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Post subject: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 6:19 pm
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Just got my first Tele,a Hot rod 60s vintage Tele after being a faithful user of Strats.It came with 10s so I might need to change that to 9s as I'm not a 10 gauge user.Will 9s be okay on it without buzzing?The frets were a bit bumpy compared to my smooth Deluxe strat.Do I need to round them or are they already rounded? The specs said,vintage locking tuners but I don't see any type of locking mechanism on it.How does one adjust truss rods on this? Do I need to remove just the scratch plate.Overall I was quite impressed with the sound & need to get used to the feel of the rosewood jumbo frets.
Overall what is your feedback on the guitar? :)

Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 2:32 am
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Jesuscares wrote:
Just got my first Tele,a Hot rod 60s vintage Tele after being a faithful user of Strats.It came with 10s so I might need to change that to 9s as I'm not a 10 gauge user.

Sure of that it is 10 ? IMO Fender always put 09 strings



Will 9s be okay on it without buzzing?
Neck may need a truss rod adjustment , action could be lower becauss less strings pull on the neck , yes it could buzz

The frets were a bit bumpy compared to my smooth Deluxe strat.Do I need to round them or are they already rounded? The specs said,vintage locking tuners but I don't see any type of locking mechanism on it.How does one adjust truss rods on this? Do I need to remove just the scratch plate.Overall I was quite impressed with the sound & need to get used to the feel of the rosewood jumbo frets.
Overall what is your feedback on the guitar? :)

Thanks.



About frets and truss rod , better to see a qualified luthier .
Truss rod is easy to adjust if you know what to do , lots of videos on You Tube


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 8:17 am
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The specs on these say the factory strings are .010s - it looks like Fender uses .009s on most "modern" models and .010s on the vintage-style models (plus some of the Artist models have .010s). While the Vintage Hot Rod has a lot of modern touches I suppose Fender is using the vintage model string set on these.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 9:42 am
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John C wrote:
The specs on these say the factory strings are .010s -

If specs say that it should be 010

it looks like Fender uses .009s on most "modern" models and .010s on the vintage-style models (plus some of the Artist models have .010s). While the Vintage Hot Rod has a lot of modern touches I suppose Fender is using the vintage model string set on these.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:07 am
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stratele52 wrote:
About frets and truss rod , better to see a qualified luthier

+1; might be wise to let a pro do a total setup, including the string gauge change.

BTW, it would be unusual if a Fender at that price class and right from the factory would need a fret job...


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 1:45 pm
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Yes,the specs say it is 10s & it sure feels like 10s.The frets feel a bit like my Les Paul traditional.It isn't smooth like my deluxe start & the first string slips out of the board sometimes.As suggested it may need a set up.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 8:17 pm
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I like that the neck has a compound radius.. fantastic guitar enjoy.

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Last edited by musicmatty on Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 10:03 pm
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Hmmmm is all I can say !
The reason I got that guitar is that I got it for a song!
I'm not a 60s fan.All I care for is good sound & good feel.With a change of strings & set up I'm sure it would get there.The 3 pups is a good advantage & above all the resale value is cool.Will be willing to sell it & go for a simple tele if I get a good deal.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 7:45 pm
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About the frets,do they need to be smoothed/rounded? Any more feedback on this guitar would be good.Any owners?


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:04 am
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Not an owner, but it looks like these are now discontinued completely by Fender - so you got one of the last ones as there aren't many left in stores. Also some of these that were blown out may have been sitting in the MF/GC warehouse since they were shipped out by Fender about a year ago - someone was talking about their HR 60s Strat purchased during this sale being from October 2013 - so some fret work may not be out of the question.

I noticed no one ever addressed some of your issues - if you're used to modern Fenders with wider necks and narrower string spacing then yes, sometimes you will notice the high E or low E will slip off the neck depending on how you hit the strings. That's one of the reasons why American Standards have the wider neck but narrower string spacing - so this won't happen by accident while you're playing. Since these are based on the AV models they would have the vintage-spec narrower neck but wider string spacing - putting the E strings closer to the edge of the fingerboard.

Also these tuners are "self-locking" - when you restring you have to release the existing string from the tuner by fully de-tuning it. I've always found that I have to use a coin in that slot in the top to get the string fully released. When you're putting on the new string just pull it through the hole in the tuner, then use a winder to quickly turn the button which will cause the pin mechanism to come up and clamp the string. Once the string is clamped you should be able to tune as normal and end up with less than one wrap on the post. I've had these tuners on a couple of guitars, and to me it was always a bit of a fight to hold the string tight enough to not wind up with more than a single wind on the post.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 6:12 pm
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Thanks John C for the response & the much needed info.Any particular reason that they are discontinuing this model? I would say due to the high price tag they may not have sold well.There aren't many reviews on this guitar for some reason.The neck sure feels different but nice for bends.The best thing in this guitar is the 3 pups & the S1 switch.Not sure why folks dont like the S1.I would need to look into the locking tuners you mentioned.I think some Fenders carry the 'made in USA' imprint but not this.It doesn't even specify the model except for the tag with model/serial# that came with it, which says it s a hot rod 60s model.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:14 pm
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They are discontinuing the entire series so I suspect that you are correct - these just didn't sell.

The info I read on another forum was that there are no immediate plans for a replacement series - but since the old Vintage Hot Rod series sold pretty well it wouldn't surprise me if Fender eventually comes back with something more similar to that series but based on the current AV models. This series was kind of like a "more vintage-y" American Deluxe, which made it pretty much a niche product at a fairly high price.

Where I'm living - no Fender dealer has ever gotten in one of this series of Vintage Hot Rods, and has really only ever stocked the AV '52 Tele - none of the other models.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:59 pm
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Thanks for the help friends.I just changed to 9s on the guitar & the guitar is just too good ! I just need tips on adjusting truss rod if I needed to.Will just removing the pick guard help? Removing the strings & the stalk may be a pain due to the locking tuners.


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Post subject: Re: Questions on Hot rod 60s vintage Tele
Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:17 pm
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For some reason I find the Teles (in general) aren't as picky to truss rod adjustments as Strats (in general), so it may be you don't need to do anything.

But, should the need arise, watch the video for a few times (the vintage truss rod part starts at about 4 mins).
The tips:
- loosen the strings before you start,
- you may want to use softer touch than the pros in the clip do,
- and get a good screwdriver that fits.


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