Shawn Mendes Guitar Fender For Sale (2024 Update)

Sound: I can get any sound I want just through the pickup selector, tbx and midrange boost controls, and the master volume takes it over the edge for extra crunch. Playing by myself I preferred the middle pickup, but in a band situation the neck pup cuts through brilliantly with lovely clean treble twang. This is a great guitar for biting blues or rock tones, or dial it back for a nice soft clean tone. I mostly play through a Blackstar TVP 60 or Marshall DSL40, but I keep both mostly clean where it's just starting to break up, which I can control by my attack. Features: The best feature for me is the playability of the neck. The satin finish combined with the low vintage frets is just super smooth. I played about a dozen different Strat models before finding the EC, and once I played it there was no other choice to make. The noiseless vintages pups are a breeze, and the controls do everything Fender claims. Ease of Use: The EC just fell to hand for me immediately, like no other guitar I'd played before or since. 'Nuff said. The pups allow me to keep tight control on feedback only when I want it. Quality: This is a pure quality instrument, and I love everything about it. Having said that, after 2 years there's quite a bit of fret wear from bending, so I'll need to refret with stainless steel wire for longer wear. The volume pot has started to get a bit dirty and noisy, so it needs a clean, even though I've only played in clean environments. Value: Worth it's weight in gold. I have not played another guitar that makes me want to buy it. Manufacturer Support: Haven't need manufacturer support, but in Australia I have Fender-registered luthiers. The Wow Factor: This is EC's guitar, as close as I'll ever get, which is a big selling point. But sheer playability, quality, and value for money, plus pride of ownership, make it simply the best. Overall: Just a fabulous, playable guitar, the best I've ever played.Peter

Arrived in great shape. So far, I love this guitar, and despite all the videos I watched and reviews I'd read, I was still amazed at the sheer number of tones you can get out of it. With the mid and treble boosts, you can really go from "typical strat" tones to get incredible sustain and hit the front of the amp quite hard to get good breakup.Pros:- American Strat quality, fit and finish is good, rolled fret board, etc.- The electronics – endless variety of tones. Not great for modern metal or hard rock, but anything else will work.Cons:- This would be a hard guitar to work into a live venue if you play with other guitars as well. It is LOUD, so much louder than my Les Paul or anything else I own that I have to play with the levels and EQ on the amp. In my house, no big deal. At a gig, that may be tough. That said, I don't own other guitars with active electronics, so maybe other active pickups are also this much louder?- Requires you to unscrew the back plate to change the battery. I'm sure this keeps costs down, but on my active basses it's a lot easier to open the battery compartment without screws. Make sure you have a full battery before a gig.- I was surprised at the amount of set-up I had to do to get rid of fret buzz. Given the amount of distance in shipping, time in warehouses, temperature/humidity differences, etc. my guess is that it was probably fine when it left the factory, but it's the first guitar I've bought online that had so many strings/frets buzzing. Luckily a couple turns on the saddle screws fixed it all without appreciably raising action.Neither good nor bad: – The neck profile is unique to the Clapton. It feels like "a more playable vintage profile" to me. It's definitely not a modern profile. You'll either like it or you won't 🙂 I found it really easy to adjust to, and it seems to work great for "thumb over"- The bridge is similarly vintage, and comes blocked. If you really want the newer Fender bridge, you are out of luck. Given my set-up experience (above), I'm not convinced I could just "remove the block" and have it playable without additional set-up.- Tweed case looks amazing, but is not form fitting like the new TSA case that comes with other American Fenders. I wanted a tweed case, and I don't fly with my guitar, so not a big deal to me.Overall I feel like I made the right choice in buying a Strat, and I can't put it down. If your goal is to make Clapton sounds (or any other great Blues/Rock sounds) – this is a fantastic guitar.Metal Head

This is the first Acoustic/electric that I have owned that I actually love playing. The action is great even with the large gauge acoustic strings on it. Comes with a very nice gig-bag/case. I love the way the neck and back of the guitar looks. I also love the Strat 5-way switch that selects the degree and type of acoustic sound. The only downside with this guitar is the cover that serves as a cover for the electronics and pick guard. It looks cheap, more like a decal than a cover. I think Fender can do better on this detail for the price of the guitar. However, if you can get past that then it is a fine playing and sounding guitar. I have owned several Acoustic and Acoustic/Electric guitars. The action on even high-priced acoustics was so terrible I just ended up selling them. I also do not like the large back ends of most acoustic and acoustic electric guitars, but this guitar is small and easy to play. I would give it an A-.Bill

The research I did on trying to learn more about this instrument via general internet, YouTube, assorted standard Music Company's like Sam Ash; Sweetwater; Guitar Center; Alamo; and other assorted Music Guitar critics provided a good array of opinions and product test results that produced a positive majority with impressive perspectives for the instrument I purchased. The Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster Acoustic-Electric Guitar Cocobolo I purchased from Sam Ash was not a disappointment. Aside from the 10 different options of Guitar unique sounds it provides from Acoustic and Electric mixes. The one-of-a-kind Cocobolo wood identifies a further fingerprint in supporting its own private one-of-a-kind signature sound with relationship to the Cocobolo wood unique to it alone. That just blows me away with how special the sound of specialty signature sound it produces with the ten different built in technical sounds the Fender Guitar company developed with this special edition. I feel overwhelmed in learning to continue how to play this guitar. It allows me so many more possibilities with playing soft country to hard rock a really strong guitar enjoyment experience.Guitar Enthusiast

