of music much like a Gibson Les Paul, a Fender telecaster and the Fender Stratocaster. This is the favorite guitar of many country guitarists in Nashville. You also see this guitar heavily frequented by musicians from Europe and especially from England. A lot of the retro pop punk type bands will heavily use the fender telecaster because of its very clean tone and it's brilliant clean overdrive while still carrying the sound of the natural guitar.

    OVERALL OPINION

    At new these guitars come in right in about $1150 which is an excellent price for American-made Fender telecaster. This has an exciting neck and is very easy neck to play with and it's almost a shredder neck even know it's not a shredder guitar. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone who wants a guitar with a solid clean tone and a unique distortion clean.
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  • King LoudnessKing Loudness

    Updated Tele, oh yeah!

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/13/11 at 22:06
    The Fender American Standard Tele has been reworked and refined over the years to address what the working player wanted as far as features go. In 2008 Fender updated them to have a lot of changes that were great for the working musician, and they're reflected here (the model I'm reviewing is an off the rack 2011). Here's the spec list:

    Body Shape: Telecaster®
    Body Finish: Urethane Body Finish

    Neck
    Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
    Number of Frets: 22
    Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
    Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
    Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
    Fretboard: Maple
    Neck Material: Maple
    Neck Finish: Gloss Headstock Face with Satin Urethane Finish on Back of Neck
    Nut Width: 1.685"…
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    The Fender American Standard Tele has been reworked and refined over the years to address what the working player wanted as far as features go. In 2008 Fender updated them to have a lot of changes that were great for the working musician, and they're reflected here (the model I'm reviewing is an off the rack 2011). Here's the spec list:

    Body Shape: Telecaster®
    Body Finish: Urethane Body Finish

    Neck
    Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
    Number of Frets: 22
    Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
    Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
    Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
    Fretboard: Maple
    Neck Material: Maple
    Neck Finish: Gloss Headstock Face with Satin Urethane Finish on Back of Neck
    Nut Width: 1.685" (42.8 mm)
    Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
    Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Neck Plate with Micro-Tilt™
    Truss Rods: Bi-Flex™ Truss Rod System


    Electronics
    Pickup Configuration: S/S
    Bridge Pickup: American Tele® Single-Coil Pickup
    Neck Pickup: American Tele® Single-Coil Pickup
    Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
    Special Electronics: No-Load Tone Control
    Controls: Master Volume, Master Delta Tone™

    Hardware
    Hardware: Chrome
    Bridge: American Tele with New American Standard Bent Steel Saddles and Stamped Brass Plate
    Tuning Machines: Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
    String Nut: Synthetic Bone
    Switch Tip: "Barrel" Style Switch Tip

    I have played numerous Teles over the years and I've noticed that the newest 2010-2011 American Standard Teles are just really great guitars. They're simple, but effective guitars. The improvements made by Fender in the finish, electronics, hardware and quality in the last few years is great and I would definitely say they're on their game as far as quality control and putting out a great guitar, even for the $1,000 price point or so that these guitars are selling for. The necks in particular are something that I have been very impressed with recently. The satin finish that they use is really comfortable and pleasing to the hand. I can play for longer periods of time and not get that annoying stickiness that is commonplace with gloss finished necks. The features of the new Teles are great and it shows how much care Fender put into making a killer workhorse guitar for those who wanted it.







    UTILIZATION

    The Tele is fast becoming one of my favourite guitar to play all the time because you have to fight it a little bit more compared to a Les Paul or even a Strat but the end result is something that just sounds so much more pure and honest. The design itself is very much a "plank." It's a flat guitar with no contouring of note, so there can be some discomfort there if you're playing for longer periods of time. The weights of the Teles I've tried vary, but they're usually medium to heavy weight guitars (depending on if they're alder or ash), so they're definitely not the most ergonomic guitar I've ever seen. I can't imagine a problem with long gigs for me (being that my main guitar is a non-chambered Les Paul) so that wouldn't be a major issue for me. Upper fret access is reasonable. It's not the greatest in the world by any means but I haven't had any major issues with it, and the satin neck finish on the new American Standard Teles does facilitate fast playing and going up and down the neck quite well.

