Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: danger5oh on August 02, 2011, 07:35:39 PM
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Hey... I'm curious to see what you guys might think about the J5 Fender Telecaster. I have a strange fascination with Teles... even though I'm pretty much a full time metal guitarist. Out of all of my guitars, my number one is easily a MIM Jim Root Fender Tele... and I've owned quite a few different MIA's, MIJ's, MIK's, and every other MI-insert letter here-.
Now, usually when it comes to metal, Teles are the last guitar that people think of, which I think is why I love them so much. Also, the guitar that I learned to play on was a Tele, and my first guitar was a Strat. So... while cruising through one of my local shops, I discovered the J5. Most people know this guitar by it's strange 12 string headstock, which is a headstock that only a mother could love. Getting past that, it actually feels quite comfortable. I didn't have the time to actually plug it in, but I do have a BKP Aftermath bridge that will be going IF I end up with it anyway.
Pros and cons... from what I can tell. It's a versatile metal Tele, but it's a signature guitar. It's MIM, but so is my favorite guitar. I can get it at cost (around $800), but it's still MIM lol. That headstock is either unique, or an eyesore.
Just curious to see if any of you have experience with this guitar... and if so, should I jump on this deal?
(http://www.productwiki.com/upload/images/fender_artist_j5_telecaster.jpg)
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I you like it, buy it. Personally I don't like the headstock, but maybe I'm a bit of traditionalist when it comes to tele's. But, shredding on tele's is somehow cool, cause not expected. I bet Roo will chime in soon.... :-)
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It's funny... I'm very much the anti-traditionalist. My heaviest sounding guitar is a Tele. My versatile tone-machine is a Jackson lol. The more I look at the headstock, the less I hate it, but it still is a little extreme... even for me. As far as playability goes though... it feels so nice!
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I don't like the headstock either, but it's a cool guitar.
And don't let the MIM put you off (I'm sure you won't really, since you have the Jim Root Tele). I think the MIM stuff is getting better all the time - my Robert Cray Strat is great, the Road Worns are great, and I have a Kenny Wayne Shepherd neck which is very nice too.
But I think I prefer this John 5 model:
(http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/4970/2898973250059785862S600x600Q85.jpg)
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I really like the headstock, though it's better with 12 machine heads.
It's the rest of the guitar I think looks rubbish. Black Fenders with silver scratchplates all look rubbish in my book.
I'd really like a daphne blue/sonic green 12 string tele to make a into a 9 string. One day. If I can find a cheapy one (I don't know if there's ever been a cheapy one?)
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I'd really like a daphne blue/sonic green 12 string tele to make a into a 9 string. One day. If I can find a cheapy one (I don't know if there's ever been a cheapy one?)
Well it's not a Tele, but there was the Squier Venus 12-string:
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/vsxii9ue.jpg)
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Nah I don't dig that. I do however find myself on Warmoth now, trying to work out what a single humbucker 12 string tele would cost...
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A tele'ish version of this mabbe? :D
(http://www.firstact.com/upload/images/artists/artist/pike/artist_main_pike001.jpg)
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Nah I don't dig that. I do however find myself on Warmoth now, trying to work out what a single humbucker 12 string tele would cost...
Potentially not too much, if you're not fussy about neck profiles, body weight or finishes.
Problem is, you probably won't find a 12-string body in the in-stock Showcase, and the prices rocket if you have to do a custom order.
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A tele'ish version of this mabbe? :D
Pic Removed
That's where the idea comes from, yeah.
All the Warmoth 12 string necks seem to have to have the strat shaped neck joint. Which is baws.
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All the Warmoth 12 string necks seem to have to have the strat shaped neck joint. Which is baws.
If you had to order a custom Tele body anyway, you could order with a Strat neck pocket.
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Thats a tele deluxe. Loomer's Tele is a tele deluxe with a strat neck
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Thats a tele deluxe. Loomer's Tele is a tele deluxe with a strat neck
No, I was talking about a custom-made Tele body, not a Tele Custom body. :wink:
You can order any style of Tele body from Warmoth with a Strat neck pocket.
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What i meant was a custom tele body.
Warmoth makes one called tele deluxe which has a strat neck socket. Sorry if i misunderstand you again, its 2 in the morning.
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No, you're right, they do make a Tele Deluxe body which has a Strat neck pocket as standard (I have one here, in fact! :) )
But you can order any other type of Tele body with a Strat neck pocket - as a custom option.
There are only limited options on the Deluxe body - for example, you can't get it with a single humbucker like nfe wants (although you could get a single-humbucker scratchplate to cover the rest of the body routing).
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Well... quick update (just to get back on track hahaha... it's okay, I actually learned a little)...
Today turned into a new guitar day! Went back to the shop to show the J5 to my girlfriend... and believe it or not, she actually approved. So I gave the shop an offer they couldn't refuse, and I am now the proud owner of a shiny new J5 Telecaster (and not the Squire version either).
I really like the headstock, though it's better with 12 machine heads.
It's the rest of the guitar I think looks rubbish. Black Fenders with silver scratchplates all look rubbish in my book.
The headstock is actually really growing on me as well... my other Tele is starting to look like it's missing something lol. And I agreed totally with the chromed out pickguard being a little too much... so I also got a black with white 3 ply pickguard... which looks pretty sweet with the white binding around the body.
AND... just to make this completely relevant to the BKP forums... a BKP battle worn Aftermath is going in the bridge tomorrow!!! :D
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Glad it worked out so well! :D
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Congrats!
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Excellent - I nearly bought one of these a few years back. I'm a tele traditionalist but LOVED the headstock. The only thing I wasn't too sure about was the difference in output between the pickups and the lack of pickup selector. Had I been a bit more mature (sort of like I am now) I would have realised that I could have chosen some suitable aftermarket pickups and blended the volumes of them together to make some wonderful sounds.
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That's pretty much all I look for now is how comfortable it feels and the build quality... electronics can always be changed out. It's also a good way to get to know your guitar and really figure out what kind of modifications you want to do to it.
As far as the pickups go... I'm really digging this Fender Twisted Tele neck pickup. It's a good blend of traditional and modern... not quite as dark as most Tele necks and very clear. I may think about swapping in a Yardbird neck in the future...
For the bridge, the Fender Enforcer pickup sounds pretty good for the high gain stuff... and being that I am primarily a metal player, it's actually not bad... could be a little tighter and more percussive, but that's why I'll be swapping in an Aftermath bridge p'up in a couple of hours.
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There's a reason for that headstock: behind the nut bends.
Saw a video of J5's Tele collection. The man could start a museum.
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Nice guitar man. I like it a lot
Although if you got a good deal, you could afford to buy a little saw and chop the ugly bit off the headstock :lol:
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There's a reason for that headstock: behind the nut bends.
Saw a video of J5's Tele collection. The man could start a museum.
Probably my most watched video on youtube! It gets my pulse racing every time I watch it.