Ole Tele

tele69

Hi. Just looking for a bit advice. Just getting back into my guitars after a few years sabbatical... no not prison haha. 

I’m a bit out of touch with valuations these days. I’d be grateful for a little advice on my old Tele. It’s a 73 and it’s never been modified at all. 8.2 lbs which is nice.  Not one single screw. It’s got a cool little ( non rock star) history .. I can vouch for its history as the docs are still with the guitar. Original paint and definitely nothing changed out. Any thoughts? 

jimmyguitar

It’s really cool! I’d say £2500

ten77guitar

Nice guitar! I reckon if it’s completely original and with good history you could ask for at least £3k. Depends how quickly you want to sell I suppose.

munckee

Prices are seemingly going nuts for 70s stuff, I was offered £2k for my 79 strat against a £2.3k 78 tele or a 76 tele at £3k.

tele69

Ah great thanks fellas. That’s cool. Cheers 

jimmyguitar

Swap? 1965 Gretsch Duo Jet

tele69

Lovely that Jimmy but not for me. I’m a fan of Teles and old ES Gibson’s tbh . Cheers though. Thought that might have gone by now. Rare bird that one 

jimmyguitar

tele69 said:

Lovely that Jimmy but not for me. I’m a fan of Teles and old ES Gibson’s tbh . Cheers though. Thought that might have gone by now. Rare bird that one 

No worries, yes, I thought it would go quicker, bad time to sell though I suppose!

tele69

It’s a beautiful guitar Jimmy GLWTS

jimmyguitar

tele69 said:

It’s a beautiful guitar Jimmy GLWTS

Thanks, yours too and same!

robgilmo

Holy god and all the saints in heaven, thats nice!

chris78

Cool as hell. I’d love something like that (if the weight was reasonable)

tele69

Thanks Chris. Yeah it’s not bad at all 8.2lbs. They get weighty during the latter part of that decade I can testify to. 

chris78

That’s not excessive. I’ve seen 70s teles at 11lbs and played one almost 10lbs with a neck pocket you could drive down in a Range Rover. I think I’m right in saying they still had grey bottom pickups in 73 before they went utterly horrible later on in the cbs era.

tele69

Copper on the bridge Chris. I’ve added  more pics

Henrytwang

I’ve got a mid 70s Telecaster which is just about identical to yours. I bought it used in 1977 for £160, I find the prices quoted here quite amazing as 70s Fenders have never been that highly regarded. There seems to be a feeling that if it’s old it must be better than current models. I’m not really convinced.

ten77guitar

Henrytwang said:

I’ve got a mid 70s Telecaster which is just about identical to yours. I bought it used in 1977 for £160, I find the prices quoted here quite amazing as 70s Fenders have never been that highly regarded. There seems to be a feeling that if it’s old it must be better than current models. I’m not really convinced.

Maybe a few years ago. They’ve gone up in price though as people who can’t afford sixties examples buy them to get in on the vintage vibe. 

Also, the Tele did not go through as many changes as the Strat did in the 70s. This guitar is essentially the same as a late 60s example but at half the price. It’s also all original and not too heavy, both things that are highly prized.

richardhomer

ten77guitar said:

Also, the Tele did not go through as many changes as the Strat did in the 70s. This guitar is essentially the same as a late 60s example but at half the price. It’s also all original and not too heavy, both things that are highly prized.

Not strictly true - after 72 the shape became ‘wrong’. And I’ve played a couple of late Sixties’ dogs - it wasn’t really Fender’s golden era either. Heavy bodies were common towards the end of the Sixties - and poly finishes were the norm. 

I’ve yet to play a 70s Fender which is objectively better than a CS guitar.

ten77guitar

richardhomer said:

ten77guitar said:

Also, the Tele did not go through as many changes as the Strat did in the 70s. This guitar is essentially the same as a late 60s example but at half the price. It’s also all original and not too heavy, both things that are highly prized.

Not strictly true - after 72 the shape became ‘wrong’. And I’ve played a couple of late Sixties’ dogs - it wasn’t really Fender’s golden era either. Heavy bodies were common towards the end of the Sixties - and poly finishes were the norm. 

I’ve yet to play a 70s Fender which is objectively better than a CS guitar.

I stand corrected then but compared to the Strat the changes were relatively minor. I’m not sure how anyone could objectively say one guitar is better than another. I’d agree that the quality is much more consistent with CS guitars.

tele69

It’s a strange one. I gave and have had all decades of Fenders. Particularly Teles. A couple of 50s I’ve played weren’t that special either. 

The worst vintage Tele was my 69.. heavy and crap to play. I had a couple of 73’s around 10 years ago. Both blonde. Both wildly different in every way. I guess it depends what one is hoping from it. For some.. coming out of the old Fullerton factory is the buzz. Others like the CS vibe.. the latter being great guitars. Personally the oldies are my buzz. We’re all different... thank God. 

munckee

tele69 said:

It’s a strange one. I gave and have had all decades of Fenders. Particularly Teles. A couple of 50s I’ve played weren’t that special either. 

The worst vintage Tele was my 69.. heavy and crap to play. I had a couple of 73’s around 10 years ago. Both blonde. Both wildly different in every way. I guess it depends what one is hoping from it. For some.. coming out of the old Fullerton factory is the buzz. Others like the CS vibe.. the latter being great guitars. Personally the oldies are my buzz. We’re all different... thank God. 

That's why I bought a 79, a strat from the fullerton factory.  It weighs 6 tonnes but plays great  I suspect a custom shop might be lighter but I would always know its pretend old.