Telecaster Bargain

[RUSSET]

For those who have an inclination to Teles; I have recently acquired a superb value for money Squier Classic vibe '50s Tele model.
It comes in creamy White with a hint of 'see-through' & Black scratchplate with a Maple board. The Classic Vibe series has been mentioned before with fond recommendations, & this Tele is no exception. I have replaced the scratchplate with a white one, but apart from that there is nothing I would change. The pickups, neck & general set up & finish are stunning for a guitar which cost me only £228. Oh, & it sounds just like a real Tele too, & a lot better than some that come from over the pond. It barks & swears like a trooper. I love these Squiers. I can now be Bruce in the early '60s with that guitar he reckons he never played.

Tony

[John Haldane]

Hi Tony
I have just purchased a new Squier affinity Tele mettalic red and maple neck cost £120 , the finish is superb,and it has that Tele twang, might try playing country music, for home use I would reccomend them.
regards
John H

[Bluesnote]

I just Googled "Telecaster Jazz" a few minutes ago. There are some great sounds to be had off these instruments on the tube.
Also some blues, had a look at this guy's example. The guy can rock for sure.............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeEk-vvKZ1o

I've never been a fan of Tele's before but I have to say, I am warming to them now. Especially the jazzy sounding ones

Right, I'm going to have to stop this now before I get the buying bug again, just found this one too, and what a lovely looking guitar. Its the nicest one I've seen to date
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_boOzHk8lM
Hugh.

[cockroach]

OK FOR HOME USE??????

I have been using my Squier Affinity Tele for GIGS since the day after I bought it about 3 years ago sir! Bought it one Saturday afternoon, and used it the next day at an afternoon gig at a cafe- where it blew over in the wind and got its first ding- THAT is truly 'road worn'!!

Never judge by price, only by performance and reliability! Mine was 'on special' when I bought it for AUS $275- which is about 160 quid STG.

But yes, I agree entirely with the comments- I use 11-52 Dean Markleys which come with a choice of unwound or wound third (.018 or .020 wound) so I use the wound third- great for Shads, Ventures, or jazz- or rock, or blues or anything else from western swing to punk, if you want to play such styles... and if I plug the Tele into my bass amp- instant Wes Montgomery sound!

I would always want a Strat style guitar around, but I would never be without a Tele either, as there are just some sounds which are individual to the Tele, and being able to get such a wide range of useful sounds from such a simple instrument always gets me in.

[Bluesnote]

I find the neck to be a bit on the narrow side for my rather large hands with any telecaster I've played. I gigged one for a few weeks in the eighties when I started back playing. It was the bass players and he let me use it til I got a new guitar sorted out. I was not too impressed with it at the time. It was definately a country type of guitar and not the sound I needed for our music. I eventually got a strat which did the job just fine.

One of the best examples of Telecaster playing is Ted Greene. One of my favourite guitarists, he does a few numbers on youtube.
Worth a look
If you like his stuff, he does some excellent study books. I have his solo playing and chord study books and they turned out to be the best tutors I've ever bought

[cockroach]

I am surprised that you only consider the Tele as a 'country' type guitar, and yet Ted Greene, whose sound you presumably like, gets big round warm jazz sounds which couldn't be further from Albert Lee style chicken pickin' or Luther Perkins twangy boom-chick picking with Johnny Cash!!

If you persevere with a Tele, or many other types of guitars, and experiment with both the guitar and amp tone and volume controls, pickup settings and position of the right hand when picking and strumming- either close to the neck, in between the pickups or near the bridge etc, you will be rewarded with a huge versatile range of usable sounds. And it's a simple, ruggedly built reliable instrument with little to go wrong ...

To me, the fact that a cheap little Chinese built Tele model can sound (and look) pretty much as good and authentic as an expensive USA built top line Tele means it is one of the best value budget guitars around- and the cheap Squier Strats are damned good too, and because there are probably a lot more of 'em built, they are even cheaper than the Squier Tele!

[Bluesnote]

I suppose what I meant was, at the time it was me that could only get a country sound out of the instrument given the crappy gear I had at the time and probably my lack of knowledge in obtaining good sounds from it. I've since over the years heard some pretty big sounds out of them, for example Albert Collins, and Jim Mullen and many more.
I did concider when in Canada maybe getting a Squier Tele to keep me in practice but they were much more costly so I opted for the Squier Strat instead which I think is brilliant for around 70quid

[RUSSET]

I suppose what I meant was, at the time it was me that could only get a country sound out of the instrument given the crappy gear I had at the time and probably my lack of knowledge in obtaining good sounds from it. I've since over the years heard some pretty big sounds out of them, for example Albert Collins, and Jim Mullen and many more.
I did concider when in Canada maybe getting a Squier Tele to keep me in practice but they were much more costly so I opted for the Squier Strat instead which I think is brilliant for around 70quid

Generally speaking, the more you pay the better, sweeter sounding guitar you get. The Squier Classic Vibe Tele I showed at the top of this thread, is maybe more of an exception to the rule in the quality/value stakes. Squier also do a Classic Vibe 'Custom '60s' Tele with a Sunburst finish & bound-edge body which is similarly good quality. Fender Mexico do a very nice quality Tele in the Classic Player series called the 'Baja' Telecaster. This has extra switching positions & an ash body, & comes in the classic Butterscotch blonde finish with Black scratchplate of the early '50s 'Broadcaster' model. This, of course, is a little more expensive at £400-500, but an excellent value model & maybe a little fuller & warmer in tone.

Tony.

[neil2726]

Had one for some time now, very good value - high standard of finish and great neck. Use all the time for rhythm playing.

[RUSSET]

Had one for some time now, very good value - high standard of finish and great neck. Use all the time for rhythm playing.

Hi Neil,
Yes, I got a Baja too, last year. A classy little Tele, isn't it ? It has rather a fat neck, as opposed to the Classic Vibe's slim one, but once you get used to it, it's a great sounding guitar. I must put some fresh strings on mine & get that Twang back. Great quality pickups.

Tony.