2 weeks later...
still test driving Tele's....
1)$549 total(online) MIM brand new/sale is still here. 2yr warranty....# 1 owner. Ash body.
2)Used MIM pawnshop 1994 toploader with a gorgeous neck/setup now at $360+tax $385(the fire at Ensenada 94' era) poplar body..heavy used but nothing ugly.
3) a Fender Modern Player popped up on CL and seller offered $30 off if I drive for $170 in excellent condition. so this put this guy back in the test-drive. $170 makes it a contender due to pricing being so low. Will see if the neck is as great as the one I first tried (the others werent setup as good as that one) ...Pine body
weird deciding factors....
A) I like to tinker with the truss rod and setups and for that the MIM beats them all imo due to the black hard plastic plug and access to the nut...the US and China use the wood that chips so easily. I have the 3/16" Fender long wrench too I just bought for MIM. So with this the MIM kind of takes 1st place. # 1 or 2
B) I also wonder, is the setup and "feel" of a guitar due to the person in the factorys setup? Why would the same model guitar "feel" different ? string height, is one thing, fret sizes should be obvious....or is it something the end user/player should be doing them self? Its confusing I do all the setups to basic spec, and yet in the end the necks still feel different? maybe Im nuts? But some guitars like the pawnshop MIM neck just seems the way I like it best...
for $1000 I could have all three?
worth a mention: necks on the Modern PLayer Fender/China arent interchangable. several posts around about this....so not good if wanting to "mod"
Not 100% certain but I think you are correct about the manufacturer. CVs are made by Grand Reward who also use the Farida brand name and Farida was strongly suggested as the Modern Player manufacturer when they first appeared.
I don't know how well the Modern Players sell but the non standard neck heel is a drawback for some.
add: I think its safe to say, though not 100%, the Fender MP line is equal to Squier CV but with the Fender decals.
If I was buying...
I would want something used, so if I wanted to move it on down the line I could get my money out of it.
I would want something that could be modded with Mex. Or Am. Parts.
I would want either a alder or swamp ash body.
Lastly, I would want a lower than average price.
That's what I look for in a fender guitar.
Here is a thought.
There are squire affinity strats, basses, and teles out there that have alder bodies. Out of these, there are some that have the same pickguard screwhole pattern as their American counterparts. I used to be able to tell you which years that this was the case but it's been a while and it evades me right now. But, you can Google it....the guitar forums are loaded with threads on which years are the good ones.
Anyway, I wanted a p-bass and I wanted it with an alder body and I wanted a neck with a rosewood board and block inlays like a jazz bass. So, I found a jazz bass neck, already tinted amber, fits standard fender neck pocket, with block inlays, and a rosewood board on ebay. I did a "buy it now" for 80 bucks.
Then, I studied up on those squires with alder bodies and the correct pickguard screw pattern, and neck pocket. I knew what I was looking for. I found a body of one of the desirable ones on an ebay auction. It was fully loaded with an unblemished gloss black finish. I waited until the auction was almost over and set my top bid at $70 (the high bid was $51 with 5 minutes to go) and waited until 6 seconds to go and pressed "confirm bid". I won the body for $62. Then I bought the Geezer Butler signature p bass pickups for $120. These pickups are phenominal and come with the pots.
I also put a flat black pickguard on it because it looks so damn cool!
So, I have a absolute killer bass guitar with an alder body that any fender American or mim part with fit on for around $265.
Also, I could probably get $35 for the squire pickguard, pickups, and pots of I bothered to sell them.
So that word bring it down to $230.
You could do the same thing on a tele. If you want a genuine fender neck complete with a fender headstock logo you could probably add $100 to the price....but if you had the squire neck from the guitar you bought, to sell, you could get that $100 back.
Those alder body affinities always got great reviews and they are cheap....and they are definitely a great sleeper deal.
You can usually buy a whole guitar for what just the alder body itself goes for.
Sometimes for less
The key is to do your homework so you know what you're looking for.
You can score big time on ebay!