Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Scott_F

Scott_F

Flushologist
Staff member
Okay, here's what I want...

Something bigger than the 7.25 Radius that I had on the 52RI.

Maple Neck with some figuring and rolled edges. No rosewood.

Vintage 3 barrel bridge is a must.

Good wood on the body. (alder or ash, not crap)

Pups not important as a stock feature. But standard two singles, no Nashville or HS or HH.

Price is a consideration, but basically I want those features above at the least price I can get away with. Country of origin doesn't matter as long as it's a great guitar.

Thanks.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Don't know about the rolled edges, but my MIJ Thinline fulfills all of those requirements, except that it's mahogany and, well, it's hollow.

BTW, I got mine for $250 at a Pawn Shop with a gig bag. :burnout:
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Or, if you've got the motivation, build your own. I couldn't find a Tele that matched everything I wanted - Quartersawn maple neck, 9.5" radius, light one-piece swamp ash body, three-barrel bridge, bone nut, locking tuners, nitro finish, custom color. It smokes anything I could find short of the Fender Custom Shop ($3000 + and a year wait? No thanks!). I get a great response from whoever sees it, and it sounds unbelievable. It was a lot of fun to build, and you can get everything exactly the way you want it.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Here's a good one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38082&item=3747560083&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

And here's another good one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38083&item=3747194010&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

These James Burtons are excellant guitars. The stock Fender pickups are very good...but I'd change them for some Dimarzios. :smack: Just kidding!

Change 'em to Jerry Donahues or Antiquitys. :laugh2:

If you can steal that one that's sitting at under $100 right now, you could replace the bridge with a three saddle version. That's exactly what I did to mine.

I think alder might be a little brighter than swamp ash and the Burtons are alder. In a bright bodied guitar I really like the Duncan Jerry Donahue pickup. I believe the Jerry Donahue Tele from Fender was also an alder body guitar.

Do a search on eaby for Jerry Donahue Teles...there's a nice one of those on there right now too.

In a warmer sounding swamp ash guitar I like the brighter Duncan Antiquity pickups.

Roll the edges yourself with a little 600 grit paper...again, that's what I did.

The necks are full and nicely shaped and the frets are a little bigger than vintage...makes string bending easier.

Good luck!
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

I just recently got my Tele...I wanted the SAME THINGS YOU DO. I hate a 7.25 radius, and I hate tiny little frets. I wanted 3 saddle bridge, box bridge, ash or alder, maple neck, and 2 single coils. I could not be more happy. I got a Highway One. I did change a few things about it but I always do. I put some Duncan Custom Shop pups in it, new guardplate(only for looks), new tuners and round string tree(also for looks...the stock keys were really better than the ones I put on, but I like Kluson keys), compensated brass saddles(it came with steel, brass looks better plus they play far better intune), straplocks and an Electrosocket(a must for ALL Tele guitars!). The point is this, even in stock form it was a killer guitar...eben the pups(the neck did leave a little to be desired, but the bridge pup is in another guitar I have) For the price it is the best Tele you can get today, and best of all it's(to me) the perfect blend of modern and vintage features.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Look for a good used G&L, Asat Classic. Most of them have 7 1/4" radius necks, but there are a few around with a 12" radius. Put a set of Bill Lawrence tele pickups in it, and you'll have a great guitar. They come with a six barrel bridge, but switching to a three barrel is a direct bolt on.


Sprinter
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

is the one that telerifik is selling in the trading post close to your specs?

as someone who just went through a 9+ month tele search, i know where you are coming from ... i wanted just about everything you mentioned ... i ended up with a tokai '52 ri clone .. it doesnt have the 7.5" radius, more like 9.5" ... nice ash body ... see pics on my webpage ... i paid $325 .. plenty to spare for a brass bridge (but the 3 saddle steel is actually growing on me), pots and cap, new bone nut, upgrade tuners, and new pups ...

i also liked the 50's MIM Fender teles (the necks ruled), but they cost more and would need similar upgrades and didnt come in butterscotch/ash


good luck
t4d
 
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Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Hmm. I'm not 100% on the neck radius, but the Highway 1 Teles seem to fit your description. Don't forget, my local GC was selling them new in blond and teal for $350. Those finishes look pretty cool once worn down a bit too. :D
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

MikeRocker said:
Or, if you've got the motivation, build your own. I couldn't find a Tele that matched everything I wanted - Quartersawn maple neck, 9.5" radius, light one-piece swamp ash body, three-barrel bridge, bone nut, locking tuners, nitro finish, custom color. It smokes anything I could find short of the Fender Custom Shop ($3000 + and a year wait? No thanks!). I get a great response from whoever sees it, and it sounds unbelievable. It was a lot of fun to build, and you can get everything exactly the way you want it.
Click to expand...
hey, Mike!
don't post stuff like that without a pic to back it up!!! :)



but, I agree with you:
BlueTele2-3-2.jpg


if you can build an amp, a guitar is piece a cake
C'mon, Scott, you ain't gonna be happy till you build your own :)

