Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Ratrod on August 29, 2008, 01:07:48 PM
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New Telecaster Day
Yes! My Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster arrived yesterday.
Everyone who’s been reading the reviews of this guitar on the Telecaster Discussion Page and wondering whether it’s really that good………….IT IS!
The paint job looks flawless. It’s a milky/creamy semi transparent white with the grey wood grain of the pine showing through. Polished to mirror finish.
The neck fits tightly in the pocket, you couldn’t get a hair between the neck and the body. The vintage look finish is, again, flawless. Not too yellow or orange and certainly not too pale. The width of the neck is slightly slimmer than I’m used too but very comfortable and a joy to play. You will NOT believe how good the fret job is on this thing. Some have mentioned a slight flame on the neck. Mine has that too but I thing that was caused by the CNC machine router bit.
Unplugged it sounds very rich, resonant and surprisingly loud. Plugged in you’ll notice there is too much sharpness in the bridge pickup and it’s too dull in the neck pickup. This needs some adjustments.
Ok, this guitar comes with 9’s on it and that’s too thin for me so I changed the strings to 10’s. That also takes away some of the sharpness. The string change required some setup adjustments. I needed to widen the nut slots a bit and the truss rod a quarter turn. Action and intonation remained just fine. It’s a brass three saddle.
While I was at it I adjusted the pickups. Neck a little higher, bridge a little lower (especially the treble side). Now it sounds balanced and like a classic style Tele should. I didn’t expect much from these pickups but they sound really good. They’re low output AIII pickups and you have to work a little for your tone but all the twang and classic Tele tones are there.
The chrome could have been better, the tuners are decent enough but I doubt they’ll last long if you string it up with 11’s. The pots feel pretty solid and they’re quiet.
In essence, this is Leo’s vision re-incarnated.
From memory I can compare this to MIM Tele and the Lite Ash. The finish is on par with the MIM, the neck is superior IMO, especially with that stunning fret job. Soundwise, a Lite Ash Tele sounds better with it’s SD pickups but the feel of the Classic Vibe’s neck is much better. The pickups are just as good as the MIM’s but very different in tone. MIM pickups are much beefier, rock and blues oreiented. The CV’s pickups are all country, rockabilly and rock n’ roll. More airy, snappy and twangy.
This has got to be the best deal you can get on a guitar.
The serial number on mine: CGS080400777
Lady Luck must be smiling down on me.
I’ll post some pics when I get my regular computer back.
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sweet. i might have to get me one of these babies.
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Not what I wanted to hear :(
I'm trying to resist the touch of GAS I have to buy one of those and play with the pickups and wiring.....
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Picss!
Have to say i'm a bit skeptical about Squires but seems like they can be good little guitars.
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Picss!
Have to say i'm a bit skeptical about Squires but seems like they can be good little guitars.
you're right to be skeptical crazy joe, every squier i've played has been fun and entertaining, doesn't meant to say they were quality instruments though - far from it some times. though it seems they did a good job on this one! good buy ramrod and congratulations!
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They're selling like hot cakes - I haven't found a shop with one in stock for me to try yet. Mail order seems to be the only way to get one...
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Machinehead have got one, Dave.
http://machinehead.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/21_41/products_id/2019
Think I'll try it out myself, too.
Looking forward to pics, Ratrod. :)
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Not what I wanted to hear :(
I'm trying to resist the touch of GAS I have to buy one of those and play with the pickups and wiring.....
Does they come in reliced red sparkle??? (twiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin) :lol:
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Great buy Ratty.
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Sounds great, but I think the Badger has satisfied my Tele GAS for the foreseeable future.
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Nice one Mr Ratrod :D
I tried one a few weeks back and agree whole-heartedly with everything you say. I was amazed at the quality of the fretwork - absolutely stunning. It knocks the frets on my Baja into the long grass by a very long way (and the finish on the neck, as well).
