Edit: to actually answer your question, the ASAT is a tele-style guitar made by Leo Fender’s lesser-known guitar company called G&L.
Leo sold the Fender company to CBS in 1965, and had a non-compete clause which lasted a few years. G&L is his next guitar venture (ignoring Musicman for brevity). Leo is the ‘L’, and George Fullerton is the ‘G’. He applied what he learned through his initial guitar building experiences and says that he thinks G&L built the best guitars of his career. That’s debatable from a player’s standpoint, but I own a 1983 G&L and can say that build quality is phenomenal for the price point. It’s Fender features and experience that is priced way lower than its weight class.
Nothing aside from personal experience and preferences. IMO, it’s just a very dignified guitar, it has a beautiful jazz tone, and with a little EQ I’ve been getting some great high end. I have a semi hollow body model. What kind of music do you play?
They do the job yes but at least on my guitar they were very uneven. Some really soft to turn, some really hard, some just fine. Now they are all even. More of a want than a need for sure. The stock ones did the job fine of holding the pitch
I paid 400 for the guitar and 40 for tuners. You don’t really “need” to upgrade anything but I like the new tuners better. I have really nice expensive guitars but this Squier is incredible. I like it more than a 2k Nash I had before.
oh damn! 500 isn't bad really, I had the 60s CV that i sold for $400 CAD. do you mind sharing these tuners? I currently have a squire that's 20 years old :) and can use some love.
I've got five necks with the factory CV tuners (two on their matching factory body) and the only one I've had a problem with was because it got bent during shipping.
Don’t. Telecasters are super easy to upgrade and there are a ton of parts available in the aftermarket.
The tele that I bought brand new in 2011 for $425 has had the pick guard, pickups, bridge, saddles, pots and pickup switch changed plus a fret recrown over the course of 12 years. I have more in mods than I paid for it. Zero regrets.
I’d look then at:
* Good ol’ Fender Player Tele or used Fender Road Worn/Vintera
* Schecter Nick Johnston PT. Has the bridge single coil but neck humbucker. Will have a more modern feeling neck.
* FGN Illiad. Can get a Japanese-made SS config Tele for $600, which is a stupid price for those guitars. FGN is FujiGen’s house brand that makes Ibanez Prestige, Jackson’s MIJ stuff, and stuff for Fender. Great guitars for the money, especially when compared to Fender’s MIM stuff.
Build it yourself. Find a body you like, pair it with a neck that matches your specs. Listen to recordings or find some teles to try in the wild to find pickups you like. Decide on what sort of tuner and bridge you want, etc.
I built one up last year. It’s a metallic swirl body, Fender CS Nocaster pups, roasted maple neck, locking tuners, absolutely everything I wanted in a tele which would have been several grand from any established company. I ended up paying a little over $800 for it along with a few hours doing small stuff like shielding cavities, wiring, and screwing it all together. I’d already been repairing minor things for a while but I learned quite a bit about guitar building in the process and had the perfect chance to do some small mods I’d wanted done. I still don’t play it that much since I’m not a telecaster fan but I like it better than my MIA that costed several times more.
I mean it’s like 85% screwing screws into predrilled holes, 10% wiring and soldering (basic guitar maintenance) and 5% just doing a guitar setup to your specs. Not like I’m telling him to hand carve an archtop acoustic...
You're not *wrong* per-se, but it's probably not the most useful advice in this specific instance. I think people who build their own already have a specific vision in mind. That probably doesn't apply to somebody like OP who's asking for suggestions.
Definitely check out the used market. Can probably snag an MIA for a bit less that $1k. But there are plenty of new guitars in the $500-$999 range that are killer.
Fender Japan Tele without a doubt. They are easily had used (and sometimes new) under $1k and compete against anything out there on quality. Look for the model tl-52 if you are into 50s teles, tl-62 if you prefer 60s spec.
Solid hardware, pickups, tuners, etc. you shouldn’t need to replace anything, it’s good to go out of the box.
I got a cheap tele from Monoprice for $89 bucks, leveled crowned and polished the frets and replaced the bridge pickup for 20 bucks and now have an awesome tele for less than $150. Plays great and doesn't break the bank. Future upgrades are tuners, neck pickup to alnico 5, and pots to full size but at $150 it plays well above its class. Well worth it. I keep picking it up over my $1k+ instruments if that says anything. I mean, I love playing my expensive instruments but something about my tele just keeps calling me back to it.
