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Post subject: Baja Classic Player vs American Standard
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 5:40 pm
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I'm about to get my first Tele (I've had a Strat for 20+ years) and I was almost certain that I was going to buy an American Standard. However, I recently read about the Classic Player Baja Tele and it sounded quite interesting ..... with the switching system, 4 way toggle etc etc. I would greatly appreciate any opinions and first hand experience that any of you may have regarding the Baja Tele.


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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 5:56 pm
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i have never played one myself but i know someone who has a baja and absolutely loves it


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Post subject: Finishes
Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 3:47 am
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While it may sound trivial, the one thing I don't like about the Baja is the choice of colors. I really like the 2 or 3 tone sunburst.


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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 10:16 am
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Both are very good choices...The vintage tuners on the Baja are really nice and stay in tune. I have the Desert Sand finish, with the nicely tinted maple neck. I like these guitars for their simplistic, understated beauty. This guitar is made in Mexico, but this truly raises the bar for them.

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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 3:29 pm
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I have a Baja in blonde. She is a dream to play, primarily because of the soft V-neck shape. At first it seems pretty large, but later it is the sweetest neck shape. The guitar is a high-end MIM, designed by the custom shop, with a 'twisted' Tele neck pickup and a vintage Broadcaster pickup in the bridge. The neck pickup is pretty jazzy sounding, and the bridge PU has all the twang. It has an ash body. Mine is heavy, weighing 8 lb., but I don't really notice it, especially when playing and all these sounds are elevating me. I got a HSC 'cause I like the guitar so much; it comes w/gig bag.

The 4-way switch opens you to a lot of additional sounds. An S1 switch is built in to put the guitar in out-of-phase dual pickup settings. The parallel in-phase position 4, gives a humbucker sound. Push the S1 in and an out of phase Peter Green type lead sounds are obtained. Pos.#3 is the neck pickup only, and is a very usuable jazz-rhythm sound. Pos #2 is both pickups in series in-phase, and a Strat-like sound is gotten; hit the S1 and the out-of-phase sound is gotten. Pos #1 is the bridge pickup only; twang and blues leads are encouraged.
Image
Image

I have seen only one Baja in 3-color sunburst. They usually come in Desert Sand or Blonde. But your Fender dealer may be able to get one on order.

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2007 Classic Player Baja Telecaster
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1986 Yamaha SBG2100
1980 Gibson L6-S
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 5:41 pm
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Notice Qblue's guitar doesnt have the fault of the bridge pickup cavity showing between the bridge and control panel. Thats something to look out for with them.

Great guitar superb sounds. Love mine so much i'm in the process of designing a new kind of compensated nut for it so i dont have to lose the 3 saddle bridge. Also they have a very thick neck, really thick. Thicker than me and a mcdonalds milkshake mixed together. Its something i love but not for everyone. mines 9.5 ilb, very heavy. Mike Eldred said in the ask mike eldred forum that ash is an anomaly among woods, the heavier it is the better the treble. Looks like they had a good pick of wood at mexico if all them baja's are around 8-9ilb's.

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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 7:00 pm
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Yeah, but I like that baseball neck because its more comfortable than the thinner necks. I have modern C style on my Strat Ultra and it's the thinnest neck I have. I get mild tendonitis from this neck. But not from the Baja, the Gibsons, or that old '71 Strat.

I lied. My Baja weighs 8.8 lbs. I like how the weight is balanced, tho. There are those who think a lighter weight is more desirable, but this guitar still kills.

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2007 Classic Player Baja Telecaster
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 6:19 am
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qblue wrote:
I lied. My Baja weighs 8.8 lbs. I like how the weight is balanced, tho. There are those who think a lighter weight is more desirable, but this guitar still kills.


Like i said Mike Eldred doesnt prefer lighter wood for teles.

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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 6:33 am
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nikininja wrote:
qblue wrote:
I lied. My Baja weighs 8.8 lbs. I like how the weight is balanced, tho. There are those who think a lighter weight is more desirable, but this guitar still kills.


Like i said Mike Eldred doesnt prefer lighter wood for teles.


Where is this M. Eldred & his comments? I think it would be a fascinating discussion of woods, esp. ash vs. alder.

