What makes the Classic Vibe Tele so great?

TeleMaster

rossi said:

I think the skinny necks are part of the design to service smaller people like many Asians can be .

Lol. I don’t know if this is true...

Sparky

Nikc said:

Sparky said:

Nikc said:

Sparky said:

Thanks chaps, really useful info. If I go for a CV I'd want the 3 colour burst, which are a little hard to come by used and are more expensive than the other colours new, if you can even get one. Good to know that there are used Fenders out there that are a step up - will start looking at used Bajas and MIM's. Not really bothered about the name on the headstock either so Vintage or G&L are well worth exploring. £400-£500 is probably my max budget though.

Don't forget Tokai they are pretty awesome guitars - I know of a Japanese one in sunburst hanging in my local guitar shop that is awesome. I'd have it but I already have two tele's that do everything I need

Ooo Tokai, completely forgot about them. Good call.

I know right (as my 11 says loads) - being serious the one local to me is really nice (except I'm not a fan of sunburst) 

Where is the one local to you? If it's local to me I might go and take a goosey.

bloomer

Fat necks seem to be all the rage at the moment. I often see people commenting that such and such a guitar has a lovely fat neck but rarely that a guitar has a lovely thin neck. A few years ago thin necks were all the rage and people got excited about how 'fast' the neck on their guitar was.

I doubt bootcut jeans will ever come back into fashion though.

joetele

bloomer said:

I doubt bootcut jeans will ever come back into fashion though.

Well that's me buggered. 

darthed1981

TeleMaster said:

rossi said:

I think the skinny necks are part of the design to service smaller people like many Asians can be .

Lol. I don’t know if this is true...

My understanding is they also pose no threat to the fortress at Singapore.

RonnieHotdogs

No idea. Got a VM Squier thinline recently and it was by far the worst built guitar I've ever seen, recent MIM Fenders have had twisted necks and broken nuts, terribly set up.
I guess both Fender and retailers can't be arsed to check anything these days.
All my Revelations were much cheaper and much much better made. 
Companies like Gretsch and Epiphone put them to shame 

Kittyfrisk

rossi said:

I think the skinny necks are part of the design to service smaller people like many Asians can be .

Mind you, if someone named Trump ever needed a signature model...  

stonevibe

I got a double bound one in black for a steal, so I'm a fan. But then I paid peanuts for it, so it was always going to be a winner.

I don't think the finish is actually that thick, as I have gone through it in a few places on the back from playing gigs. Actually, looking at it now in the light, the finish is already sinking into the grain, either that or it is so thin you can see the grain of the wood through the black finish.

You can just about see the grain in the picture below by my coffee.

The only thing I have changed on it is the strings.

musicman100

mikeyrob73 said:

thegummy said:

One word - hype

thegummy said:

One word - hype

No hype, just a damn fine guitar for a very good price, I love mine 

https://i.imgur.com/zQgmIkV.jpg

It’s about time you sold it to me......

thebreeze

I'd tried a few out in shops and been reasonably impressed.  I liked the look of the almost transparent white ones.  I ended up getting a used butterscotch one for a good price.  However, it had had the pickups changed, the saddles changed and the bridge plate changed.  It also has a four-way switch.  I don't know if that means the wiring's been changed but I presume so.  In the end I changed the neck (I couldn't get on with the small, over lacquered original).  It's now an awesome Tele but in my pickier moments I wish the body wasn't so heavily lacquered.  When I look at it overall I wonder what it says about Classic Vibes? 

mikeyrob73

@musicman100 if it is ever for sale ( which it won’t be) your first in line buddy 

thegummy

thebreeze said:

I'd tried a few out in shops and been reasonably impressed.  I liked the look of the almost transparent white ones.  I ended up getting a used butterscotch one for a good price.  However, it had had the pickups changed, the saddles changed and the bridge plate changed.  It also has a four-way switch.  I don't know if that means the wiring's been changed but I presume so.  In the end I changed the neck (I couldn't get on with the small, over lacquered original).  It's now an awesome Tele but in my pickier moments I wish the body wasn't so heavily lacquered.  When I look at it overall I wonder what it says about Classic Vibes? 