Mike's got the specs, 'cept for the locking tuners :)

Stick around, my bro, and we'll help you get there ;)
---------------------------------------------------
here's the link to the specs of mine, BTW:
Blue Tele

I've since changed the p'ups to Ants, and Barden bridges are hard to come by now, but this is a starting point

Scott,
all you need is a good "Toneninja" logo :)
 
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Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Sounds almost like you want a new MIA tele with a vintage bridge. I concur with Curly, build your own! Plus, most production fenders have a poly finish, if I'm not mistaken. A nitro finish on a new tele would be really, really sweet.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

uh ... Fender's too busy suing folks to build good guitars for less than $3K :D

and the folks doin the suin' ain't got no connection to Leo, 'cept his name ;)

Peace
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

the light ash models from fender are great but i'm not willing to pay that much for a korean make... the other very well-playing korean is the blackout tele but the asking price's too much IMO. ok enough side-tracking...

i've recently tried 2 great teles with the ash-tray type bridge: Highway1's Texas tele/ '50s tele from the Classic Series. must be their ash bodies...
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

OK Curly, I guess you're gonna force me to bust out my scanner! :) Or at least try to borrow a digital camera. You're gonna be in for a surprise though....my Tele looks almost identical to yours, except purple! Obviously, you are an individual of discriminating taste! I love the locking tuners, though, so fast and easy to change strings. I wasn't going for the 100% retro, so in addition to the Schallers I've got 22 frets and even put my own logo on the headstock. I'll try to get a pic up tomorrow.
Building your own is the way to go.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

I think those James Burton models have a the 7.25" radius unless I am confusing them with another guitar.

Scott I say build also. Otherwise go American Standard and swap the bridge for quick and easy. If you look on eBay you'll usually find plenty of bodies and necks to mix and match.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Scott, as someone who has tried about al the Teles made, if you're not going to build, I would echo Tom M's suggestion. The Hwy 1 is a fantastic Tele. It has everything you want. The neck radius is 9.5", they have a vintage 3-barrel bridge and they're USA-made.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

I had a chance at a forum members Hwy 1 and I got busy and missed it a week or two ago. Plus he had "aged" it the natural way. Snoozed and loozed.

C'mon Butch, you know you got an extra tele or two laying around.... ;)

I actually hit all the pawn shops in town yesterday afternoon trying to score an old Japanese Squier or something MIM equivalent. A few months ago, there were three here and there, yesterday, nothing but junk. I so scored on the neck that was on that little MIM Strat in the pawn shop last year, neck was nice and vintage looking, aged, neck was just perfect.

I think I will probably concentrate on building my Tweed Super and keep checking the pawn shops. My college town has about 8 of them. I need to get on more of a routine on swinging through all of them on a more regular basis.
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Curly said:
uh ... Fender's too busy suing folks to build good guitars for less than $3K :D

and the folks doin the suin' ain't got no connection to Leo, 'cept his name ;)

Peace
Click to expand...

Ooooo....that was cold. :) Nice Fender Custom Shop Teles can be found used for well under $2K. But new? yeah, about $3K. I NEVER buy new guitars. As for building your own...yep, it's easy. I just like to see the old spaghetti logo Fender on the headstock I guess. (I really do!) And the resale value is better with name brand guitars. Lew
 
Re: Tele Gurus.... help me pick a Tele!

Lewguitar said:
Ooooo....that was cold. :) Nice Fender Custom Shop Teles can be found used for well under $2K. But new? yeah, about $3K. I NEVER buy new guitars. As for building your own...yep, it's easy. I just like to see the old spaghetti logo Fender on the headstock I guess. (I really do!) And the resale value is better with name brand guitars. Lew
Click to expand...
Lew,
haha ....I was in a bit of a pi$$y mood last night after going out with my neighbor for a few drinks to celibrate his upcoming wedding. :)

anyway, I have kind of a love/ hate relationship with Fenders. I loved Leo, the old company, and the old designs. It's often easy to hate big companies I guess, and FMIC is certainly big.
Leo was a genius with a very practical streak ... he designed and built simple, durable, good sounding instruments and amps. He was quoted as saying the instruments had to be tough, 'cause they got bounced around in the back of those cowboys' pickups. :)
----------------------------

anyway, sorry for the interruption ...
my point is that I feel that as more emphasis has gone toward the higher end items, the quality of the American Standard, American Series, or whatever it's called now, has grown less consistent. That's been my problem with Fender since the 90's. I remember in the early 80's when Fender, spurred on by the Japanese, began making a decent American made strat again, and the word got out pretty fast.
I've gone through a number of newer Fenders, and I always tell people you have to look at 20 to find one good one.

I agree with you regarding resale value, though. That name on the headstock is gold. :)
But, between my custom made parts guitars, and the Fenders, the customs get played a lot more. :)

Oh, and Scott, I wouldn't rule out G & L's, either. ;)


Peace
 
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