History: Primarily a singer, I've been playing guitar for about 10 years, been in a band (drummer!), and have continued to record and play with other musicians on a non-professional basis. My styles range from folk to hard rock, with heavy power-pop leanings -- Big Star, not Green Day.
Purchase: Played it for two hours at Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. It was on sale for $629.
What I Like About This Unit: As its name implies, one of this Telecaster's selling points is its light weight. I usually play either an SG or a Flying V, and most Telecasters feel like a sack of bricks. This Lite Ash Telecaster feels ergonomic and very light, and doesn't have the neck-heavy issue of most SGs. The Natural finish is great, the bird's-eye maple neck feels good, and the sounds kept me glued to a little Fender Frontman amp at the guitar store for about two hours. The clean tones have that bright liveliness that's signature to a Telecaster, and the distorted tones are dynamic and responsive. This neck is the sweetest Fender neck I've ever played, even including my friend's $1200 American Stratocaster.
What I Do NOT Like About The Fender Lite Ash Telecaster: The large frets take a great deal of getting used to -- if you fret your notes hard, it's easy to pull the note out of tune. This guitar probably needed a setup. The three brass saddles in the classic Telecaster style make palm-muting harder than on Gibson/Epiphone tune-o-matic bridges. And as with most Telecasters, you have to be careful with amp EQ, because the bridge pickup can be ear-shatteringly bright. Upper-fret access can't compare with the SG and Flying V I'm used to, but this has never been the Telecaster's forte, anyhow.
Lite Ash Telecaster Quality: Wonderful. Good finish, great neck -- the woods are beautiful, and the whole guitar looks and feels classy in an understated way.
Summary: Ever since I'd ditched my old Squier Strat, I hadn't given Fender guitars much of a chance. But I've always loved the sound of Telecasters, and this Lite Ash Telecaster addressed all the issues I ever had with the Telecaster model in general. It is light, it has the signature sound, it looks superb, and for once my left hand, weaned on Gibson scale lengths, didn't feel uncomfortable. Highly recommended.
Rating of this product: 5
This Fender Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Derek Mok
Date: 2006-03-23
Fender Lite Ash Telecaster Electric Guitars
Usefulness Rating: 4.4375 out of 5. 16 reader(s) voted.
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