So after doing spending the last 6 months pining for a tele, and not being able to get the 1000 or so euros for an american std i read this thread:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-d ... -club.html

yes i know the thread is 36 pages long, but it pretty much speaks for itself, so i got on the blower to GAK ( good UK based online store) and ordered one and a hard case. Arriving on Monday. Il throw up as full a review as soon as i recieve it, but going from all reviews online, its a steal at 270 euros GAK are asking for it.

I don't have the tele but I do have the Classic Vibe 60s Strat. I was amazed by the quality of my Strat and from what I've heard the Teles are just as good. I'm sure you are going to love it.
Post some pics as soon as you can.

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The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say.

Congratulations! Yes we do enjoy looking at pictures here!

Yeah!! have fun, nice guitars.

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I am excited to get your review!!!!

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I Can't Explain

Congrats and best wishes for many decades of joy with your new pal with strings.

Please post pics. If we can't see it, it doesn't really exist!

While you're waiting.....have another Guiness

Hope all is well.

Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

Hi Doc,

All is reasonably well except for the long hours at work. Everyone is globetrotting while I hold down the fort. Was hoping for a little travel time myself especially to a convention in Hamburg. Great city!

BTW - I just happen to be wearing the green Guinness shirt I got at the Storehouse in Dublin!

Hope all is well with you.

AOK! You beat me to the punch. I was checking my spelling when you replied. Looking forward to end of year.

Stay safe. Lot's of handwashing and out of crowds. This thing isn't over.

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"Another day in paradise!"

This wouldnt happen to be doctor j by any chance?

On the thread topic, guitar "should" arrive tomorrow. hopefully it does and il get to give it a good going over.

[quote="schmintan"][quote="zzdoc"][quote="stratmansteve"]This wouldnt happen to be doctor j by any chance?


Not a chance

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"Another day in paradise!"

It finally arrived after some courriers extracted my urine for the past few days by giving me incorrect delivery schedule after incorrect delivery schedule.

First Impressions:
This thing is heavy. Its 8lbs if its a gram. a lot heavier than i expected. I duno why but i always thought of teles being lighter than strats, but having done a bit of googling, i can see this is often not the case, especially with woods such as pine.

Out of the box guitar looks like a classic tele, something that will last you a lifetime given the propper care. It looks like its worth 2-3 times what it costs, and that first impression lasts after you pick it up. It feels solid, switch feels sturdy, nice solid engage feeling when you change positions.
Volume and tone controls are not too stiff, not too loose.
Finish is very nice. not a favourite, but at this price, im not gona complain.

Neck looks lovely, sort of aged, tinted color.

Setup:
This thing is perfect out of the box. a quick tune and its ready to roll. perfectly intonated, not just for a tele with old style saddles, but for any guitar!! no fret buzz, neck feels very straight, action is almost too low! way lower than i can get my Am Deluxe Strat! Think i might actually highten the strings a little.

Finish:
The finish is nice, not one id pick but its nice. its kind of an opaque cream color with the grain barely visible through it. its very difficult to photo this finish as it just looks fully opaque. In small spots( around the neck joint) you can see where this was not lovingly hand painted but done on a conveyor by machine. its a little rough on the very edges, but nothing unbearable. also there is a tiny spot that looks as if it was scratched and touched up with a small paint brush by a worker. its barely noticeable, took me ages to notice it and doesnt bother me at all( if the guitar was a little dearer though this could be cause to send it back), but i like my gear perfect, especially if its expensive.

Neck:
This is my first maple neck so I dont have a lot of basis for comparison.
It certainly looks beautiful. Very shiny fretboard. The layer of laquer ( or is it polyurethane ??) on the back of the neck is a little thicker than i would like, but still thiner than the finish on some necks like on the epiphone's. I would rather the satin smooth finish on my deluxe, but eh, its a 275 euro guitar! I find my hand doesnt slide as nicely on this as it does on the matt/satin finish.

The neck is a little thicker than my deluxe strat 9.25 C shaped neck, but barely. Different, but not necessarily in a bad way. It gives the guitar a bigger, fatter feel, like it is built for solid rhythm playing.

