Hi,
I’m a newbie around here and I am looking for some advice on which Fender guitar to by.
I like Blues and classic rock music and normally play a Gibson Les Paul but have recently started looking for a Fender, but I am baffled by the multitude of choices.

I know that ultimately you should play a few guitars to see which you like, but I would like to get my budget in order before walk into any shops.

I need a guitar that will produce a classic Fender sound, so I want single pole pickups, I also fancy a Maple neck and I think I’m more inclined to go for a Telecaster rather than a Strat, but there my knowledge ends as I have no idea about the various neck profiles.
I also notice that Mexican built models are roughly half the price of an equivalent U.S model, is there any real difference in the guitars, or would I end up regretting going for the cheaper option in the long run?

Any advice from members with experience of Fenders will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ian.

Welcome,

As you have said the best way to decide is to get out there and play a few, but don't discount the MIM guitars many here sing the praises of the MIM's despite their lower price. Some artist signature models are MIM's so they are quality guitars. As far as neck profiles, you need to get your hands around a few necks (that kinda sounds weird) to find one you feel is right for you. I heard LP's have skinny necks, I know some of the MIJ Fenders have a very thin necks not sure how many you'll find in the local shops though. I get to see tons (as I live in Japan) many rival the MIJ quality to the MIA Fenders.

Good luck finding the right one for you. I hope you get a steal of a deal.

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the vacuum store is a lot like the guitar store. but they do not attract the same clientele as the guitar store, cause if they did, the vacuum store would be loaded with a bunch of broke guys who just wanted to run the new vacuums.

Thanks Cfl.

Regards,
Ian.

Hi Ian...Let me start by welcoming you to the forum.
Now on to the meat and potatoes of your question. I think for the money the MIM models are very nice instruments. I like many others on this forum own a MIM Fender and the quality is top notch. I have other more expensive guitars, and nothing gets played nearly as often as the Tele. With any guitar you want to have some playing time to really get a feel for the quality level of that particular guitar and if you play several you may find that one really jumps out at you. As you stated, Fender has a large variety of models and you are bound to find something that suits your needs. As far as choosing between Strat and Tele, I like Tele's, but maybe I'm a little biased

My MIM Blackout Tele:

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Welcome aboard, IanHenry!

Since you've been playing a LP, you might like the chunkier neck profiles on
some of the Teles. Also, check out a Nocaster!

Good luck!

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Thanks for your replies everyone,
I have seen one guitar that interests me, a Standard Telecaster FSR 2011 Butterscotch blonde, and it seems to be at a very reasonable price. I can’t find this model on the Fender web site though! I assume, given it’s price that it’s a Mexican built guitar. I don’t know what FSR means!

Regards,
Ian.
p.s this is the guitar:
http://www.dawsons.co.uk/acatalog/fende ... londe.html

Welcome IanHenry...

Your options are many, I would consider a Stratocaster simply on the the options. For neck profile I suggest looking into a medium V or what is called a boat shape neck profile. You may find the C shaped necked perhaps a little too thin and very different than a Les Paul.
I had an old Les Paul Custom for 20+ years before I moved over to a Fender copy than completely to Fender Strats. I have both the Large V shape neck in My 56 NOS Strat and the more conventional C shape in my MIM and 2 other Strats ( rebuilds currently under progress and posted on another thread.) It is only a matter of a couple minutes to readapt from one neck shape to another, so this becomes much less of an issue if any.

Pickups wise I suggest looking into an HSS set up, which will give you the best of both worlds. A humbucker in the bridge with the capability to be split to a single coil so that you also have the 3 single coil Strat sound. (one of my strats is set up as such.)

The MIM are less expensive than the MIA, but definitely not cheap. Blindfolded, I do not believe anyone could tell the difference between an equally setup MIM vs MIA Strat.
There are many bargains to be found in the pre-owned market for under $500.00

As far as a Tele., I have one awaiting pick up. it is an American Standard, it just happened to be the one, it could have been just as easily an MIM or an MIJ.

Good Luck and Good Fun finding the right axe

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

FSR means Factory Special Run, Fender will at times offer a particular model in a limited color and/or a few mods which set it apart from the normally spece'd model production line.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I own three fenders. 2 MIA and 1 MIM. In my opinion, i believe you do get what you pay for. I believe that my MIA guitars are of higher quality of than my MIM. That being said, that dosn't mean MIM fenders arn't good. Like others have mentioned I think the Tele would be best for you because some of the models have necks similar to lespauls.

This, in my opinion, would be an ideal guitar for you:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Amer ... 1146258.gc

But MIM teles are still cool!
here is my FSR MIM tele:

Hello Ian Im Rob. I have two MM Fender guitars and they are awesome despite what others say about them being cheap, which they are not, they are affordable. Trust me, you won't regret getting a MM strat or tele. As for your preference, I prefer most blues and classic rock on my strat. But go into a few guitar shops and try out a couple for yourself. See what ya like. As for necks, I don't really notice a difference between them. But my knowledge of necks goes as far as telling the difference lol. But i have a rosewood on my strat and a maple on my tele. But strats can also have a maple neck too, not just teles. But like i said, try out em out. See what you prefer.

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I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk...

There's a difference in scale between Les Pauls (24.75") and Stratocasters/Telecasters/Jazzmasters (25.5"), but that should be negligible unless you're a big string bender...then it just takes a little bit of practice to get the "feel" down. Fender Jaguars and Mustangs have an even shorter scale (24") than a Les Paul.

As many people have said, just go out and play everything you can get your hands on; when you find the one that feels right (and you can afford it), grab that sucker and don't let go.

Don't let the MIM vs MIA argument bog you down, either; my MIM Tele is used just as much as my MIA Strat, and cost considerably less when I bought it.

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Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

That guitar looks very nice! The FSR are Fender special run guitars, usually made in small runs of guitars specifically for the given retailers.

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Hi Ian,welcome to the forum.I have both MIA and MIM Fenders and al are of excellent fit and finish.The MIAs have better attention to detail and a better overall finished product but the MIMs could hold their own against guitars costing hundreds more from other manufacturers.
Both the Strat and Tele can be excellent blues guitars but the Strat is probably a little more versatile due to it having a greater tonal range and of course it usually has a whammy bar.The MIM Jimmie Vaughn Strat is the quintessential blues guitar with itsTex-Mex pickups and the soft V neck it's a dream to play.They cost more than the standard MIM Strats but the added cost is well worth it.I paid around $900 for mine and haven't regreted it one bit.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Id say nashvillle tele you get both strat and tele in one.
I have one and its great playing and great quality

Welcome to the Forum Ian! I haven't played a Fender guitar or bass guitar that I didn't like. If it is a Fender guitar it will have the Fender sound. You have been playing a Les Paul which has a 24.75 scale it's Fender counterpart in that scale would be a Jaguar, an excellent Fender guitar whose physical beauty is matched by it's sonic versatility. All of the suggestions so far have been spot on and I have a feeling what ever Fender guitar you choose will keep you happy for years to come. Have fun choosing your Fender guitar!

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