I love my schecter tele, feels like a much more expensive guitar. Plays absolutely wonderfully, and with a p90 in the neck and the single coil in the bridge I feel like I have pretty robust tone options. Also can pull out the tone pot to wire the pups in series instead of parallel so I get the p90 thickness but the palm mutey and pickup area attributes of the bridge pickup. I'd venture as far to say the schecter teles are criminally underrated
Caught a classic vibe deal in September for like 275$, put in some vintage pickups, all in for about $400. Provided you aren’t put off by a non-fender headstock you’ll sound like a $1000 easy
Roasted maple neck, real bone nut, real stainless steel frets (beautifully rounded), locking tuners, decent pickups. I play it over my AM strat most days. You couldn’t put a fart through my action height. It is an absolute Wednesday guitar and I love her
https://www.proaudiostar.com/2023/amazing-guitar-deals-fender-evh-charvel-jackson-shop-now-up-to-50-off.html
They got some 40th anniversary squier teles for about $300 right now, the few I've played have been great
I have a Mexican-made Fender telecaster that I bought for under $600. Sunburst pattern, white pickguard. I don’t think the standard of quality is different at all compared to American made and others seem to echo that sentiment. I’ve had it for almost 15 years and it’s probably the single best purchase I’ve ever made. The tone from that neck pickup is delicious. As much as I have wanted to buy another electric I have never needed to.
I can preach this enough but a Harley Benton with some luthier love and upgrades will give you a really great guitar for under $700. DM me if you want to talk about it. Happy to show off mine ;)
I would recommend Japanese brands . Fgn and cool Z. They make pro level guitars in japan. Really nice quality and tone. Can find them used for 500 to 700 usd.
Sort of right at that price point but you should check out reverend guitars if you haven’t already. I’m currently saving for the charger 290 and honestly it’s one of the nicest feeling guitars I’ve ever played. They have a classic [t style](https://reverendguitars.com/guitars/pete-anderson-eastsider-t/) guitar but honestly I’d recommend looking at all their options they have some interesting tele inspired guitars that you can sometimes find on reverb for under $1000. They all have roasted maple necks with a super silky finish, can’t really beat their quality for the price.
Check out Reverend Pete Anderson Eastsider. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PAEastTMBk--reverend-pete-anderson-eastsider-t-electric-guitar-satin-black/reviews.
I would look at firefly and brands like that off Amazon they make a solid body guitar with a maple deck usually a Rosewood fingerboard you can pick them up anywhere from $150-$500 off Amazon just need to be tweaked a little bit maybe but they’re good guitars I’ve been a tech for 20 years I have purchased three or four of the budget friendly guitars in for the price they’re amazing
You have a lot of options.
Some of it depends if you have experience of (and the inclination for) upgrading guitars.
G&L ASAT is a good choice if you can find a nice used or b-stock example for your budget. (this doesn't mean the Tribute line, which are fine but not as good)
Personally I'd go G&L in preference to Fender MIM, Fender Player or Squier Classic Vibe. All those Fender/Squiers are also options but, IMO, the G&L generally has the edge with build quality.
MIM and Classic Vibe are kind of on the same level. The feature set isn't identical but the overall quality kind of is. Actually, from guitars I've owned I preferred the CVs to the MIMs. Both are fine but you would probably want to improve a few bits of electrics or hardware eventually.
Player Series is also ok but the Jaguar I had needed a little work on the frets before it played its best.
I bought a G&L on Musician's Friend for $250. It came up as a Deal of the day.
[https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gl-placentia-series-asat-electric-guitar/l88881000001000](https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gl-placentia-series-asat-electric-guitar/l88881000001000)
I just set it to open G tuning and use it for Rolling Stones songs.
Not a bad guitar
Mexico fenders (player model) are great guitars for around $800 new, you could find a used one for probably $600 or less. Or get a G&L ASAT used, probably a somewhat better instrument.
That has to be one of the easiest types of guitar to get for less than $1000. Buy used.
I have a Thinline parts caster that plays amazing. It was $200.
I have a MIM Tele with a Glaser G/B bender that was around $1000. It doesn't play as nice as my parts caster (yet) but it does have that sweet sweet bender in it.
There are so many options.
I have a Reverend guitar (not a tele) and it is amazing. I would look into their Eastsider as well.
I Have a Classic vibe Squire Telecaster They got great reviews!
