New Fesley Telecaster Is Stupid Good! This Company Has been Listening To Us!!

[@RRRRRRandy]

Hoping that companies like Fesley, Firefly, Harley Benton and others will knock some sense into Gibson & Fender. I had a 1963 Gibson SG with P90's, loved it, and today couldn't even think about buying a new one. Great video! Can't wait for the upgrade.

[@MisterJWJ71]

Gibson and Fender don't give a rat's ass because there are enough "cork sniffers" that will buy over priced guitars based on outdated reputations

[@comfortablynumb9342]

​@@MisterJWJ71they'll change IF videos like this one start really hurting their bottom lines. I don't think Gibson can afford to lose any more customers, and Fender is probably the same but I don't know. I heard Gibson had trouble with sales.

[@muddyexport5639]

Thanks for yet another. If you do crank it up with Miss Kathy’s pots, push/pulls, please show the process and results. TUA

[@Roy_Gaber]

Nice guitar! Fesley seems to listen, they knocked it out of the park for such an inexpensive guitar, the big names should do likewise. Thanks for an excellent video/demo. We appreciate you and Cathy for all you do. Looking forward to the modded version video of this Fesley.

[@MakatiMike]

During covid i restored. Cheep guitars i picked up on FB market place. My pride and joy was the one I named the T54. 54 tone combinations. I started with a strat body, put in a 5 way super switch. The pickup were split single coil. I put a 3 way switch on each of the three pickups. Front, both, middle on all three. Then the super switch allowed the neck, bridge and middle, all three middle and bridge or just bridge. Re-fretted it, leveled the neck. Metal tape in the pickup sockets. It is awesome. Every tone combo works. It is crazy. A strat that can sound like ANY guitar and i mean any guitar without the need for special effects or pedals. Let me know if you are interested, i can shoot you some pictures and show you under the pick guard.

[@craigpimlott204]

That neck is spot on ..I’ve just bought a new Fender Strat neck for Rory Gallagher strat build .and it’s got six high frets ..had to knock three down to the fret board after they were around 6 thou lifted …needs a complete fret level job .just because it’s got a big name on it don’t mean it’s any better than a non known name .I think the Big two are now just living off the past greatness ..

[@T-Lesk]

Another banger boss!! Thanks for the content always love tuning in!

[@mdshack6371]

Sean, you 're gonna be the new Dan Erlewine. Bro! A great sense of humor, fearless attitude, supreme inventiveness, always looking for a better, to beat your own best. A craftsman putting every scarred guitar to the test Rock on! Those Cathy pickups Rock! Mark Dorshak

[@MrElempjr]

I’m excited about the Fesley kit I got for my daughter to open on Christmas. She wanted the Strat style and she wanted us to build it, together. THAT Fesley you have there is absolutely gorgeous!

[@stevedavis9891]

I appreciate your honest opinion. Your podcast has given me a wealth of knowledge, like how to troubleshoot my own guitars. I wished I would had found your channel a few months ago, I would have definitely looked at other options.

[@Brykk]

I bought a fesley tele kit and got an email from liam at fesley 2 days later. Weve had a couple of good conversations since. He even saw to it that the amazon ad was updated with a couple of my suggestions. They gave me nothing. And i will say the kit is even better than i ever expected. All of the big guitar companies had better get it together or the smaller guys like this will put them out of business. I bought the kit for just the body and neck ($120) and this is one of the best necks ive ever gotten on a guitar. Period. Their techwood fretboard is extremely impressive. I had to spot level small spots on 2 frets, but that was it.

[@pwi9161]

Sean tell fesley they need to put foil or paint shielding in the pockets, sweet tele❤

[@davidmarkham4391]

This is good information to know! I set up a custom shop Eric Johnson and it needed a shim and whole lot of stuff needed. I had at the same time a $50 Squier that needed nothing more than new pickups

[@mikeg6666]

I'm getting the Fesley diy strat kit for Christmas and looking forward to building it , I've already ordered upgrades for it so I'll be ready to go. Hopefully the body and neck will be good 🤞

[@kennyh5083]

Man this tele is awesome! Way ta go Fesley, You ROCK!

[@zolar55]

Sean,I always enjoy your videos……..still playing the purple people eater every day…..I thank you and Cathy again……Merry Christmas!

[@mrcapnbig]

I bought some of cathy’s humbucker pickups for my fesley LP style kit. Im excited to hear the sound difference. I’ll try to do a before and after video once they arrive.

[@scarmyguitar]

That’s awesome, looking forward to seeing your video!

