Need Telecaster Help!

jonnymangia

jonnymangia

New member
I need to find a guitar with a great clean, sparkly, bright tone and I'm thinking a Telecaster may be the ticket. CI went to the Fender web site and couldn't believe how many varieties they offer. Can anyone recommend a Tele that would be similar to the Jimmy Vaughan Strat - somehting that won't break the bank and is a phenomenal value?

Also, has anyone every used a tele with a P90 in the neck?
Thanks all
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

jonnymangia said:
I need to find a guitar with a great clean, sparkly, bright tone and I'm thinking a Telecaster may be the ticket.
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My lil ole Squier Tele, with an Antiquity in the bridge does just that. Less than $300 total. Its my favorite axe.
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

The Highway 1s are made in America, last I checked have a nitro finish, and go for $750 sticker. You could probably knock off the price a bit assuming you buy it IRL.
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

EveryMn said:
The Highway 1s are made in America, last I checked have a nitro finish, and go for $750 sticker. You could probably knock off the price a bit assuming you buy it IRL.
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Thanks for the heads up. BTW I noticed you have an SG Classic. How does that sound through your Fender amp? I use mine through EL84 powered Traynor and Peavey Classic 20 and it's thick as all hell and sounds killer, BUT it does not have the single coil, bright vibe (thus my search for a Fender). Do you find the SG's P90's to sound brighter through a Fender voiced amp?
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

I say go for an MIM or Hwy 1 Tele. I have an MIM Tele and the pups are stock and it sounds great. Everything you described and more!! I'm looking to put a Vintage '54 (bridge pup) and Phat Cat neck pup in the next few months.
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

jonnymangia said:
I need to find a guitar with a great clean, sparkly, bright tone and I'm thinking a Telecaster may be the ticket. CI went to the Fender web site and couldn't believe how many varieties they offer. Can anyone recommend a Tele that would be similar to the Jimmy Vaughan Strat - somehting that won't break the bank and is a phenomenal value?

Also, has anyone every used a tele with a P90 in the neck?
Thanks all
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Well, if you can find one laying around.... A 60th anniversary tele rocks... It costs a bit more, but if I can hustle up the money you definitely can. Since its not a guitar in production it might be hard to find one... But there are some other tele style guitars that pretty closely resemble it. Its got a classic sound, but plays a bit more modern. 6 saddle bridge instead of 3 ect.. It definantly does the clean sparkly tone. its as easy as putting the switch in the middle position...

It is more expensive, but definitely a phenomenal value. I payed 1100 for mine... It took some work to get the money, but this guitar is going to be a classic.
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

The MIM standards are certainly worth a look. I also like the higher end MIM Fenders. The 50s RI (which I own) and the Deluxe Nashville teles are both cool axes.

I've never seen the rout in the Nashvilles, but the 50s RIs would have to be rerouted for P90s. The MIM Standards should already be have a rout that would accommodate a neck P90.
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

New Tele's that are nice and affordable are the HW1's and the MIM Classic 50's and 60's Tele's...the new GE Smith is nice as well but a bit more money than any of the others...the MIM Muddy Watters Tele is everybit as nice in the tele world as the Jimmie Vaughan Strat is in the Strat world but it only comes in red and only with a RW Fingerboard...if you could get it in any other colour in the world and with a maple fingerboard I'd have several of them.

If you want a nice Tele on the cheap with an ash body and a nice fat maple neck grab a MIM 50's Tele and drop in new pickups...just keep in mind that they have a vintage style neck are are not the easiest playing guitars out there...if you don;'t mind (or want) the RW FIngerboard the Muddy is damn hard to beat!
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

the guy who invented fire said:
New Tele's that are nice and affordable are the HW1's and the MIM Classic 50's and 60's Tele's...the new GE Smith is nice as well but a bit more money than any of the others...the MIM Muddy Watters Tele is everybit as nice in the tele world as the Jimmie Vaughan Strat is in the Strat world but it only comes in red and only with a RW Fingerboard...if you could get it in any other colour in the world and with a maple fingerboard I'd have several of them.

