Last week I spent an hour at guitarcenter trying out guitars I can't afford...and I must say that after trying out several strats and teles alike, the single '72 telecaster thinline they had was overwhelmingly my favorite. I used to dislike the aesthetic (as much as a coldplay fan I am) but the f-hole cavity and overall coloration is really cool, plus it had, by far, the clearest, most-cutting tone of all the guitars I tried. I've dropped in a couple times since then...it's a lot of fun, plugging it into an expensive amp and cranking up the reverb...
I am so cheap. ;)