[@Killionboy]

Wilkinson has some great alnico pickups for telecasters. I’ve used them in 3 builds, they should use those instead of the ceramics. They sound great.

[@retiredwonk]

Great & honest review. At 18:45 where you talk about putting new pickups, orange drop, etc......when would the stock pickups be good enough? I now do only recording into GarageBand and I just don't notice the difference in pickups like I think I would in a live playing situation. Then again I'm old and don't hear a lot over 5k, so it could be that.

[@vonzoomtunes9847]

Man, I’m a sucker for a blue tele with a rosewood fretboard….this Fesley is a nice looking guitar

[@kennyh5083]

Very Impressive! Fesley's on their way to greatness!

[@MashaT22]

I recently saw a video from a dude who lives up in Canada. He reviewed a Fesley Tele - same model. Anyway, Fesley apparently started sending our beloved Elecratic guitar boxes with all the flowery poetry about music up to our fellow Canadian neighbors! 🤣🤣🤣 Now that I know Fesley’s marketing team is still shipping guitars elsewhere in the world, I kind of miss seeing guitars getting unboxed from those hilarious boxes! I’m glad they ditched all the Fesley branding all over their guitars cause nobody wants to see branding like 14 times on a guitar we are playing. However, the boxes were endearing with the poor grammar/spelling and silly poems. Now I’m slightly sore and jealous knowing those boxes are going to Canada. 🤣🤣🤣 Kudos to Fesley for sending you a guitar sample to check out after your really honest review. More companies need to be more receptive to honest feedback. It’s not meant to tear a brand down - instead, constructive feedback is meant to help a company improve its products so customers will keep coming back to buy more guitars that they’re proud to play and enjoy! We should all thank Fesley for being so awesome about hearing all the issues with that black LP. Fesley ended up fixing all the problems that Sean and other guys showed with that particular model. I hope Fesley will keep sending this channel more guitars, kits, and other gears to check out. Other brands, take note and do the same thing. Don’t be scared of constructive criticism - we want to help make guitars and gear better, and we can’t do it unless you consistently support honest review channels! This is a really nice Tele. The branded parts are amazing. Don’t know how they are managing to make money with all these branded parts, but please keep that up - it makes for a better quality guitar at an affordable price. All the big brands (Fender/Squier, Gibson/Epiphone, PRS SE, Ibanez, etc.) need to really re-think their pricing, QC, their guitar designs and parts, and how they do business overall because these foreign companies like Fesley are turning up the heat in a major way! And soon, Scarred Guitars is going to do the very same thing very affordably right within the US of A! This $300 guitar stomps the $1200 Fender - and you’re right about the electronics and pickups being better in the Fender, but I suspect that these import brands will find a way to meet and exceed that as well within the same affordable price bracket. If they are finding ways to afford better branded parts, and the overall playability and quality is as good as it’s become, it won’t be long before we start seeing much better pots and pickups too.

[@patolson4119]

Just got the same one a few days ago. Totally blown away 🎉

[@cadebrown2092]

Thanks for posting videos like this man!

[@robf.7404]

Seems to be on sale for 309.99. The tele kit went up to 149.99. Still worth it. Edit: "Features a quartersawn maple neck and rosewood fingerboard" (do you even get this on a Fender before the Player II price point? I don't know.) Nice! I love the color.

[@TimRock1269]

I cant wait to see the mod video. It will help me put that dual rail push pull in my Affinity. If they made these when I bought my Squire Affinity, I'd have gotten that guitar instead. It's a better quality for only a few more dollars. It's even got better tuners than my Squier Carbonita semi hollow tele at a $499 retail. I paid about the same as the Fesley new for the used Carbonita.

[@SoMoMule]

I bought the Strat version of this guitar, the FST1000. You should give it a try. I've owned American and MEX Strats and this thing kicks ass. Good to see an old blacksmith really digging into these guitars. Great Channel.

[@brianphelps1183]

Great video Sean. Can’t wait for the upgrades.

[@davidschultz5209]

Beautifully put together, and worth 800 plus, morr if electronics upgraded.

[@TimTodd-o7z]

Hey Sean and Kathy, great work and thank you for all the honest reviews. Can't wait to see the upgrade video too. MC form the TT and a Happy New Years too. Love your show bro !!!!!!!

[@scarmyguitar]

Appreciate it man, Happy New Year to you as well!

[@edwardbrown4455]

Great video. I agree with many of the other’s comments. Seems like these companies are improving a lot on their builds. Definitely have caught up with Gibson and Fender. Way ahead on pricing! Hi Cathy! Merry Christmas to y’all from Texas!