    Getting a good tone out of the Tele is very simple or very difficult, depending on how you look at it. This guitar basically gives back what you put into it. If you play softly with lots of dynamics and a cleaner sound, it reproduces that quite well. However if you really dig into it and are using a brighter, more brash sort of sound, it works equally as well with that sort of tone. It's not for everyone but if you're really into a purer sound, you can't get much more pure than the ol' plank known as the Telecaster.

    SOUNDS

    I've tried these Teles through various Fender, Marshall, Dr. Z and Mesa Boogie amplifiers, all with excellent results. Teles are a lot more versatile and widespread sounding than some people give credit for. It's a very dynamic and true sounding guitar that really sings in the hands of a good player. I wouldn't say the sound of a Tele is very forgiving by any means... you certainly will hear your mistakes, so playing a guitar like this will definitely bring your chops up.

    Clean tones are one of the strong point of this guitar. Using the neck pickup and rolling the tone back yields some wonderful jazz tones (surprising from a single coil, I must say). However, the best thing to do with one of these is plug into a clean, loud Fender amp, run the guitar wide open, add a dash of that dripping Fender 'verb and let loose with a barrage of licks that take you down to the highway to Nashville. That sort of tone, very bright and pure is PERFECT for country licks and tricks. Because of it's pure tonal nature, you've got to fight it a bit like I was saying, but once you tame it, it's a wonderful feeling, and possibly a bit more rewarding than playing a very easy guitar.

    Dirty tones are pretty freakin' awesome as well from this (especially on the ash bodied models). The pickups in the American Standard models are hotter than the vintage models so you can apply tasteful amounts of grit for that classic blues or rock tone, or you can increase the gain up to savagely high levels to play some shred licks. I find Teles react best for riff based hard rock (if we're discussing drive based tones) because they have a nice crisp, bright edge that sits really well in a mix, and if you put that with a Les Paul or something dark, it makes for a very well seated mix. I wouldn't say this guitar is great for metal styles due to the noise and the bright nature of the guitar, but for classic/hard rock, provided you can tame the noise from the single coils, it can sound awesome with the right amount of saturation applied.

    OVERALL OPINION

    All in all these are just killer new American Standard Teles from Fender and definitely a great part of Fender's line of products. It's a true workhorse and sounds great for many different styles. Though it's not the easiest guitar to play at times (or "tame,") when you get it to do what you want, there isn't a more rewarding feeling in my opinion. They're about $1,000 new for the alder models and about $1,150 for the ash bodied ones... pretty great deal. It also comes with a slick TSA approved hard case too.
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  • King LoudnessKing Loudness

    My favourite Fender finish

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/13/11 at 20:37
    This is one of the new American Standard Teles in a new colour they are calling "Candy Cola." It's a very eye catching finish that I absolutely love both on Strats and Teles. It is no surprise to me then that the Candy Cola Fenders I've tried felt and sounded better to me than a typical black or sunburst example. The guitar is made in the USA in Corona California and features all the typical Tele specs. These include an alder body, a maple neck/fretboard with 22 frets, a modern Tele bridge and sealed tuners and a killer set of reworked Fender American Standard Tele pickups (updated around 2008 I believe).


    UTILIZATION

    The Tele is not the most ergonomic design ever, but that's no…
    Read more
    This is one of the new American Standard Teles in a new colour they are calling "Candy Cola." It's a very eye catching finish that I absolutely love both on Strats and Teles. It is no surprise to me then that the Candy Cola Fenders I've tried felt and sounded better to me than a typical black or sunburst example. The guitar is made in the USA in Corona California and features all the typical Tele specs. These include an alder body, a maple neck/fretboard with 22 frets, a modern Tele bridge and sealed tuners and a killer set of reworked Fender American Standard Tele pickups (updated around 2008 I believe).


    UTILIZATION

    The Tele is not the most ergonomic design ever, but that's not a big deal to me as I've come to expect that by now. The alder ones are usually of a good medium weight (this example is no exception) and they sit on the body very well despite not being overly contoured. I really like the feel of Teles (it has been a slow process to get to feel this way though) and they're just a great guitar. Sure you have to fight it a little more than a Strat or Les Paul, but to me that's part of the charm. Because it's a single cutaway the upper fret access isn't quite as good as a Strat but it's still good enough to get the high notes when you need 'em.

