Fender Teles and swimming through the Fender sea

CoolCat

Well-known member
Just swam through the shopping ocean of Fenders new, used, series and specials, onlines and in store and pawn shops and CL.

As I get it Fender has 4...US, MIM, CHiNA...and few Japan.
Squier is Fender but the decal clarifys its the Squier series with Affinity to the well respected Classic Vibes that seem to get unlimited praise.

The Fender Squier neck frets went into buzz mode and got me shopping, the fret job too expensive on a $99 guitar.

So I started shopping but the Fender China started at the bottom and was confused with used MIM that lead to nearly the same as online new without taxes which then lead me to PawnSHop that had a Tele and Strat for the same price as a US Strat going to the $600 and $500 mark......

the new American Models and various series climbing to $1500 and $44,000 etc.... I think have left me:eek:
so that was the easiest group to decide NOT to get.

Used American still hovering $600-$800 with case many never played much in some studio, look enticing.
However the MIM Tele and MIM STRat for $640 for the Pair...looked cool too.
but the higher end Squiers at $350 Classic Vibes were looking shiny and brand new with warranty and 30 day return.

I havent had a Tele for probably a decade plus, so I grabbed a MF deal that GC online matched that is a pickup in stock locally.
:p

$549 total down from $699.99 ....
"Fender Special Edition Deluxe Ash Telecaster Maple Fretboard Butterscotch Blonde"

the PawnSHop deal of $623 for the two used MIM tele 50th anniversary $360 and a 1992 MIM strat $220 was the runner up deal.
both really good shape and frets like new.

this all started because my $99 Squier frets went out....I wonder if a Squier $179 Tele wouldnt be as good? I mighrt grab one to compare to this "deluxe ash" beauty.

10-4
 
The real problem with the entry level guitars is, as you discovered, even routine maintenance can easily exceed the monetary value of the guitar. Now, if it's your pride and joy and you couldn't perform without it, that's not a big deal, though it's always going to make you wince if you have to pay maybe the better part of a couple hundred for refret and setup on a guitar you've only got a hundred in.

It's a good reason to buy higher if that's a possibility, but there's nothing wrong with buying a used Squier if all you want is something for that Tele sound occassionally in the studio, though the collection of cheaper parts and maybe questionable wood species can mean it won't even hold up to neglect either.

For Telecasters, I'd just go straight to the original, as in a '52 or '62/'64 reissue models if your budget allows. Find one used, and learn to make it work. Next down (for me) are the MIM Classic or Baja series, which are less expensive with poly finishes but good components (IMO). A true traditional take in the Classic series with smaller frets and tighter radius, while the Bajas have the more modern neck radius (big difference in feel between the original Baja with maple neck and '60s with rosewood/pau ferro fingerboard, though). For me, those are the sum of Teles that have kept the flame burning :), and hold their value pretty well in the used market, if kept original.

The FSRs are popular, but I think the slightly shifting specs have kept it a mystery model to me.

I have my 4th, and almost certainly last Tele in the 60s Baja. It's a terrific guitar. I had a Classic, which I sold in a weak moment. In the 70s, my main guitar was an original Deluxe (that WRHB model) I bought new and played back when I was a kid. It was preceded by some Japanese particle board pretender that I was given by a traveling music instrument salesman (dad of a HS classmate). The body had broken where the neck was bolted on and was roughly glued back together - my first electric :).
 
hahaa...pretend particle board version..haha

you seem to have more Tele experience. Ive been reading and the necks went to 9.5 in 82 or near there, so I think the 7.5 is a "tele feel" that threw me off when playing in the store. Its a big difference to me too, the Feel is 50%, the sound 50%...
Ive had the new US Strats and sold them because I wasnt using them and afraid they'd get dinged up and lose value, so yes, this is studio house and sometimes jams,,no live gigging. MIM are fine, they dont require the immediate tuner upgrade $40 and maybe drilling holes....so that was a decision thing for not buyinh the bottom entry line Affinity.