Overall, I am very happy with this guitar. It exudes classic Fender looks and tone. The quality and craftsmanship are decent for the price point. I have a US Tele and, after putting some TLC into this player strat, it feels and plays almost as good as the Tele. I would give it five stars if it were not for fretwork that was needed. Body – The finish and surf pearl color are gorgeous. The wood grain is barely visible (raised) so I would not say the finish is flawless, but the grain is very subtle and adds character in my opinion. The routed cavities for the electronics (top) and the tremolo springs (back) are precisely cut and clean. The electronics cavity was even finished with black paint. Neck – The finish and appearance are great. However, all 22 frets had sprouted; some as much as 1/32". I can't say this is a craftsmanship issue as the frets were probably fine when it was assembled. It must have been a very high humidity environment, though. Nevertheless, after painstakingly filing and redressing all 44 fret ends it feels good. The frets themselves were well seated and leveled. The 3rd and 11th frets were a few thousands of an inch high, but not enough to cause any buzzing issues. The frets were well rounded and polished. Hardware – The tuners are just okay. One of them feels a little rough turning, and they seem to have a low turning ratio making it very touchy to dial in perfect pitch. The 2-point fulcrum tremolo bridge seems like a better design than the traditional (six screw) bridges, but I did not test it. I prefer to block them for more stable tuning, which worked great with this bridge. I have upgraded electronics I had planned to install in this guitar, but the stock pickups aren't bad. They are very quiet and have good tone – there is no rush to replace them. Setup was a breeze. Truss rod adjustment was smooth, nut slots were to spec, and intonation was perfect. The action needed adjustment since I blocked the tremolo, but that was easy.Dave S.

I do have two complaints about this guitar. Everything from the bridge and the neck seems crunched together I think they needed to add more room, but maybe this is how they get some of the great tones from the guitar. The second is that the volume nob is in the way I hit it all the time or I have to play really close to the neck. I can fit it this issue of my turning the nob by putting foam under it so it does not turn so easy. But the nib will still be in the way. Other then these 2 things I love this guitar. I was worried about the Flyod Rose Special but it has been fine so far not going out of tune or anything. But I will upgrade later just my preference. The neck is flat and plays really fast. The frets are great and mine was done really will no sharpness ends at all. The electronics seem really good no issues so far. All in all a great filling, great sounding and fun to play guitar.BOBO

If you blindfolded me and handed me this guitar, I would have guessed that I was playing one of my six Ibanez RG model shred guitars. And that's a big compliment coming from a long-time player and fan of Ibanez axes. I got it in Ice Blue and it's absolutely beautiful. The HM Strat actually feels a little bit lighter than my RGs. The neck is smooth, thin, flat, and plays very fast. The frets are smooth and you don't feel them at all when you slide your hand up and down the neck. The FR Special trem feels a lot like the better trem systems from Ibanez, and the strings stay in tune. The bridge humbucker sounds very good and doesn't get too muddy on high gain amp settings, although I'll probably swap it out for a DiMarzio Evo2 or Tone Zone in the future. Likewise I'll also swap out the single coil pups for rails/minihumbucker style pups since I have no use for single coil pups when playing metal. The build quality of this axe is fantastic and I have no complaints. Overall this is an awesome guitar for shredding, and if you upgrade the pickups like I mentioned you'll have a "true" heavy metal guitar. I haven't been able to put it down since I bought it a month ago and my Ibanez RGs are actually starting to gather a little dust lol. This HM Strat is so awesome that now I'm thinking of getting the pink one.Speedster

This guitar feels and plays great! I own the original version of this guitar from the 80s. It has a special feel to it, very addicting and effortless to play. When this came out I pre-ordered immediately due to nostalgic love for my original and had to have it. BUT I was prepared to send it back if it didn't live up to my expectations from the original. I knew i was keeping it within 5 minutes of playing it. The fret board is the most dark and rich and smooth rosewood fret board I have ever seen. Very nice surprise, almost mistakable for ebony. The unfinished satin neck is as smooth and quick in the hand as butter. The stock pickups are surprisingly good actually. I was prepared to swap them out with bareknuckle pickups if i wasn't satisfied with the tone plugged in (i'm talking about high gain tube amp tones here specifically). The bridge humbucker actually sounds fantastic through my Mesa Dual Rectifier, so good I see no reason to replace it with my preferred bareknuckle pickup. The two single coils produce excellent clean tones, but are a little week for high gain leads. The problem with this guitar is the floyd rose special. It's a shame they didn't include an original floyd rose. I will be swapping the floyd rose special with an original right away. It feels cheap, and you can tell by the unplugged tone that the tone is lacking a bit due to the floyd rose specials zinc tone block. Though this could be upgraded more economically by upgrading the floyd rose special's tone block with a readily available brass block, string saddles, and the tremolo arm. So if you are willing to upgrade the tremolo, the guitar gets a 5 star rating from me, but with the stock tremolo, 4 stars. Oh and I never write reviews, this guitar is something special.Jake

The guitar is pretty awesome. It does feel light and easy to play. If you have big hands it can get weird at first but nothing to worry about. Quality is above average. The first time I tried to pull the volume For the no load setting it simply went off. Probably will not use this function again. But the guitar itself sounds beautiful, no need for the tone knob, believe me.jospa_87