    Getting a good tone out of this guitar is pretty simple. The alder examples are not overly bright guitars and have a good dense tone that responds well to pick attack and dynamics quite well. It does both clean and drive tones with ease, though I tend to think of an alder bodied Tele as a bit more conservative sounding than it's raunchier and brighter toned ash bodied sister.

    SOUNDS

    I've tried this guitar mainly through Fender and Mesa Boogie amplifiers. It has a good variety of tones within despite being a fairly simple instrument. The neck pickup gets into some awesome jazzier tones especially with the tone control rolled down just a bit. The middle position (both pickups) gives a pretty cool take on the typical country twang tone... just with a bit more midrange and a bit more of a nasally quality to the sound... excellent for choppy funk playing. The bridge pickup is pure country... plug that sucker into a Fender amp, hit it with some slapback and yeehaw, you're off to the races. Adding some overdrive to the equation basically turns the guitar into a classic rock machine. Again, while it's not quite as raunchy as the ash bodied ones, it still rocks when it wants to! The neck pickup has a good amount of sustain for leads and the bridge pickup is great for rock rhythm and certain lead styles without being overbearing on the treble (something that does happen from time to time with the ash bodied ones). I'd say it's more conservative sounding than the ash bodied one for sure.

    OVERALL OPINION

    All in all I don't think there is any way to go wrong with this guitar. They're aggressively priced (about $1,000 new) and with the updates they've made to the guitar recently, the new ones play better than ever. Included to sweeten the deal is an AWESOME TSA flight approved case and all kinds of great case candy... though maybe they should bring back Fender Lifesavers... hah! All jokes aside, this is a wonderful guitar, and for anyone who wants just a good versatile Tele that sounds and feels like it should, give the alder bodied USA Standard a whirl. The Candy Cola finish really pops under light (almost looking like Candy Tangerine offered by Charvel for a while, which happens to be one of my favourite colours).
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  • King LoudnessKing Loudness

    A Tele to rock

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/13/11 at 20:21
    The Fender American Standard Tele is a guitar that is really a jack of all trades. They were initially picked up by country players, blues cats have used them on occasion, even the odd jazz man has grabbed one of these ol' planks to play some Charlie Parker. However... one thing that these guitars really do and do well is rock. Some particular Teles have a certain extra kick to them that allows the sound to have a bit more raunch and filth, and this particular Crimson Red Tele is no exception. It features an ash body, maple neck and fretboard, Tele bridge and sealed Fender tuners, and a set of Fender's updated American Standard pickups. To top it off,it's made in the good ol' USA. Awesome.
    Read more
    The Fender American Standard Tele is a guitar that is really a jack of all trades. They were initially picked up by country players, blues cats have used them on occasion, even the odd jazz man has grabbed one of these ol' planks to play some Charlie Parker. However... one thing that these guitars really do and do well is rock. Some particular Teles have a certain extra kick to them that allows the sound to have a bit more raunch and filth, and this particular Crimson Red Tele is no exception. It features an ash body, maple neck and fretboard, Tele bridge and sealed Fender tuners, and a set of Fender's updated American Standard pickups. To top it off,it's made in the good ol' USA. Awesome.

    UTILIZATION

    The Tele is a guitar that is slightly less ergonomic in its design then say, a Strat is. This is due in part to the lack of contouring on the typical Tele, as well as the fact that they're generally heavier guitars (both in look and sound) than their Strat counterparts. To add to it, this one is ash bodied and weighs a fair bit, but the sustain is there. When you hit a note and it rings... it's all worth it. The upper fret access on Teles isn't quite as good as the Strat but it's certainly not unusable by any strech.

    This particular red Tele has a very raunchy sound to it that none of the other Teles at this shop did. It might have been due to the ash/maple combination or just an extra bit of mojo inside the guitar. Whatever the theory... it sounds great, especially for rock tones.

    SOUNDS

    I've tried this guitar most notably through a Mesa Royal Atlantic 100 and a Marshall 1923 85th Anniversary head. It's a very bright sounding guitar, with a prominent top end that cuts through a band mix superbly. The midrange is a bit subdued in this particular guitar (probably a trait of the ash/maple combo) and the bass is not quite there nearly as much as some of the Gibson guitars. However it sits brilliantly in a band mix and my coguitarist (the proud owner of this particular 2011 Tele) is pleased as punch with the tones he's getting out of it. He's always eschewed away from humbuckers (his longtime #1 is an SG Standard with Gibson P94s) and this Tele gives more of that bright sound that suits the hard rock sound he hears. It works very well with my Les Paul in a band setting, and allows different voicings and chords to stand out very prominently.

