i want a telecaster! any input appreciated.

[zer0sig]

after playing for several years, i've decided that the look/size/weight of a telecaster is really what i'm shooting for (i'm going to be ditching my gibson explorer ('90 model-any inquiries welcome) for something that is less unwieldy and very fittable in a gig-bag, and i like the layout of the tele. i have lots of questions that don't seem to be adequately answered upon searching-here goes:

are there any quality tele clones that anyone considers comparable to/preferable to the real thing? (anything not fender-looking into G&L, but my budget is somewhat tight)

does anyone have a preference as far as tuners on these things? the new standard tele i played went out of tune way too easily (i am a guitar-beater, and my strat had the same issues-though the whammy bar was an issue there). i'm thinking that high-geared and/or locking tuners will solve my problems, but i don't want to buy without knowing what i'm getting into.

any suggestions as to pickups for good tone? i'm thinking something pretty hot for that bridge pickup (i play a lot of metal/etc type music), perhaps a strong hot rails-type tone, but i like the lipstick pickup in the neck position. may dig up a vintage for the lipstick, and something hotter for the brige. not really into cobbling extra crap into it. i like the stock look/setup.

in the end, i'm wondering what tele folks consider the ultimate setup. i dig the tone on the standard teles, but am willing to consider anything within the selling value of my explorer (thinking 800-1k pricerange, negotiable depending on trades, etc). any input here would be greatly appreciated.
my main issues are having a hot bridge pickup, a sweet neck pickup, and tuners that DO NOT GO OUT OF TUNE NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY. anyone with insight in this area, please give me some input here. thanks, guys!

[ZoSo58LP]

I can answer one thing, G&L just released it's tribute series, and the Asat (tele clone) is only 500-600 bucks!

[64Firebird]

Play all the Teles you can. I bought one a few weeks ago (mine is made Jay Turser it was really cheap) and it has fast become one of my fav guitars. I use it for Muddy Waters style finger picking. I did have an issue with the nut, it broke the first time I changed the strings. But it was repaired at no charge and I haven't had any problems sence.

I got the JT-LT model Click here to see it.

[Tonekat]

After playing Gibsons for years, I got my first Telecaster, a Candy-Apple Red American Standard, a couple years ago, and while I still play Gibsons, and Strats, I love this Telecaster! I can tell you that the previous owner (a jazzbo who was selling it for the L-5 he ordered) had taken it for a pro set-up. If you want to try setting your guitar up yourself, I recommend Dan Erlewine's book, "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great". He has years of experience on thousands of guitars, and this book is invaluable to guitarists.

[Middleman]

You might want to check out the Nashville version with the strat pickup in the middle. These have the widest tonal qualities of any guitar I can think of. You get the standard tele sound plus the nice airy quality of a strat in the same guitar. It just makes for a great session guitar.

[Dr_simon]

I got a 72 re-issue thin line Tele, sounds great, plays like a dog ! Consequently I raised its action and tuned it to open E and have a first rate slide guit ! Hoooraaaah !

[philboyd studge]

Originally posted by 64Firebird
Play all the Teles you can. I bought one a few weeks ago (mine is made Jay Turser it was really cheap) and it has fast become one of my fav guitars. I use it for Muddy Waters style finger picking. I did have an issue with the nut, it broke the first time I changed the strings. But it was repaired at no charge and I haven't had any problems sence.

I got the JT-LT model Click here to see it.

I'll second that. It's a good bargin, well made, light, has a contour back and thus isn't as uncomfortable as a regular tele. It took a long time to get it sep up right though and I still need to go through the frets, but it's all there and sounds every bit as good as the '72 I had.

Another one to look at would be Tokai's copy of a '52 for $399, they're manufacture is farmed out to Korea to Tokai's standards so it might be a good deal.

[NoiseFactory]

Hi,
Hohner also made some great Telecaster copies in the 70's. (I LOVE mine!)
If you can find one, grab it, before Prince finds out about it.
The 80's ESP Teles were also quite wonderful.