I got this guitar on September 14th, 2021, and have had some minor issues with it. When I receive this guitar, it was perfect. Not a single case of fret buzz, the nut was perfect, and it was an all around great guitar. However, after about a month. I realized the tuners were a bit out of wack. I would be a bit flat, and turn the tuning peg over and over and over, only to not tighten the string at all. Then when I finally did one last turn, I'd be sharp by a whole note! Whatever, just replace the tuners. I had been putting that off. The next issue was a bit weird. I play really hard, and over time, the bridge pins were starting to get loose, and eventually a whole screw came out, and I had to take the guitar to a tech. I know this is probably user error, but still. I eventually just decided to turn it into a Jonny Greenwood tele, with lace sensors, a kill switch, and all. And let me tell you, this guitar is perfect now. The neck is (and always was) exactly what I was looking for. It's a bit thinner that my Squier Affinity Strat, but I like a thinner neck. Bottom line, I would recommend this guitar if your okay with getting new tuners. No one else I know has had problem with the bridge, so consider that. (P.S. I forgot to say that the stock pickups are amazing! I almost just kept them, they sound really good)Cory

I got this guitar on September 14th, 2021, and have had some minor issues with it. When I receive this guitar, it was perfect. Not a single case of fret buzz, the nut was perfect, and it was an all around great guitar. However, after about a month. I realized the tuners were a bit out of wack. I would be a bit flat, and turn the tuning peg over and over and over, only to not tighten the string at all. Then when I finally did one last turn, I'd be sharp by a whole note! Whatever, just replace the tuners. I had been putting that off. The next issue was a bit weird. I play really hard, and over time, the bridge pins were starting to get loose, and eventually a whole screw came out, and I had to take the guitar to a tech. I know this is probably user error, but still. I eventually just decided to turn it into a Jonny Greenwood tele, with lace sensors, a kill switch, and all. And let me tell you, this guitar is perfect now. The neck is (and always was) exactly what I was looking for. It's a bit thinner that my Squier Affinity Strat, but I like a thinner neck. Bottom line, I would recommend this guitar if your okay with getting new tuners. No one else I know has had problem with the bridge, so consider that. (P.S. I forgot to say that the stock pickups are amazing! I almost just kept them, they sound really good)Cory

For over 10 years, I've been casually searching for just the right Telecaster. I've tested out many over the years (new and used), and with the wide variety of neck styles on different models and series, I just never found the right one. When Fender announced this 70th Anniversary Broadcaster earlier this year, something told me this might finally be the one. So I decided to roll the dice and order one from MF without first playing one and I'm thrilled to report that it not only met but also exceeded all of my expectations. I was most concerned about the U-shaped neck – not being a fan of so-called "baseball bats" of the early 1950s. It's just slightly more chunky than a modern Tele, but it's extremely comfortable and it only took me about a day to get completely comfortable with it. Now I absolutely love it. The action is perfect and there's no buzzing whatsoever up and down the neck. The Custom Shop Blackguard pick-ups sound fantastic. They are super-hot and give that classic Tele tone. Before playing it, I was a little disappointed that Fender decided to include the wiring kit to duplicate the original Broadcaster blending-mode as a user-installed option instead of wiring it this way at the factory, but after hearing these pick-ups the way they are, I won't be re-wiring it anytime soon. I had mixed emotions about the lacquer finish with the see-through wood grain when looking at the photos online, but in person the guitar looks fantastic. My only reservation is that the lacquer makes the back of the neck a little tacky but over time this should work itself out. I've already noticed that after a week of playing it has already improved. One other thing about this guitar that still amazes me is the weight. It is perfect – not too light and also not a boat anchor hanging around your neck. I also love the custom American-made G&G deluxe tweed case. Do yourself a favor and order this guitar while you still can!Lou Z.

I bought this in order to not duplicate what I left behind during a 3000 mile move last month, after doing enough research to learn that an Esquire is significantly different from a Telecaster. Indeed, this guitars sounds quite different, and in my view can stand in for a Gretsch but with better feel. The chunky neck is vintage and not 70's style as some have stated. I have tiny hands so was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it feels up and down the neck. Not slippery at all either. The natural finish is darker than in the photos, but it's still nice to see pine grain. Heavier shellac than I expected, but it sounds great. Not as much tonal range as other Fenders, but I didn't buy it for that. I'm going to try all-nickel strings when I get it set up, for an even more vintage sound, but it's great with the Fender nickel plated steel strings.mhschmieder

I finally have a Telecaster, and not just any Tele, but possibly the nicest one I've come across. I absolutely LOVE the color scheme (though I wouldn't mind a slightly lighter colored fret board – rosewood or pau ferro)! Everything about this guitar screams quality and attention to detail. It plays well and sounds fantastic! I have a Gibson SG, Epiphone Sheraton, Fender Jazzmaster, and now this Tele Ultra and so far, I think this is the best sounding guitar out of the bunch. It's certainly the best playing and best feeling out of all of them. The Jazzmaster is close, but this Tele simply kills it! Don't sleep on this one, folks.Devin R.

