which tele

[man-in-moon]

I was planning on just building one but that fell through. so i'm just going to buy a fender. the music stores around here suck so i can't really just go try them. so i was wondering which some of the people on here preffered so far no one has gave me bad advice. the models i am looking at are the hwy 1 tele and the lite ash tele. I don't want to have the store order one and then not like it.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: which tele

I have a Hwy 1 Tele and it's decent. I can't say that I'm in love with it or that it's the living end; but it's okay...

I have tried a lot of Lite Ash models and it seems that every 1 out of 10 are decent. The rest are crap; but if you take a decent Lite Ash model and change out all of the electronics except the pickups (They're Alnico II Pros), you'll have a decent player. You'll also need to do a bit of neck work too. I have a friend that bought a Lite Ash Tele. We replaced the switch with a Fender 5-way and replaced the wiring and pots. We also routed the body to give it a universal route. We replaced the neck pickup with an Alnico II Pro Flat model and installed one in the neck as well. For the neck, I gave it a good rubdown with gunstock oil and wax. I almost want that guitar myself now. With my Hwy 1, well, the acrylic lacquer is so thin that I have chips and wear points all ove the place. I personally think the best bag for the buck, off the shelf, that is, is the Classic Series. Whether you go with a 60's Tele or a 50's Tele they're fantastic...

My $0.02 and remember, YYMV as well as everyone elses...

 

[dani]

Re: which tele

i will personally go for the hwy 1 texas tele. swamp ash body, vintage bridge with brass saddles and a 12" radiused 1-pc maple neck. vintage tone with modern playability. as butch said, it has a thin coat of acrylic lacquer. but imo, it will work well if you like your guitar to relic naturally in a short period of time.

 

[B Bent]

Re: which tele

I love my American Nashville B Bender Tele. The Bender might not be useful for everyone but the added middle Strat pickup is very useful.

 

[mrfjones]

Re: which tele

i really like the 50's classic tele. they are a killer guitar for the buck. just get some new pickups and you have a real nice tele. only downside is that there are only 3 colors.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: which tele

it has a thin coat of acrylic lacquer. but imo, it will work well if you like your guitar to relic naturally in a short period of time.

Amen to that. I get players all the time, in the clubs, asking me if my Tele is 30 years old....:werd:

 

[MikeS]

Re: which tele

i really like the 50's classic tele. they are a killer guitar for the buck. just get some new pickups and you have a real nice tele. only downside is that there are only 3 colors.

When I bought my Tele I got what I felt was the best player for the buck and the one with a lot of potential.

That said, the MIM classic teles (mine is a 50s) tend to play very well. Off the shelf it played well (after a setup, of course). The finish, IMO, is outstanding for a "cheaper" guitar. It's well built and plays/sound good as well. In fact, I suppose my only complaint would be that the fret edges aren't as manicured as I would like, but I find that to be an issue with every MIM Fender I play.

Dani makes a good point, too, about modern playability. I think the neck radius on the classics are ~7.5". Combine that with vintage (smaller) fretwire, and the classics can be a bit laboriuos to ply, IMO. The HWY1s definatly have a more modern feel to them. I have a HWY1 Strat, and feel that it's an incredible instrument, especially considering waht I payed for it.