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Post subject: In the market for a Tele, but quality is poor
Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 5:28 pm
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I am in the market for a high quality Telecaster and have budgeted about $1000 - $1500. The obvious choices are Am Deluxe, the '52 RI, etc. So I visited the Guitar Center in Seattle and tried both an American Deluxe and the 52 RI, they only had one of each in stock. I could not believe how poor the quality of the American Deluxe was. The intonation was terrible, almost making it impossible to tune. The 52 RI was of better quality but didn't have the S-1 switching and so I couldn't find enough variations in tone (looking for clean tone variations). I know that the 52 can be converted to S-1 switching. So, I left thinking that it is quite ridiculous that it might take more money to get a quality Telecaster. Even on these boards someone has complained of a Custom Classic that is humming, isn't this the one that cost $2000 and is supposed to be recording studio quality? I am going to assume that Am Deluxes are typically of higher quality, I don't know why the Seattle GC doesn't have 20 of them in stock so a person could find one of decent quality. Any recommendations for a high quality telecaster with good clean tones, as well as variation in tones for recording? Am I wrong to think I can find a good quality tele for $1200?


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Post subject: Re: In the market for a Tele, but quality is poor
Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 5:52 pm
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Hi, You must remeber that GC is a sales environment first and a set up / repair facility zero. Now, you would think that Fender would set up ANY guitar that leaves their factory. But , that obviously doesn't happen, even with a high end guitar. I think you should find a reputable "guitar tech" lined up, to dial in the imperfections that you have pointed out. So. if you want that '52 RI or DLX, look for the things that you like about this guitar.. Look at the grain of the neck and body, Is this a "premium " choice cut of wood , or a piece that is nice , but not what you want to buy.
And last but not least, if your guitar tech can't fix a "non repairable" issue, then that is why it is important to buy from a reputable dealer , as they have a lot of "pull" that Fender realizes and wants no negative reviews etc...
Cheers !
HTH


Last edited by mezz on Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:03 pm
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Firstly you must rest the problem of intonation squarely on the retailers shoulders. Fender rough out the intonation in the factory and expect retailers to set the guitars up, thats why theres meant to be a fender authorized tech working in the shop. You cant set the intonation on a guitar in california and expect it to be ok across the otherside of the country. 3 saddle bridges are always going to have intonation problems. I put wilkinson compensated saddles and a earvana nut on mine. its ok now but still not perfect.
On the humming issue all singlecoil guitars are going to hum. Whether they be customshop or squire, even scn's and vintage noiseless hum a tiny bit. If its that much of a problem dont buy a singlecoil equipped guitar. I wouldnt worry about it for recording, ive recorded 7 cds with a strat and experienced no adverse effects even though they were cheap ceramic pickups. Did muddy waters, springsteens or whoever of yesteryears tele hum. Of course it did as did hank marvin's, jeff becks and eric claptons strat. If a engineer cant sort that out sack him, they dont hum when their pushing out sound.
If you didnt like the guitars in one shop try another shop.


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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:05 pm
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Go try a few more.


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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:39 pm
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I wonder how many kids were playing them before you? The after school
GC Blasters :shock: NowiI have here on the forum heard of a few GC centers having a good tech but it sounds far and few between. I no shops that will not put a guitar out on the floor untill it is set up and playing as it should. Even then they will check setup while you are there . Also a few I no will let you bring it back with in 30 days for a tweeking free of charge.

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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:57 pm
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i would say try looking at a smaller shop, where the guitars are set up beteter, and havent been played a bunch, i have a great store in my home town, and i look at alot of guitars, and i will say i have an am deluxe witha high end bridge upgrade and bought it second hand for way less then the sticker price,and i think the guitar is of superb quality, especially compared to a les paul


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Post subject: Thank you for responses
Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:08 pm
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Just wanted to thank everyone for their responses. I will follow the advice that was given.

As a side note: after researching more it seems as if others have experienced somewhat of the same issue. The solution seems to be the custom shop models. And I guess that is the frustrating thing - custom shop models start at $2k. Honestly, this is a bit ridiculous, and realistically these should be bumped down about $1k in price. I was expecting an Am Deluxe to be the same quality as a Custom Classic. Telecasters do not require the same craftsmanship as a high end acoustic, nor do they use wood that is in the same category in regard to scarcity - yet Fender has put them in the same pricing category.

Thanks again for the quick replies,
Andy


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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:18 pm
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Don't give up on the product just because the setup was bad. Fender is pumping them out of a production line and for the most part the guys at GC aren't guitar techs. The set up on new guitars is really hit and miss in my experience. Pay attention to the feel of the neck, the smoothness of the frets, the quality of the fit and finish, the sound of the pickups.