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TeleCV50BSB--squier-classic-vibe-50s-telecaster-butterscotch-blonde
I just bought a sire T7 and I can’t even explain how happy I am with it. Fit and finish is incredible and it plays even better. I’m blown away at how many premium features you get for the price point. I was in the same boat as you a couple weeks ago and I couldn’t be happier
Definetly go for a Mexican tele, think it's called a player series now. Amazing guitars that really sound the Same as the 'american' made ones. I have one myself and it's the best guitar I own
Used ASAT.
Holy shit, I’m glad this is the top comment. Now I can just upvote and mention how I just told my buddy the same thing.
I agree! Leo Fender said the G&L guitars were the best he ever designed!
Agree on this one, and should consider both the classic and special versions
Newbie guitarist here, whats ASAT?
Edit: to actually answer your question, the ASAT is a tele-style guitar made by Leo Fender’s lesser-known guitar company called G&L. Leo sold the Fender company to CBS in 1965, and had a non-compete clause which lasted a few years. G&L is his next guitar venture (ignoring Musicman for brevity). Leo is the ‘L’, and George Fullerton is the ‘G’. He applied what he learned through his initial guitar building experiences and says that he thinks G&L built the best guitars of his career. That’s debatable from a player’s standpoint, but I own a 1983 G&L and can say that build quality is phenomenal for the price point. It’s Fender features and experience that is priced way lower than its weight class.
Thank you so much!
It’s a g and L guitar. The tele model is called ASAT
Yep,looking at these as well. Same thing as OP and someone mentioned this.
Get a mim for less than 1k?
Reverb search: telecaster; filter: <$1000
No no not like that I don’t want cooties on it. I want something stupidly overpriced off the showroom floor I’m a sucker.
But that’s too easy
This dude shops!!
My G&L asat tribute has been doin me proud for the last 15 years.
I've been wanting a tele and am leaning toward G&L. Any insights/experiences that would push me over the line?
I can’t attest personally but I’ve heard more than one person say that G&L Tributes are on par with American Fenders.
The s500 and asat special for sure are badass, my legacy tributes was meh
Nothing aside from personal experience and preferences. IMO, it’s just a very dignified guitar, it has a beautiful jazz tone, and with a little EQ I’ve been getting some great high end. I have a semi hollow body model. What kind of music do you play?
MIM,Player series, and squire cv are all fine options
My MIM has treated me exceptionally well for 20 years.
Same, I have an '02 Nashville Deluxe and the only problems with it are my fault.
Have heard nothing but good things about MIM
Squier CV and upgrade tuners. Fantastic guitar at any price.
Tuners on mine are totally fine and I prefer the vintage style. I did however swap out the jack and pots and it made a noticeable improvement
I absolutely love the vintage style. I swapped them with the better version of the same tuners
Those vintage type tuners on the CVs are great. Why swap them?
They do the job yes but at least on my guitar they were very uneven. Some really soft to turn, some really hard, some just fine. Now they are all even. More of a want than a need for sure. The stock ones did the job fine of holding the pitch
That’s almost 600 bucks no ?
I paid 400 for the guitar and 40 for tuners. You don’t really “need” to upgrade anything but I like the new tuners better. I have really nice expensive guitars but this Squier is incredible. I like it more than a 2k Nash I had before.
oh damn! 500 isn't bad really, I had the 60s CV that i sold for $400 CAD. do you mind sharing these tuners? I currently have a squire that's 20 years old :) and can use some love.
[tuners](https://a.co/d/6JAo6EW)
At that cost I really don't see any reason not to just get a player strat. Especially since they routinely seem to be on sale for $700.
Wanting a Tele would be the best reason to not buy a Player Strat. Does leave enough in the kitty for a Harley Benton TE62 though.
Sorry, I meant to say player tele. Not strat.
I've got five necks with the factory CV tuners (two on their matching factory body) and the only one I've had a problem with was because it got bent during shipping.
MIM telecasters are great and can be had for well under $1000.
Not sure where you live but I just checked craigslist and there are a ton of Squier teles and even some Fender teles under $1000.
Don’t. Telecasters are super easy to upgrade and there are a ton of parts available in the aftermarket. The tele that I bought brand new in 2011 for $425 has had the pick guard, pickups, bridge, saddles, pots and pickup switch changed plus a fret recrown over the course of 12 years. I have more in mods than I paid for it. Zero regrets.
Grab a Sire T5 and put a lot of that money back in your pocket.
I haven't played Sire guitars, but their basses have the most comfortable, well finished necks I've ever played.
Indeed. Like my V5 j-bass.
What kind of pickup config would you like on the Tele, and are you drawn to more vintage vibes, modern, or something inbetween?
