If it's been a bit since you last played a Thinline we think you'll be mighty impressed with the ones Fender's Custom Shop is producing these days.

Thinline Telecasters have long been one of our favorite Fender guitars. They're incredibly lightweight, responsive, and fatter / puncher sounding than their solid-body brethren (which we also love dearly).

This Custom Shop Thinline sports a gorgeous 2-piece hollow Mahogany body and quartersawn maple neck. We found the 60s Oval C carve, along with a 9.5" radius round lam fingerboard, to be immediately comfortable. It's a carve we believe a wide range of players will be right at home on.

Plugged in, we were immediately knocked out by its throaty, punchy growl combined with a beautiful, sweet top-end. It's a bit like a solid-body, P90 equipped guitar crossed with a solid-body Tele. It sounds really good played clean to be sure, but when we nudged the volume up a bit on the amp (okay, a lot)...killer grind that instantly had us smiling. It's the sort of tone that'd make you forget you own a set-neck, mahogany bodied guitar. Fantastic stuff.