The moment I laid eyes on her, I was infatuated. The moment I got my hands around her neck, I was in love. The weight balance is perfect, and the build quality is superb. It sounds great in a wide variety of tones. To top it all off, she is stunningly gorgeous.dameeshka

This guitar has a beautiful lacquer finish and the neck is the smoothest of all my guitars. Has your traditional telecaster sound but with a beautiful light weight body. I love how comfortable it is to play.wetever

I have been waiting for this Tele/JM mashup to hit the market since I first heard Fender was designing it. Everything the reviews say are true. The pickups have everything an electric guitar player could want. They can be warm, or crunchy. The tone is amazing and I am liking the 60s retro C shaped neck. I love the black, block inlays on the fretboard. The body color is perfect. And as a cherry on top; it is the lightest weight Fender I own.rickhal53

A lot of the reviews posted here are for Strats, so I'm not sure what's going on. Anyway, I bought the red sparkle Squier Bullet Tele. The finish is gorgeous and that's what prompted me to do a spontaneous purchase. I have only experienced owning USA Teles, but I've played some Squiers that really impressed me. This one? Not so much. I don't detect any finish on the back of the neck although I'm sure it has a sealer of some sort. The body finish is nice, but the bridge hardware is cheaply made and I'll be replacing that for sure. Same goes for the tuners. I'm pretty sure it has some high frets because it goes dead starting at the 10th fret, but some of that was back bow. I loosened the truss and got rid if it, but now when I sight down the neck the forward bow is pretty obvious. I don't notice the frets being sharp on the ends. It now plays plays pretty good after sitting long enough for the truss Rod to settle, but I may need to tighten it just a little to get rid of some of the forward bow. The neck has a very comfortable profile. The body is thinner than my American Teles, but it doesn't bother me – in fact it's lighter which I enjoy. The body is Poplar and that's fine by me. I may leave the back of the neck alone for now because it actually feels pretty good, aesthetics are certainly lacking, but the body makes up for that. I'm sure with a little patience and help from my friends I'll have a nice instrument. All the basics are there. As is, it's not all that great, but still better than my first electric guitar! -!an old Kalamazoo single pickup thing with a bolt on neck back in the mid sixties. Like the title says, this thing has potential. I probably couldn't buy a finished body for what I paid.Ronnie

I bought my black metallic Squier Bullet eight years ago when GC was having a Columbus Day sale. I was looking for a guitar to which I could permanently mount my Roland GR-33 guitar synth's GK2a pickup. Previously I had the pickup mounted on my '96 Strat, and I didn't like this fit because I couldn't close my Strat's case with the pickup installed. I have a gig bag for this Squier, and it fits fine in the bag with pickup installed. Anyway, about the guitar. Right out of the box, it played great, requiring only a minimal amount of action adjustment. I was surprised at how good the pickups sounded, it being a Bullet and all. But the humbucker sounds especially nice when playing the guitar through my Marshall. The neck pickup has a decent sound, but not quite up to the snuff of a good alnico pickup. Still, for what the guitar cost, I really can't complain. If I want to, at some later date, I can always change out the neck pickup to a better alnico model. One thing I especially like about this black Bullet is its looks. The photos here at GC don't show it off all that well, but the guitar body's finish is metallic and the pickguard is a heavy metal flake. It looks spectacular under the lights. And the black hardware does a great job of completing that black look. The Bullet's body is thinner than a typical Strat or Squier Affinity or Classic Vibe body. The result is a light weight guitar, but there is no sacrifice in tone.Michael

I would first like to begin with- I normally would be giving a 5 star rating of this unit/Squier, as I have typically never had problems prior to the recent/earlier this year upset regarding shipping containers/etc being paused/sitting in the ocean/etc, delaying container delivery. PLEASE READ ON FOR FULL EXPLANATION. Two imperative points- 1. The fret ends were so sharp, when I say it was not playable (both sides/neck in its entirety), I mean, it was not playable (THE DATE OF INSPECTION WAS EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND I IMMEDIATELY ASSOCIATED THE FRET ENDS PROBLEM BEING DUE TO THE SHIPS BEING DELAYED/SITTING IN THE OCEAN/ETC- It looked to me like maybe between March and July of this year, although, I couldn't quite make out the stamped month). As well, the serial # of the guitar, of course, was of this year/'22. I maintain/work on most all my guitars, and I normally would've tightened up the fret ends myself, however, there was a hairline crack on the red sparkle finish at the bass side neck joint (which i just couldn't accept, visually), as well as a small tooling gash along the top edge of the headstock. The replacement/reordered guitar arrives tomorrow. 2. THE NEWER UNITS (AS, ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS A 2022-BUILT UNIT) ARE TOP-MOUNT/STRING THROUGH THE BACK OF THE BRIDGE, NOT "STRING-THRU" as the description indicates (and, with Squier bridge mounting, these are 5-screw mount plates, which, if ever you want to upgrade your hardware, particularly, w/the bridge, you must find an aftermarket unit that is "string through the back", along w/the correct string spacing (with Squier, they're 54mm, typically), and you'll typically need to redrill given it's rare to find plates that have Squier mounting dimensions that provided string through the back holes. I'm upgrading to a Babicz, given the results found. Also, there are two string trees (the second being a tree for both the D and G strings), and it looks great, actually, with both. Overall, I was impressed with the finish, as it was nearly flawless (aside from the hairline finish crack mentioned previously). The fretwire/fretwork, felt great….I found maybe two or so "slight" dead spots, which weren't enough of a "ping", or string buzz to be of concern, or critiquing the fretwork negatively. Rather, I was impressed with the fretwork. As well, it's important to note that the mounting of the bridge, along with the neck positioning/etc, was spot-on. No misalignment of the bridge mount/etc (and the same goes for the nut spacing). I've always been impressed with what Fender/Squier/Jackson are putting out. The quality is typically quite high…as for this unit, the quality is high, but the results of the environmental dilemma with either being stuck in a container offshore, or, sitting in a facility for weeks/months/etc, have had quite the impact on this guitar. As an important example, I had purchased a Bullet Tele last year (the unit in Burst color offered here through MF), and it was/is flawless, and I completely upgraded every part. As I own approx'ly 53 guitars ranging primarily from ESP to Jackson (some of which in the better than $2K range), I love to take what's titled as a "beginner" guitar, and totally hotrod it with high end parts (such is the case w/this guitar). As mentioned above, I've reordered the guitar, as MusiciansFriend provided me a generous discount (without having to ask) to accommodate me. Upgrades- 1. Babicz Full Contact Tele "Ashtray" bridge Gold, 2. Genuine Fender Gold control plate, 3. Fender Infinity Gold strap locks, 4. Gold input jack Ferrule, 5. Custom built Gold Sparkle w/star cut-outs Tele pickguard, 6. Philadelphia Luthier Tools "Fat" neck plate/Gold w/gold neck mounting screws, 7. Earvana compensated nut (Ivory), 8. Philadelphia Luthier Tools Gold string trees, 9. Fender locking tuners, Gold, 10. EMG T-52 set (black), or, EMG T-set, Red., 11. EMG Gold Telecaster knobs. 12. Powder coated Red pickguard screws, 13. Gold pickup mounting screws. Beginner guitar?……no more (ha).Dave