Im in stage 3 : Post Purchase now..
my old buddy a $99 Squier 51 is dead with divot neck, needs a fret job..not happening.

anyway...brand new or at least ability to return was mandatory on this buy. lol...
after being ripped off on a stripped nut used neck.

the contenders:
Squier Classic Vibe is at $400 though, just saying there isnt a lot of spread.
A new MIM for $549..
a Used MIM for $400,

the MIM Classic 50's is $800 with $100 case, Nitro, 7.5" neck rad, and beautiful tinted neck..hmmm?
new US is $1000....hell a US neck is $500!

Im about shopped out and wanted brand new this time so I dont see much else in the Tele ocean of choices for me.:guitar:

also got a new beater $64 Strat with Hardtail through the body...for something to tinker with. :)

add: just noticed the "flip around" on the pup selector, they flipped it on this one for some reason?
 

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Buy a used MIM
Best bang for your buck and they're good workhorse guitars to boot.
 
I normally agree, used is the huge bang for the buck.
but as I was babbling on about recently getting burnt on some used stuff....and filed frets and stripped truss nuts...I went new this time.

MIM was the best deal imo. After reading some more on this new MIM Ash blonde I didnt get the super deal but I got $150 off. Some got it for $59 less.

I did notice my Ash had several black blobs and none of the others I saw pics of did so I took it back and got one that is "clean", very clean in a beautiful wood grain and no blobs. Its funny though because this weekend a excellent SRV documentary was on and his guitars are so beaten and used from being a massive player.....its just you know....weird to return a brand new one for a few blobs. lol

a fret job started all this? I could have just bought a neck for $200 probably, but I had some GAS...
 

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A few months back I sold my one and only '52 RI that I bought back in '95.
I love the whole Tele look...but this '52 RI just never got much play from me, mostly because (not aware at the time), I ended up hating the 7.25 neck radius.
As much as people say that the smaller radius necks make for easier chord playing, but not as great for leads...I could never get comfortable playing chords on this Tele, and always found my 12 or 15" radius guitars MUCH easier for chord playing.

Anyway...bought it for like $850 w/tweed case, the certificate and extra "modern" parts...sold it for $1200 (I could have held out for more, but I just wanted to move it out). The guy who got it shit himself and how mint it was with only a couple of minor dings...and that he paid only $1200 for it.
At least it's getting played now. :D

For many years I thought about buying a different Tele, with a wide 12 to 15" radius neck, but I wanted the maple neck, and it seems most of those stock are small radius.
Anyway...I may get another Tele one day...but TBH, I'm not all that into single coil guitars, so it would be just for the fun of it, since I love me that Tele look.
Of course, I could get one with humbuckers...but then I feel like, why bother, I got a shitload of humbucker guitars already.
 
damn thats some nice profit, you obviously didnt sell to GC.
yeah the neck is a big thing for me too, even though Im not really up on the small fret wires and jumbo details I never cared for the 12", maybe 9.5" is just comfort zone etc..
1995!!!??? thats a long time to find out you werent compatible? must of been it held that Tele position in the guitar-locker. You have to have a tele in the guitar locker, its like having a 57 in the mic locker isnt it? :p


the factory new tele...out of the box ...every fret buzzed.
then I measured and every measurement was right. perfect.
then I realized my playing is sloppy and if played gently and morefinesse it worked great no fret buzz.
then the tuning and intonation was ok, normal at 10% or slightly higher.

but taking it back for the ash smudges finish, new guitar #2, there were two hanging on the wall, and one was perfect (for me). the wood was 100% without smudges but the setup was higher. getting it home I put on my 10's and noticed the intonation was also 2-3% at the 12th. ..really well done by somebody.