[@doknox]

If its not elecratric...I dont want it!🤣 I gotta admit I'm pretty obsessed with modding as of late and seen a 2 piece band with a bass/guitar deal. You basically build a single pole pickup for the low E string and wire it to a separate output so you can pitch shift down an octave and sort of have bass and guitar at the same time. Kind of a remedial approach to not having a bass player but I've done it on a couple guitars and is actually pretty cool, especially if you wanna jam and dont have a bass player. But yea, I'm trying to put treble bleeds, coil splits, phase switches, and bass pickups in all my guitars. Scarred beyond help!

[@andysales3935]

Love the videos and keep up the good work ! Merry Christmas from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿!

[@johny3barr]

Merry Christmas Sean, Cathy, & The Entire Scarred Family !!!

[@Dlokey4315]

Oh and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all there and here people. ✌️💛🙏

[@TimothyNichols-u1z]

I wouldn't mind having one in green or charcoal gray.awesome guitar

[@jamieremus277]

Thanks for sharing man. Looks like you’re feeling better, that’s great. 😀🇨🇦

[@TeeFetch]

was admiring bald shredder's fesely tele like that

[@WingHouseCup]

Got to say those Wilkinson parts are a nice touch. Fesley is moving up in world. Def interested in seeing what you do with the electronics later on.

[@timothypotter2137]

Your lovely wife has elegantly working and moving hands. She's a keeper!

[@irondoger]

Those new strings made a huge difference

[@markturner5996]

Sweet- for the price? FANTASTIC! Merry Christmas Sean & Cathy!@

[@ChadwickRider]

SUPER excited for the new kits. Definitely buying one, don't believe me just watch :)

[@FesleyMusic]

Thank you for your creations! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!🥰🎄

[@scarmyguitar]

Appreciate that! Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@guy-ux7wg]

Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄

[@TimRock1269]

I've got some ideas for that one, for sure! Fesley is bringing it. You should check out their LP next. That thing is sweet

[@MrTakeone51]

That blue is nice, wish they had a green too 😅

[@Lamster66]

I made my own tele custom as I always wanted a 72.(can't say I built it because I bought an unfinished swamp ash body and a flamed maple neck) wired it up les paul style with Alnico5 humbuckers 4 push pull pots for split parallel, series, and out of phase wiring. And 3 way selector. It cost me about £250 with the rest of the hardware and there was still lots of work to do. $300ish for something like that Fesley is a no brainer

[@WhiskerBiscuit1]

You're my new favorite guitar guy on KZbin, now. You from the South, brother? Mississippi over here!

[@scarmyguitar]

Yep, born and raised in the South.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

​@@scarmyguitarI can't believe anyone asked 😂 And I have nothing against a southern accent, I grew up in Florida.

[@GreenpointRemembers]

I love them fizzle fazzle guitars, I got the one where you screw together yourself and it’s just plain wood, it’s killer. 🔥🔥🔥

[@Incaensio]

Big improvement on this one versus past models

[@joemanuel5053]

i bought the fesley Les Paul guitar and it is really a great sounding guitar and is very easy to play i like the feel of it better than my other lp style guitars

[@johnlarson4254]

Sounds awesome. I’m getting a gently used early 2000s Jackson guitar tomorrow with the Seymour Duncan destroyers. So I’m gonna be back to jamming once and for all dude. I’m so excited

[@travissmith2211]

Speaking of pawn shop finds, I just ran across an Ibanez partscaster. A type s body and a jem neck. A couple of things are scaring me away from it currently. Someone put a tele neck pickup in the middle position and the action is crazy low at the first fret. It's about cheap enough given the parts it has, but I already have an Ibanez partscaster project that I'm working on.

[@jukebox5308]

Giggidy that’s nice and Wow when you plugged it in you’re amp came alive

[@robf.7404]

Yeah Sean and Kathy, mod it up!

[@davidmolina3520]

Wow ! .. Thanks for the honest review 👍😃🎄

[@rivalx7137]

I'm glad they sent you this guitar, maybe they want to learn from their mistakes?

[@rivalx7137]

and merry Christmas to you and yours!

[@scarmyguitar]

I have been very impressed with what they have done recently.

[@jeffrowlette]

I would try tapping that one high fret with a mallet to make sure it was fully seated first..... But that's just me...what do I know....