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2007 Classic Player Baja Telecaster
1991 Strat Ultra
1990 Gibson ES-347
1986 Yamaha SBG2100
1980 Gibson L6-S
1971 Stratocaster
Fender Stage Lead Combo
Marshall MOSFET 100 watt Amp


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Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 7:57 pm
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I bought a Baja when Fender first released the Classic Player Series and an '08 American Standard right before the price increase this year. I love 'em both and wouldn't want to choose between them.

The Baja gets points for the soft V neck, 4 way S-1 switching and an excellent combination of pickups. The Custom Shop designed Twisted Tele neck and Broadcaster bridge pickups and the enhanced switching make it the most versatile Tele I own.

The American Standard gets high marks for its finish and the fret work is outstanding. It has the '08 redesigned bridge and saddles and staggered tuning posts and I'm totally addicted to the Delta Tone master control system that rolls off treble on the bridge pickup. The darker tones you can dial in are excellent for blues.

Here's a pic of my two favorite Teles lounging by the pool. :)

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John


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Posted: Sun May 24, 2009 9:53 pm
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qblue wrote:
I have a Baja in blonde. She is a dream to play, primarily because of the soft V-neck shape. At first it seems pretty large, but later it is the sweetest neck shape. The guitar is a high-end MIM, designed by the custom shop, with a 'twisted' Tele neck pickup and a vintage Broadcaster pickup in the bridge. The neck pickup is pretty jazzy sounding, and the bridge PU has all the twang. It has an ash body. Mine is heavy, weighing 8 lb., but I don't really notice it, especially when playing and all these sounds are elevating me. I got a HSC 'cause I like the guitar so much; it comes w/gig bag.

The 4-way switch opens you to a lot of additional sounds. An S1 switch is built in to put the guitar in out-of-phase dual pickup settings. The parallel in-phase position 4, gives a humbucker sound. Push the S1 in and an out of phase Peter Green type lead sounds are obtained. Pos.#3 is the neck pickup only, and is a very usuable jazz-rhythm sound. Pos #2 is both pickups in series in-phase, and a Strat-like sound is gotten; hit the S1 and the out-of-phase sound is gotten. Pos #1 is the bridge pickup only; twang and blues leads are encouraged.
Image
Image

I have seen only one Baja in 3-color sunburst. They usually come in Desert Sand or Blonde. But your Fender dealer may be able to get one on order.


Hey, that's a beautiful tele but I know a few people who have put 4-way switches in their Teles and the loud humbucker sound is the series, the parallel is the normal middle Tele sound, sort of stratish with the Tele neck single coil. THe wiring on those guitars is wicked and for a blonde blackguard ash body Tele, it's cheaper than paying the extra for an Ash American Standard Tele, with normal wiring. Seems like a better deal to me.


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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 6:30 am
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qblue wrote:
nikininja wrote:
qblue wrote:
I lied. My Baja weighs 8.8 lbs. I like how the weight is balanced, tho. There are those who think a lighter weight is more desirable, but this guitar still kills.


Like i said Mike Eldred doesnt prefer lighter wood for teles.


Where is this M. Eldred & his comments? I think it would be a fascinating discussion of woods, esp. ash vs. alder.


Qblue sorry i missread M.Eldreds comments about woods, he doesnt prefer anything over anything else strictly speaking. He does however give a bit of info here as to certain effects of wood components in this thread.
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20237&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

A bit of a longwinded discussion but does contain some real jems of insight from Mr Eldred.

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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 2:45 pm
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I read the posts concerning the wood/ weight controversy. I would agree that the heavier the body, the better the high frequency response. He went on to say that rosewood necks give a mellower sound than a maple. Hmmm... I can't say I agree. But he feels that the guitar is not judged on a single factor, even the neck shape may change things. This I wholeheartedly agree.

He opened my eyes about custom shop jobs, as most people order a lightweight body. They can build anything you're paying for. Now I don't feel left out in the twang sweepstakes, as my ears should have told me. But I think tone is primarily the action b/t the strings and the pickups, as well as fingerings.

Most of his thoughts suggest that the custom shop thinks less about mundane things like wood/weight and concentrates on pickups, out-of-phase settings, finishes, and copies of past vintage successful models.

_________________
2007 Classic Player Baja Telecaster
1991 Strat Ultra
1990 Gibson ES-347
1986 Yamaha SBG2100
1980 Gibson L6-S
1971 Stratocaster
Fender Stage Lead Combo
Marshall MOSFET 100 watt Amp


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