    In my own experience, trying this guitar was pleasing. The bright tone lent itself very well to country and certain snappy blues for cleans, and of course for '70s to modern classic and hard rock on the drive side of things. Compared an ash/rosewood Tele we A/Bed with it... this guitar just had more oomph and a fuller, brighter sound that better suited what he wanted in a Tele.

    OVERALL OPINION

    All in all I think you can't go wrong with one of the new American Standard Teles. This one was a bit more than usual ($1,149 new compared to $999 for an alder one) but it sounds killer and is well worth it. They come with a great TSA approved flight case too... perfect for flying with. And trust me when it comes to it, you won't want to be parting with your Tele when you fly away either. Try one today!
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Just a classic look on a classic guitar!!!

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/11/11 at 13:51
    1 photo
    The Fender Telecaster has to be one of my absolutely favorite guitars in the world. This is a classic looking guitar and one of the most iconic guitars that you will ever see. This is a two-tone Sunburst paint job which only has a nice yellow natural wood tone with the darker outer edge paint job. The two tone is different from the three toned because it is missing the nice amber red burst within this paint job. The fretboard is a nice hard maple which gives a good balance overall to the ash body.

    UTILIZATION

    Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
    Number of Frets: 22
    Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
    Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
    Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
    Fretboard: Map…
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    The Fender Telecaster has to be one of my absolutely favorite guitars in the world. This is a classic looking guitar and one of the most iconic guitars that you will ever see. This is a two-tone Sunburst paint job which only has a nice yellow natural wood tone with the darker outer edge paint job. The two tone is different from the three toned because it is missing the nice amber red burst within this paint job. The fretboard is a nice hard maple which gives a good balance overall to the ash body.

    UTILIZATION

    Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
    Number of Frets: 22
    Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
    Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
    Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
    Fretboard: Maple
    Neck Material: Maple
    Neck Finish: Gloss Headstock Face with Satin Urethane Finish on Back of Neck
    Nut Width: 1.685" (42.8 mm)
    Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
    Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Neck Plate with Micro-Tilt
    Truss Rods: Bi-Flex™ Truss Rod System
    Truss Rod Nut: 1/8" American Series Nut
    Electronics
    Pickup Configuration: S/S
    Bridge Pickup: American Tele Single-Coil Pickup
    Neck Pickup: American Tele Single-Coil Pickup
    Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
    Special Electronics: No-Load Tone Control
    Controls: Master Volume, Master Delta Tone

    SOUNDS

    This guitar sounds exceptionally well with a sender Hot Rod Deluxe amplifier. You don't need to dial this guitar in too much because it only has the volume and tone control knobs. It also has a pickup selector switch from the bridge in that position. This thing stays pretty well in tune with the tuners that Fender provides.

    This is one of the sharpest classic looking guitars that I've seen in this series. The white pick up guard is a good contrast to the light sunburst on the paint job. The maple neck helps to balance out the body any add more silky frequencies to get warm defining tone. The overall feel of this guitar is much different Stratocaster. It has a different sustain any different drive and it's voicing. You don't have to prefer one over the other but I think they're equally different to own both.

    OVERALL OPINION

    I highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for this particular sound. This is a good sound for a clean guitar tone or a mild overdrive tone. Many country players grab this guitar for their touring and recording needs. This will be a good guitar that can be passed down to your kids one day. It has such a good quality workmanship in the build process involved and in the manufacturing of these guitars.

    At new you can find these guitars online or in most guitar shops for right around $999. That is an exceptional price for a high quality American-built guitar. This will be a long life guitar if you treat it well.
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Beautiful guitar!!

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/11/11 at 13:33
    When you think of the Fender music company you think of exceptionally built amplifiers and guitars. The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most iconic guitars in the world. In a close second with the Fender telecaster guitar. This is one of the most recognized guitars on touring stages and recordings. If you ever listen to any country album or even mild rock album you've probably heard a Fender Telecaster.

