Fender rolls out the American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar that delivers a healthy combination of modern and traditional tones at a price that won't drain your wallet. But don't let the stripped-down price fool you into thinking it's a stripped-down guitar.
It starts with an alder body, offering strength in construction and clarity in tone. The unique pickups on the Fender American Special Telecaster provide distinguishing sonic characteristics. The Texas Special single-coil Tele neck pickup delivers a full and meaty tone, the Texas Special Tele bridge pickup delivers that familiar Tele bite with a touch of warmth, and the Greasebucket tone circuit rolls off the highs without adding bass.
The subtle 9-1/2" radius maple neck, maple fingerboard, and jumbo frets make this Fender guitar very finger-friendly. Other features include an original-style Tele bridge with three brass saddles, an oversized '70s-style decal, and black pickup covers, plastic parts, and dot position inlays.
Includes a gig bag.
Own this American-made Fender Telecaster for a great price. Order today.
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
Displaying reviews 1-10
Back to top
PreviousNext »
A great guitar!I have owned this guitar in the sunburst finish for a little over a year now so I have a pretty good understanding of what this guitar can do. First off, the neck is awesome. Smooth finish with no gloss makes it very fast and hand friendly. Maple fretboard is very responsive, fast and compliments the pickups tone. The two Texas single coils are distinctive sounding in all three positions. The bridge position has a great twang just like a Tele should have. This pickup is also great for more overdriven solo lines. The middle position has a clasic electric guitar sound that Leo Fender would be proud of. When you roll back the tone knob the greasebucket tone circuit makes this middle position sound a little more mellow for an almost p-90 sound. The neck pickup is probably my favorite one to use. When clean it is very responsive and great for blues, fingerpicking sounds and mellow lines. Overdriven it is pretty warm still, but the type that might have been used in late Beatles recordings by Harrison. This guitar is very solid and has survived a few drops and scrapes with almost no apparent damage. The sunburst finish is beautiful. The gloss is not too thick on top, but keeps the guitar nice and shiny looking. Overall, this is the best guitar I have ever owned yet and it is the fifth one. I really do not know what else I could ask for in an electric guitar.
Incredible value, get them while the prices are still reasonably low. This guitar seems like an American because it is!
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.This Tele is a great instrument from the Fender "Special" line. Mine is a 2012 model (according to serial number). Five yrs ago, I had a bad experience with a Hwy One Strat (another Special line) and did not like the satin nitro finish (thin and easy to mar), the 'one way' truss rod (put 10's on and you're going to have a neck bow to some degree) and the middle pickup was always on and switch gave a bad static 'pop' when switching from position 1 to 2. They must've listened to the PEOPLE this time for real. THIS new "Special" model is just that. Special! I never used to like triple saddle teles because they were never set up well and had all sorts of buzz or the action was too high, etc.. This guitar was set up from the factory right and has renewed my confidence in this type of 'vintage bridge'..They even used real brass for better tone. The attention to detail on this guitar is fantastic for it's price range. I appreciate the high gloss finish, the well manicure nut (no buzz!), stable tuners (tighten the buttons some and it'll be even better), the fairly light weight body (weighed in just about 8lbs or slightly under), neck and body are well balanced..The 25 1/2 inch scale and big 22 jumbo frets give great intonation, even on this so called 'twangy' guitar. It has just the right amount of twang without sacrificing intonation, which I'm very fussy about. I play clean..all the time.. I really know a guitar is great if it holds it's resonance against me while playing ..unplugged, acoustically. I do that with my G&L USA Strat, and I can do that with THIS Tele. Beautiful resonance...that lasts! Once new strings settle, it holds it's intonation very well. This guitar is a pleasure to practice on quietly without plugging in. It has a nice 'acoustic' sound. Pinch harmonics sound great and have a lovely Tele 'whine' (even unplugged). Frets were smooth on edges, too. I polished mine with 0000 steel wool and they're super smooth and 'slides' are fast and every note rings clear up the fretboard. Personally, I may modify electronics, but not because they are 'bad', but only because I'm curious what a different pickup configuration will offer in tone (500k pots, mini hum, orange drop capacitors, etc). I won't comment on the Greasebucket tone circuit, because I simply don't have enough info or experience with it. Great thing about vintage white color is you can get a custom pickquard of ANY type and it'll look fantasmo! All in all a great guitar for the money, I suppose asking for a hardshell case is asking too much, but I picked this one up local and didn't have to worry about shipping it in a GIG bag. If I did buy from MF, I would *invest* in a hardshell case if I could. It's definately worth protecting the investment. Buy with confidence. I am not a Fender or MF employee, btw. Just a woman who's been playing for 31 yrs, gone through 37 guitars in 25 yrs and knows what's good. :)
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.At that price point where the specials are in the ballpark of a standard quality control needs to be better on the american specials.Not trying to knock fender to much i do love there guitars have 3 of them but to me a USA made Fender should be the very best
Not much just a tele.
Had one in white two days ago returned it 3 hours later had problems tuning guitar and staying in tune i gave the guitar a look over before i returned it noticed neck pocket to body was not that good and the nut could have been the problem didn't look to be cut that good.The guitar set-up was very bad (store is to blame also not just fender) returned it for a american standard very very happy with the standard great tele! Here is the thing i paid for a USA made fender and the guitar was a lemon maybe i just hit a bad one to me if a tele or strat is stamped usa made the quality should have been there.Now for the american standard quality was spot on.