Frets are medium jumbo, the exact ones i like. I hate the tiny vintage frets, or the jumbo ones on the highway 1 series. i just cant play those guitars right at all. The fret job is better than that on most American standard and deluxe's. better, or at the very least, on parr. Frets are beautifully finished, all level as far as i can determine, no edges sticking out, nicely rounded and polished.There is even some sort of filler ( tiny slivers of veneer i think) at either end of each fret to prevent the metal showing on the side of the neck. very tidy.

Headstock is beautiful and only for it says squier, could happily belong to an Am std. The whole neck could for that matter, apart from the finish which, as stated earlier, is not bad, but not my preference.

Sound:
This thing sounds awesome! I cant play any country tunes, but i fiddled around on a few scales and its really... twangy for lack of a better term. the bridge pickup has a sharpness in its twang and when the gain is turned up can really bite.

The neck pickup gives a real nice round les paul-esque tone, but with added twang. it sounds awesome clean or distorted and makes me really want to get a tube amp( someday, when i live in a house and not an apartment i guess). I dont think i will ever upgrade the pickups in this guitar. they really give a nice contrast to those in my strat. different sound for different styles. Im favouring the neck pickup with a medium gain for nice round warm blues tones, and the bridge with tons of gain for a sharp bite and attack when playing lead. It really sounds every bit as good ( better mabie??) than any of the MIM i played over the last few weeks.


Hardware:
The bridge is an old style, 3 brass saddle type. This was a con for me initially, but as mentioned before it is intonated almost perfectly! Holes in the body line up perfectly with holes in the bridge, which is not often the case with cheap guitars.

Volume and tone knobs are chunky, almost too big. might replace them for slimmer versions down the road, but they are fine, and im just nitpicking there really. they feel really chunky and solid.
The pots are not too stiff, not too loose. just right. Even my Am Deluxe Strat had an overly tight tone control when i got it first.

String tree is like a screw with an enlarged head. Does the job fine, looks ok. I dont hate it or love it.

strap buttons are std strap buttons. nothing fancy. some folks say they wont put a strap on this guitar as pine is too soft and the buttons will rip out of the guitar with the first bit of rocking out. i find this hard to believe, and would like to hear some of your more expirienced opinions on that.

Pickguard is very thick. too thick. well, it looks too thick the way its bevelled. This is one thing i really want to change on this. Ive saw a matt gold pickguard that would look awesome on this and when i get around to it it will be my 2nd mod on this guitar after...

The output jack. This is the single bad feature of this guitar. It was loose straight out of the box. Had to remove the controls, hold the jack and tighten the nut after 5 mins of noodling around. This will be replaced sooner or later, possibly with an electrosocket jack,as this is what many CV owners are doing. Its a pity, i would have paid 10 quid extra for them to put a 3 dollar jack that was better than the one currently there.


Overall:
This is a smashing guitar, not just because its 275 euros, but simply because its a smashing guitar, period. it stands up there with guitars 2-3 times its price. It feels like a tele, sounds like a tele, but costs 1/3 the cost of a decent tele!

If your looking for a good 2nd guitar, without having to make any mods i heartily recommend this. also if your looking for an esquire, i also recomment this as its the perfect base to start an esquire project from.

Forget the money, this is an awesome guitar, and everyone should at least play one to see how much quality you can get in the low rage of the market. I look forward to many years of learning on this beauty.


Pros:
Cost.
Pickups sound awesome.
Neck feels great.
Frets are perfect.
controls feel solid.
Over all high quality feel of the guitar.
Setup.

Cons:
Output jack sucks.
Paint job could have been slightly better and a nicer color.
Slightly heavier than expected.
Pickguard Thicker than expected.


I will post photos in the next few days, but right now im wrecked tired, and its dark so I dont have great lighting.

Wow, thanks for the detailed review, schmintan! I've had my eye on that guitar myself, and your review helps me get a better idea of what I would have in store for myself. Please post pictures ASAP!

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

Pics are added to this thread in the squier forum:


http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... 828#247828