After hearing so many good things about Vintage Tele and Stratalikes, I tried out a Vintage V72 in the local music shop. It's the one with the single coil at the bridge and a mini Bucker at the neck, with an f hole and flame maple top. The shop has it reduced and it's caught my eye a few times. After trying the fairly new Contemporary Telecaster by Squier, which felt cheaply made and underpowered by comparison, the Vintage was a joy to play and hear. It's got those brass saddles, vuvinta ashtray, really good feeling Wilkinson tuners and parts, great neck and fretboard, and the pickups sound incredible for this kind of price - neck is warm and throaty with stunning clarity, bridge is jangly, twangy and rich but not harsh.
I've been looking for a second guitar to play alongside my upgraded early 2000s MIM Tele, and honestly, I'm not sure I'll find a better guitar for the money (shop has promised to match online prices). Blown away by the feel and sound of this guitar, and the build/parts quality is outstanding.
I know they're not the big name and to be quite honest I don't have the need for Suhr or American teles....anyone else a big fan of Vintage guitars?
Comments
Now that people have come to see that they are quality guitars at an affordable price, used prices are shooting up.
I had had one of the strat-a-likes with 3 P90’s. Bit weighty, but a lovey guitar. The Thomas Blug strat is a cracker too. And the AFD LP is also well respected.
I’ve not played the V72, but the V52 was a cracking tele.
Italia (sister brand of Vintage) also make some really nice guitars. All Trev Wilkinson parts too.
Marlin
I love a good "mongrel" guitar.
I'm a fan of mongrels too, or ones with something different about them. I had a weird 80s Encore JHS-1 which was a 3/4 scale thin guitar but had some really odd pickups and a jaguar style switching system. Best £20 I ever spent.
I honestly can't wait. No, it's not a big name or an expensive guitar, but it plays and sounds sublime. I can't get over how good the pickups are for a £300ish guitar. So much life and clarity in them.
I can't get over how good it is. Build quality is excellent, neck is comfortable and playable, the parts are all great quality, and the pickups are ridiculously good. The bridge pickup is a proper Tele twang and brang, with a great roar to it, and the neck pickup can do amazing clean melodies as well as bluesy dirt, all the way to fuzzed out rock.
It looks great, it sounds great, it feels great, and it's light. I'd happily have a whole collection of different Vintage guitars. Really keen on the new V65 offset too.