Fender Classic '50s Telecaster Lacquer Electric Guitar 2-Color Sunburst

I got a second hand classic 50's telecaster with the lacquer finish in Sunburst and love it. Such a great solid telecaster with the vintage qualities I enjoy. I play rockabilly and classic country so it fits perfect with what I do. The neck plays very well, a little tacky at first but starts to break in after a few shows. I like the fact it will age on the road with me, nothing like lacquer finish. The finish seems to give the wood a great classic tone as it should compared to poly. Everything seems solid, a few little set up things to address but that's expected with any guitar. I picked this over an American telecaster because of the finish, electronics and case included. Overall a great investment and wonderful guitar.

I was looking for a "cheaper" telecaster model and when I compared it with, say, the American Standard, it sounded just as good and felt even better. This is by far the best Mexican made Telecaster on the market. The neck feels incredible and the sustain is comparable to that of a traditional les paul. I once went to school and made the mistake of leaving this guitar behind but when I came back 4 months later and played it, it was still almost perfectly in tune.

Presentation nearly perfect. Nice polish to neck and body, feels really good to run your fingers across it. Which sounds weird, I know. Neck fills the hand better than the uninspiring modern C that nearly every other Fender comes with, but honestly I would not have complained if it was more early fifties shape. Initially the neck gets sticky after playing 20-30 minutes, but lacquer does that, it will wear in soon enough. Wish the pots had a little more resistance to them. Pretty easy to bump off the setting you were on, but no worries. Sounds just right on, multi layered telecaster wonderfulness. Low output pickups are for me, for sure. Clear and crisp and defined. Zero need to change pickups or saddles. The case is nice, but not finished as well as other Fender cases I have. The tweed has a few minor bubbles near the stitching, and the inside lining doesn't feel as high quality as I'm used to. But seriously, one piece ash body, nitro body and neck, and a tweed case for nine hundred bucks? Done and done!

Decided a Telecaster was needed but was unsure as to which model. Stopped by GC to try a variety of models in the hope to find an answer. Played examples of the MIM Standard, FSR Ash, American Standard, American Deluxe, and the Classic 50's Lacquer. Was looking for classic Tele tone, so I shied away from any model that featured humbucker pickups. Although the American Standard and Deluxe models are outstanding instruments, because of budget limitations I quickly narrowed my choices down to the three lower priced MIM models. The 50's Classic has a very comfortable C profile neck with vintage (lower profile) frets which played easily. The Ash body seemed much lighter than the FSR and MIM. The vintage style tuning machines operate smoothly and are very stable. Although the Classic Lacquer model sports a vintage 3 barrel bridge, I had no problems with intonation up the neck. The feel of the lacquer felt better in my hands as compared to the thicker poly finish of the MIM and FSR. It just seemed easier to move around the neck and the guitar seemed to resonate more acoustically than the others being compared. The thinner finish also looked better to my eyes. The output level of the pickups was significantly lower in the 50's Classic as compared to the others, but what was lacking in output was minimized by an incredibly sweet and versatile tone. Lots of classic twang in the bridge position, and very rich and full in the neck. The middle position yielded a wonderfully balanced and useful tone as well. Overall, a brighter tonal personality when compared to the other two guitars, but not at all harsh or shrill -- Very musical. The reduced gain is quickly remedied with a quality compressor and/or clean boost pedal when needed. The tone control is smooth and effective without injecting mud into the tone. I was quickly able to move from one musical style to another with a twist of the tone control and a flick of the pickup selector switch. Another major advantage to the Classic 50's Lacquer is the inclusion of a tweed covered hardshell case not offered with the MIM Standard and FSR. It is an excellent quality case that fits the guitar well. When taking into consideration all the advantages described, the decision to go with the 50's Classic Lacquer Telecaster became easy. Although technically an import model, this guitar has all the key features you'd expect from an American built Fender. Excellent value and highly recommended!!!