    This guitar is a red body with a black pick guard and a maple fretboard. This is a very stunning and exceptionally beautiful guitar. This has to be one of the best looking Fender telecaster that I've seen. I love the body which is also my favorite color of guitar with the black pick gua…
    Read more
    When you think of the Fender music company you think of exceptionally built amplifiers and guitars. The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most iconic guitars in the world. In a close second with the Fender telecaster guitar. This is one of the most recognized guitars on touring stages and recordings. If you ever listen to any country album or even mild rock album you've probably heard a Fender Telecaster.

    This guitar is a red body with a black pick guard and a maple fretboard. This is a very stunning and exceptionally beautiful guitar. This has to be one of the best looking Fender telecaster that I've seen. I love the body which is also my favorite color of guitar with the black pick guard white maple fretboard. The combination of these colors and this look on this guitar is a very stunning piece.

    UTILIZATION

    Features

    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body (black, 3-color sunburst, candy cola, and blizzard pearl) or ash body (2-t3-c-cone sunburst, natural, crimson red transparent)
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    Highly finished frets
    Detailed nut work
    Bent steel Fender saddles
    American Standard Tele® Bridge Plate (steel saddles and brass plate) for improved resonance
    Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
    Rosewood or maple fretboard
    Staggered machine heads



    SOUNDS

    If you've ever played Fender telecaster did you know the tone you can get from this guitar. It is a clean shiny beautiful tone. It is not to be a high gain tone with the single coil pickups but you will get a great sustain and clean distortion setting. This amplifier sounds exceptional with the fender amplifier or a Marshall amplifier. Use this in conjunction with a good overdrive pedal such as an OCD or evening Ibanez tube screamer. I like the sound of this with a analog delay or analog chorus pedal. You can give very good shiny clean tone and even a good solid sustaining distortion tone with the mild single coil pickups.

    OVERALL OPINION


    I highly recommend this guitar for any guitarist looking for a clean guitar. These guitars can be picked up online or in most guitar shops for right around $1149. That is a very good price for this guitar and a very good price for an American built guitar. It has its own unique tone very different from the Gibson Les Paul and very different from the Fender Stratocaster. This can be a life owning guitar if you treat it well and use it for what it can do. Is it guitar that you can pass down from generation to generation because of a high quality built standards and the versatile tone that is can achieve.
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Vintage White ....my favorite

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/10/11 at 15:19
    Fender has been building guitars for over 60 years. It's built some of the most iconic guitars for professional and non-professional musicians. Fenter telecaster has a great tone and a fantastic unique sustain that is very different than a Gibson Les Paul any Fender Stratocaster. It has its own unique flavor and warm tone that can only be an distinctly be a Fender telecaster.

    When I think of a Fender telecaster I think of a good clean guitar I can get a very clean distorted sound and a good note separation. This is a kind of guitar that many country guitarist choose for their touring and recording needs.

    UTILIZATION


    Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
    Number of Frets: 22
    Fret Si…
    Read more
    Fender has been building guitars for over 60 years. It's built some of the most iconic guitars for professional and non-professional musicians. Fenter telecaster has a great tone and a fantastic unique sustain that is very different than a Gibson Les Paul any Fender Stratocaster. It has its own unique flavor and warm tone that can only be an distinctly be a Fender telecaster.

    When I think of a Fender telecaster I think of a good clean guitar I can get a very clean distorted sound and a good note separation. This is a kind of guitar that many country guitarist choose for their touring and recording needs.

    UTILIZATION


    Neck Shape: Modern "C" Shape
    Number of Frets: 22
    Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
    Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
    Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
    Fretboard: Maple
    Neck Material: Maple
    Neck Finish: Gloss Headstock Face with Satin Urethane Finish on Back of Neck
    Nut Width: 1.685" (42.8 mm)
    Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
    Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Neck Plate with Micro-Tilt
    Truss Rods: Bi-Flex™ Truss Rod System
    Truss Rod Nut: 1/8" American Series Nut
    Electronics
    Pickup Configuration: S/S
    Bridge Pickup: American Tele Single-Coil Pickup
    Neck Pickup: American Tele Single-Coil Pickup
    Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
    Special Electronics: No-Load Tone Control
    Controls: Master Volume, Master Delta Tone
    Hardware
    Hardware: Chrome
    Bridge: American Tele with New American Standard Bent Steel Saddles and Stamped Brass Plate
    Tuning Machines: Deluxe Staggered Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
    String Nut: Synthetic Bone
    Switch Tip: "Barrel" Style Switch Tip

