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Post subject: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:09 pm
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Ok, so I wanted to get some advice from the long time fender guys on the site. My previous telecaster is is '62 body and everything else custom built by my uncle, simply a beautiful guitar that plays amazingly well. Perfection.

Since he recently asked for it back, I borrowed it for quite some time :) I decided to get myself a new telecaster. I came across the Antigua FSR and within days pulled the trigger on the purchase (from a really large online retailer).

Guitar arrived last week and looks flat out amazing, feels great, finish is perfect, neck feels good. Everything about this guitar screams sexy.

When I started playing I noticed that it would go out of tune easily and the intonation was out a little bit. I figured no big deal, I'll swap out the strings and put a little graphite on the nut from a pencil and see if that fixes it. (Yes, I properly stretched the strings - both the original and new set)

Nope.

The G-B-E strings are virtually impossible to get into tune and when they do tune, they immediately go out. Major, major binding at the nut from what I can tell (I'm not a tech). Not to mention that the G string buzzes so bad it sounds like a sitar.

So today, I take it to the local luther to check out it. I figured it needed a little work on the nut and a basic setup. Again, for a new guitar I guess I pretty much expected this to be the case.

What we found was a different story entirely, the nut itself was an absolute mess. Both E strings seemed to be at the correct height, while the A string was entirely too low and DGB strings were too high. Basically, because of the A string being cut too low on the nut, I have to replace the nut entirely. That's extraordinarily frustrating for a new guitar to need that kind of work.

At any rate, has anyone else experienced this with a Fender product? Seems like real poor workmanship that I would not expect from Fender, especially on a FSR guitar of limited production.

Sucks that this has to be my first post on the forums :(


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:34 pm
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I just received my 50th Anniversary Telecaster last month.
It was heavily modified. Sounded and looked great.
But, my A & D strings were "buzzing" at the 20th fret
and it's E & D strings had actually popped out of the nut.
Go figure. Anyway, I took it to my guitar tech. I should get it back tomorrow.

BTW. I am adding two sets of roller string trees to mine. Does your Tele have string trees?

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Last edited by Toppscore on Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:35 pm
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Wow! That thing is off the charts! Nice guitar indeed.


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:55 pm
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For reference, here's a photo of the Antigua FSR ...
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And here's the '62 custom (pretty much everything from the Callaham catalog) ...
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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:08 pm
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I have an Antigua with no issues, sorry you're having a rough patch with yours. Is that sonic blue on the 62? I dig those light blue colors.

Can't dig on Callaham, he sells snake oil. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:15 pm
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Yeah, the blue one is actually Fender Daphne Blue .. or something.

This guitar is my only experience with the Callaham stuff, I think it's pretty good I guess. But to be honest, when the Antigua was in tune it wasn't that much different tone wise.

What I do like about the '62 is the Earvana nut combined with the compensated saddles, the intonation on that guitar is so perfect it makes me ill. It is rock solid once in tune, simply amazing and a treat to play.


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:57 pm
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you should have a word with ukraider, he's just bought an antigua tele, he seems to be very pleased, hope you get this sorted.

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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:27 am
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Thanks man, I saw his thread - looks like his doesn't have any issues. Makes me believe this is likely an isolated problem. Going to give fender a call today on my lunch break and see if there's something they'd be willing to do about it; hopefully not including sending it back in to them :(


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:40 am
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Immediately after I posted the above .... I get an email from the retailer where I bought the guitar.

In short, they are going to reimburse me for getting the nut reparied. That's just outstanding customer service and I didn't expect that from them at all. They are also going to contact Fender on my behalf.

Plus, I get my guitar back from my Luther today too.

Double happy ending :)


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:38 am
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Car vs Driver wrote:
Yeah, the blue one is actually Fender Daphne Blue .. or something.
This guitar is my only experience with the Callaham stuff, I think it's pretty good I guess. But to be honest, when the Antigua was in tune it wasn't that much different tone wise.


So, does Fender ship Callaham hardware from the factory or on factory guitars?
Do you like the Callaham product.
I am not familiar. Toppscore :)

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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:23 pm
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Nah, the only thing original on the blue guitar is the body - Fender from what I know, doesn't ship any of his stuff on their factory guitars. I personally don't have as much experience with all the different aftermarket stuff you can get to really say how it compares to something else. But, the guitar sounds incredible and plays amazingly well.

I play it through a B-52 AT212 amp and it just comes across buttery warm. A bit of the telecaster twang is gone, which is probably why I really dig the sound (but that's also a characteristic of the amp). I play mostly modern rock type stuff FWIW.

Overall, I have zero complaints on the hardware or the pickups that are in it from Callaham.

As a side note, I get the Antigua back tomorrow so I can certainly post a comparison after I spend some quality time with it.


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:03 pm
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Car vs Driver wrote:
As a side note, I get the Antigua back tomorrow so I can certainly post a comparison after I spend some quality time with it.


I am telling you. I have really turned my head around regarding
my "old" opinion of the Antiqua painted guitars ~ via this thread. Thanks.

I based my "old" opinion upon the following below two 1978 Telecasters. They have not
sold and have been listed and relisted for over two years. Some may think these
two Teles look good, but, I did not. Your's is totally beautiful. Take care. Toppscore :)


http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1978-FENDER-TELECASTER-BASS-ANTIGUA-FINISH-grlc761-/300728886861?pt=Guitar&hash=item4604d6a64d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Vintage-1978-Fender-Telecaster-Tele-Custom-Guitar-RARE-Antigua-Finish-/360466715402?pt=Guitar&hash=item53ed7d930a

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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 5:11 am
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I had nut trouble on an American Tele I bought brand new. The shop where I got it repaired it free of charge, the problem came back very quickly, they send it to Fender to be repaired by them. The guitar came back to me repaired and with a good set up.

The problem was that the G had been ringing behind the nut (making a sitar type of sound).

My own feeling is that if a nut is cut wrong then you're not going to have confidence in the product until you get a new nut. I still have some small concern about it but I don't know how much of that is just my insecurity over this particular guitar and it's history or if it is based on the fact that there is still something wrong with it.

The guitar sounds and feels great. I have an MIM tele that has never had any problems whatsoever, it just felt perfect out of the box and has been so ever since I got it.

This hasn't put me of Fenders, I still have a long wish list and the Antigua tele is on that list.


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 6:19 pm
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Wouldn't this be covered under warranty?


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Post subject: Re: Got my Antigua Telecaster .. totally let down.
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:12 am
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M40A1 wrote:
Wouldn't this be covered under warranty?


The nut is one area of the guitar that is not covered by warranty, though I personally think that if it comes out of the factory wrong then whatever part it is it should be covered.

So in my case they did the repair (rather than putting a new nut on the guitar as I had requested), and they reminded me that it wasn't covered by warranty, trying to make out that they were doing me a favour though I'd just spend £1,400+ on this new guitar (about three times the price of the Antigua).


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