Do I need a tele? Why? Which one?

ToneControl

I've had a Japanese Tokai tele, and a US Fender one, I didn't bond with either, which surprised me as a strat guy

rze99

Every guitarist needs a Tele. Just such a great workhorse and much more flexible than you'd think   And you don;t need to spend much to get a goodun.  Both The Classic Player "Baja 50s" and "Baja 60s" are unbeatable value if you can find them used though note they both have the 4 way switch which many like for the additional flexibility but is not traditional. 

rossi

Lebarque said:

rossi said:

TTBZ said:

carlos said:

I'd love one, but I need to find a Tele that has a neck closer to the depth of a strat and a flattish radius, at least 12" but the flatter the better. Otherwise, I'd rather it be traditional with singles in both positions, 3 way and no trem. What options do I have? thanks

The Harley Benton one has a radius “between 12” and 16” “ (so 14” then I assume) which might suit? I’m also interested in models with a 12” radius but most seem to be 9.5 or 7.25.

I put a Strat  22fret 12 inch radius roasted maple Fender Replacement neck on my Tele .I love it now .The Joe trohmann Tele neck ,in reality a strat neck ,has similar specs  slightly different carve .

Strat headstock on a Tele? How do you sleep at night?!

Easy I put the tele neck on my strat ........although it is the Joe Trohmann Telecaster neck ......

carlos

rossi said:

Lebarque said:

rossi said:

TTBZ said:

carlos said:

I'd love one, but I need to find a Tele that has a neck closer to the depth of a strat and a flattish radius, at least 12" but the flatter the better. Otherwise, I'd rather it be traditional with singles in both positions, 3 way and no trem. What options do I have? thanks

The Harley Benton one has a radius “between 12” and 16” “ (so 14” then I assume) which might suit? I’m also interested in models with a 12” radius but most seem to be 9.5 or 7.25.

I put a Strat  22fret 12 inch radius roasted maple Fender Replacement neck on my Tele .I love it now .The Joe trohmann Tele neck ,in reality a strat neck ,has similar specs  slightly different carve .

Strat headstock on a Tele? How do you sleep at night?!

Easy I put the tele neck on my strat ........although it is the Joe Trohmann Telecaster neck ......

DrCornelius

These are worth a try if you don’t want anything too traditional. It’s a John Page Classic AJ - 12 inch radius , reverse mounted bridge pickup for less spikiness plus a really smooth P90 in the neck. 

crunchman

DrCornelius said:

These are worth a try if you don’t want anything too traditional. It’s a John Page Classic AJ - 12 inch radius , reverse mounted bridge pickup for less spikiness plus a really smooth P90 in the neck. 

It's the 12" radius that puts me off of those.  7.25" just feels right on a Fender.  I can cope with 9.5" even that is noticeable.

I was trying a pedal in a shop the other day and used a Strat with a 9.5" radius.  It just feels a bit different.  Coming home and playing my Strats with a 7.25" radius feels like putting on an old comfortable pair of jeans.

Even if you like the 12" radius, I'd be careful about the price you pay for one of those.  Coda had some big reductions on them when I was looking a little while back.  I suspect that the second hand value will be poor.  If you can find one second hand, that's great as you get a good guitar for a lot of money, but you could lose a lot if you buy one new.  You would be better off sticking with Fender.

DrCornelius

crunchman said:

DrCornelius said:

These are worth a try if you don’t want anything too traditional. It’s a John Page Classic AJ - 12 inch radius , reverse mounted bridge pickup for less spikiness plus a really smooth P90 in the neck. 

It's the 12" radius that puts me off of those.  7.25" just feels right on a Fender.  I can cope with 9.5" even that is noticeable.

I was trying a pedal in a shop the other day and used a Strat with a 9.5" radius.  It just feels a bit different.  Coming home and playing my Strats with a 7.25" radius feels like putting on an old comfortable pair of jeans.

Even if you like the 12" radius, I'd be careful about the price you pay for one of those.  Coda had some big reductions on them when I was looking a little while back.  I suspect that the second hand value will be poor.  If you can find one second hand, that's great as you get a good guitar for a lot of money, but you could lose a lot if you buy one new.  You would be better off sticking with Fender.

Yeah I hear you re the new price, you definitely can’t go wrong buying a fender in that respect  , I bought my JP Tele during the Coda sale  - think it was £825. I liked it so much I went and paid more for a used JP Strat despite me not being a Strat player really.  I sold the Strat on here last week to help pay for my new PRS and I did get a a lot of messages of interest so maybe word is slowly getting around.

Whitecat

There aren’t any UK dealers anymore for the John Page Classic stuff so “new” prices will only be relevant in the memories of people who noticed/remember/participated in the blowout sale. As time goes on they will matter less...

bobblehat

I have one of these that I may be looking to sell. All the tele you need.

https://www.guitarverdict.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Fender-Telecaster-FSR-1d.jpg

 Model Name: FSR Standard Telecaster® (Butterscotch Blonde)
Model Number: 014-0112-(550)
Series: Standard Series
Body: Ash
Neck: 1-Piece Maple, Modern “C” Shape,
(Tinted Gloss Urethane Finish)
Fingerboard: Maple, 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo
Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)
Width @ Nut: 1.650” (42 mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Machine Heads: Fender®/Ping® Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
Bridge: Vintage Style 3-Saddle Strings-Thru-Body Tele Bridge
Pickguard: 1-Ply Black
Pickups: 2 Hot Standard Tele® Single-Coil Pickups (Neck & Bridge)
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups
Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Colors: (550) Butterscotch Blonde,
(Polyester Finish)
Strings: Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel,
Gauges: (.009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042),
p/n 073-0250-003
Unique Features: Reverse Control Plate,
Black Dot Position Inlays,
Vintage Styling,
Black Plastic Parts
Source: Mexico

Slash'N'burn

Lebarque said:

Just be aware they're like playing an ironing board and the neck pickup is often shite. I'd be after an offset telecaster, then hack it up to fit a Firebird pup in the neck. Job done. 

I have a 2006 USA Standard Tele (Ash slab body, no contours) the neck pickup sounds incredible - great Hendrix-y type fat bluesy tones either clean or overdriven. pretty much only use the neck pickup or mid position.

HAL9000

Slash'N'burn said:

Lebarque said:

Just be aware they're like playing an ironing board and the neck pickup is often shite. I'd be after an offset telecaster, then hack it up to fit a Firebird pup in the neck. Job done. 

I have a 2006 USA Standard Tele (Ash slab body, no contours) the neck pickup sounds incredible - great Hendrix-y type fat bluesy tones either clean or overdriven. pretty much only use the neck pickup or mid position.

Same here. I've got a 2005 USA Std ash Tele and the neck pickup is excellent and probably gets used more than the bridge pickup.