jimbob
December 29, 2007

Rating: 7/10

update:

tone knob is good, volume knob is good. There is a difference made with the tone knob, especially when distorted. On a clean setting when you turn the tone knob to the bassy end you hear less of the harsh highs.

What the guitar sounds like has alot to do with the amps (or EQ pedals) effects settings. I can get fuzzy tone, straight rock, etc, etc, lots of tones when you fiddle with the amp settings. Beginners are alot less likely to hear any difference (well I didn't anyway), so this is a guitar for learning on, really.

Most players will grow out of this guitar, but it would be good for modifications.

It's a learning guitar. What it sounds like entirely depends on the EQ settings. It can sound like crap but it also can sound wonderful.

jimbob
September 30, 2007

Rating: 7/10

Neck

Maple fingerboard, black plastic inlays, I think. Nice neck, easy to play, and the finish on the neck is pretty good. It isn't very hard-wearing though, mine has started to show wear around the lower end of the neck, probably due to me using quite a lot of open chords. When the finish wears off it reveals a rough surface to play on... don't know what that's like for a fingerboard though, as it hasn't worn THAT much yet. Doubt it'll be very nice - why else would they put a finish on it?

The frets are sharp in places, at the sides on mine, so it doesn't affect playing, bit I've heard it can on some guitars of the same model. No fret wear as far as I can see.

Sound

Decent, sounds like a tele. Great jazzy tones from the neck, although it does sound a bit muddy if you put on too much distortion. Bridge pickup is typical tele lead tone.

Bridge

6-saddle top-load bridge - this means the strings are thread through the end of the bridge on the face of the guitar - for string ferrules or anything. This impacts sustain a little, but a beginner would be unlikely to notice (and that's who this guitar is aimed at). It's a pain to change strings though - you have to thread the string through the hole at the end of the bridge and up through the saddles at the same time, and there just isn't enough room to make the angle - I have to take off the saddles everytime I want to change the strings, which means I need to adjuct intonation again. NOT GOOD!! It's the worst thing about this guitar - just for this I'd suggest you go for the standard Squier, which has a string-through bridge, I think, or maybe the vintage tele copy, which also has a string-through bridge, and is slightly cheaper last time I checked. The screws in the saddles also come loose sometimes, which is also annoying.

Electronics

The jack plate on the side of the guitar is plastic, so it's likely to get broken - mine has and I've ordered a metal one, which hasn't arrived yet. The tone knob doesn't do much, you can only really hear a difference when it's either at one end or another, nothing in between. Volume knob is.... a volume knob. Not much I can say about it really. Same with the tone knob.

Random

The things that hold the strap (does this actually even have a name? I'm sure it does but I don't know what) are good, but I'm not an expert in the area of things that hold straps.

Not much hum if you use the right leads.... lynx leads from this website sound better than the fender one I am currently using, much clearer tone, but they also let in quite a considerable amount of hum.


So I'll rate 7 out of ten, you might buy this for a beginner who quickly learns about guitars and tone and all that stuff... so.... you get what you pay for, I suppose.

A guitar for beginners to start playing on so they can decide whether they want to play guitar (and invest in great gear) in the long-term.

jimbob
April 21, 2007

Rating: 8/10

You have to love the telecaster. The tone is so awesome!!
When set on the bridge pickup the tone is full of the classic tele twang, perfect for country and rock leads. I use the bridge pickup even with more rythmitic tunes.

The neck pickup sounds pretty much exactly like those found on a stratocaster. Which is good, but if you distort it too much the sustain decreases and the notes sound slightly flat. The pickup selector is one of my only criticisms - it looks a bit flimsy and a bit weird actually; it\'s shaped like a \"top hat\", according to... some people.

The control knobs... AWESOME!! I love tele control knobs. It might be a bit extreme to have its own section, but they are great. No volume markers or anything, but who cares? They look and feel great.

The fretboard. I took a little while to get used to it as I had been playing a strat, but now I love it.

the finish. Metallic blue - it\'s darker if you play in dark places and lighter when you play i light places. Genius. You can see highlights on the edges when you shine a light on it. I\'ve accidentally bashed my guitar on the body a couple of times, and there had been no damage done. Not even a scratch on the finish. So a great finish. Not that I really care about my guitar\'s finish.

The chrome-covered neck pickup looks cool, by the way. And so does the bridge. Oh yeah, the bridge!

The bridge. You can use this as a mirror if you want. The strings are threaded not through the body, they are put straight through the bridge. Handy. The action is easily adjustable (at the bridge), using the tools supplied. the tools are for adjusting the truss rod (note to self: DO NOT TOUCH.) and one fo the little screws that keep the saddles from the bridge.

Besides, the tele looks cool with its classic pickguard and single-cutaway design.

I do have to say though that although the placement of the guitar lead is cool, when you\'re playing, sitting down, with it plugged in... it could wreck your lead.

But this is way better than a squier strat... and at £110 you can\'t go wrong!! This is such an awesome guitar... the tone is perfect. Also, try picking nearer the bridge... it sounds cool.

9/10... as... well if something better came out this couldn\'t be 10/10 if the new thing was 10/10. HA Ha! The logic of a weirdo.