Just love it. This is the perfect guitar for me. The quality is excellent. The sound is amazing. The neck and feel of the guitar is possibly the best that ive come across. Oh, and it looks good too, a vintage vibe. Fender Strat USA Jeff Beck model. Enough said.Damien T.

I honestly feel that the Jeff Beck Stratocaster is the best value guitar that Fender offers today. For just a couple hundred dollars more than an American Professional Stratocaster you get an upgraded, hot rodded, American made Stratocaster second to none! Anyone that knows the history of the Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster knows that it inspired the Stratocaster Plus of the late 1980s. Roller nut, locking tuners, cutaway heel, noiseless pickups, tweed hardshell case, and American made for just a little more than the American Pro?! Duh! Despite all the upgraded "value" I keep going on about, the Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster plays great! My model needed slight tuning straight out of the box but the action and intonation was perfect. Remember, these are standard production line guitars, not Custom Shop pieces. Whoever is doing the assembly and final setup of these guitars really takes pride in their work! I highly recommend this guitar regardless of your opinion of Jeff Beck. Jeff Beck happens to be my favorite guitar player and I always wanted a white Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard like the one he plays and was on the cover of the Wired album. This is the first Signature guitar I have ever bought and I could not be happier.Ty

I bought the Honey Burst because I didn't have a burst and honestly not a big fan of "bursts." But when I saw this honey, and it lacking a really dark edge like most bursts do I decided to play it. Sounded fantastic, played so sweetly, just as fine as my Miami Blue American Pro II, and my American Showcase. Don't spend the extra money on one of those if you're on a budget, tryin to save some money, but want USA made, this performer stacks right up with them, you won't be missing much if anything. I uploaded a YT vid, its my American Showcase, In the process of making a vid of this Performer, like sub and stay tuned! If you mention this review and leave a link to on of your vids I will reciprocate!CHARLES

Manufacturer Support: Did not contact manufacturer. Overall: I just got done demoing the floor model at my local big box store and I have to same I'm really impressed. For comparison, my main Strat is an American Special with three single coil Texas Special pickups and the new Yosemite pickups and the Doubletap humbucker have a lot more output. I used a floor model Boss Katana amp (distortion) as well as a Marshall amp (clean). The Doubletap humbucker sounds great with light to heavy distortion. Even with max distortion, it is very clear and pronounced and I was able to distinguish all the notes being played without it sounding muddy (first position and coil split off.) The second position (coil split off) sounds amazing. Even with heavy distortion, I was able to get some great sounding blues solos with the first and second position. With positions three, four and five, I was able to get those classic Strat tones that everyone loves. Going from humbucker to the single coil via coil split, the pickup still seemed to have a higher output than the Texas Specials. Just to make sure it wasn't the coil split, I also demoed the traditional three single coil setup and still, they seemed very hot. I played the opening riff and the solo to Paranoid and was very happy by the sounds the guitar made but the clean sounds are what really sold me. I played various chords (major, minor, 7th, different positions, coil split on/off, etc.) and was not disappointed at all by what I heard. To me, it sounds very different from any other Strat I've played. I use my current Strat as an all round guitar but that's soon to change. The finish is satin and for those who haven't played a guitar with a satin finish, the finish may feel a little rough as if it needs to be sanded but it doesn't. I prefer a gloss finish myself but that aspect can be easily overlooked if you want an amazing sounding guitar.Russell

Tim Shaw double tap humbucker with yosemite pickups great combo! Covers a wide range. The humbucker in the bridge gives you that fat extra distortion. And when you want that single coil sound pull up on the tone knob and split the coils. Well balanced. Plus you can still get that Sweet Home Alabama sound in position 2 with the HB in single coil mode ! Yosemite Pu's have classic Strat tone in clean channel. The rosewood neck plays and feels good. Came set up out of the box. Fender did a nice job on their Performer Series. Definitely worthy. Kudos!Mikeb

First the good. Neck is straight, properly fitted, and I really like a set radius as opposed to compound. The D profile feels "right" to me. Set bridge (screws vs pivot) is also a huge plus. Trem bar is a flat profile, where its closer to the body, instead of 2 inches too far out. The bad. Tuning machines are slotted too high, and a little wonky/loose. Fret ends are smooth , but not the cut, if that makes sense. So when you run your fretting hand up or down it'll catch on the burr from not smoothing out the neck side(s). The trem springs are way too loose/springy for an off the shelf guitar. Annnd it's really noisy. I expected some hum from vintage pickups but good god. This is something I'll have to deal with straight away. The gnarly. The sound and playability is simply ok out of the box. Not near enough "quack" for what its designed for. Namely doing Hendrix tunes. Barely there, really. All in all. I kinda knew it was going to take around 3-500 to get it where I wanted it. But it is a great starting point for hot-rodding/customization purposes. The headstock does take some getting used to!Bob

