Pollyanna - 2002 American Telecaster

Features: 8
2002 model made in USA
Standard American Telelcaster electrics (i.e. including delta-tone)
7.6 lbs Alder body, maple neck with 25.5", 22 fret rosewood fingerboard.
Chrome Red included case but no candy
String through body. 9-42 strings

How do I rate the features of a telecaster? it's is a pretty basic guitar but everything you need is there - good timber, electrics, sound, finish and quality components. And it's made in USA.

Sound: 8
I used to wonder how Keith Richards got his guitar sound. Now I know. The tele is a tone monster. With the Les Paul and Strat one of the definitive rock sound. It's a great rock - blues guitar and well suited for rhythm guitar work. The pickups don't have a lot of sustain so it doesn't get used as much for lead guitar. Still this didn't stop Jeff Beck.

I use the tele with a Fender Hot Rod DeVille it it sounds great (this amp is really well set up for the strat and tele - which is no surprise).

Single coil pickups are a bit noisier than humbuckers but not much.
Jimi Hendrix said the Telecaster had only one good pickup. I guess he meant the bridge pickup which is hotter the neck pickup. However, the volume difference the bridge and the neck is not as great as it used to be. The defining telecaster sound is twang. Either you love the sound or your don't.

Action, Fit and Finish: 8
American Fenders are finished very well, this not been babied but it still looks real nice. The chrome red finish is similar to the code red Satriani guitar (JS1200). It's hard show up the depth of the finish in a photo but it looks great in the flesh. While that guitar was second hand, the action, fit and finish looks fine with no indications of bad quality anywhere.

Reliability/Durability: 10
The guitar was being used by a band in Sydney. It still is in real good shape which I guess says a lot about the durability of the guitar.

Everything about this guitar is solid.

If I could have only one guitar at a gig, of all my guitars, I would feel most confident with the tele.

Overall Rating: 8
I bought this guitar for my son, who wants to learn guitar. I already have a few guitars including: Fender Strat, Gibson Les Paul, Gibson Flying V and PRS Custom 24. So, we wanted to get a good guitar to learn on but something different from the guitars we already have. I also wanted a reliable guitar for gigging that I wouldn't worry about knocking about.

Some of the guitars we were interested in were the Ibanez JS100 and PRS SE range.

It's not a guitar I was thinking I've buying for myself but I'm playing it more than any of my other guitars at the moment. It's easy to play, light weight, small neck, 9-42 strings and it stays in tune.

I've spent a lot more on some of my other guitars but the telecaster is great value and nothing plays, sound, feels or looks like a Telecaster or if does it's just copying the original.