Which Tele to buy?

[Ben_W]

Hey all, a lot of you may have seen I was thinking of buying a new guitar for metal, but now my band is starting to get more well known, and we have a pretty big gig at the end of august, and I was thinking of getting a tele before, as I love 'em, and i'm thinking now is the time to get one.

We play modern pop rock, through to modern rock. Think The Killers (although usually not that poppy... lol) through Lost Prophets up to Funeral For a Friend type stuff. I also have a Gibson SG I use for this band.


I am looking for a nice rocky kinda tele, not a sort of bluesy one, but a warm sounding one, preferably a pretty versatile one, well versatile in a tele-ish kinda way! :) I don't want it to play loads of different stuff, just to be able to do modern pop rock through to modern rock.


I was looking at one of these.

http://www.dv247.com/news/Fender%20American%20Standard%20Telecaster%20Now%20Shipping/131586

I guess my range is £600-£800 or so. Anyone got anything to add? I'm not gonna have a huge amount of time to decide, and i'm not gonna elaborate too much, although i have a few weeks to decide :)


Also, sorry for making another post, I change my mind too much! Although the help on the other post will be used in a few months or so! :)


Cheers,



Ben.

[Twinfan]

Not everyone likes the new USA Standard Tele bridge as it's claimed it robs some of that classic Tele tone.  Doesn't mean it won't suit you, but it's something to be aware of.

Top Teles I'm aware of in your budget are:

Mexican Baja Tele (comes with Custom Shop pickups, shop around to make sure you get a light one!)
Korean Lite Ash Tele (cheap, good spec)
Used USA '52 reissue (the classic)
Used USA '52 Hot Rod reissue (mini humbucker in the neck, supposedly excellent)

Or as a curve ball, I'd be tempted to go for a Japanese Fender.  Check out the two used ones here:

http://www.fareastguitars.co.uk/usedguitars.htm

or the new ones here:

http://www.mcguitars.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53

[Ben_W]

hhhmm, I didn't think i'd be able to afford a '52 reissue, but i've seen a few on ebay going for like £700... Thanks! I didn't even think to try that, because I was assuming they'd still probably be like 900 quid used, but i'l try and get a good conditioned used one. :)

Cheers,


Ben.

[badgermark]

how about the Baja? a proper rock tele with the S1 switching and 4 way switch. Check out Hunter's clips for the rock tonez.

[Ben_W]

Well, to be honest, i've always loved the '52 reissues, just never even thought to look, as I didn't think i'd be able to afford one.

I'm going to try one on friday. Anyone know any cool songs I can learn to play? lol, I want to give it a good old jam! :) It'd be cool to go there and play some cool tele-style riffs... You know the ones! :)

[dave_mc]

i'd definitely consider a japanese one, those are my faves under the USA reissues.

if you're willing to look at other companies (sorry to sound like a broken record, but not just fender make teles), blade might be worth a look. they have a couple of teles, and they have in-built preamps (which can be bypassed) which makes them a bit more versatile. Japanese copies (tokai, edwards etc.) would be worth considering too.

[Ian Price]

i'd definitely consider a japanese one, those are my faves under the USA reissues.

if you're willing to look at other companies (sorry to sound like a broken record, but not just fender make teles), blade might be worth a look. they have a couple of teles, and they have in-built preamps (which can be bypassed) which makes them a bit more versatile. Japanese copies (tokai, edwards etc.) would be worth considering too.

The Japanese customs are particularly good. I used to have one of these:

http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=2226&catid=88&manid=126&quantity=1&product=Fender+Telecaster+%28Japan%29++%2762+Re%2Dissue+Custom%2C+3+Tone+Sunburst%2C+New

I stupidly sold it! It was to fund another tele though  :)

[Ben_W]

hhmm, yeah, I did think of Tokai in particular, although it's a lot easier for me to find Fenders and try them, as not many places seem to sell Tokais near me. Well I will try a USA in the shop on Friday, and should have it within a few weeks, which should be good.

[Ben_W]

hhmm, yeah, those Japanese ones look nice, although at the moment, i'm in the situation where i'd rather pay a bit more, and get a USA reissue, cuz i've wanted one for ages... :P

[Sollophonic]

Before you buy, visit the Telecaster Discussion Forum at www.tdpri.com. there you will find a huge resource of info about Teles, their derivatives, their players and the huge world that is the Telecaster and its players. It has a great search facility where you can type in a type of guitar, a topic, even a specific component.

Beware though, owning a Tele and using the TDPRI is not only addictive, it can cause you to want more than one Tele. And with the TDPRI, time can disappear........!

[HTH AMPS]

at the risk of spamming, I'm getting rid of my '72 Tele RI, black with rosewood board, it's got some upgrades too... (1) Fender USA steel bridge with brass saddles, (2) Fender USA Custom Shop Nocaster bridge pickup, (3) original 70s Wide Range neck humbucker, (4) CTS pots.  I've got around £800 invested in it inc the Fender tweed gig bag.

Asking £550 for it for a quick sale - I've held on to it for 5+ years but it rarely gets used (I'm a Gibson man).  I will say though, it's the only Fender I've played that made me buy it on the spot, wasn't a planned purchase, I just had to have it.

Spam over  :oops:

[PhilKing]

I have a Japanese 62 Tele and the neck and feel are really close to my real 62.  With a set of BK's in it, it is a great playing and sounding guitar.  I've also played a Japanese 50's tele and liked that.  If you can get a 52 reissue, then go for it (f you can also squeeze out the money for a set of BK 52 Blackguards then you'll love it even more).  The classic tele song not to play in guitar shops is Stairway to Heaven, but anything from Led Zeppelin 1 will be good, also any Stranglers, Clash, Dr Feelgood, Stones.  The list goes on and on.  I didn't get a Tele for years, and I could have got a really nice late 60's one when I was 18 (I had a mate who got an early 50's one for £100!), but always liked Strats and Gibsons.  When I finally got one I realised why people like them, they are a lot more raunchy than strats.  I'm shure whatever one you get, you will enjoy playing it.

[dave_mc]

i'd definitely consider a japanese one, those are my faves under the USA reissues.

if you're willing to look at other companies (sorry to sound like a broken record, but not just fender make teles), blade might be worth a look. they have a couple of teles, and they have in-built preamps (which can be bypassed) which makes them a bit more versatile. Japanese copies (tokai, edwards etc.) would be worth considering too.

The Japanese customs are particularly good. I used to have one of these:

http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=2226&catid=88&manid=126&quantity=1&product=Fender+Telecaster+%28Japan%29++%2762+Re%2Dissue+Custom%2C+3+Tone+Sunburst%2C+New

I stupidly sold it! It was to fund another tele though  :)

yeah, i tried one of those recently, was very nice. the shop was looking £499 second-hand though... o_O

[Simon D]

Imuso have a few very good deals on the last-generation American Series Teles. I bought a black one with a rosewood board a few months ago. http://www.imuso.co.uk/searchresults.asp?q=Fender+American+Series+Telecaster&site=default_collection&client=iMusoFrontEnd2&output=xml_no_dtd&filter=0 Definitely worth a look - the US Series Teles are very good - some reckon they are better than the new model, because of the bridge issues Twinfan mentioned. Having played a new version myself, I certainly prefer the old one (which is why I bought one!).

[MrBump]

Another option to consider is possibly a Warmoth self build - Teles aren't exactly complicated beasts...  In fact, I'm lusting after one, and I think that I may well assemble a kit myself.

Mark.