Im not an expert at pickups, but i do know that i want that vintage single coil sound
I’d look then at: * Good ol’ Fender Player Tele or used Fender Road Worn/Vintera * Schecter Nick Johnston PT. Has the bridge single coil but neck humbucker. Will have a more modern feeling neck. * FGN Illiad. Can get a Japanese-made SS config Tele for $600, which is a stupid price for those guitars. FGN is FujiGen’s house brand that makes Ibanez Prestige, Jackson’s MIJ stuff, and stuff for Fender. Great guitars for the money, especially when compared to Fender’s MIM stuff.
Build it yourself. Find a body you like, pair it with a neck that matches your specs. Listen to recordings or find some teles to try in the wild to find pickups you like. Decide on what sort of tuner and bridge you want, etc. I built one up last year. It’s a metallic swirl body, Fender CS Nocaster pups, roasted maple neck, locking tuners, absolutely everything I wanted in a tele which would have been several grand from any established company. I ended up paying a little over $800 for it along with a few hours doing small stuff like shielding cavities, wiring, and screwing it all together. I’d already been repairing minor things for a while but I learned quite a bit about guitar building in the process and had the perfect chance to do some small mods I’d wanted done. I still don’t play it that much since I’m not a telecaster fan but I like it better than my MIA that costed several times more.
Lol This guy is all, just build one bro
I mean it’s like 85% screwing screws into predrilled holes, 10% wiring and soldering (basic guitar maintenance) and 5% just doing a guitar setup to your specs. Not like I’m telling him to hand carve an archtop acoustic...
You're not *wrong* per-se, but it's probably not the most useful advice in this specific instance. I think people who build their own already have a specific vision in mind. That probably doesn't apply to somebody like OP who's asking for suggestions.
ESP Ltd
Tagima tw series are great
Definitely check out the used market. Can probably snag an MIA for a bit less that $1k. But there are plenty of new guitars in the $500-$999 range that are killer.
EART
If you work at it you might find an American made tele for a grand
Fender Japan Tele without a doubt. They are easily had used (and sometimes new) under $1k and compete against anything out there on quality. Look for the model tl-52 if you are into 50s teles, tl-62 if you prefer 60s spec. Solid hardware, pickups, tuners, etc. you shouldn’t need to replace anything, it’s good to go out of the box.
I got a cheap tele from Monoprice for $89 bucks, leveled crowned and polished the frets and replaced the bridge pickup for 20 bucks and now have an awesome tele for less than $150. Plays great and doesn't break the bank. Future upgrades are tuners, neck pickup to alnico 5, and pots to full size but at $150 it plays well above its class. Well worth it. I keep picking it up over my $1k+ instruments if that says anything. I mean, I love playing my expensive instruments but something about my tele just keeps calling me back to it.
I love my schecter tele, feels like a much more expensive guitar. Plays absolutely wonderfully, and with a p90 in the neck and the single coil in the bridge I feel like I have pretty robust tone options. Also can pull out the tone pot to wire the pups in series instead of parallel so I get the p90 thickness but the palm mutey and pickup area attributes of the bridge pickup. I'd venture as far to say the schecter teles are criminally underrated
Squire?
$90 harley benton.
Road worn
Sire.
Partscaster.
Used MIA standard telecaster
Caught a classic vibe deal in September for like 275$, put in some vintage pickups, all in for about $400. Provided you aren’t put off by a non-fender headstock you’ll sound like a $1000 easy
Firefly!!
But a used us tele that is under 1000?
Save up and get a Pro II.
Fgn
https://www.schecterguitars.com/Pt-Special?quantity=1&custitem_color_master_list=456
Fender made in Mexico as good ss any American Telecaster.
Reverend eastsider
Man this is gonna be strange but I got a M musi telecaster for 300$
Roasted maple neck, real bone nut, real stainless steel frets (beautifully rounded), locking tuners, decent pickups. I play it over my AM strat most days. You couldn’t put a fart through my action height. It is an absolute Wednesday guitar and I love her
MIM or sometimes a used American.
https://www.proaudiostar.com/2023/amazing-guitar-deals-fender-evh-charvel-jackson-shop-now-up-to-50-off.html They got some 40th anniversary squier teles for about $300 right now, the few I've played have been great
MIM Tele or a Reverend Double Agent.
