With the J & D TL II Sunburst, you get the classic TL-style electric guitar at a price that’s more affordable than ever! This model delivers all the essential elements of the original: a classic singlecut body shape, a bolt-on maple neck with a comfortable C-profile, and of course, two single-coil pickups that produce the iconic TL sound. The hardware setup also follows the traditional design, featuring a hardtail bridge with a large baseplate and three barrel saddles, as well as six solid die-cast tuners for stable tuning. Visually, the high-gloss sunburst finish adds a timeless look that proves the J & D TL II isn't just a budget-friendly option – it’s also a real eye-catcher.

J & D TL II SunburstIn the box: guitar, 1 cable, 2 Allen keys, a certificate of inspection by MS.
Additional info
Nut width: not 42.9mm as advertised, but 41.9mm; neck is only 41.65mm wide, so the nut is slightly protruding.
Neck is well straight; fretboard rather flat, 12' radius.
Light satin finish on the neck. Not my favourite one - I might refinish it for personal convenience.
22 frets are rather narrow (2.2mm); some cutting end frets around the 12th position; very light fretwork required.
No-name strings of good quality.
Body depth: 45.24mm.
I didn't put the guitar on a scale, but the total weight is similar to one my workhorse contoured ash tele.
All screws are straight on the right place.
Under the pickguard the body is routed for a humbucker; good to know.
Colour: mainly yellow with some orange reflections depending on the light. If the classic Aztec gold is a warm tint, this is also a warm gold. Well done.
With a Sherlock Holmes hat on my head I could see a small crack in the lacquer at the neck pocket; a little paint imperfection in the same area and another one on the lower side. Nothing dramatic.
Mr. robot has cut the neck pocket a little roughly. There is some space between the neck and the pocket on both sides showing unfinished wood. This will be my main complaint.
Ceramic pickups:
bridge 6.86Ko, 2.50H
neck 6.38Ko, 2.32H.
2 small 250Ko pots.
Playing
At first the guitar didn't stay in tune. Despite QC, all the tuners nuts were loose - half to a full turn. Easy to fix. After that the tuners do their job correctly.
Action was too high, with the bridge already low, and the adjusting screws protruding. A shim under the neck made a little miracle here.
Now the guitar is easy to play.
Sound
It sounds like a cheap tele; I mean the bridge pickup has a lot of highs and the neck pickup has no highs at all. I can turn the tone control fully without changing the tone of the neck PU because there are no high frequencies to cut.
Changing the height of one pickup will change its tone but would not solve the problem since the volume of that pickup would also change.
The pickups are definitely not well balanced in sound. Not a big concern for me; I often change the electronics on cheap guitars.
Final verdict based on my exemplar
If you have big fingers, beware of the real size at the nut.
As stated before, my main concern is the rough neck pocket. Considering the value of the guitar, I did not ask for a return.
I have seen and played a lot of tellies in about 50 years and I have seen much worse than this elsewhere.
The guitar is globally very nice and with some adjustments will play comfortably. Of course it is also a good starting point if you want to upgrade parts or put a humbucker on the neck position.