To me the american standard or deluxe are the ones to buy for the little extra cash get the standard if you think by saving a few bucks and the specials will be as good as a standard you might be surprised.
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.Of all the Fender guitars I have owned over the years (at least 2 dozen or more), this is the best, Tele or Strat. The price is what got me to look and ultimate buy, but the quality and tone is what keeps me playing it. If you are looking for a quality Tele, American or not, definitely check this out.
This guitar has all the twang and spank one would expect from an American Telecaster.
I am rating high on Quality. I can not get enough of this guitar. The weight is perfect, neck is smooth and fast and the paint is gorgeous. Yeah, the paint! I bought the white (really a cream color). I can see the "orange peel" dimples in the paint. It looks amazing.
The "Special" line is an awesome value. In the case of the Tele, the bridge and hard shell case are sacrificed to keep the cost down. I love the brass bridge though. There is no comparison between this Tele and my Road Worn Strat. The RW Strat is cool, but this is a much nicer instrument and at the same price. This is no-nonsense, quality guitar.
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.This is a wonderful guitar.
I am not a professional player, but I have been playing for almost thirty years and over the last few years I have been getting more serious about playing and have acquired a number of nice guitars to which I can compare the American Special Telecaster (AST).
The AST has great pickups. When I plug it in after playing my 2005 American Deluxe Stratocaster, it is noticably louder. While it doesn't have the tonal range of the Stratocaster, the Greasebucket tone does allow for quite a bit of variety. It has the same level of volume and bite as the pickups on my 2010 Traditional Plus Les Paul, which is also louder than the Stratocaster, although has the distictly crunchier and fatter Gibson sound than the AST's twanginess. To my ear, the harmonics (squeal-ability) on the AST fall between the Les Paul and the Stratocaster.
The bridge on the AST intonated perfectly out of the box and the action was low, whereas on my Stratocaster it took considerable time and effort to get the individual saddles set up (but once I did, it was dead-on and has stayed that way). On the AST, I lowered the saddles slightly and tightened the truss rod a half turn, and that was it.
The AST feels solid. The finish is as good as on my Stratocaster (which chips if you smack it), but obviously not as nice as on the Plus top Les Paul. The hardware is all very nice. Nothing on the guitar looks or feels "budget model". I find myself reaching for the AST more than the Stratocaster or the Les Paul, which both cost over twice as much. By comparison, my Gibson Melody Maker - although it plays nicely and also came set up well - looks and feels like a much cheaper guitar, even though it doesn't cost much less than the AST.
Fantastic value. I can't think of a better American-made guitar out there in the price range. Fender may have one-upped some of its more expensive models with this guitar. I'm no investment advisor, but I'd encourage you to buy one before they discontinue it or raise the price!
Lastly, The 2011 AST has a '60 Years - Telecaster - 1951-2011' neck plate, which adds to its cool factor.
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.Let me start by saying that product preferences are entirely subjective and each player should find what plays, sounds, and looks the best for them. Quality varies greatly but (in most but NOT all cases) the old rule stands that you get what you pay for. This is not a top-of-the-line custom shop guitar by any stretch...that much should be obvious from the price but it's a very decent guitar at a very decent price. In my personal estimation it's a good value. I have owned Gibson, Ibanez, and Ernie Ball Music Man guitars for about 30 years. I have always wanted to find a Fender guitar that I could get along with. It's been a hard search. I finally walked into a major retailer about a month ago and started playing this Telecaster and it's Stratocaster brother. I was quickly impressed by the feel of the neck and the jumbo frets. I also like the overall sound I get from the pickups. I have always wanted that distinctive Fender tone in my collection and now I finally feel satisfied with the playability and tone of this guitar. At the promotional price it's been a great value and to date I have absolutely no regrets. I've played it live at gigs and get many compliments on its tone. I have really enjoyed this guitar.
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.I received the Fender Special Tele from my wife for my 50th Birthday in March 2010! Great guitar! Love each of the three pick up settings, and whether I have it clean or over-driven through my Fender Blues Jr. The maple neck plays great as well! This is a very good quality guitar at a great price. I did upgrade to a Fender SKB hard shell case...which is worth it to keep it safe when out and about.I have the Olympic White and with the maple neck it is gorgeous!Thank you Fender!
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.I got this guitar from my family for my 60th B Day,,,I have had 2 tele's before this,,I am a Fender man who has played mostly Strats for the past 35 yrs,,,I love this guitar,,sounds fantastic an the controls are very responsive,,not like some that you dont want to use,,the guitar plays super easy,,I love the jumbo frets,,,I played it all night at the gig last weekend and never plugged in a Strat,,which is way out of line for me,sweet sounds,,love the Texas Specials pickups,,they have a great sounding top end,,real sweet,,no ice pick stuff on the ears,,,,I am way happy with this guitar,,,I have been playing over 45 yrs
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.Overall I have so much praise for this guitar I cant even put it into words... check it out for yourself
Everyone is saying "its just a tele," but that doesn't mean its not special. The pickups sound great, especially the neck pickup. The jumbo frets make playing very easy and smooth. Just an amazingly designed guitar
It's American made... nuff said
Great value, I love this guitar
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.I have owned this guitar for about 6 months now, and it is amazing! It sounds great, the intonation is great, but the action is just a little low when it is first bought (as with every other guitar) and has fret buzz. Nothing that a nice set up can't fix! The pick ups sound great for jazz, blues, rock, etc anything except metal.
Fender American Special Telecaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde Maple
.