    SOUNDS


    I love the sound of this guitar and the way in match is a good sender clean amp. I also like the way this guitar sounds with a Marshall Lexi or a JCM 800 100 W amplifier. There's something that mixes and blends with the Marshall amplifier any good solid fender telecaster guitar. If you use a good overdrive pedal such as an OCD pedal or even an Ibanez tube screamer and you can get a very good tight gainey distortion sound.

    When using this guitar a good amp and a good overdrive pedal you can get a very good classic rock tone. My favorite sound with this guitar has to be a fender hot Rod Deluxe amplifier and Ibanez tube screamer and a good analog delay pedal. The mixture with that gear and this guitar is a match made in heaven.

    OVERALL OPINION

    You can find these guitars for right around $1000 retail. That is a great price for American built guitar.I highly recommend this guitar to anyone wanting a classic Fender telecaster sound. I love the way this vintage white paint job ages into a cream white overtime. I would have to say that the natural beauty of the white paint job gets better with time with a great vintage look and feel.
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Solid build and look

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/10/11 at 15:08
    If you've been playing the guitar for any given length of time you've probably seen or come across the fender telecaster. This is one of the most iconic guitars known to man. It has a special tone and a unique flavor that is only fender but very different from the Fender Stratocaster. Is has a blend of the stratocaster but different sustaining tone than you would normally find any single coil guitar.

    I love the way the telecaster sits in the band mix when using a good overdrive pedal or a high gain amplifier. This guitar is one of the most classic looking guitars and you will find. It has the screed tone Sunburst Pete job which blends in matches perfectly with the 50s style guitar that …
    Read more
    If you've been playing the guitar for any given length of time you've probably seen or come across the fender telecaster. This is one of the most iconic guitars known to man. It has a special tone and a unique flavor that is only fender but very different from the Fender Stratocaster. Is has a blend of the stratocaster but different sustaining tone than you would normally find any single coil guitar.

    I love the way the telecaster sits in the band mix when using a good overdrive pedal or a high gain amplifier. This guitar is one of the most classic looking guitars and you will find. It has the screed tone Sunburst Pete job which blends in matches perfectly with the 50s style guitar that it is.

    UTILIZATION

    Features:

    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    Highly finished frets
    Detailed nut work
    Bent steel Fender saddles
    American Standard Tele® Bridge Plate (steel saddles and brass plate) for improved resonance
    Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
    Rosewood or maple fretboard
    Staggered machine heads



    SOUNDS

    The tone of this guitar is very surreal and warm. It can come off as thin sounding if you don't know how to dial in your amplifier properly. If you are going for a good solid clean tone then this is one of the most perfect guitars to achieve that sound with. If you've ever used the fender amplifier such as a twin reverb or a deluxe clean Fender than you have probably heard of this guitar voiced to that amplifier. Those amplifiers and this guitar have a special mix and tone that can only be Fender. This guitar mixed with the alder wood and a rosewood fretboard is a common wood combination for a classic guitar. The woods are not very exotic and not very expensive but they had a tone and a residence is all to themselves.

    OVERALL OPINION

    The price of these guitars are very comparable to a low budgeted a musician. You can find these guitars new at just about $1000. That is a great price for someone who wants to get an American built guitar and a classic iconic guitar. I highly recommend every guitarist to try or buy a Fender telecaster at some point. You won't regret the tone and at this price it is a no-brainer.
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Good wood on that guitar

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/10/11 at 14:34
    Fender build some of the very best guitars in the world. They specialize in the Fender Stratocaster and telecaster guitars. The fender telecaster is more of a cleaner mild rock guitar. This is the kind of guitar and many countries guitar players choose for their primary guitar needs. This kind of guitar is going to give you an elegant clean sparkling tone fit for mild music.

