Scratching the Telecaster itch

timmypix

Over the last few months, I've been getting the feeling there are two holes in my pile of guitars. I don't need more, but I have an itch for a good Tele, and having a quick feel of a Gibson LPJ DC this weekend has also made me start wanting a single P90 rock machine but that's another question for another day. Weirdly I see them both performing the same role - I'm playing classic rock and want something raunchy and different to humbuckers, but I think the Tele is winning for now; there are certainly more options to whittle down.

So, let's say I want a fairly archetypal Tele - brass barrel saddles, normal pickup layout (I think, although I'm not sold on the Tele neck pickup, but I am sold on the middle position so I guess it's essential there), I assume ash body.
Ideally a chunkier neck - not baseball bat but I find the modern C on my Strat a little thin. Nice shape, but too shallow. 
The absolute dream would also be a thin finish, but it's not a priority. 
I'd also like to avoid an icepick harsh bridge pickup; I prefer the more mid focused, fuller bridge Tele sound, but pickups can be changed.
Preferably something that says Fender on the headstock but I know there are lots of alternatives.

So, let's say I were to spend roughly up to £500-600 and then maybe allow for pickups on top if required. What should I be looking for?

I should point out this isn't an imminent purchase, this is more knowing what I should look for when the time comes and maybe be able to spot the right thing if it pops up before then.

munckee

I built my own tele with a filtertron neck and creamery in the bridge which is great, currently I have borrowed an 88 US standard with bare knuckle country boy pickups in and its the dog's whatnames, they are truly great pickups.

CountryDave

For your budget you can't go far wrong with a Baja. Good pickups (even the neck pickup is fab), great neck and if you bide your time and find a lighter weight one, a guitar that could be all you'll ever need. 

NelsonP

Definitely get a Baja tele for that money, if you can.

I tried one recently, loved it, then bought a les paul dc jr. But only because I already had a Shiflett tele.

timmypix

Cool, thanks for the recommendations guys. Potentially stupid question - what is a Baja Tele? The name is certainly different to standard/performer/pro/deluxe etc; is it just a more vintage spec Mexican?

thomasw88

get a levinson blade.  I've had a baja before and it was fine.  However, the Blades absolutely blew it out the water for everything apart from the pickups.  But you can replace them for not much money..  They go ridiculously cheap 2nd hand.

stimpsonslostson

Baja is custom shop designed & specced but made in Mexico. 
They're brilliant, if not 100% traditional telecasters & I'd agree that they should be top of your list of things to try. 

That said, if you've got a specific set of requirements- which you seem to, don't rule out a Partscaster. I've built a couple & for £500-600 you could build (or have built) something stellar. 
An SC Relics body, Oil City pickups etc... 

noisepolluter

CountryDave said:

For your budget you can't go far wrong with a Baja. Good pickups (even the neck pickup is fab), great neck and if you bide your time and find a lighter weight one, a guitar that could be all you'll ever need. 

We have a 50’s and a 60’s Baja in our house (I have the 60’s, Estheroid has the 50’s). Both are great, and quite lightweight and resonant examples - just depends on whether you want a fatter maple neck with smaller radius, or thinner, flatter neck with rosewood board.

Pickups on both compare favourably to aftermarket pickups I’ve tried. The 60’s ones are a bit brighter, more mids with the 50’s ones, but there’s not a huge amount of difference. 

Worth noting however that both are routed for singlecoil neck pickups - if you wanted anything bigger in the neck position you’d need to enlarge the cavity. (having said that - I’ve found that a mini humbucker with Alnico 5 magnets goes very well as a beefier match with a tele bridge pickup, while still keeping the jangle in the middle position and working fine with a 250k volume pot.

merciful-evans

Maybe consider some MIJ models, both Fender & others. Watch the specs carefully though, they can vary widely. 

timmypix

Lots of praise for Bajas! Next time I'm near PMT I'll give one a go, for sure. An SC Relics body is appealing but having the soldering ability of Michael J Fox I fear I'd end up having to pay someone to put it together and watch the cost quietly creep up. Might be worth me seeing if I can up the budget though as I would love a thin finish/mild relic Tele!

Jonathanthomas83

Was going to say MIJ '62 reissues are a really nice starting point for some nice mods. I whacked a Callaham bridge and some nice BKP's in mine and it sounds great - it did before all that too, but I'm an idiot.

timmypix

Well that's pretty, @Jonathanthomas83 !
Now to bombard you (sorry!)
How would a '62 differ to a Baja? Alder/RW instead of ash/maple? Did the Callaham make much of a difference? And what BKPs did you go for?

munckee

timmypix said:

Lots of praise for Bajas! Next time I'm near PMT I'll give one a go, for sure. An SC Relics body is appealing but having the soldering ability of Michael J Fox I fear I'd end up having to pay someone to put it together and watch the cost quietly creep up. Might be worth me seeing if I can up the budget though as I would love a thin finish/mild relic Tele!