I didn't buy it for a variety of reasons: the neck is far too slim for my tastes (I'd have loved it 20 years ago!), I'm not too keen on milky white blonde finishes (the one I tried had an excellent one, just not for me), and, if I do get another tele, it really ought to have a rosewood board :roll:
I did advise an old bloke trying a Baja to go and check it out before he spent his money though :D. I told him I love the Baja myself, but he seemed a bit non-plussed and said he was just after a decent cheap tele... so I let him into the secret of what I'd just tried down the road. But BOY, could he play!!
I tried some MIM Classic Series rosewood board teles last weekend - not bad, but of the two I tried, for the somewhat larger asking price (compared to the CV) you get a bonus "mystery-fret" that is lower than all the others! One choked seriously at the 10th, all strings, the other at 14th... Interestingly, one shop noticed it and whipped it out of my hands with a "we're sending that back...", and the other shop?... they shrugged, and put it back on the wall...
I still might come back to the MIMs, they seem decent enough and the neck is nearer to my taste, but I'm actually wanting to try a Japanese re-issue, and I decided that I might as well wait and get what I really want!!
But anyway, if you can lay your hands on one of these, and you like slim necks, the Squier CV is extremely desirable. And if you're worried about the sound Ratrod describes, considering what they've done to my Baja, I suspect that Blackguard Flat 50s would seriously fatten it up if you want to go to the more bluesy end of things... (and it would still cost less than a MIM!) :D
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The CV Tele isn't just a good guitar for the money, it's a good guitar period.
I got mine from Thomann for less than 300 euro, probably as cheap as it gets. It came in an unopened factory box so it had the factory setup and that wasn't bad at all, except for the pickups. Plug and play.
New electronics and Blackguards are in the plans for this guitar.
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I like the look of these, but thinking about picking up a £110 butterscotch blonde affinity tele and some piledrivers. Oh yeah!
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The CV Tele isn't just a good guitar for the money, it's a good guitar period.
+1 on that Ratrod, I was banging on about "cheap", "comparison", etc in my post - but the bottom line was that the one I played was just plain good, full-stop. If the neck had been thicker, I think it would have left the shop with me and I would have had some serious explaining to do!
Sadly, the CV strats (which I was far more interested in than the tele) didn't feel quite so substantial to me - the frets, especially on the 50s maple board model, were just as gorgeous, but overall the guitars didn't seem quite as classy as the tele. I think they've hit the bullseye with that one.
The quality they've managed does make you wonder though doesn't it? These teles make other "cheaper option guitars" look expensive, but their basic build quality is better. What are the other guys playing at??! I just bought a Republic resonator this week (Chinese I understand, same as these CVs) and it was comparable for feel/playability to the National near it that cost three times as much, and it had a better tone... I only tried the National just to make sure I wasn't being stupid buying a cheap one when I could save a bit harder and get what I really want tone-wise... I was stunned to discover that I prefered the tone of the Republic :roll:
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The quality they've managed does make you wonder though doesn't it? These teles make other "cheaper option guitars" look expensive, but their basic build quality is better. What are the other guys playing at??! I just bought a Republic resonator this week (Chinese I understand, same as these CVs) and it was comparable for feel/playability to the National near it that cost three times as much, and it had a better tone... I only tried the National just to make sure I wasn't being stupid buying a cheap one when I could save a bit harder and get what I really want tone-wise... I was stunned to discover that I prefered the tone of the Republic :roll:
I suppose a very large part of the extra money you pay for an American guitar has nothing to do with the instrument itself. In particular, the cost of labour and overheads.
OK, the Chinese production probably uses cheaper materials and features a greater degree of automation. But there's no reason why the Chinese guy doing the fretwork (for 10p an hour or whatever) shouldn't be every bit as skilled as an American guy doing the same thing elsewhere for a much higher wage.
Plus the Chinese factories probably don't have too many environmental, health & safety or working hours regulations to worry about.
