Made a few hours north of TME in Burlington, VT, Creston builds each guitar to the customer's specs. Those customers include the likes of Kris Delmhorst, Jaleel Bunton (TV on the Radio), Mark Erelli, Ian Mackay (Fugazi), Jay Farrar (Son Volt), Zack Hickman (Josh Ritter), Henry Kaiser, Michael Millard (Froggy Botton Guitars), and dozens of others. 

Creston Lea's take on the classic Tele takes the best bits of old and new and rolls them into a really resonant, snappy, ultimately inspiring guitar. The "Olive Drab" finish is killer and looks beautiful in person. As a nod to a '59 Tele, utilized by players like Jim Campilongo, this guitar sports a toploader bridge. This typically ups the raw/twang factor and also gives the guitar a slinky feel, though this guitar never gets unwieldy in the twang department (which we like).

Plugged in, we pulled chimey & twangy tones from the Lollar Special / Gold Foil combination. We can't quite put our finger on it, but there's something a touch more refined about this guitar's tones vs other Tele's we've played (a good thing in our book). If you need to cover country tunes on one gig and jazz on the next, this could be the one guitar to take along (vs multiples).

Like all Creston guitars, the build quality is very high and retains the made-by-hand vibe and feel that he's after. The neck is similar to a pre-CBS Fender, though a touch wider/chunkier. A comfortable carve for both lead and chord work. 

It never ceases to amaze us how the classic Tele formula can feel so different from builder to builder. We absolutely love what Creston has done with his T-syle model! Priced with Creston/Levy embroidered gig bag.