Take care,
Tony

[Kelly5150]

Check this baby out....

http://www.americanmusical.com/item....=SCE+PTCST+AMB

[ahuimanu]

beware the noise (single coils can get annoying that way). I got some noiseless jobbies from kinman, and am waiting for them to arrive. If you record at all at home (errr... this is homerecording.com, right?), then you may be doing so with a computer. If so, then the buzzes and hums will drive you insane.

While I got some purist-type responses regarding noiseless when I inquired here, I think you will find out for yourself how grating that hum can be for recording. Now, for stage or practice, I am sure it is no big deal.

I got my MIM tele in March and I just love it. I know it ain't made in the good ole' USA, but I just couldn't get that scratch together. Even with the improved pickups, I paid less than for the Am Ste Tele.

Best of luck!

J-

[thevirgin]

I have played a number of Fender and Squier teles that I have enjoyed but I would also suggest trying out clones made by ESP. I almost bought a used ESP tele clone a few years back. It played nicely and had the most amazing sound. I was strapped at the time so I didn't end up getting it...

[ausrock]

Another option is to look for a second hand Tele Plus. They have "Lace Sensors", (yeah, I know not everyone likes them), plus they have the additional switching that gives a couple of sweet tonal choices.

[bongolation]

Couple of points:

By the time you spend money on "improving" a clone (and thereby even lowering its value), you've just about reached or exceeded the cost of a real "American" series Telecaster bought at long discount.

Whenever Fender drops a color, Musician's Friend will dump remaining stocks of the "American" series in that color at around $599.99, w/OSHC. They frequently have excess stock sold off as blems for that price as well. If you watch hard, you can get your deal. I've seen new Mexican "Standard" Fender Telecasters go for $199.99 at Guitar Center sales, too.

As for tuning problems, most tuning troubles have nothing to do with the machine heads. The Schallers and Pings on Fender Telecasters are perfectly serviceable if properly adjusted.

[Richard Monroe]

I generally agree with bongolation. Buy an American tele, which is well within your budget. Don't mess with the pickups until you find you really don't like them. Changing out the tuners won't do anything. The stock tuners on an American tele are just fine. If you're losing tune, the problem is almost never the tuners.-Richie

[telerifik]

Check out www.glguitars.com and be sure to read the history before looking at the guitars.

[Mike BL]

Man, I wish I had found this thread earlier. I've only been posting on the board for a few weeks, and I'm new to all this recording stuff, so I never have anything to say. I could talk about teles forever, though, so this is exciting.

Here's my opinion on purchasing a tele these days: The best value seems to be in American Standards from the mid- to late-90s. You can grab 'em on Ebay for around $500 all the time, and assuming the seller didn't do anything retarded to it, you should have yourself a pretty kickass guitar.

But the other really great option is the Classic Series teles. They make a Classic 50s, a Classic 60s, and then the '72 Custom, the '72 thinline, and the '69 thinline. They all sell for around $600, and they're mexican-made, but they're WORLDS better than the Mexican Standards, which sell for $349. The differences in quality control and components between those and the new American Series teles are really pretty small.

One of the coolest things about the Classic Series is that it gives you a shitload of options too. You've got the 50's, which is basically a cheaper version of the almighty '52 RI, and the 60's, which seems to be a cheaper version of the '62 RI. Then you've got the cool thinlines, and the '72 Custom, which has the humbucker in the neck position.

So while I don't think you can go wrong looking for a used American Standard, I think the Classic Series deserves some attention as well....especially if the whole Ebay/buying used in general thing bothers you.

[bongolation]

In the old days, buying used made more sense than it does today.

Nowadays, the new gear is sold at such long discount - typically approaching (or exceeding) 50%, that used gear - even if it's in good shape - doesn't represent much of a savings at the prices I see. Dumb people are paying nearly $500 on eBay for very flogged, ten-year old Fenders (plus shipping!), when you can catch brand new ones on sale for $600 delivered.

