Squier CV 60s Custom Tele 3-SB

I have several Teles from USA and MiM Fenders to Harley Benton T styles. They're all great in their own ways. This one I bought purely on impulse. I have always loved the look of bound sunburst Teles and when I saw this at £322 inc delivery, I just bought it. No other thought process than that.

It arrived within the week (4 business days) and was pretty well packed. When I opened the box and took it out, I couldn't believe how much better it looked in the 'flesh'. But then I thought, I suppose I'd better play it and see what I need to do to it. So I tuned it up and noodled around on it for a while. My first impressions playing this were that I don't need to touch anything. It is like it was set up for me in the shop. The neck feels great, the action is perfect, there are no sharp frets, the intonation is as close as you could expect with the vintage style bridge saddles (may well swap them for compensated saddles at some point), it's an incredibly nice instrument to play. The tones are just what you buy a Tele for. Maybe a little bright at the bridge for my liking, but usable and certainly nothing that a few minor adjustments couldn't sort out.

I'm not going to compare this with the USA models. There is no comparison, the USA instruments are better finished in every way and the hardware is much better. It is not a fair comparison. But this does compare quite well with my MiMs. The fit and finish are very similar, the weight is about the same and the playability is spot on. What did surprise me is that I got a guitar that is very close in quality and tone for less than half the price of my MiMs. It might be that the difference may well be due to the hardware. If it is, I don't think paying twice the price is worth it just to have Fender on the headstock.

Overall I have fallen in love with this guitar. It is the best impulse buy I've made in a very, very long time.

Build quality and finish was perfect. I wasn't expecting perfection from a Squier tele at this lower price point. But I was very impressed.
The neck heel joint was almost seemless, paint and polish finish on the body and neck had zero (and I mean zero) markings. But the thing that really floored me was the fret end finishing. Mine came rounded and smooth.
Playability and sound was very nice. Smooth neck for a glossy finish and pickups give a great distinct tele sound with decent output.
Like most of us I was considering upgrading the pickups but I really like the ones that come with this guitar.
Set-up and intonation straight out of the box wasn't far off at all to be honest.
The only single negative aspect for me was the hum through the amp from the pickups. Not excessive but there, but this is a common issue with most single coil guitars. So I would recommend adding a roll of copper shielding tape to your order. I shielding mine in 60 minutes and hum completely disappeared.
The reason I ordered this instrument and not a more expensive fender was that I wanted a Tele with a 9.5in radius neck. But I'm very happy that I did. Highly recommended this tele.