[@davidkastin4240]

That's how I would first do it too, but that's not how Sean rolls. ✌️

[@alsantangelo]

I was curious about those tuners, never saw them before. Grover site says the G2 are an "entry level, economy line of machine heads developed primarily for the Chinese domestic market and are not intended for aftermarket sales." Didn't see any info on how exactly they differ from the "signature models," other than that they're not covered under Grover's lifetime guarantee, so I would be interested in how they work out.

[@Incaensio]

For sure worth the price. Fender would charge 1500

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

no they won't charge 1500 you can get a good fender entry for like 500 to 600 range .

[@johnlarson4254]

I don’t like the headstock but I think it sounds good. You could play so many good songs on it. Very universal I’d think in even a beginner’s range

[@clinshane8894]

My $139 “squire sonic strat“ hard tail with single humbucker. I’m happy with it . Simple design. That’s about as cheap as I could get over Black Friday . But this feasly looks nice 👍

[@JCapz1]

Just got a Fesley strategy and love it.

[@scottrandal3219]

Always look forward to the vids guys

[@ChadSloop]

Best guitar channel on YT!!!

[@MrCarlos1335]

WELL DONE,GOOD JOB

[@waynewhiteside]

I would pay 500 to 750 dollars for that guitar. It's beautiful.

[@peterbrokas8801]

The mseries Wilkinson ceramic or alnico sure great for any money

[@radman1102]

Saddles are from the American series and up. Plate is seriously tele

[@ChadSloop]

I don't see the blue on Amazon

[@fester8516]

Wow, that looks like a great guitar for the money. I always wonder, though, when a company sends a guitar that they believe will be reviewed... do they hi-grade and select a stellar sample?

[@harrykelley7131]

You rock brother, love the facts.

[@DIGITZOOZ]

No mercy, nice review....wow Tele sound .

[@TURBOCAST]

Love that tele!!! 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@mikestroud9969]

Good job buddy and the Wifey Take care Amen ❤️🙏🇺🇲💯👊

[@michaelmetal71]

brands like this are killing it right now,back when i was a teenager in the mid 80’s $300 would get you a piece of plywood with strings on it beginner guitars 🎸 have come a long way since then, i wish brands like Harley Benton were around in 1984 when i started playing,back then you had to spend $800 or more (which was a lot of money back then at least to my stupid parents it was) to get a good playing instrument now there are tons of great guitars for around the $300-$500 range kids today have it good

[@3cardmonty602]

Donner is selling a Thinline dual humbucker string through poplar body on Walmart for $89.99

[@comfortablynumb9342]

If I was looking for a Teleshapester (yeah you can use that, I just made it up 😂) I would buy one of those. Looks like it was put together right. I'd like to get a new guitar but I'm more of a Strat guy and I want a wammy bar. I'd rather send my guitar to you for new frets and maybe tuners. It's about 38 years old and it's a little worn.

[@u2cantsee]

One sweet telly bro

[@griffith1225]

Fesley has stepped their game seriously. If it was a Fender it would probably be $1,000 to 1500. The equipment on it and all with the name, screw the names anymore. I'd say at least $700 for the quality. Sick of the name game if they can't stack up with the cheap name brand.

[@scottsj4625]

Looks and sounds really decent.

[@patrickbryant-cn9cy]

I think fender has a metallic lake placid blue one similar. This one looks better with the roasted neck instead of bright headstock.

[@kennyh5083]

Hey Sean, FESLEY also has guitar kits, and how'bout grabbing a kit from them and built it and tell all about the quality of their kits! (specifically their tele kit) ???

[@scarmyguitar]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZzFfmNoeZaqbNU&t

[@robraaiii]

I thought that it was a darker wood around the hole for the truss rod. Is it plastic? I gotta check my guitars 🤔🤷‍♂️

[@ottovonnekpunch1268]

Sean and Cathy; Thank you, for sharing the awesome review of this Fesley Tele! The overall fit and finish punches WAY above their asking price! Maybe it's just my heathen ears, but the PUPs sound a little "dark and wooly" to me! This axe should DEFINITELY come alive with classic Tele "sparkle" with Cathy's pickups and your custom wiring treatment! I can't wait for the updated VOD on this Fesley! Peace and Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

[@Dlokey4315]

Nice looking and a gift bundle too? 🎉 I'm not a Tele person but ..... Maybe

[@Incaensio]

Killer neck, nice paint. Good bones

[@holyfreak86]

Love the color!

[@jhnstn1]

Terry Kath would reverse the switch/volume plate on his Telecasters, why? Personal preference I'm sure but would that maybe make it easier to play? I've never heard a good explanation for this.