Secondly, and far worse, is the fact that modern string alloys destroy frets much faster than they used to when strings were nickle-wrapped or in the case of the unwounds, made up of much milder carbon steel. Now, the strings last forever, but they wear out the guitar. Progress? You'll find a nice used piece without a scratch on it, but when you look at the frets, they're nearly shot already.

A guitar with serious wear on the original frets is essentially gone in terms of market value to knowledgeable buyers.

Double this for a bass with stainless roundwound strings.

I also don't find the MIM "Classics" to be very good values, for reasons I've discussed before.

The best bargains in terms of dollar value are to be found on the basic models, the MIM "Standard" and the MIA "American" series.

The base models of most merchandise are almost always the best dollar values as a fundamental tenet of marketing. The Fenders are no exceptions to this rule. They are also the models most often blown out at wholesale prices.

[Track Rat]

My main axe is a 71 Tele (a real one). By far the best electric guitar I've ever owned. I can tune at the beginning of the night, play all night long, use it to swing my way out of a bar fight, just wipe the blood off of it and it's still in tune. The intonation on this thing is PERFECT. A friend of mine liked the guitar a lot so he bought a new MIM Tele. It's not even close to mine in any sense. As in all things, YMMV, but I'd be looking for a used American made Tele.

[freshmattyp]

You might also check on ebay for a Japanese Tele from the late 80's or early 90's. I have a Candy Apple red MIJ 62 reissue that is the lightest tele I've ever seen. It has all the great twang and jangle you could ask for. The only mod I did was to replace the screw saddles with brass.

[adam]

Originally posted by zer0sig


i'm thinking something pretty hot for that bridge pickup (i play a lot of metal/etc type music),

This to me is a big deal. I single coil tele would not be the best choice here in my opinion. Depending on the type of metal, I would suggest a humbucker equipped tele, or maybe a p-90, if you don't use too much gain. Also, the metal/ashtray tele bright might add too much resonance for you

You might also try some US made Schecters. They have some nice tele shaped guitars with humbuckers.

I love tele's. One of my favorite designs, and they are fantastic for lots of music. Up to Hard rock I would say they are great. For metal...not so much, unless you pick one with features that stray from a traditional tele design

[Track Rat]

Although I have the stock pickup back in it now, I had a Seymore Duncan stacked humbucking in the bridge position and while not as fat as a PAF, it wasn't bad at all.

[scottboyher]

Originally posted by Track Rat
Although I have the stock pickup back in it now, I had a Seymore Duncan stacked humbucking in the bridge position and while not as fat as a PAF, it wasn't bad at all.

You talking about your Tele with the natural finish?

[Track Rat]

That's the one. It's a 1971.

[scottboyher]

I have been looking for a American Standard with a Natural finish and a Maple Neck for quite awhile now.. I can't quite hit the price of a new one so the search goes on...

[ahuimanu]

Originally posted by Track Rat
My main axe is a 71 Tele (a real one). By far the best electric guitar I've ever owned. I can tune at the beginning of the night, play all night long, use it to swing my way out of a bar fight, just wipe the blood off of it and it's still in tune. The intonation on this thing is PERFECT. A friend of mine liked the guitar a lot so he bought a new MIM Tele. It's not even close to mine in any sense. As in all things, YMMV, but I'd be looking for a used American made Tele.

Your guitar sounds like a dream.

While I won't doubt that your guitar is cherry and that an Ame St. is preferrable, the MIMs aren't terrible either ( I know you are not necessarily implying this either). With just a little judgement and selection, a VERY GOOD instrument can be found in the MIM line for the price. For an investment of $330 new, I have, dollar for dollar, the best instrument I've yet owned (scads of drumsets over the years, 5 guitars, 2 basses).

If I had the extra dough laying around at the time, I MIGHT have gotten an Ame St. Tele, but my experience was this:

After hours of sitting in various stores playing various specimens of Ame. St and MIM teles, I just couldn't hear/feel enough difference to justify twice the price. Perhaps my ears are not refined enough and I am just not expert enough, but the differences, while not being negligible, just didn't present a sound argument to spend a little over 2x the money.

To each his own, but I just wanted to chime in that good value can be found in the "Standard" line.

J-