Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar Review (Hands-On & In-Depth)

Fender American Original '60s Telecaster Thinline guitarist

This Fender American 60s Telecaster review looks at the iconic Fender Telecaster 60s Thinline model. This instrument offers you a lot and is an exceptional buy for today’s players.

You’ll spend quite a bit on this Telecaster, but the price you pay will be worth it. This guitar is the ideal choice for the intermediate or professional guitar player that wants a high-quality guitar.

Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar

If you like what you see in this Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar review, you can order the Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar on Amazon.

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I’ve played guitar for many years and always come back to the Fender lineup. Their guitars are essentially the same designs as the originals, only with modern upgrades. The 60s Thinline Telecaster offers you a lot from a guitar.

Fender American 60s Telecaster Review: About the Fender American 60s Telecaster

The Fender American 60s Thinline Telecaster is a semi-hollow guitar with an f-hole. This gives you the ability to get both acoustic and electric tones out of the guitar. You have a wide range of sound options available to you.

Fender American Original '60s Telecaster Thinline review

This review is for the semi-hollow Thinline version, as there’s a solid body version of this Telecaster available as well if you want a more traditional Telecaster tone.

Body

The body of the guitar is made with ash, which has an excellent tone. You get the same familiar Telecaster body with a top f-hole, which makes the guitar semi-hollow and not a solid body like a regular Telecaster is.

The addition of the f-hole changes the tone a great deal and gives the guitar a nice punchy sound for chords and soloing. It’s the right guitar for blues, country, early rock, jazz, and similar styles.

The body’s finish is gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, which looks great and is long-lasting. The finish will last without much wear if you look after the instrument.

Neck

The guitar has a solid maple neck and a maple fretboard. It’s got a 25.5″ scale length, 9.5″ fretboard radius, and 21 vintage tall frets. It’s a standard Fender bolt-on with regular machine heads. The neck shape is a 60s oval C.

Pickups

It’s got two Tim Shaw-designed single-coil pickups. These pickups have been designed to recreate classic Fender Telecaster tones.

Other Parts

This Telecaster has a standard pickguard, one tone and one volume control, a pickup selector switch, and a cable input jack, along with two strap buttons.

The control configuration is slightly different on the Thinline 60s Telecaster, as the controls are built into the pickguard and not on a metal plate like a regular Telecaster. This gives the guitar controls a bit of a “Strat” feel.

Bridge

The guitar has a standard Fender Telecaster 3-saddle vintage bridge for good tuning stability and simple string changes.

Pros & Cons

Pros:
✅ Great pickups
✅ Versatile guitar
✅ Good neck
✅ Hardshell case
Cons:
❌ Expensive
❌ Some may not like the tone

Fender American 60s Telecaster Review: My Experience with the Fender American 60s Telecaster

Working in a music store has its advantages, as you get to check out guitars such as the Fender American 60s Thinline Telecaster. This is a guitar you’ll want to play time and time again.

Order the Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar

If you like what you see in this Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar review, you can order the Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar on Amazon.

SEE PRICE ON AMAZON

Since it’s semi-hollow, the guitar body is lighter than a regular Telecaster. It’s easy to play standing up with a strap or sitting down. It’s ideal if you find a regular Fender a bit too heavy for your liking.

Fender American 60s Telecaster Review: The Sound

I like the guitar’s tone, as it has a lot of bass and that classic Fender twang to it. I found it a bit louder than a regular Telecaster, thanks to the f-hole design. It’s suitable for many styles of music like country, blues, and rock.

Fender American Original '60s Telecaster Thinline

The Tim Shaw single-coil pickups don’t pick up a lot of feedback, so you can dial in a little bit more distortion if you prefer, and you shouldn’t have a problem. They sound great, both clean and with overdrive.

Experiment with the guitar through different amplifier settings to get the best tone. Don’t turn everything to ten and expect to get a nice sound. It’s a good idea to dial back the settings, as you’ll get a better tone out of your instrument.

See More: Best Electric Guitars Under $1000 Buyer’s Guide

The Neck

The neck is a mid 60s oval C-shaped neck. This is a neck like the 60s Telecaster, so it might feel a bit different to you. It’s quite comfortable for chords and solos, but you may find a bit of a learning curve with it.

The neck is a bit bigger than the modern C-shaped neck. The whole point of this guitar is to recreate a 60s Telecaster, so the parts are like those you find on older guitars. It comes down to personal preference in terms of neck shape.

Hardware

The tone and volume control as well as the selector switch is on the pickguard. The location may feel weird to you if you’re a regular Telecaster player. It won’t take much time to get used to, however. It’s not a big deal.

The bridge is a Tele standard, so nothing is different there. The tuning machines are die-cast chrome, and the guitar doesn’t suffer from tuning issues.

Setup

Your guitar should be playable right out of the box. You can benefit from a professional setup. This would include setting the intonation, the pickup height, and the string action to where you like it.

Of course, you can do all this if you have the skill, but a professional setup can make your guitar play a little bit better. You should also put fresh strings on a new guitar, as it’s probably been sitting in a box and the strings are worn.

Fender American 60s Telecaster Warranty

In this Fender American 60s Telecaster review, I wanted to address the warranty. The store where you purchase the guitar from or Fender can address your concerns about the warranty of your new guitar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s some frequently asked questions that people ask about the Fender American 60s Thinline Telecaster.

Can I Get Regular Telecaster Tones out of This Guitar?

Yes. You’ll be able to get a wide range of tones out of this Telecaster, including vintage tones. The addition of the f-hole allows you to get more sound out of the guitar compared to a regular Telecaster.

If you’re a Fender purist, you might not like all of the sounds that this guitar produces, but the average player will enjoy this Telecaster a great deal. You’ll get a lot more options when you use this instrument.

Should I Buy a 60s Thinline Telecaster?

There’s no reason why you wouldn’t want to buy a 60s Thinline Fender Telecaster. This is an excellent instrument with rich tones, a nice playing neck, and everything you want out of a Telecaster.

Order the Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar

If you like what you see in this Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar review, you can order the Fender American 60s Telecaster Thinline Guitar on Amazon.

SEE PRICE ON AMAZON

The only downside to the guitar is that it costs quite a bit. This isn’t an instrument for people on a limited budget. It is, however, well worth the price tag if you can afford it.

How Can I Make My Telecaster Sound Better?

The sound you get out of your Telecaster depends upon a few things. You want to ensure that you use a high-quality amplifier with it. It’s also necessary to use new strings, as older strings will dull the tone.

A close up of an fender electric guitar

Some players may not like the sound of the pickups. You can change your sound by putting in higher-quality pickups, although most players will love the sound of the pickups that come with this guitar.

Where to Buy the Fender American 60s Telecaster?

There are several places where you can pick up a Fender American 60s Thinline Telecaster. Here’s what you need to know before you order.

Amazon

Amazon is my preferred location online to pick up musical products. This is because they have a wide selection, fast shipping, good customer service, and you can read reviews before ordering your guitar.

Other Retailers

Two other locations where I like to purchase musical instruments include Sweetwater and Guitar Center. These locations have great customer service, an excellent selection of products, and fast shipping times.

Your Local Store

You can also pick up a Fender American 60s Thinline Telecaster through your local music store. Please note that they might not have the product in stock, so you could have to wait a long time.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this Fender American 60s Thinline Telecaster review. This is an excellent guitar that’s capable of producing a wide range of different tones. It’s one of the better Telecasters from Fender.

Please like, comment, and share this article. We look forward to speaking to you about Fender guitars or guitars in general. Now, put new strings on your Fender Telecaster and start rocking.