Tele suggestions

I just checked them out. They are all 1 5/8” at the nut. Bummer

Warmoth necks, when you custom order, you have a choice of nut widths, neck profiles, different sizes of frets, nickel or stainless steel frets, different tonewoods and fretboard woods. Might cost more, but Warmoth is topnotch quality. Same with the bodies.
 
Last edited:
Warmoth is fantastic, and if you are patient, you might be able to find a neck for under $200 with the specs you want (or most of them, anyway) in their Showcase.
 
Warmoth is fantastic, and if you are patient, you might be able to find a neck for under $200 with the specs you want (or most of them, anyway) in their Showcase.
I've heard many horror stories of those necks coming with unpolished, unleveled frets.
 
I've heard many horror stories of those necks coming with unpolished, unleveled frets.

They're not horror stories, they're a real disclaimer because warmoth...does...not...make... guitars! They make guitar parts and it is your job to level and polish the frets. They say so a billion times on the website anyway. To pretend it's not the case is just wilfull ignorance.
 
Yeah, you have to put a little work into it. I have 2 Warmoth builds that are my favorite instruments. If you understand what you are buying, they are absolutely worth it if you can't get what you like from a factory guitar.
 
I've heard many horror stories of those necks coming with unpolished, unleveled frets.

I needed to polish and level the neck I got from Warmoth. It's not particularly hard to do or even all that time consuming (the neck I got was pretty close to where it should be anyway).
 
I think you're going to have difficulty finding something off the shelf that meets your neck width criteria as standard Fender neck width is 1.65". There's been a few exceptions throughout history (for example the "D" width neck from the 60's) but pretty much all of their modern production line stuff is going to be 1.65". So your options are custom order, or parts build - neither of which are likely within your stated budget.
 
I think you're going to have difficulty finding something off the shelf that meets your neck width criteria as standard Fender neck width is 1.65". There's been a few exceptions throughout history (for example the "D" width neck from the 60's) but pretty much all of their modern production line stuff is going to be 1.65". So your options are custom order, or parts build - neither of which are likely within your stated budget.

Agreed. I haven’t had much luck finding what I’m looking for as a stock part.
And the more I’m looking into this I’m realizing that $500 probably isn’t a realistic number either. Although I’m open to a used instrument.
 
They're not horror stories, they're a real disclaimer because warmoth...does...not...make... guitars! They make guitar parts and it is your job to level and polish the frets. They say so a billion times on the website anyway. To pretend it's not the case is just wilfull ignorance.
Ah, got it. Didn't realize. Hadn't read the fine print, I guess, LOL. My bad.
 
Fender usually uses ash for transparent finishes for that reason- it looks better. To me, ash is slightly more scooped than alder, but alder is my favorite sounding wood for a guitar.
 
in general i find alder more even as dave said, but there is a ton of variability. i have a swamp ash esquire that sounds fat as hell and an alder tele thats pretty scooped ymwv
 
I have an ‘86 Kramer Focus which I believe is alder and it sounds full if not a bit midrange heavy (in a good way)
 
G&L natural alder...elegant looking/boring looking. The real deal is the luck of the draw, you can get bodies of any wood type that are not suited for natural finish.

g-l-usa-legacy-spalted-alder-top-electric-guitar-in-natural-gloss-finish-sku-number-usa-lgcyrmc-nat-rw-9334.jpg
 
^Actually, that kind of figuring isn't very common. The kind I've seen is a lot more plain.
 
I’ve been browsing Reverb ads for Teles lately and I’m floored at what people are asking for used MIM guitars.
This economy is way out of control. 5 years ago a used MIM was $400-$450. Some people are asking $700+ dollars!!! You’ve got to be kidding me!! I can just get a new one for that.
 
I’ve been browsing Reverb ads for Teles lately and I’m floored at what people are asking for used MIM guitars.
This economy is way out of control. 5 years ago a used MIM was $400-$450. Some people are asking $700+ dollars!!! You’ve got to be kidding me!! I can just get a new one for that.

Used prices are coming down like a rock. Some folks are still posting the prices that were paid 6 mo ago.

Fender discounted again their Vintera line so you can get a NEW tele from Fender for about $700

https://www.fender.com/en-US/electr...fn1=refinement-body-shape&prefv1=Telecaster®&
 
Back
Top