Don't think you can really take anything away from the previous mods - people have various reasons for modding, it might even just be that he assumed he could improve it by modding. Doesn't necessarily mean the stock ones were genuinely poor.

I suppose the fact you changed the neck and aren't too keen on the body might say that it was never the right guitar for you, but maybe it still works out fine price-wise; depends if there's a body you do like the finish on that would be cheaper etc.

thebreeze

No you're right and I love the mods - it's now one of the best Teles I've played.  I've no way of knowing what it was like before the mods and as I say I liked the CV's I've tried in shops.  It just makes me wonder... 

Sparky

stonevibe said:

I got a double bound one in black for a steal, so I'm a fan. But then I paid peanuts for it, so it was always going to be a winner.

I don't think the finish is actually that thick, as I have gone through it in a few places on the back from playing gigs. Actually, looking at it now in the light, the finish is already sinking into the grain, either that or it is so thin you can see the grain of the wood through the black finish.

You can just about see the grain in the picture below by my coffee.

The only thing I have changed on it is the strings.

Definitely a classic in good old black and white. Nice.

mixolyd

Having played one in a shop and loved the basic rock-machine efficiency of it I decided not to buy one.  The finish is much thinner and natural feeling under the hand on the Mexican Fenders which makes a big difference to me, if you don’t mind that then they’re great.

gavin_axecaster

I think one of the reasons the CV line is so praised is because when it was first introduced it was very cheap. I think the first Teles were around £200/£220? At the time the Mexican Standard was around £360, so the CV was exceptional value for the build quality. (Plus a lot of the Teles had quarter sawn necks with lovely medullary rays!)

Over the years the price has crept up (well not exactly crept, I remember one price increase being $50 that upset many folks on TDPRI) and the quality has remained consistent. As the Mexican standard price has also increased the quality of the CV line has kept them as front runner in the "affordable" range.

No idea how the move from China to Indonesia is going to affect that.

gordiji

thebreeze said:

  I ended up getting a used butterscotch one for a good price.  However, it had had the pickups changed, the saddles changed and the bridge plate changed.  It also has a four-way switch. In the end I changed the neck (I couldn't get on with the small, over lacquered original).  It's now an awesome Tele but in my pickier moments I wish the body wasn't so heavily lacquered. 

Change the body too and then say, hand on heart, what great guitars they are.

TTBZ

stonevibe said:

I got a double bound one in black for a steal, so I'm a fan. But then I paid peanuts for it, so it was always going to be a winner.

I don't think the finish is actually that thick, as I have gone through it in a few places on the back from playing gigs. Actually, looking at it now in the light, the finish is already sinking into the grain, either that or it is so thin you can see the grain of the wood through the black finish.

You can just about see the grain in the picture below by my coffee.

The only thing I have changed on it is the strings.

I didn’t know they came in bound black as well - one of my favourite looks for a tele! Hmm GAS...

thegummy

gordiji said:

thebreeze said:

  I ended up getting a used butterscotch one for a good price.  However, it had had the pickups changed, the saddles changed and the bridge plate changed.  It also has a four-way switch. In the end I changed the neck (I couldn't get on with the small, over lacquered original).  It's now an awesome Tele but in my pickier moments I wish the body wasn't so heavily lacquered. 

Change the body too and then say, hand on heart, what great guitars they are.

Dat's ma Trigga

5redlights

notanon said:

DrCornelius said:

Anyone tried the revelation TE54 yet ? Similar price to the Squier and if it’s as well made as their Jazzmaster it’ll be a good buy ?

I tried a TE54 superb value. A soft V neck which tapered off.

Ash body too, it's basically a cheap copy of the Baja with very little set backs. I've had one in the past - it's a truly excellent guitar, all it needed was a pickup change (although that was more through preference than urgency).