    UTILIZATION

    Fender American Standard Telecaster Candy Cola Rosewood Fretboard Features:

    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    Hi…
    Read more
    Fender build some of the very best guitars in the world. They specialize in the Fender Stratocaster and telecaster guitars. The fender telecaster is more of a cleaner mild rock guitar. This is the kind of guitar and many countries guitar players choose for their primary guitar needs. This kind of guitar is going to give you an elegant clean sparkling tone fit for mild music.

    UTILIZATION

    Fender American Standard Telecaster Candy Cola Rosewood Fretboard Features:

    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    Highly finished frets
    Detailed nut work
    Bent steel Fender saddles
    American Standard Tele® Bridge Plate (steel saddles and brass plate) for improved resonance
    Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
    Rosewood or maple fretboard
    Staggered machine heads



    SOUNDS

    The tone of this guitar is very exquisite. The Rosewood fretboard mixed with the Alder body wood is a perfect blend and match for a great sounding guitar. I don't particularly like to pick up that is installed but they are decent magnetic pick ups. I would switch them out for a comparable Seymour Duncan pick up if I had the choice. I love the way he could fender telecaster sounds with a fender hot Rod Deluxe amplifier.

    Using this guitar with that amplifier mixed with a good analog delay pedal any distortion pedal preferably from OCD or even Ibanez will fit very well with the sound of music that highlight the play. The analog delay and an overdriven pedal gets a sweet classic rock tone that is safe from most covered music and cover songs. You really can't get a bad tone out of this guitar. It is a players guitar and he very easy guitar to play chords and single note briefs with. The neck is very easy to play in your hand glides up and down the fretboard with ease.

    OVERALL OPINION

    These guitars are fairy budget friendly and consumer friendly priced. At new you can find these guitars for right around the price of $999. That is a steal of a price. If you have ever played in Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster then this is going to be a little bit of a different guitar feeling wise than those guitars. However, I highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for this particular sound or who is interested in getting a cleaner guitar tone.
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  • iamqmaniamqman

    Fender American Standard Telecaster [2008-2012]Published on 08/10/11 at 13:30
    The Fender music company is one of the biggest and most influential amplifier and guitar builders in the world. The center telecaster is one of the most iconic guitars in the world. Every guitar player is either seen a Fender telecaster or as you see Fender telecaster in some aspect. Touring professionals and recording guitarist have used Fender telecaster's since its inception back in the 50s. This is a guitar that recreates that sound in a modern way.

    UTILIZATION

    Fender American Standard Telecaster Candy Cola Maple Fretboard Features:

    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretbo…
    Read more
    The Fender music company is one of the biggest and most influential amplifier and guitar builders in the world. The center telecaster is one of the most iconic guitars in the world. Every guitar player is either seen a Fender telecaster or as you see Fender telecaster in some aspect. Touring professionals and recording guitarist have used Fender telecaster's since its inception back in the 50s. This is a guitar that recreates that sound in a modern way.

    UTILIZATION

    Fender American Standard Telecaster Candy Cola Maple Fretboard Features:

    Alnico V pickups
    Deluxe hardware
    Solid alder body
    Modern C-shaped maple neck with rich, deep neck tint, glossed neck fretboard with satin back and rolled edges
    Delta-tone™ no-load circuit
    Highly finished frets
    Detailed nut work
    Bent steel Fender saddles
    American Standard Tele® Bridge Plate (steel saddles and brass plate) for improved resonance
    Thinner undercoat for improved body resonance
    Rosewood or maple fretboard
    Staggered machine heads



    SOUNDS

    This is a resonate sounding guitar and a blooming tone that just fills the air. One thing you can count on the fender telecaster is a great singing clean tone that is very transparent when dialing in heavy distortion. These are the kind of guitars that really bring out the players nuances in there speaking style and strumming style. Each guitar player comes through naturally when using a Fender telecaster. Fender decided on these guitars that they would lighten up the paint job on the guitars. What this means is that the guitars but resonate and sound more better then with a heavier coat of paint. This allows the wood naturally breathe and expand.

    OVERALL OPINION

    You can find these guitars for ride round the price of $999 she's a fantastic deal considering many of the other boutique guitar builders charging three times this amount. I would highly recommend this guitar to any country player or mild rock player or even a pop guitarist. You can find a good town to matter what camp you used with this guitar. Even using a nice delay pedal or overdrive pedal will help bring out this guitars natural beauty and sound.
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