Overall: This guitar is modeled after the "Jimi at Woodstock" white Strat, and is a great looking guitar that captures that vibe. But, I also needed something I could gig with. The reverse headstock is great because the longer wound strings have a little more tension, and the shorter G,B, and highE have less tension for great, smooth bends. The C shaped neck isn't super fat, but very comfortable. It gets a lot of attention in a live setting. I actually took mine to Bethel NY and stood on the original Woodstock field, and played "The Star Spangled Banner" on the spot of the original stage with a little battery powered amp. Talk about Bucket List things to do. 😉 A great guitar with vintage tone, easy playability, trem holds tune surprisingly well, not too heavy, and captures that 1969 vibe while being a true gig-worthy guitar. Buy it!Tony

Love the satin finish and the rosewood fretboard was beautiful once I put enough oil onto it. *really dry. Fretwork was rough at best, my MIMs and Squires were better out of the box. The fret edges caught my hand on both sides plus I could see scratches on the frets 7 – 12, really rough on bends. The action was high, but neck relief was good. I'll change the strings soon and file/roll the fret ends as well as deeply polish the frets. Plays nicely and I can see this becoming one of my top three to pull down from the hanger and play. While the setup was sub-par, the electronics were well done – great pups and pots.Aarron

I have the Honeyburst telecaster, The feel of the set up right out of the box is great!! The neck pickup, nice and warm the bridge is not too hot but hot enough to get the growl when in overdrive. This guitar needs no pickup changes. The middle position still gives the tele sweetness of the twang. The neck feels awesome, It comes with a fender gig bag but I would suggest getting a hSC for the baby shes definitely a keeper. Great guitar!!!spider59504

Overall: Always wanted a Nashville Tele but several things were stopping me from buying it. I could have made some mods myself but that kind of defeats the purpose of a new guitar. No bridge + neck pickup option was a biggie.No locking tuners. All my guitars have locking tuners. 3 saddles instead of 6 individual. I just prefer the 6 even for a Tele.No noiseless pickups. Now they've also done a couple of things I wasn't necessarily looking for but are nice addition. The rolled fingerboard edges are a really nice touch as well as the belly cut. Again, not expected but very nice additions especially since I can roll my own fingerboards but have never attempted my own belly cut on a Tele and probably wouldn't but they are really nice on my G&L's. For the not so great stuff. The neck had entirely too much relief in it but this was rectified with a truss rod adjustment. I did have to do a fret level, crown and polish. The guitar also had a bit of fret sprout and some sharp ends. I easily fixed these issues but would understand others might have to take it to their local tech for a fret job. After a little work on my part the guitar plays wonderfully. The neck is really comfortable. This is every bit as good a guitar as the US produced Fender's I have played recently. The sounds are exactly what you would and should expect from a Nashville Tele. Overall, this is a very well made guitar. Played 4 gigs with it over the New Year break and I gotta say, this is probably going to be right there onstage with my EBMM's. No, it's not as good as my Cutlass and LIII's but it doesn't need to be. I think this guitar is a great bargain and I'm pretty picky. Fender finally got the Nashville Tele right. It's really nice to see.Richie

What a absolutely beautiful instrument. I got mine surf green and the online pictures don't do it justice. Guitar arrived flawless and played great out of the box. Action seemed a little higher than I like, but still plays great with the vintage frets to my surprise. Definitely has that telecaster sound with very nice cleans and twang. Also hitting it with a tube screamer or distortion pedal it has a snarl. Playing through a PRRI, 78 SFDR and 67 Vibro Champ. The C shaped neck does seem slightly beefier than other C shapes on my AVRI strats, but I find it just as comfortable and a nice difference. Clay inlays look really good on the rosewood neck also. There is also a tint to the neck that's more than what was on the previous line of AVRI guitars but I think it looks good.Don

This telecaster is legendary. First, the noiseless pickups immediately distinguish this tele from others and result in ZERO hum and stays that way on all pickups. Second, the C-shape fretboard design makes for effortless phrasing. Third, this guitar is impressively light (much more so than my strat) and is therefore my go-to guitar for gigging. And I should add the unique color configuration makes this tele stand out from the rest. Apparently "Aged Candle Apple Red" is Fender's own thing. Finally, I should note that I run this guitar through my Marshall DSL40CR. The combination makes for great depth and a fullness that rivals my strat — including on clean tones. I'm very happy with this purchase and highly recommend it to anyone seeking a compliment to their rig (particularly if you have a strat and want to expand the universe of sounds).Chad the Bad

I already own an Am Std Strat and Tele and a G&L Tele all single coil. I wanted to try a humbucker sound and being loyal to Fender, I purchased this guitar. The high quality feel, looks and sound of this guitar were immediately apparent. The sound has a distinct "bite" which is perfect for certain uses with the typical humbucker "growl". The Pearly Gates can get dirty, clean and somewhere in between depending on my settings. Though not made in America, this guitar is not "cheap", corners were not cut. Rock, blues, jazz all sound great. I use to be an "American Made", single coils only snob, but this purchase changed my opinions.GM

Overall: This guitar is a real surprise. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The pictures do not do it justice. It's comfortable to play and the weight is fine even for long gigs. The neck is very comfortable to play and easy to get to the high notes. You can do most any style of music with it. I use it with Fender, Marshall and Boss Katana Amps and it complements them all like they were made for each other. I definitely recommend this guitar to anyone wanting to have a Tele sound and Les Paul style sound all in one great guitar. You get the best of both worlds without paying a fortune for it. Absolutely worth every penny spent!Bill

