Fender American Performer Telecaster SH

This is my favorite of all my guitars. I wasn't looking for it, I saw it on the wall while browsing at our local Guitar Center and was attracted to the pickup configuration (ala Keef!) as well as the vintage color. Once I played it I knew I was going to buy it. But the clincher was the fact that they had the price mismarked on the tag. It was marked $50 less than what I knew to be the retail price. Well, that was like a message from heaven to me so how could I not take it home! (Full disclosure: they wouldn't honor the price as marked but I bought it anyway)

Here's the hype:

An American-made Tele at an unbeatable price — that’s exactly what you get with the Fender American Performer Telecaster. Experience balanced tone and extreme comfort, courtesy of a lightweight alder body, maple modern C-shaped neck, and easy-playing 9.5"-radius maple fingerboard. Heat things up with an awe-inspiring combination of vintage-tinged sonics and modern output, thanks to a Yosemite single-coil bridge pickup and DoubleTap neck humbucker. On top of that, a push-pull coil tap accesses a whole universe of tonal textures, while Fender’s Greasebucket tone control keeps things from getting muddy. The American Performer Tele includes ClassicGear tuners for rock-solid intonation.

While the Fender American Performer Telecaster is teeming with vintage-tinged tone, its modern output and wiring give it a sound all its own. This Tele’s Yosemite single-coil bridge pickup features flat-staggered pole pieces, yielding a vintage tonal balance and amp-brutalizing punch. Beyond that, its DoubleTap neck humbucker is loaded with Alnico V magnets for a solid, aggressive sound. There’s plenty of tone shaping onboard, with a master tone knob, tone control with push-pull coil tap, and a 3-way pickup selector switch.

Fender has fitted their American Performer Telecaster with their Greasebucket tone control, which rolls off highs without adding bass or affecting your volume. This is seriously cool, because it gives you explicit control over your tone onstage without your having to compensate for volume loss — making the American Performer Tele a serious tone machine.

• American-made Telecaster at an unbeatable price
• Alder body yields a balanced tone with equal amounts of lows, mids, and highs
• Maple modern “C” neck supplies comfortable playability
• Easy-playing 9.5"-radius maple fingerboard with jumbo frets
• Yosemite single-coil bridge pickup yields a vintage tonal balance and amp-brutalizing punch
• DoubleTap neck humbucker serves up a solid, aggressive sound
• Greasebucket tone control rolls off highs without adding bass or affecting your volume
• Push-pull coil tap gives you access to a whole universe of tones
• 3-saddle Telecaster string-through bridge provides enhanced sustain
• ClassicGear tuners ensure rock-solid intonation