I wonder did someone set this up better at GC before going on the wall? or was it just a better setup from the Fender factory?

the 4/64 was 6/64 and the 6/64 was 8/64...and the intonation was dead on.
 
that 52 RI is really well done. the wood plug on the truss and the round little string tree....I wasnt a big fan of the old school tuners but its 1952.

the tinted neck is something not on this MIM.... this MIM has the flipped mic switch to the back which is funny because some spend money getting that done and others spend money and time putting it back to the original?

with all the models and ocean of Tele flavors since 1950's seems every preference is available in every color nearly.

one thing I give MIM a nod for is the truss rod hole is easier access with the 3/16th and the black piece doesnt mar and fail like the US does. the US walnut hole common on most will crack the laquer so easily as can be seen in a lot of used guitars because barely pressing on the walnut leaves a ugly delam-white spot. the MIM not at all.

Ive never had the original type where its adjusted at the neck that seems it would be cumbersome, though adjusting truss rods are done about...never. :rolleyes:
still its something.

the new Strat Elites have the butt truss rod with open access changed for a new idea.

personally I like the 60's no truss plug look, best...but if theres a headstock hole the MIM seems to be the best imo.
 

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damn thats some nice profit, you obviously didnt sell to GC.
yeah the neck is a big thing for me too, even though Im not really up on the small fret wires and jumbo details I never cared for the 12", maybe 9.5" is just comfort zone etc..
1995!!!??? thats a long time to find out you werent compatible? must of been it held that Tele position in the guitar-locker. You have to have a tele in the guitar locker, its like having a 57 in the mic locker isnt it? :p

I watched the appreciation on the 52 RI Teles rise consistently over the years...but hey, I held it 23 years to make $350 profit...which by today's is like $35 back in '95!!! :p

Yeah...I LOVE the look of Tele's and the '52 butterscotch blonde is "THE" classic R&R Tele look.
Oh I used it here-n-there when I first got it, but back then I didn't have 20+ guitars. So as my guitar stable grew, the Tele just never got anymore attention, except the occasional recording where I wanted some of that sound in a multi-guitar mix...but not that often, and really, it was mainly because my other guitars just feel better. I just didn't care for the neck anymore.

When I first got it, I wasn't maybe as conscious of the neck radius thing...I just chalked it up to "hey, it's a Tele, it just feels and sounds different". :D
Then over the years I took more notice of why I thought some guitars just felt more comfortable, and the neck shape and radius started to become more obvious. Once I had that in my head...I just saw less reason to pick up a guitar I knew wasn't going to feel as comfy, when I had plenty guitars that would.
Then also...there was that single coil thing. It's great for a change...but I just loves me humbuckers a LOT more. :)

I mean...I knew it wasn't my favorite probably within the first few years I had it...but I just kept it 'cuz I liked the look, needed to have at least one single coil, and I wasn't a Strat guy...so the Tele was it.
 
I have never owned a Tele, but had several strats. I am building a project Tele now. (I love to tinker with guitars). I have an alder body that is string thru with a humbucker route for the front pickup (haven't decided if I want a bucker in front yet). The neck I have is an allparts neck stamped "fender"...it is 10" radious with the truss adjustment at the heel. I also like the "No hole" headstock look. It has a rosewood fretboard that is so dark it looks like ebony. I have a Wilkinson bridge and I think I'm gonna get Muttley to do the pickups (He did some Les Paul pickups for me that I love). I'm going to go with switchcraft electrical components. I'm going to paint it myself. I will probably go with gold metallic acrylic lacquer sprinkled with some gold metal flake before clear coating with nitro lacquer. I will tint the headstock and neck vintage amber. I have a '66 strat that I love. So, a got a '66 fender Tele headstock decal that I'm going to put on the project tele to match that strat.
I know...know....you shouldn't do that, but I'm not going to sell it and I want a mate to my vintage strat.
So, fender will just have to sue me.
I'm going to have less than $400 in it when the dust clears.
 
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sounds cool. i got the Fender Custom book off the shelf lately and its making Custom builds look fun.
i wanted a string through, i wanted something more than a single coil, so the front pickup stock on this new one is the old soap-bar single, I loved my sons Danelectro soap-bar tones which seemed cleaner classic than my strats which had more dist growl, for some reason, so hopefully this stock soapbar pup is like that. I havent really done a long tracking session with it yet.

thats the other thing not on this MIM Tele it didnt have the vintage amber tint neck, thats my favorite.

the logo thing is a mental-trip....its a mental rabbit hole, if its blank it seems strange, putting on a Fender logo it looks like a "normal" thing.....third choice is I wonder about a custom decal that would be the best custom thing if done right....big if.