You can't go wrong with an MIA Fender.

A nice pro set up will take care of the little things.

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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:46 pm
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The only specific flaw mentioned was the intonation, which is easily corrected by a good setup and is not inherent to the guitar itself. Apparently the one deluxe in the store wasn't setup right. Was there anything else wrong with it? It's also a bit strange that there was only one deluxe, my local GC had 8 of them last time I was there.

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:25 pm
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:D I have a 60th anniversary Ameican deulxe ash tele. It was about 1200.00 and i love it. nicest guitar I ever played.


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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:40 pm
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mthorn00 wrote:
Don't give up on the product just because the setup was bad. Fender is pumping them out of a production line and for the most part the guys at GC aren't guitar techs. The set up on new guitars is really hit and miss in my experience. Pay attention to the feel of the neck, the smoothness of the frets, the quality of the fit and finish, the sound of the pickups.

You can't go wrong with an MIA Fender.

A nice pro set up will take care of the little things.


This is exactly true.

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Post subject: Re: Thank you for responses
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:26 am
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aandreson wrote:
Just wanted to thank everyone for their responses. I will follow the advice that was given.

As a side note: after researching more it seems as if others have experienced somewhat of the same issue. The solution seems to be the custom shop models. And I guess that is the frustrating thing - custom shop models start at $2k. Honestly, this is a bit ridiculous, and realistically these should be bumped down about $1k in price. I was expecting an Am Deluxe to be the same quality as a Custom Classic. Telecasters do not require the same craftsmanship as a high end acoustic, nor do they use wood that is in the same category in regard to scarcity - yet Fender has put them in the same pricing category.

Thanks again for the quick replies,
Andy


You want a custom hand-built guitar for $1K? Ridiculous. Your expectations are entirely unrealistic. These are the best guitars Fender sells. You insult the skill of the craftsmen who put these things together and finish them.


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Post subject: Re: Thank you for responses
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:22 am
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soggycrow wrote:
You want a custom hand-built guitar for $1K? Ridiculous. Your expectations are entirely unrealistic. These are the best guitars Fender sells. You insult the skill of the craftsmen who put these things together and finish them.


I don't believe it is unreasonable to expect a telecaster of custom shop quality for $1000 - $1500. A Rickenbacker 300 series guitar will run $1800 - $2500 new. There is only one level of quality in the craftmanship of these guitars, they are considered very high quality by many. A used Rick 330 will run around $1000 in very good condition, a 360 will run between $1300 - $1500 (I've been watching closely on Ebay). I have yet to see a Custom Shop tele for under $2000, and I am searching for used models. Fender has set up a "scarcity" program with their custom shop, in addition to balancing this against the hit-or-miss quality of the American series.

Just as well, I think the handcrafted acoustic market is another fair comparison for this conversation. Again, I can find a nice handcrafted acoustic on the used market for $1000 - $1500. I actually don't even think this is a fair comparison because there is much more that goes into a handcrafted acoustic than a slab of ash (I guess fret burrs need to be filed down on a handcrafted tele).

I have to agree with the comments made about the improper setup, this was good advice for me to hear. And I agree that I am "off" in noting the improper setup as lack of quality. But I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a telecaster of custom shop quality in the $1000 - $1500 range.

My intention for my posting was simply to notify Fender of my experiences in my search for a good guitar. This kind of feedback can be helpful for a company. If I am the only one then they will hear me with a grain of salt and let it slide. Nonetheless, I have received helpful comments on this board and impressed by this.
-Andy


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:11 pm
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If you really think about it, the American Standard Telecaster and Stratocaster usually sell at GC for around 1K. How in the world would you expect a Custom Shop guitar to sell for the same price? I agree that you will find a pleathora of guitars that just do not seem up to Fender quality in GC stores. I recently went through a lot ofTelecasters until I found one I didn't have to return. The one I finally kept was an MIM just out of the box and was excellent in both intonation and setup. It has become my main gigging guitar.......it cost me all of $371.00. Consider that the least expensive GIBSON Les Paul, the Vintage Mahogany in faded cherry or brown is going for 1K. In order to get a guitar that is going to satify you, you will need to try many different samples of the guitar you want. That includes both the MIA, MIM and perhaps Custom Shop versions. I did and wound up buying the MIM because the American Standard Teles that were in the store just didn't sound our play like I wanted and.............I could not justify the added cost for an MIA if the MIM I found was the one I fell in love with.


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