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sounds cool, glad you like it- it's always a relief when you order online and find it's a good piece of kit. . i'd like to try one. :)
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They're selling like hot cakes - I haven't found a shop with one in stock for me to try yet. Mail order seems to be the only way to get one...
I've just tried the Tele and Strat (unplugged) at Sound Control in Salford (or whatever they call it now).
I was really impressed with both! The strat mostly, it just had a real vintage vibe but they both felt quality. The teles neck was really nice and well finished but just a bit shallower than the Baja profile I really like. I would probably upgrade the thick plastic pickguard but aesthetically that's it. They are the best Squires I have ever tried and are better thatn the mexican standard's IMO.
I tried the Baja through a Blackstart Artisan 15, that was a lovely amp BTW
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Cheers Tom - I'll have to bob over tomorrow I think...
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But there's no reason why the Chinese guy doing the fretwork (for 10p an hour or whatever) shouldn't be every bit as skilled as an American guy doing the same thing elsewhere for a much higher wage.
I read somewhere that a PLEK machine may be doing all the work on the frets. Would make sense for a big factory to invest in one to cut costs.....
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Did you play the Sand coloured Baja, Tom? That felt like a nice weight. Didn't play it though.
I played the Classic Vibe Tele though the Artisan 15 and they are a nice amp. Even Martin from Martamp was quite impressed. Said he could build a better one though ;)
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So did you buy it then TF?? (the CV tele) we all want to know... :D
The only thing stopping me is the neck profile. I've ended up liking, and even requiring, "baseball-bat" type necks...
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So did you buy it then TF?? (the CV tele) we all want to know... :D
Well I've recently sold my Baja to Philly Q after buying my Custom Shop Tele, so I didn't need another Tele. I went along to try it and see what all the fuss was about.
Then I noticed this......
(It looks much better in the flesh, it's hard to photograph!!)
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Then I noticed this......
(It looks much better in the flesh, it's hard to photograph!!)
So you did buy it? :lol:
Amazing what a bit of flame can do to an otherwise rational man. :P
Ignoring the flame though, I like the back of the headstock. No sharp, half-finished looking edges like you normally get on cheap guitars.
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:lol: Why buy a £200-ish Pine Squier Tele when you've got THAT Fender!?!? You're mad! :lol:
(But I'm still jealous).
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:lol:
Yep, they look gorgeous in the flesh don't they?
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I dunno why I bought it Sam, I just couldn't resist :oops: It's not a patch on THAT Tele, naturally, but it's a nice instrument none the less. The neck is a little bit slim but it's not as thin as my Squier Strat. It's incredibly well built and sounds really good!
I'm going to try a few things out with it now I've got it. I've got it tuned to open G at the moment so it's a bit Keef/Rich Robinson. I'm going to bung the four-way switch I've got lying around into it to get some humbucker type tones later today, and at some point I'm going to give it a neck TV Jones Classic or Power'tron Gretsch-style pickup.
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I dunno why I bought it Sam, I just couldn't resist :oops: It's not a patch on THAT Tele, naturally, but it's a nice instrument none the less. The neck is a little bit slim but it's not as thin as my Squier Strat. It's incredibly well built and sounds really good!
Don't tell me it's better than a Baja or I'll throw my toys out of the pram! :( :wink:
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I dunno why I bought it Sam, I just couldn't resist :oops: It's not a patch on THAT Tele, naturally, but it's a nice instrument none the less. The neck is a little bit slim but it's not as thin as my Squier Strat. It's incredibly well built and sounds really good!
Seems that everyone who has tried one has found it to be great, without exception! Will have to check out that one in Machinehead.
I think we need a "Twinfan's guitar collection" thread soon, like Philking did a while ago! :D
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I'm quite interested in Andy's, it seems to be growing rapidly after joining the forum.
Anyway, a modeller I am thinking of buying has a tele simulator :lol: just if I do need that sound but don't want to look at one ;)
but I don't think it comes with a flame maple neck simulator :(
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:lol:
Yep, they're all round me even as I type...