TBH I've never found baja's to be anything special.  MIJ 62 are better in my experience.  Roadworn's are good if you prefer nitro but I'm not a fan of tex mex pickups.

Having wired a telecaster from scratch fairly recently I can confidently say I would buy a pre-wired loom next time.  Changing pickups is one thing doing the whole thing is to be filed under life is to short!

JezWynd

Fender Classic Tele is very good value. They do two versions, one with poly finish, one with nitro. Mexican built but quality of the couple i’ve had has been uniformly good. I much prefer it to the Baja, which had a thick poly finish and felt plasticy. This was a few years ago so they may have improved. The Classic lives up to its name with 7.25 radius and vintage frets.

Jonathanthomas83

Good question on the wood...I honestly don't know. I THINK it's alder and Rosewood though.

I don't think the Callaham had the impact I thought it would. Nor did the fancy wiring (https://www.charlesguitars.co.uk/parts-shop/tele-parts/electronics/pre-wired-premium-modern-tele-style-upgrade-kit). However, I absolutely love the bridge pickup - I had these from BKP - https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/pickup/tele/blackguard-tele-r-series-flat-50

I also took it to @FelineGuitars to carve out a more modern 9.5" fretboard radius and put nice medium jumbo frets - the brief was "make this feel like my Custom Shop Strat, here's my specs..." and they made it feel just as good. It plays gorgeous now.

Granted, all that will set you back a bit, but I've never seen a Tele that looks as good as that (to my tastes) that wasn't Custom Shop, so I had to buy the MIJ and change it to my specific needs. Worked out in the end, I love it...and maybe, just maybe, the Callaham and wiring stuff helps with that!

PonchoGreg

If you can bag a second-hand roadworn 50s tele, that could be a good shout (especially re: thin finish and "classic" tele setup). Throw in a set of Alegree Cirrostratus pickups and you're in business. Admittedly you'll be a the upper end of your budget all-in (probably around 700-750 including new pickups).

Baja a really good shout too, and cheaper, especially as the stock pickups are arguably better than the roadworn's.

I A/Bed both pretty extensively a couple years ago and eventually went with the rowadworn as it was noticeably "livelier" acoustically and the neck was better for me (lovely raw wood feel and good goldilocks profile between the sheer clubbiness of the Baja and the dreaded modern C).

I'd recommend trying both if you can.

I almost forgot to add that I tried a Squier Classic Vibe 50s during said quest and it was ace. No Fender on the headstock though, thicker finish and neck was perhaps a tad slim, but it sounded great, played great.

PonchoGreg

munckee said:

Having wired a telecaster from scratch fairly recently I can confidently say I would buy a pre-wired loom next time.  Changing pickups is one thing doing the whole thing is to be filed under life is to short!

Teles are suuuuuch a pleasure to work with. Two knobs / one switch on a conveniently small plate, everything bar the actual pickups can be done with the strings still on... Having done a Les Paul from scratch recently, life certainly seemed too short at times there

timmypix

PonchoGreg said:

I A/Bed both pretty extensively a couple years ago and eventually went with the rowadworn as it was noticeably "livelier" acoustically and the neck was better for me (lovely raw wood feel and good goldilocks profile between the sheer clubbiness of the Baja and the dreaded modern C).

Now this sounds right up my alley! Recently acquired a satin finish PRS and oh my god it feels like wood not thick plastic - heaven. I'll definitely look out for a roadworn. It's just a templated relic on a thin finish, right?

Funkfingers

The USP of the Fender Fifties Baja Telecaster is its soft vee neck profile. Everything else on it is nothing special. 

The old MIJ Jerry Donahue signature model might be worth seeking. 

The Levinson Blade Delta is a good call.

The answer to the simultaneous T and LPJ itches might be a G&L Tribute ASAT. 

A pre-owned T type + Fishman Fluence GK-1 Gristle Tone system would do the business.

munckee

Funkfingers said:

The USP of the Fender Fifties Baja Telecaster is its soft vee neck profile. Everything else on it is nothing special. 

The old MIJ Jerry Donahue signature model might be worth seeking. 

The Levinson Blade Delta is a good call.

The answer to the simultaneous T and LPJ itches might be a G&L Tribute ASAT. 

A pre-owned T type + Fishman Fluence GK-1 Gristle Tone system would do the business.

Would also agree G&L Tributes are really nice

timmypix

While I see the T and LPJ itches as fulfilling similar roles musically, I would still want to keep them separate - if I'm getting a Tele, I want a proper Tele, as it were.