Fender AV II 77 TELE CUSTOM MN BLK

I've wanted a HH tele for quite a while. Decided to go for this and change the bridge to a T sized bridge humbucker. Would have been happy with the Deluxe, but I hate the headstock on those. Anyhow, here are some quick points:

Sound:
The CuNiFe Wide Range Humbucker is the star of the show. Its frequency response is exceptionally broad—almost too wide at times—but the clarity and openness are genuinely breathtaking. It retains excellent definition even with overdrive or fuzz, making it a pickup you could happily leave selected for an entire gig. The bridge pickup is exactly what you'd expect from a vintage Telecaster: bright, cutting, and unapologetically metallic. Classic Tele twang in every sense. 4 stars on the sound only because of my own dislike of the bridge, which I already knew and were expecting.

Finish & Build:
Build quality is excellent overall, with only a couple of minor imperfections on my guitar. There are some small flaws around the fret ends and the neck pocket, but nothing that affects playability or stands out unless you're looking very closely. There are 1M pots for the CuNiFe and 250K pots for the bridge.
The guitar had "grown" a lot of orange hair when I opened the case :D But that is just from the case - a simple wipe off with clean cloth.
It is glossy black, so expect to wipe off your fingerprints frequently.

Factory Setup:
The factory setup was overly conservative. The string action was much too high, and I had to lower it quite a bit to make the guitar feel its best. I don't have any fret buzz at low setting, so that is good news.
I understand why Fender ships guitars this way—to minimize the risk of fret buzz after changes in temperature and humidity during transport—but the average buyer of a €2,000+ instrument is likely comfortable making basic setup adjustments or having the guitar professionally set up. A better factory setup would have been appreciated.

Neck:
The '77 C-shaped maple neck is extremely comfortable. My guitar measures 20.94 mm at the 1st fret and 23.75 mm at the 12th fret, making it a comfortable medium-C that feels substantial without being chunky. I have some Gibson and Fender baseball bats as well, but the Fender C or the Gibson 60s necks are my favorite. I don't have the biggest hands. I would prefer a satin finish on the neck on both sides (or at least at the back), but this is historic spec, so what do I know :) Least stickiest poly neck I've had new and I have some super fine grit sandpaper in case I need something like that fixed.

Verdict:
Overall, this is an outstanding guitar and one of Fender's best production vintage reissues. The authentic CuNiFe Wide Range Humbucker alone makes it worth serious consideration. Personally, I'll be swapping the bridge pickup for a DiMarzio Chopper T, as I prefer a thicker bridge sound.

At this price point, however, I would have preferred a thin nitrocellulose finish instead of polyurethane. It's also surprising that Fender doesn't include a guitar strap or the appropriate US-spec Allen keys. Standard European metric hex keys don't fit, so owners without imperial tools may need to buy a separate set. Fortunately, I already own other US-made Telecasters, so this wasn't an issue for me—but it's still worth mentioning.

Diese Gitarre ist ein Allrounder . Ich hab den Single Coil Tele Twang auf der Brücke. Der Humbucker am Hals ermöglicht mir ohne jegliche Effektgeräte einen cleanen Boost für Solos zu erzeugen. In Mittel Positionen kann ich dank der zwei Lautstärkeregler den Humbucker stufenlos reinregeln. Diese Gitarre ist meine eine für alles . Als Rolling Stones Fan spiele ich die gleiche Gitarre wie Keith Richards. Ich konnte die Gitarre aus der OriginalVerpackung sofort spielen .

Die Tele sieht nicht nur nach 70er Jahre aus, sie klingt auch danach. Dazu gehört auch, dass die Pickups - vor allem der Single Coil - nicht so noiseless sind (was mich nicht weiter stört, dafür gibt's Noisegates), wie z.B. bei meiner American Ultra (eh klar), dafür finde ich klingen sie aber lebendiger und frischer. An der Verarbeitung gibt's nichts auszusetzen. Alles sauber. Auspacken, loslegen und freuen.
Wer damit bei Gigs unterwegs ist, dem würde ich empfehlen in ein Kunststoff Case zu investieren. Das Vintage Case ist sehr schön, geht aber leichter kaputt wenn man beim Ein-/Ausladen an anderen Teilen/Kisten hängen bleibt.