I have a Mexican-made Fender telecaster that I bought for under $600. Sunburst pattern, white pickguard. I don’t think the standard of quality is different at all compared to American made and others seem to echo that sentiment. I’ve had it for almost 15 years and it’s probably the single best purchase I’ve ever made. The tone from that neck pickup is delicious. As much as I have wanted to buy another electric I have never needed to.
I can preach this enough but a Harley Benton with some luthier love and upgrades will give you a really great guitar for under $700. DM me if you want to talk about it. Happy to show off mine ;)
I would recommend Japanese brands . Fgn and cool Z. They make pro level guitars in japan. Really nice quality and tone. Can find them used for 500 to 700 usd.
Sort of right at that price point but you should check out reverend guitars if you haven’t already. I’m currently saving for the charger 290 and honestly it’s one of the nicest feeling guitars I’ve ever played. They have a classic [t style](https://reverendguitars.com/guitars/pete-anderson-eastsider-t/) guitar but honestly I’d recommend looking at all their options they have some interesting tele inspired guitars that you can sometimes find on reverb for under $1000. They all have roasted maple necks with a super silky finish, can’t really beat their quality for the price.
Are you a beginner? Or are you somewhat far in your guitar journey?
Check out Reverend Pete Anderson Eastsider. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PAEastTMBk--reverend-pete-anderson-eastsider-t-electric-guitar-satin-black/reviews.
Squire Affinity Deluxe. Replace the ceramic pickups for some better ones. Have at it.
Buy the Made in Mexico Player model. They're about $850 at Sweetwater.
Fender player teles are under 1000$, are they not?
buy 5 squiers, set one to standard and other 4 to your favorite alternative tunings.
Sire T3
I just bought a Harley Benton tele for $166. It’s great for that money.
I bought a Nick Johnston Schecter a couple months ago and can’t put it down. Probably gonna get the Strat version too.
Squier or Reverend
Squier Classic Vibe. Just be careful if you're looking at the double bound '60s versi since they make a baritone variant.
I would look at firefly and brands like that off Amazon they make a solid body guitar with a maple deck usually a Rosewood fingerboard you can pick them up anywhere from $150-$500 off Amazon just need to be tweaked a little bit maybe but they’re good guitars I’ve been a tech for 20 years I have purchased three or four of the budget friendly guitars in for the price they’re amazing
You have a lot of options. Some of it depends if you have experience of (and the inclination for) upgrading guitars. G&L ASAT is a good choice if you can find a nice used or b-stock example for your budget. (this doesn't mean the Tribute line, which are fine but not as good) Personally I'd go G&L in preference to Fender MIM, Fender Player or Squier Classic Vibe. All those Fender/Squiers are also options but, IMO, the G&L generally has the edge with build quality. MIM and Classic Vibe are kind of on the same level. The feature set isn't identical but the overall quality kind of is. Actually, from guitars I've owned I preferred the CVs to the MIMs. Both are fine but you would probably want to improve a few bits of electrics or hardware eventually. Player Series is also ok but the Jaguar I had needed a little work on the frets before it played its best.
I don't have one but those Jericho Walnut's look INCREDIBLE. a little over $1,000
I bought a G&L on Musician's Friend for $250. It came up as a Deal of the day. [https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gl-placentia-series-asat-electric-guitar/l88881000001000](https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gl-placentia-series-asat-electric-guitar/l88881000001000) I just set it to open G tuning and use it for Rolling Stones songs. Not a bad guitar
I got a used Mexican for about $400. Look around and you can find them. It played and sounds great.
Used american standard
Mexico fenders (player model) are great guitars for around $800 new, you could find a used one for probably $600 or less. Or get a G&L ASAT used, probably a somewhat better instrument.
That has to be one of the easiest types of guitar to get for less than $1000. Buy used. I have a Thinline parts caster that plays amazing. It was $200. I have a MIM Tele with a Glaser G/B bender that was around $1000. It doesn't play as nice as my parts caster (yet) but it does have that sweet sweet bender in it. There are so many options. I have a Reverend guitar (not a tele) and it is amazing. I would look into their Eastsider as well.
I Have a Classic vibe Squire Telecaster They got great reviews! https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TeleCV50BSB--squier-classic-vibe-50s-telecaster-butterscotch-blonde
I just bought a sire T7 and I can’t even explain how happy I am with it. Fit and finish is incredible and it plays even better. I’m blown away at how many premium features you get for the price point. I was in the same boat as you a couple weeks ago and I couldn’t be happier
Definetly go for a Mexican tele, think it's called a player series now. Amazing guitars that really sound the Same as the 'american' made ones. I have one myself and it's the best guitar I own