I've played the Telecoustic in the store and thought it lacking in build quality. I owned and played a Kramer Ferrington for years, and it is very similar to the Fender Telecoustic. I liked the playability, but the tone was lacking - it needed a lot of EQ'ing and careful delay to sound decent at home or live. They aren't exactly the hardiest of instruments either - the top on my Ferrington was very thin (I think they were trying to give it more volume when used acoustically), and as a result of neglect (no humidifier in the case) I lost a brace after about 7 or 8 years and the top buckled quite noticably at the bridge... *I use a Peavey Ecoustic ATS now, and am much happier with it tonaly, and the quality of build and materials is way up on the overseas stuff, whether Kramer or Fender. Additionally, the Peavey's body (spruce top, maple sides and back) is filled with an acoustic damping material of some kind that prevents feedback but still allows the guitar to breath enough to resonate acoustically and give a real acoustic richness to the (piezo) output. I also think it's way cool to have an "acoustic" guitar with a
tremolo system on it... Not many people can play "Lenny" on thier acoustic
*Another guitar you might consider would be the Godin Acousticaster - also a North American made "psuedo solid acoustic" guitar, and much better than the Telecoustic. Either of these can be found used for not much more than a Telecoustic if you look around a bit...