The only thing I have to watch out for is making that conceptual leap that Twinfan seems to have made from "why spend more than £600 or so..." to "they really are worth a couple of grand..." :lol:
Anyway, what modellor is that Will?
Philly, don't panic - I don't think the CV I tried was better than my Baja, just different. When I played the CV it felt more "ladylike", like you ought to be playing polite stuff on it... where as the Baja feels like an honest workman's tool, a weapon almost :lol:
The neck finish/frets is far better. While the Baja is playable, the CV is just dreamy in that department. But, I seem to remember that the chunky V profile was one of the things that you like on the Baja - in that case, there's no contest for you, the CV's a little bit to genteel in that area :D
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Sansamp PSA
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Philly, don't panic - I don't think the CV I tried was better than my Baja, just different. When I played the CV it felt more "ladylike", like you ought to be playing polite stuff on it... where as the Baja feels like an honest workman's tool, a weapon almost :lol:
The neck finish/frets is far better. While the Baja is playable, the CV is just dreamy in that department. But, I seem to remember that the chunky V profile was one of the things that you like on the Baja - in that case, there's no contest for you, the CV's a little bit to genteel in that area :D
That's a relief!
Yeah, I do like the big neck on the Baja, even though it's not the slickest player - weapon is about right. It really makes me wish I could play that Roy B stuff!
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Andy's right Phil - it's just different to a Baja. I bought the Squier because it was cheap, pre-routed for a neck humbucker, played nice and had a flamed maple neck. It's a bit heavier than your Baja too, so that and the neck profile would rule it out for you. I can live with both those things.
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OK, I'm being slowly convinced... good job you mentioned the weight... :wink:
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I'm quite interested in Andy's, it seems to be growing rapidly after joining the forum.
Anyway, a modeller I am thinking of buying has a tele simulator :lol: just if I do need that sound but don't want to look at one ;)
but I don't think it comes with a flame maple neck simulator :(
I'm sure you can have something near Tele tone putting a Tele bridge pickup in a Strat... Solve your problem with the look and might sound better than that simulator...
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I'd be all over the CV Tele if it weren't for the thin neck. I already have a strat that get little play because it has a modern thin 'C' profile. It's a shame they don't offer an alternative 'regular' neck option.
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Did you play the Sand coloured Baja, Tom? That felt like a nice weight. Didn't play it though.
I played the Classic Vibe Tele though the Artisan 15 and they are a nice amp. Even Martin from Martamp was quite impressed. Said he could build a better one though ;)
Yeah, it was the sand Baja I played through the Artisan, it felt really good. I didn't try the CV through the amp but I did notice that nice flame. I think at the price they will end up a classic, just like the Baja appears to be
I think the Artisan 15 would be my ideal amp if it had reverb, but whatever I get I'll certainly be giving Martin a call first, just waiting to sell my Nord Electro KB and I'll be away :D
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I'd be all over the CV Tele if it weren't for the thin neck. I already have a strat that get little play because it has a modern thin 'C' profile. It's a shame they don't offer an alternative 'regular' neck option.
Yeah, that's one thing missing from the Fender range - they should offer a choice of neck shapes, at least for the basic, meat-and-potatoes models like the American Standards. Maybe a "C" and a "soft V".
There are lots of different shapes, but only if you get a completely different (and often more expensive) model. That was one of the reasons I got the Robert Cray Strat, for the big round neck.
Having said that, I'm reasonably comfortable with the current "modern C" shape - I'm just glad it isn't any thinner.
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I tried one of these today. They had to unpack them out of the boxes for me to try but right out of the box it played really well!
The guy in the shop played it to make sure it was in tune and was so impressed by the sound produced.
I was playing it on a cornford carerra. Its such a good amp. Sounded so good. Woud have bought the tele but am saving for something atm. Will def go back at some point this year.