I have a Peavey (Steve)Cropper Classic guitar as my daily driver, now sadly discontinued. This Fender HHFMT is perfect as a replacement. It is very light. It looks great. The pickups are powerful and very smooth. It sounds like a tele, it punches shred like my 1960 model, LP Classic. I always wanted the Fender Robben Ford guitar to get that “Talk To Your Daughter” tone which this guitar delivers on brilliantly. It covers the Stevie Ray Vaughn sound and feel, I also think it could handle a set of 12 gauge strings without dropping tuning as the action and play-ability is excellent right out of the box. You-tube it, research it and buy one before the price goes silly. Chris xReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I got this guitar in a very timely manner by Musician's Friend, and at first I was really let down. The reason being, I had never had a guitar with 8 screws so my pickguard was "lipped" up off the guitar on almost all the ends, but I contacted Musician's Friend and they're sending me a new pickguard so I'm not so upset about that. The setup was absolutely vital in order for this guitar to work for me, which prior to, had a high end, ugly, undefined sound that reminded me nothing of SRV. So, firstly I put in raw vintage springs and put the bridge back on the body. I had fiddled with the pickups and tried to get a good sound but was kind of unhappy, I felt like there was no body to speak of in the sound, but still better than when the bridge was not tightened against the body. So I ended up checking the string height and saw that the strings were not to spec (4/64) in a couple of odd places like the A-B strings, which were higher than both e strings. So I lowered those middle strings to be to spec, and to my utter surprise, that was what helped more than anything. The frequencies felt like they had "rested" and the guitar was noticeably darker, while at the same time having much better harmonic content. Now that I could feel and hear the frequencies naturally sounding in place, I was able to find a sweet spot with the pickup height. Without hardly trying the guitar would absolutely scream when popping the strings, but were mellow enough now to sound pleasing clean, in fact I quite like the clean sound now. That said, the guitar is inherently very defined and articulate, so hot pickups like texas specials in this guitar could be a recipe for disaster if not setup right, it's important to know what you want the guitar to sound like and to not be afraid to measure and put to fender spec, if that's your preference. In my case it worked out extremely favorably. I was extremely upset at first when I got this guitar, but with some love I found the guitar sings beautifully.Nathan

I thought this guitar in the early 2000's I did number of vintage real old fenders Gibsons etc. etc. Let me just say that after roughly 13 to 14 years with this guitar it is my favorite go to strata caster extremely reliable really fun to play, and really need it no upgrades… After all these years, I can honestly say this is one of the best sounding and playing Stratocaster's I've ever owned. I'm surprised they haven't vendor that is, upgraded this one someho i'm surprised Fandor hasn't found a way to upgrade this model and increase the price… I hope they don't. To anybody looking for a Strat check one of these out before you blow your wad on some custom shop thing… This really has all the bang for the buck that you never want. Hey what happened the Sunburst ones in the red ones? That's really cool. I've got a white one I think about it the first or second year came out. I don't by the way, the Neck is wearing very nicely in a vintage fashion… Something I didn't expect but kindly accept.Gipper

I have twenty Fenders, including seven telecasters, and this is better than all of them. The neck feels like its been played for years, and the shape is perfect. Heavy rolled edges make it a pleasure to play with my thumb over the neck. First guitar I have bought that I had to raise the action slightly on the top two strings. Set up for fast playing or chords straight out of the case. The colour is sparkly brownish, but looks black in most light. Very well made guitar. The pickups are noiseless and are silent even with pedals. They sound like standard pickups, no loss of signal because of the extra windings for the noise cancellation. Sound fine. I must say, the pro 1 series pickups sound better. All in all a lovely instrument, well worth the extra few quid.STEVEN T.

Overall: I have an Ultra Strat in Cobra Blue, an Ultra Jazz Bass in Texas Tea, a Les Paul Standard Gold Top and other guitars. This has the most beautiful finish (Sunburst). Way better than the picture or videos. The tone is amazing. Light weight at 6.2 pounds. Officially my favorite guitar. Add to that they shipped it to me in 25 hours after promising 5 days. Ordered Monday noon and here it is. They had it in a warehouse near Reno and I got it next day. zZounds you ROCK.William

The Fender Ultra Telecaster Texas Tea is an amazing guitar, at first I noticed the D-Shape neck and quickly adapted to it. The neck feels silky smooth, hand glides over frets and is easy to play. The sound from pickups are brutally brilliant, and wit the S1 switch built into the tone knob, sends a slightly different signal, bit more gain with full richness depending on the selector position of course. I went initially seeking for the Jimmy Page Dragon Guitar and walk out of the shop with this Ultra instead, and for the few hundred dollars more, this guitar is totally worth it. The look of it is killer, and so classy – if there is an ultra guitar series in your guitar shop locally, don't hesitate to pick it up and test it out. This guitar is HOT! It's difficult to see in these photos but the colour under certain light angles are different and has small sparkling metallic substances mixed in with the colour. It's a black oily dark grey/brown. The neck has a vintage tone colour and the rosewood neck and skunk stripe just makes this guitar special.Jim T.

