The Indio Telecaster Classic- A lot of guitar for $100

 

INSTANT VERDICT SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

The Good: Looks, feels and plays like a much more expensive guitar. Neck is amazing. Price point allows upgrades. 

The Bad: The pickups sound good but the output is weak. 

The Verdict: You want to try out a Tele but don't want to break the bank? Here's your next guitar. 

A while back, I got this Indio Telecaster to satisfy my itch to have a Telecaster for recording. 

If you're looking for a brand new guitar to use as a backup or for a beginner, you can't go wrong with this one. It's also an excellent platform for modding to get a Tele style guitar that's exactly the way you want. 

Fit and finish are great. Sound is good, but the pickups could be hotter. On the other hand, they have a really smooth and mellow tone that sounds great on recordings. 

The neck is wide and comfortable, and the grain in the wood is top notch. 

Honestly, the only thing one might need to do to make this a seriously good instrument is upgrade the pickups to something with a little more power. Everything else is playable right out of the box. The guitar intonates well, stays in tune, and plays nicely.

I've owned this guitar for several years now, and I find that I go to it more than some of my more expensive guitars. It just sounds good and plays very nice. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested into getting into guitars, or if you're a serious player looking for a cheap second guitar or a platform for modifications. 

You can find the Indio for around $100 on sale from various places, including eBay and Amazon.