Squier Vintage Modified Tele Custom II

I bought the tele Custom 2 as it looks sweet and it was purchased at a local shop. I paid 480 as I had to get it specially made as Im a lefty.

I loved how it looks and how it plays. It was as if it fit perfectly in my hands. I did do some changes to it like give it a gold pickguard and things like that. The double Duncan Design pickups looks a little retro and work perfectly and I haven't had any problems with pickups and with the guitar.

There isn't much that I don't like except that it has a very small colour selection. There's only 3 different colours to choose from.

I think the construction is perfect for me and I like the look of it too. The quality is very good and I have no cracks or anything.

Overall I love my guitar. There's only one thing I had a problem is that because Im a lefty it costs quite a bit more that just a righty guitar.

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

The Squier Vintage Modified Tele Custom II is a take on the classic redesign of the Tele that came out under CBS Fender in the seventies after they wanted a guitar to rival the Gibson Les Pauls and SGs that were really popular at the time. This particular model has an agathis body, a maple neck with 22 frets, standard chrome sealed tuning machines, a hardtail bridge with six saddles and the large Tele Custom type pickguard loaded with two Seymour Duncan P90 pickups. Each pickup goes to its own separate volume and tone, and pickup selection is covered by a three way toggle. Given that the original model had dual humbuckers, having the two P90s offers a very cool and unique tonal set that isn't covered in many guitars in this price range.

UTILIZATION

The design of this guitar is pretty ergonomic to my senses. Like some modern Squiers I've noted that it's a bit heavier than I would like myself. I particularly like the solid feel that it has (IE: it really feels like its of good quality, not like a cheap toy). The neck has a very smooth finish and the fret ends on this model were great, no real issues. The upper fret access isn't the greatest in the world but it's not too bad considering the design.

Getting a good sound out of this guitar is pretty simple. It doesn't exactly sound like a Tele to me given the pickups, but it does display traits of Fender tones because of the design. It's kind of like the love child of a Tele and a Gibson Les Paul goldtop with P90s.

SOUNDS

This guitar seems to sound good with a wide range of tones and amps. I've always been a fan of P90s and the Duncan Designed models in this guitar do a killer job of sounding good. On a clean sound the tones are fat and clear, and offer a nice brightness that is very Fender mixed with the dense P90 sound that is totally Gibson. It's a great clean tone for those who can't decide which tone they're after. Switching over to the drive tone offers a very cool and crunchy set of tones. They're very bassy with nice low mid heft and top end sparkle. The only complaint I have is that the design of the pickups is a bit scooped in the midrange for my liking, but that can be changed at the amplifier with some work.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Squier Vintage Modified Tele Custom II is a great guitar for the player who wants a great sounding Tele that offers something different than the usual Fender bright jangle or the Gibson esque fury of humbuckers blasting full tilt. At about $350 new these guitars are a great deal and definitely worth looking into for any Fender or Tele fan who just wants another tone in their arsenal.

Model Name: Vintage Modified Tele® Custom II
Series: Vintage Modified
Color / MSRP* / Part # :
Black
032-7602-506
Vintage Blonde
032-7602-507
Body

Body: Agathis
Body Shape: Telecaster®
Neck

Neck Shape: "C" Shape
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Dot Position Inlays
Fretboard Radius: 7.25" (18.41 cm)
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Satin Polyurethane Finish
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Electronics

Pickup Configuration: S/S
Bridge Pickup: Duncan Designed™ P90-2 Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup: Duncan Designed™ P90-2 Neck Pickup
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Hardware

Hardware: Chrome
Bridge: Vintage Style Strat® Strings-Through-Body Hardtail Bridge
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Switch Tip: Black Switch Tip
Miscellaneous

Strings: Fender® USA Super 250L's, NPS (.009-.042 Gauges)
Unique Features: Dot Inlays
Accessories

Control Knobs: Skirted Amp Knobs

UTILIZATION

The Vintage Modified Tele Custom II is not good. My gripes with the guitar come from the woods, mainly - agathis is notoriously poor for a choice in guitar tonewoods. The acoustic sound of the guitar unplugged is very flat and uninspiring. The neck comes from a poorer quality maple than one would normally see in a Fender guitar, and the fretwork is sub-par. There is no finish on the back of the neck, either, adding to the "cheapness" of the feel. Also, the guitar does not stay in tune.

SOUNDS

This is the one good part of the guitar - the pickups actually sound pretty good. They are a P90-type, and they can growl with the best of them, excelling for smoky blues and classic rock riffs. They're a bit noisy, but plugged in, the pickups sound great.

OVERALL OPINION

The pickups bring the score up, but the guitar still needs work. If I wanted to keep this guitar, I'd want replace the neck with something like a pre-finished Warmoth or Allparts, get better tuners, and then swap the bridge and electronics. But this would be a silly plan - these guitars can be had for $279 street, and for just a bit more ($349), one can acquire a much better Squier Classic Vibe guitar. Skip this guitar.

(Originally written by Hobbie/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Squier Telecaster with a pair

of Duncan Designed P90 pickups

(Seymour-Duncan low-end). 3-way toggle switch,

volume and tone controls for each pickup,

Tele Custom-style pickguard, C profile neck with maple fingerboard.

Vintage blond finish.

UTILIZATION

Rather thick neck like I like them,

good overall finish.

Very pleasant maple fingerboard. The instrument is well-balanced, not too

heavy nor too light. The only defect in its design

is the custom pickguard, which makes

accessing the electronics more complicated.

SOUNDS

I play 70's punk music (thus mainly rhythm parts).

I use the bridge pickup mainly with

the distortion sound of a Fender Hot Rod. This combination sounds full and warm, and it

has a strong personality with a good sound definition

when the distortion is not excessive. Small con: this pickup

has a lower output level than the neck pickup.

Sometimes I use the neck pickup or the combination of both

pickups for arpeggios in clean mode with a

reverb. The sound is thicker but still quite brilliant.

You can sweeten it turning the tone and/or volume

controls. But the controls generate noise,

which is annoying if you want to control

the volume with some precision. But it isn't my case.



OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it for four years and I'm very satisfied with it!

It's a good-quality guitar but not expensive, so I don't get

angry when I see new scratches on it. The only problem

I've had was with the connector,

which got loosen. But that's a well-known problem on many

Telecasters.