Non-Fender Telecasters — Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline

The Telecaster is one of the most popular electric guitars ever made, and the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline puts a spin on the classic design with a semi-hollow body and P-90 single-coil pickups. And with a low price tag under $400, we just had to get it in our hands. Does the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline deliver the classic Tele experience players have loved for decades? Can we call it a “Kellycaster”? Let’s dig in.

Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline — Fast Facts

The Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline takes the classic Tele design and enhances it with a semi-hollow body and P-90 pickups. Guitars in this price range have come a long way, and we’re pleased to see that the ’59 Thinline doesn’t fall short when it comes to quality components and materials. Here’s what you get with the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline guitar:

Michael Kelly '59 Thinline6-String Electric Guitar

View Product

• Chambered mahogany body for warm, resonant tone
• Bolt-on rock maple neck with fast-feeling satin finish
• Roasted jatoba fretboard with 22 frets
• Modern C neck profile for not-too-thick, not-too-thin playability
• Rockfield P-90 single-coil pickups for articulate, midrange-focused tone
• Volume, Tone, and 4-way toggle switch

Semi-Hollow Body Creates Deeper, Richer Tone

Semi-hollow guitars like the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline offer a distinctive sonic alternative to the sound of solidbody electric guitars. The ’59 Thinline’s chambered body adds an extra dimension of warmth and resonance to your tone (and also offers the added benefit of lighter weight for more comfortable playability). Classic Tele-style guitars are known for having a bright, snappy character with plenty of presence. The Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline barks with the classic Tele voice, with enhanced low-mid richness that greatly expands your tone-shaping potential.

I think it sounds lovely — like a stroll on the beach with a loved one!” — Jay Leonard J

What’s the Deal with P-90 Pickups?

If you’ve ever wanted the clarity and snap of single-coil pickups, with the added girth and low-mid richness you’d expect from a humbucker, then you definitely need to try P-90 pickups. Originally designed by Gibson in the 1940s, P-90 pickups give your tone a barky edge compared to the smoother sound of typical single-coil pickups.

So what does that mean for the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline? With two Rockfield P-90 pickups and four-way switching you have a vast sonic territory to explore, and a mid-focused voice that offers a distinctive alternative to humbuckers and traditional single-coil pickups alike. P-90 pickups are versatile enough to handle practically any musical style appropriately, making the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline a capable instrument for any playstyle or genre.

4-way Switching on a Tele-style Guitar?

When you see two pickups on a Tele-style guitar, it would be natural to expect a 3-way pickup selector for neck, neck+bridge, and bridge positions. However, the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline packs some extra tonal tenacity by way of its fourth pickup selector position. In addition to neck, neck+bridge, and bridge positions, the fourth position configures both P-90 single-coil pickups in series to create a pseudo-humbucker sound. This fourth position gives you a smoother, deeper sound than the brighter, pluckier single-coil positions, and imbues the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline with more sonic versatility than you’d get from a typical 3-position Tele-style guitar.

This is that ‘bonus’ setting — P-90s wired together like they’re a humbucker! — Ryan Burke

Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline — Common Questions Answered

How does the combination of a semi-hollow body and P-90 pickups affect the overall tonal balance and resonance of the ’59 Thinline compared to traditional solidbody or hollowbody guitars?

• Compared to a solidbody Telecaster, the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline offers enhanced low-mid richness and added harmonic complexity due to body resonance. In terms of playability, the ’59 Thinline’s chambered body is lighter in weight than a comparable solidbody, and its carved top feels a bit more comfortable under the arm compared to a typical slab Telecaster body with a flat top.
• Compared to a typical hollowbody guitar, the ’59 Thinline’s voice is more focused on the midrange (the P-90 pickups definitely play a role in this too). The tone is definitely hollowbody-ish, but without the airy, acoustic-style voice of a true hollowbody. In terms of playability, they aren’t really comparable: a standard hollowbody guitar is going to be larger and more cumbersome to play, while the ’59 Thinline feels like a Telecaster.

What are the advantages of using a semi-hollow guitar like the ’59 Thinline in terms of comfort, playability, and sonic versatility?

While semi-hollowbody guitars like the ’59 Thinline definitely offer a richer tonal foundation than solidbody guitars, the lighter weight a chambered body provides is also welcome. Whether you play on stage regularly, or you just enjoying rocking out at home, you can wear and play the ’59 Thinline for longer with less strain on your back and shoulders.

In terms of the sonic qualities of a semi-hollow guitar, the enhanced harmonic richness adds an extra dimension whether you’re playing clean or cranking up the gain. From jazz to hard rock, players of all styles have shaped the semi-hollowbody sound to create their signature tone — where you take it is really up you to.

Are there any potential drawbacks to playing a semi-hollowbody guitar, such as feedback? Are there any drawback to using P-90 pickups?

True hollowbody guitars can have issues with feedback on stage — jokes about guitarists stuffing socks into their hollowbody guitars to prevent feedback actually have an element of truth to them. The main reason is that hollowbody guitars are constructed more like acoustic guitars than solidbody electrics, and are extremely resonant — enough to feed back easily when on stage with loud amplifiers.

Semi-hollowbody guitars like the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline don’t have the same issues because the construction much closer to that of a solidbody electric guitar — the internal chambers do add some resonance to the instrument, but nearly as much as a true hollowbody guitar.

As far as P-90 pickups are concerned, they offer a very distinctive sound: distinctive enough that many players consider single-coil, humbucker, and P-90 to be the three basic types of pickups. The edgy, growling, midrange-focused bite of P-90 pickups can be a take-it-or-leave-it matter for many players. If you want single-coil clarity with humbucker-like girth, P-90 pickups are great. If you want to make your P-90 pickups sound like a classic Tele or a full-bore humbucker, you probably won’t get there: P-90 pickups are best embraced for their unique voice and their ability to cement your place in the mix.

What would you do with the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline?

Our No Fear Guides had a ton of fun playing the ’59 Thinline — we’ve played a lot of Telecasters at a range of price points, and we are definitely impressed with what this Kellycaster offers for under $400. The neck and fretwork felt great, components felt solid, and the semi-hollowbody tone really made us listen closer and dig in to explore all the sonic shades it had to offer. If you’re looking for the easy playability of a Telecaster, but with a unique voice for greater creative potential, you’ll definitely be impressed with the Michael Kelly ’59 Thinline.

There’s a chewiness to it… I like it! There are things I could do with it that would make me sound more unique, a little bit different than everyone else. — Jay Leonard J

It sounds like Brian May! — Jay Leonard J