Prior to playing it I had plans on turning it into my first project and changing the pups and the parts and trying to do a relic like they did in Guitar magazine with "Blackie"replica demo but leaving it the same colour. However im not sure if it need mods. It was pretty heavy, which i'd read about. Def worth checking out if anyones interested in a cheap tele.
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Remember I said the pickups lacked power and needed effort to play? Well, thanks to my wonderfull amp (Engl Classic) I found a solution.
I simply turned the gain up a notch or two, then I disabled the bright switch and turned the treble a notch down to make it less bright. It sounds great. I also tried it on a Fender Deluxe Reverb and it sounded great on that too.
I'm still planning to change the pickups and electronics but there's no need to rush it. The pickups are just as good as the better MIM pickups, only different in character.
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There is however an established market for Fender replacement necks (the big advantage of a bolt on). For a little extra outlay (and you can recoup a chunk of that by putting your original neck on ebay) you could have whatever you wanted.
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Gave the full range a scutch today down the local guitar shoppe.
The Tele is quite nice, and I prefered the "sixties" strat to the "fifties" one. What did really surprise me was the Duo-Sonic, which was a proper wee beast of a thing, and roared like a good 'un. Definitely on the list...
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What did really surprise me was the Duo-Sonic, which was a proper wee beast of a thing, and roared like a good 'un. Definitely on the list...
I saw one in a shop and was actually surprised at how good i thought it looked, very vintagey. Nice to hear that it sounds as good.
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It weighs about 4 pounds as well. I'd nearly be worried about gigging it, but only nearly.
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I Prices the same thing in Matchetts, the tele was real heavy, stray was OK and the Duosonic weighed nothing (and pretty too)
Mind their curent Baja on display is about twice the weight of the last one (that I nearly bought)
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I was in Matchetts too, but I found the Tele as light as cork. This means either a: I don't know my own strength or b: Matchetts got more than one of something.
If it's b, I fear the world may end.
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UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!
Now the honeymoon is over. Time for improvement.
I re-adjusted the trussrod. It's a bit flatter now wich improves the playing alot.
I mentioned it had low output pickups. They sounded like they were around 4K or even less. You really had to work the strings hard to make it sound strong. Also, there was very litle midrange. I noticed that it occasionally lost output or cut out completely. The problem was the switch.
The switch was one of those print board ones. I replaced it today with a proper allparts switch.
What a difference!
It sounds louder, has more midrange and you don't have to 'shoot arrows' anymore. The pickups measure a healthy 8.56 and 7.01 K-ohms at the jack and they sound like it too.
So if you're getting one of these, or have one already, replace that POS switch
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About the pickups.
I have reason to believe the pickups in this guitar are Tonerider Hot Classics. They have the same magnets, very similar DC readings, the description matches, same wire colors and the same 'shoe lace' coil wraps. I also found some soundclips and they sound remarkably similar. Oh, and Toneriders are also made in China.
So these pickups are unlabeled toneriders or very accurate replica's.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.
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I think you may be right there fella - they certainly appear to be the same.
I'm swapping the bridge out on mine as I prefer pickups with lower winds....
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Here's a picture of a set of Hot Classics. They look identical.
(http://phousemusic.com/images/tele540.jpg)
And here are some clips (scroll down) http://tonerider.com.au/audio/ (http://tonerider.com.au/audio/)
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If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.
Quack! Quack! :lol: :P
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Here's a picture of a set of Hot Classics. They look identical.
Those look really nicely made.
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I've had a Tonerider Alnico IV PAF and its pretty good, especially for the price - kinda muddy though unless you are careful, but I must warn you - a Mule absolutely blows it away (which is why I had the Tonerider).
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I tried out the 60s classic vibe yesterday while tryig out blackstar pedals. And although I was least interested in it of the while range, the sound and general quality feel of it blew me away!
I can see what people mean about the neckr though, it is rather thin.