Fender Squier Deluxe Fat Telecaster Review

History:

Purchase: My Atlantic Blue Metallic Tele caught me like a bug in web at a Michigan guitar store called Motor City Guitar. Price was $320.00, although I traded in some gear to get the charmer. Looks were the first lure; this deeply dished Tele has a great shape and all black hardware that says NON-VINTAGE in a big way.

Pros: A solid (but light-weight!) mahogany body contributes hugely to the deep, strong tone of this guitar. Two humbuckers provide a Les Paul vibe, but, and here is the killer feature, the push-pull tone knob lets you split the coils for an instant single coil (Tel and Strat) sound. Flexibility of tone is incredible for a guitar in this price range. The neck is through the body construction (talk about non-Fender) and its 9.5 profile suits my big hands to a tee. The keys are rock solid and hold tuning for hours, thank god. The bridge and saddles seem beefy and tone and volume knobs are nice knurled metal type.



Cons: I love the familiar 25-inch scale and non-traditional Tele humbucker combination, however, the Squire name would seem to place the axe in a "beginner guitar" mode. This bothers me a bit as a 25-year player in my late forties, and yet after folks hear the tone this Tele is capable of the name on the headstock is merely a pleasant surprise.

Squier Deluxe Fat Telecaster Quality: Everything about the Squire Deluxe is designed for maximum sustain; set-neck, solid carved mahogany, flat metal bridge. It can't weigh over 6.5 pounds, which is a great advantage over a night's playing. Paint is lovely. Quality could not be better.

Fender Summary: Price and performance are astounding in this guitar. It looks, feels, plays and sounds like a custom guitar costing thousands of dollars. Check this out before someone gets wise and doubles the price on these killer modern Teles.

Rating of this product: 5

This Fender Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Bill Nastali

Date: 2001-11-09

Usefulness Rating: 4.66667 out of 5. 12 reader(s) voted.