IMO the safest trip is the Fender "project" logo, it is a Fender Tele and Neck design so Fender is normal....but Custom Shop stuff started doing the V and other ideas....some work some dont.
I got a ARCHER project guitar and their logo looks funky....where as the Peavey Fury headstock and Logos loook really good (for something other than Fender)....Gibson, Epiphone the name decal just seems required? a blank headstock seems unfinished or something...purely cosmetic and lowest priority imo.

I put a Squier logo on my Squier 51 upgrade neck? why? I dont know but it looked better imo. Squier 51 decal was something someone made and I bought it and made the neck look finished.
This neck sent me on this 4 week shopping gas thing thats now got me with two new guitars?....if I knew how to do fret job ...it'd be up and playing for very little cash. Strange how shopping in the Ocean goes too.

Problem: frets worn out and divoted and buzz need new neck

ACTION I took : go buy two new guitars and no neck
:confused:
 
When I first got it, I wasn't maybe as conscious of the neck radius thing...I just chalked it up to "hey, it's a Tele, it just feels and sounds different". :D

I always think of Tele as the baseball bat neck and those are cool with me because its different than others.

but now the ocean offers anything...
the 9.5" tele neck that was on my Squier 51 and it was thicker than my others but fine....so this new one at 9.5 isnt a shocking change from the Squier ( strat body with Tele neck and different pup arrangement) ..thats another off-topic thought, my $99 51 had a upgraded neck and pro-tuners installed so in reality became a $300 guitar.

the picture below compares radius but its also the back of the neck was so round that gave the baseball bat feel....not sure if anyone has defined numbers for the back?
I hear about v neck and standard necks...baseball bat necks.
 

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My allparts Tele neck is the slim 60's profile.
I really don't care for the "baseball bat split down the middle" neck profile. I got rid of a les paul for that very reason.
 
The only really big-necked Teles right now are the Baja 50s (Soft V) and American Original (U). Both have the 9.5" radius. Either of those would take some getting used to. I tried to like the 50's Baja but it wasn't for my smaller hands. I found the 7.25" radius on my Classic 60s, with a more modern profile, not a problem, though I never really warmed up to that guitar for some reason. (A friend bought it, and a year ago I had the chance to play it, and was kicking myself for letting it go - the usual story.)

Seems like the '52 reissue is not in the current catalog (must be the reason for increased prices in the used market), but it was another that I never got excited about.
 
...the picture below compares radius but its also the back of the neck was so round that gave the baseball bat feel....not sure if anyone has defined numbers for the back?

Yeah...with the '52 RI it's the combination of the 7.25" radius plus the "C" shape that simply never won me over.


Seems like the '52 reissue is not in the current catalog (must be the reason for increased prices in the used market), but it was another that I never got excited about.

At the time...I was mostly buying the '52 because I loved that classic look...the butterscotch blonde with the vintage maple color neck, the black pickguard...it's the (and I'm really starting to hate this word lately) "iconic" look of the Rock & Roll guitar, IMO.
 
I think thats what got me on the Butterscotch , its like the basic traditional Tele (although theres more changes than I realized).

Been playing the Tele its week 2? I cant find anything wrong with it. The neck is brand new and has a nice coating on it, not easy to describe. Its not dry, satin but its not thick either. Ive been playing beaters so long it feels awkward to have brand new. lol

I could understand people going down the rabbit hole of details on the Tele due to the historic storys and all that. Reading the CUSTOM SHOP book, there seems to be 3 groups...the Self Designed Custom Shop orders, the Crazy Wild stuff and the RI with insane spec matching even down to pickup wire thickness!:eek:
 
I bought a US Elite aged cherry burst about six months ago - my first Tele - and it completely changed my musical direction. Seriously... It's the guitar I should have bought 10 years ago.
 
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