[@markmiwurdz2248]

@jhnstn1. I have read of a few reasons why some Tele players reverse the switch/ volume panel. One player said that when the switch was in the bridge position, you could accidentally move it forward to the middle setting while reaching for the control knob. Another player said that when the switch was in the neck position, he could not get his chubby fingers around the front control knob (maybe he liked to use that control knob to create a “bowing” effect). You can buy a replacement control plate with the switch mounting at an angle to overcome this “fat finger” problem and keep the classic look of your Telecaster. Plus while strumming, it was easy to “clip” the head of the switch and move it out of position. I can only guess that the “positions” on the switch are firm when new, but with wear and tear, they will become sloppy - depending on the quality of the switch. Stay safe and well. PS I do not play the electric guitar, so this is info’ is from an observer.

[@JayLarusta]

You can make an effect by twisting the volume up and down while playing with them flipped, believe Prince did this amongst others.

[@PhillipBasinger]

Nice guitar.I would love to play the guy.

[@unk-tu-amunthelastpharaoh553]

Nice Tele there Sounds good too...

[@morgan79347]

Nice looking & sounding.

[@unclebarky7928]

The pickups sound just a bit dark with the ceramic magnets. I wonder what a 500k volume pot would do in that.

[@soulagent79]

Not so sure about this. You can get a similar spec'd Harley Benton with alnico pickups for under 200 bucks.

[@Guitarcat11]

But not in the usa😢

[@jeffmiller2849]

Harley Benton Reverb store​@@Guitarcat11

[@htom6466]

Happy holidays

[@metalhead7181]

That is a nice guitar. I never owned a Telecaster yet. But I got my 👀 s on that one. Lol

[@royw.5739]

Hey Sean. I want to send you the Pegasus firefly guitar. I… and everyone else would love to see and get your honest opinion on this piece. I love your show brother. These guitars are very hard o come by and I think it would do great for one of your shows. Love and Kathy. What do ya say?

[@paint3d]

Did they put their name on the sanding pad?

[@AvroBellow]

Great video as always Sean, and I promise to not touch your scarred guitar! 😉 You know, this may be a hot take but I've never been a fan of the Telecaster. It's not because I think that it's a bad guitar, far from it. I have tonnes of respect for the Tele and what it can do, I honestly just never liked how it looks (I tried to, believe me, I tried to). It strikes me as bland-looking and boring, maybe because, like you, I love me a good ol' Strat! i mean no offence to all the fine Tele owners out there, I know that the Tele is the most versatile elecky on Earth. There is one Tele-style guitar that I am interested in though, (the Thinline) and I have one on order. I think that the F-hole adds a serious touch of elegance and I've always liked the sound of semi-hollow guitars. In fact, my grail guitar is one that you'd love Sean, I guarantee it! It's called the Godin Montreal Premiere LTD in Desert Blue with a Bigsby. If you look that up, you'll fall in love with that girl instantly. Don't let Kathy catch you droolin' over her now or you might get a Les Paul upside the head! 😉 I just ordered two guitars from Donner, a Sunburst Les Paul and a Sunburst Thinline Tele. I've never been a fan of the Telecaster because I don't like how it looks. I do understand and respect how great a guitar it is though. The Thinline Tele however is a lot more interesting than a standard Tele because it's a semi-hollow with a pretty F-hole. The fact that they were $176CAD(~$123USD) and $168CAD(~$117USD) respectively made it all the easier to do. We don't get the same great deals in Canada that you get in the States so when a guitar costs less than $200 and comes with a strap, padded gig bag, lead cable and free online lessons, I jump on it because they're so rare here. Our dollar is weak as all hell and we just don't import anywhere close to the volume that the USA does so... we're screwed that way. If the guitars aren't any good, I'll just send 'em back (one of Amazon's real advantages). When I say "not good" I mean the necks. If the necks aren't warped, have no fret sprout and the frets are even, I'll keep 'em. If they're not, hell no. I don't need another Gibson Maestro SG headache. At least I only bought that piece of garbage to hang on my wall. The neck will always be the aspect that makes or breaks a budget guitar because most of us don't have the workspace, equipment and amazing skill that you have. There are things that I can't do AT ALL that you can do in less than twenty minutes and the problem with budget guitars is that it's NEVER worth it to have costly repairs done to them. BTW, if you ever want an SG to work on for one of your videos, just give the word and I'll send it to you. I fully expect you to laugh at it though. 🤣

[@slo5283]

hey; the "LH" was false advertising, Man