I've owned several Strats over the years, including a 1968 (my first real guitar) and a Custom shop with Ibarra pickups. The Eric Johnson is as good or better for me than any of them. I play mainly blues-based classic rock, Hendrix, Clapton, Zeppelin, Beatles, etc. I've had this white-blonde with maple fingerboard for a little over two months at this writing. The larger-than-usual neck is outstanding–much like a Custom shop. Although the 12" radius isn't as comfortable for chording as the standard, rounder 9.5", it provides a more consistent feel for fast playing, runs, etc., imo, because my fingers don't need to adjust to the larger curvature. It's like a classical guitar in that respect. The pickups with their staggered pole pieces sound lovely–almost vintage sounding with loads of classic character. The neck position is honky, midrangy, not smooth like normal Strats, so it cuts. Where I might have preferred the neck position on other Strats, I prefer the 4th position on this one, which has the fat smoothness appropriate for mellower rock rhythm or fills. The middle pickup (without tone control) is louder, and a great go-to for a quick volume and tone change for solos. 2nd position is quacky and biting, great for distorted solos that cut, and the 1st (bridge) position is good for higher gain leads (with the tone rolled back a bit) or for twangy country licks. I've never much liked the bridge pickup on Strats, but this one is less harsh than usual, and with the tone rolled back to 5 or 6 is definitely usable. I'm leaving the tremolo with five springs on, flat to the body for tuning stability; but I do miss being able to whammy in both directions rather than just downward. The staggered tuners undoubtedly help maintain tension, and a bounce on the whammy bar resets intonation pretty well, though not perfectly (this could be due to other factors such as the nut, string gauge, etc.), so I don't use it much. I'm using NYXL9544 (the 9.5 "half-size" gauge).Tanuki

Very nice guitar that is era correct. Has flash coat nitrocellulose finish like original 50's strats that is thinner than other model ej strats. Even has correct '54 patent pending stamped saddles and smoothed headstock corners. These are slightly heavier than alder body EJ strats and doesn't have as deep of contours but is correct for '54 models. Neck is dead on with '54 profile, very slightly larger than previous models. It is listed that it has quarter sawn neck but mine isn't, it is more between flat and rift sawn like original '54. You can tell that fender went through some effort, likely from ej's request, to make these as close as possible to original'54 specs. Only non '54 items are pickups and Bakelite knobs but "Virginia" had these changed out.N. Collins

Beautiful white blonde finish, silky smooth neck finish. The soft V is quite round and is a robust neck, but the V keeps it from being ball bat. If you really like the "Modern C" you may find the neck a little large. It's certainly comfortable to play, and I like it a great deal, even though most of my other guitars are modern C's or similar. So, maybe you won't. I've found that I like larger necks more the longer I play, and the resonance of this neck is just a great feeling. Hard to explain, but it seems more alive than most strats I've played. Some folks have found the neck sticky, but I didn't think that at all. Plays amazing right out of the gate. Intonation was perfect out of the box and setup was just fine, although I may play with it a little for my personal preferences. Tuning stability is good. Came with all of the springs installed on the bridge, so the trem bar was not even usable, but with one spring removed, it allows the trem to be functional while still keeping the bridge hard against the body for better resonance and stability. Pickups are amazing. I have some strats with Texas specials and I've had just about every pickup out there, but these are just perfect. Sounds like a strat should sound, and the "in-between" positions are more usable and pleasing that on any other strat I've ever played. Volume knob reacts perfectly and really changes presence and drive in a predictable fashion. Break up is sweet, and can get quite crunchy on the bidge. Neck is just a perfect blues tone with lots of options to shape character with volume and tone. The treeless headstock is nice…I've had better tuning stability for my plain strings than other strats, and I didn't find the plain strings dead or lacking in any way. This is certainly my new favorite guitar. I don't really know how much having no trem pocket cover on the back of the guitar helps tone, and it kind of looks unfinished without it, but I don't know that I'll bother to add one. Case is great, also.DJ

This guitar was so hard to find but was well worth the wait! The quality is outstanding and the sound is incredible. Being a huge Nirvana fan also helps 🙂 but even if you're not, this guitar will not disappoint. A big thanks to Hope from customer service who answered my many questions. Excellent communication, pricing and super quick delivery to Melbourne. Thanks a million team!DAN O.

I am a huge Nirvana fan and was living in a figurative cave for a long while so when I finally opened my eyes and knew about this signature KC guitar, I knew I wanted it badly! The overall craftsmanship is great considering it is a MIM but many MIM's nowadays are great too. The only "cheap" part on this guitar is the synthetic nut but that can easily be replaced. The Dimarzio PUPs really scream! The neck is very smooth and playability is awesome! I took it to a guitar tech who set it up. He said he had to shim the neck because the TOM bridge is not stock to the guitar which is no problem and he also had to do a minor fret dress on a few that were a but off.JR

I have played guitar since age 12 or 13. My first guitar I purchased and took lessons at the store was a Fender Squier I believe I can't remember exactly. After that I had to upgrade from a squire.I couldn't stand a squire and never will again. After that I purchased a nice Fender strat. I can remember I kept searching stores looking for a guitar like Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana. And after this guitar purchase I have found the guitar I've been wanting since way back!!! All I can say is WOW!! I am astonished at how great a guitar this is. I recommend this guitar to anyone. The guitar is not just for Nirvana fan's. And you can go spend way over thousands of dollar_s for a vintage strat. To me this guitar looks better and the quality is great and sounds different than a Strat but of course it's a KC Jag. I would love to have a particular vintage strat but not for the vintage prices no way on this earth. The guitar is great with distortion. I recommend to buy this guitar. I don't believe you'll be disappointed. Very cool, very great overall. I give a star rating of 10/10 stars!!!Jimmy