Tele guitar question

[Tipsy]

Hi, I asked this in the guitar section but I thought it may belong here. I'm looking to get a fender telecaster. I can't really afford the usa model that I'd like so I'm looking at the highay 1 series. Does anyone have any experience with them? Are they worth the money or would you go with an import tele?

 

[TragikRemix]

nuttin wrong with a mexican IMO.

$400 well worth it.

i have a mexican strat i love alot. definitley worth it.

i dont get the highway 1, they arent really made here i dont think.. can't be at that price. they are just mexicans with glorified parts i think, not too sure though.

 

[bair_ohio]

Highway 1 is USA made. Cost reduction due to satin finish...no bells and whitles. You get a usa strat but it is nothing to brag about. ahah..These are along the lines of the Gibson Faded series. Close but not really.

 

[Tipsy]

Do you know if the mexican made ones use the same parts or inferior? How about the wood?

 

[Strryder]

I have a '52 reissue Tele, and a made in Mexico Tele, I play the 400 dollar one ALL THE TIME and hardly ever pick up the reissue, the MIM one has much better sustain.

 

[Obstacle1]

i have a mexican and it nice - but i played my mates' highway one and it pisses all over it IMHO. Lee

 

[TelePaul]

I have a Highway One and I love it. I'll hold onto it forever. The original run models (one of mine) have a satin lacquer finish..it doesn't stand up to much, so if you like a guitar that'll be blemish free, get one of the current runs (they've a nitro cellulose finish).

As far as I understand it, it's mexican components assembled in the US.

 

[TelePaul]

i dont get the highway 1, they arent really made here i dont think.

Think it's Corona California.

 

[sirslurpee]

Tele's/Strats are awesome weither MIM, USA, or Japan..
In fact.. that brings me to suggest that you try to look for a Japan tele. I just searched ebay real quick and there was a bunch around 450-500.. A little more than a MIM but they are nice!

In fact there is one on here I really like heh.. MIJ Telecaster Custom w/ P90 neck pickup

Although if you can't spend a little extra for a Japan or USA, the MIM will still probably serve every want/need for life...
I've still got my 1st MIM strat from when I started playing 8 years ago and it's my #1 fav guitar (over my USA even!)
Good luck!

 

[Obstacle1]

Tele's/Strats are awesome weither MIM, USA, or Japan..
In fact.. that brings me to suggest that you try to look for a Japan tele. I just searched ebay real quick and there was a bunch around 450-500.. A little more than a MIM but they are nice!

Maybe I have been misinformed but I was told that the Japanese models are inferior to Mexicans? I was told the order was Japanese, Mexican, USA (in ascending order of quality).

Can anyone confirm this?

Plus i picked up my Mexican brand new for £350.

 

[TelePaul]

Maybe I have been misinformed but I was told that the Japanese models are inferior to Mexicans? I was told the order was Japanese, Mexican, USA (in ascending order of quality).

Can anyone confirm this?

Plus i picked up my Mexican brand new for £350.

The Japanese made are very good by all accounts....I THINK they might come in better than the Mexis but it could depend on the guitar.

 

[jdier]

Maybe I have been misinformed but I was told that the Japanese models are inferior to Mexicans? I was told the order was Japanese, Mexican, USA (in ascending order of quality).

Can anyone confirm this?

Plus i picked up my Mexican brand new for £350.

In my personal, first hand experience I would say:

>$1000 US Fenders are the best
>regular fender US models after that
>Highway One (which ARE made in the US) and the Mexican 'Standards' and Japanese made are tougher to rank.

The Highway One's I have played are all pretty nice, but you have to like the finish because they are different from the other units.

The Mexican or Standard guitars are really really nice, but the quality can be a hair questionable. I have a Mexican Toronado that plays like a $1000 guitar. I have played LOTS of GREAT mexican fenders and just a few that I thought had questionable craftsmanship.

I have the least experience with the 2000 and later Jap made fenders, but they tend to run special woods and configurations. The few I have played have never blown me away.

In general, I would suggest if you are worried about collectability you probably have to be buying the US made standard unit.

If you are looking for a player, either a Hwy 1 or a Mexi Standard will work for you, but you should go play them and find one that has good craftsmenship and you like.

It is all about personal taste... personally I find the pickups in all of the sub $1000 guitars to sound weak and thin. I like to find a good deal on a nice playing Mexi and then throw Seymour Duncans in it.

Good luck!

 

[choctaw]

USA Tele has more quality components.

I have a 2003 American Telecaster..the micro neck adjustment alone makes a big difference in adjusting the playability... others do not have it. It's Adler body is solid not some plywood layers glued together, Maple fingerboard, Deluxe sealed tuners, 22 med Jumbo Frets that are smooth to the touch....the other ones are unfinished and sharp on the edges, American tele pickups, 6 Saddle STB bridge. Lastly the Slim C shaped neck has a good feel, not like a 2x4 which are found on some models. All this I consider a big plus when saying you have a Fender........NOT a Fender-Wanta-Be.

I had many Fender Strats thru the years, that I did not like the way they played or sounded..........Just this year I got my 1st taste of the Telecaster. I never thought they were good looking or would play very well, they had such a simple plain look. So I did not even give them a try. I WAS so wrong, they are something special to me now. I have other guitars a PRS, LP......each one has it's own flavor that I like to taste. I have added the Telecaster to my group of guitars. It truly is the best guitar Leo Fender came up with in my view. It was his first attempt from which all other Fenders evolved. Oh by the way I got rid of a guitar that turned out to be my biggest disapointment...........A Parker NiteFly Mojo the sound it produced was like it had nylon strings on it. Not a power sound to me at all.

Choctaw