Telecasters made by Fenix (Young Chang)

imalrightjack

Hi all,

Does anybody have much information on the quality of these instruments?  Anything in particular to look out for?  Rough value?

Thanks!

WezV

They can be okay, pickups pots and switches are often the weak link.

Sassafras

I had one years ago. It was quite fancy with a bound body and gold hardware, translucent red finish and it was bloody excellent. I'd happily have it back (for what I paid for it).

Alegree

I had a customer yesterday waffling to me about one of these.
He said the guy was fired from Fender for making Fender knockoffs which were better than Fender's themselves.

Not sure if any of it is truth, but sounds like high praise to me

imalrightjack

Any idea on price?

@Alegree - I believe there's some truth in that but not sure it's quite the case.

Jack_

See them go real cheap on the bay from time to time, one that slips under the radar.

WezV

I don't think they are all equally good, and not as good as the equivalent tokai's.... but close

guitarmangler

Korean made, good guitars with nice tuners and bridges (unbranded gotoh?). Paints/top coats are a incredibly hard or thick . The early models had fender shaped headstocks, later ones were a bit pointer. Agree with Wez regarding pots and pickups.
 The models I've played/own are all ok, and are at least 20 years old by this point . Price ? I'd guess somewhere around the+\- £200 mark? Anymore and your in squire classic vibe country, which are a better guitar.

Rox

I've had a Fenix strat and a Fenix tele, both with the original headstocks - and both of which I didn't keep.  The tele was an enormous weight and the strat was okay.

To be honest with you, decent though they are I don't think there was much between them and the better Squiers of the era... I wouldn't say they were up to the standards Japanese Fenders of the time.  They certainly weren't "Wow!" guitars in my view...  They're not mythical Fender beaters eBay sellers would have you believe, but very solid guitars.

Debranded, I think you'd struggle to tell it from a decent Squier of the time.  (That is not intended as an insult)

digitalscream

I had a Fenix Tele for a while, and it was certainly one of the best guitars I'd tried up to that point (short of my N4). Mine had a weird switchable coil in the control cavity, which seemed to be pointless - I think it was to offset the hum from the pickups, but both pickups were humbuckers so it didn't really do anything. Odd.

imalrightjack

I think that answers my question that a Baja is likely to be a much better guitar! Thanks, all. 

OilCityPickups

Back in the day when I had a music shop I used to stock these ... They varied hugely across the range and production period. The early ones were rather nice ... perhaps not a Fender beater, but nicer than a similar price point Squier. Later they became less well made. The pickups were a bit nasty, and any old one would need at least a rewire if it hasn't already been done, but a good one at a nice price would be fun to have around.

imalrightjack

@TheGuitarWeasel I presume a good price would be sub-£100?

OilCityPickups

I wouldn't pay much over a ton for one ... apart from an early, Fender shaped headstock, pristine one ... and even then perhaps not. I bought a Vintage Modified Squier Strat ... with all the plastic film on the scratchplate on e bay a couple of years ago ... sub 120 quid, and it would be a better instrument, with good wiring and passable pickups.

imalrightjack

That's me ruled out completely! Thanks. 

OilCityPickups

I'd generally say to anyone that old far eastern guitars are worth a punt for fixer-uppers or certain brands that were a cut above the rest, but generally modern Squiers and Epiphones wipe the floor with them. 
I had a Vox White Shadow ... Japanese made ... in the shop at the same time as the Fenix guitars and it was a far better instrument ... nearly kept it for myself.
Silly money is being asked, on e bay particularly, for anything with a bit of age from Japan or Korea ... to my mind most are average at best. There were some great Arias about, some rather nice Westones ... and a lot of 'also rans'. 

Sassafras

I'm surprised at the generally negative comments about the Fenix guitars. The Telecaster one I had was way better than any Squier. Maybe I was just lucky.

ICBM

Rox said:

I've had a Fenix strat and a Fenix tele, both with the original headstocks - and both of which I didn't keep.  The tele was an enormous weight and the strat was okay.

To be honest with you, decent though they are I don't think there was much between them and the better Squiers of the era... I wouldn't say they were up to the standards Japanese Fenders of the time.  They certainly weren't "Wow!" guitars in my view...  They're not mythical Fender beaters eBay sellers would have you believe, but very solid guitars.

Debranded, I think you'd struggle to tell it from a decent Squier of the time.  (That is not intended as an insult)

I'm pretty sure that's because the Korean Squiers of the time were also made by Young Chang…

As many have already said - in general quite decent for the period but nothing special, woodwork and finishing is good, hardware is OK and electrics are poor - typical of most far-east guitars of the time and later. Not as good as a modern Squier of above the lowest series, and don't pay over the odds for one just because it's 'old'. As TheGuitarWeasel said £100-£150 is plenty, and you should expect to replace the electrics at least.

Rox

ICBM said:

Rox said:

I've had a Fenix strat and a Fenix tele, both with the original headstocks - and both of which I didn't keep.  The tele was an enormous weight and the strat was okay.

To be honest with you, decent though they are I don't think there was much between them and the better Squiers of the era... I wouldn't say they were up to the standards Japanese Fenders of the time.  They certainly weren't "Wow!" guitars in my view...  They're not mythical Fender beaters eBay sellers would have you believe, but very solid guitars.

Debranded, I think you'd struggle to tell it from a decent Squier of the time.  (That is not intended as an insult)

I'm pretty sure that's because the Korean Squiers of the time were also made by Young Chang…

As many have already said - in general quite decent for the period but nothing special, woodwork and finishing is good, hardware is OK and electrics are poor - typical of most far-east guitars of the time and later. Not as good as a modern Squier of above the lowest series, and don't pay over the odds for one just because it's 'old'. As TheGuitarWeasel said £100-£150 is plenty, and you should expect to replace the electrics at least.

Oh yes, indeed.  If you look up the Squier manufacture codes some are Young Chang.  So basically I think they just lost the contract but just kept making the guitars with a different logo.

When they are for sale people tend to imply Young Chang was a bloke who worked for Fender and went on to fight the good fight...   

imalrightjack

Haha, yes, @Rox that's precisely how somebody locally has listed it. The genius luthier that got away from Fender. 

JezWynd

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Silly money is being asked, on e bay particularly, for anything with a bit of age from Japan or Korea ... to my mind most are average at best. There were some great Arias about, some rather nice Westones ... and a lot of 'also rans'. 

Guyatone's seem to be getting Gibson prices for some of their copies, do they merit the it?