If you want a nice Tele on the cheap with an ash body and a nice fat maple neck grab a MIM 50's Tele and drop in new pickups...just keep in mind that they have a vintage style neck are are not the easiest playing guitars out there...if you don;'t mind (or want) the RW FIngerboard the Muddy is damn hard to beat!
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Does it matter if the body is alder or ash? I know in Strat-land alder is preferred. I definitely want to throw a P90 in the neck so would the 60th anniversary be routed to allow for that?
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

jonnymangia said:
Does it matter if the body is alder or ash? I know in Strat-land alder is preferred. I definitely want to throw a P90 in the neck so would the 60th anniversary be routed to allow for that?
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I havn't played ash, but i have 2 alder fenders, they sound amazing. Alder is a great tone wood. I really want to try an ash guitar to compare.. Try them both because they are similar woods. ASH is a little harder and brighter i believe.

I think the 60th aniversary has a route for a bridge humbucker but i dont know about the neck... i havnt had the pickguard off to check..

The neck Pickup is the one i like the best though... If your gonna mod the guitar buy a standard one not the anniversary model.
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

jonnymangia said:
Does it matter if the body is alder or ash? I know in Strat-land alder is preferred. I definitely want to throw a P90 in the neck so would the 60th anniversary be routed to allow for that?
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I mean I guess it matters but it's really up to you...I have 2 Tele's one alder and one ash...I like them both.

Im not sure about the routs on the 60th ann...I can tell you that the classic series and the HW1's are trad routed and I know that the MIM Standards are routed for a bucker in the neck...
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

the guy who invented fire said:
I mean I guess it matters but it's really up to you...I have 2 Tele's one alder and one ash...I like them both.

Im not sure about the routs on the 60th ann...I can tell you that the classic series and the HW1's are trad routed and I know that the MIM Standards are routed for a bucker in the neck...
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Thanks for the info Christian and gang. Question re: the MIM teles. I guess that is called the "standard" correct? Or is the standard the MIA version?
Fender is so confuing to us Gibson playas.

I'll tell ya, if I can hook up a nice tele with a P90 neck and a ballsy bridge, I may just have saved myself from having to invest in another Gibson Custom Shop R4 or R6!
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

jonnymangia said:
Thanks for the heads up. BTW I noticed you have an SG Classic. How does that sound through your Fender amp? I use mine through EL84 powered Traynor and Peavey Classic 20 and it's thick as all hell and sounds killer, BUT it does not have the single coil, bright vibe (thus my search for a Fender). Do you find the SG's P90's to sound brighter through a Fender voiced amp?
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I've never actually had a chance to play my SG through my amp. I've played it through a Marshall 2266 half-stack at GC when I bought it, a Fender Blues Junior (getting in 2 weeks) also when I bought it, and my teacher's decade-old 100w Line 6 combo.

It sounds good. Warmer than bright, good bottom-end. Not the kind of guitar you'd play the Byrds with, but I can get a good Townshend/Page/Aerosmith/Malcolm Young sound out of it without hassle.

I wouldn't expect it to sound Fender-ish through my Fender amp since my Fender amp sounds nothing like a real Fender. I hope that made sense.
 
Re: Need Telecaster Help!

jonnymangia said:
Thanks for the info Christian and gang. Question re: the MIM teles. I guess that is called the "standard" correct? Or is the standard the MIA version?
Fender is so confuing to us Gibson playas.

I'll tell ya, if I can hook up a nice tele with a P90 neck and a ballsy bridge, I may just have saved myself from having to invest in another Gibson Custom Shop R4 or R6!
Click to expand...
There's the Standard, which is Mexican, and the MIA is called the American Standard.

I'd say go for a Highway 1 or a Baja Player.
TeleCPBjBl-large.jpg

This is the Baja Player. IIRC it also has S-1 switching...
 
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