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Originally Posted by Gav2000

Hi, I've just discovered this forum and have had an interesting morning reading some of the recent posts.

I started to learn the guitar about 5 months ago and, as my favourite guitar since I was in my teens was a Telecaster, I have a Tele style guitar with a burl maple top that I got off ebay. It was cheap but it works well; the neck is smooth, the frets fit well, the controls are quiet and (following a string change) it gives a nice sound. At some point I would like to reward myself with a nicer (more expensive) guitar though and a Fender Tele would be an obvious choice.

I've browsed websites and have been amazed at the number of models Fender make; Baja, Highway, American, Standard, .... How am I supposed to find my way through so many models to find one that will suit me (and my pocket)?

Can anyone point me to the model of Tele that (i) is good value for money, (ii) is well made and won't need parts changing and (iii) will allow me to play mainly classic rock music with the odd heavy metal song thrown in?

Also, are there any other manufacturers to consider who make Tele's that look like Fenders but may be better quality for the money? I have seen some Bacchus guitars on the Internet that look good but use the wrong type of 3 way pickup selector switch that just looks wrong.

Thanks for any advice you can give, I shall keep reading and practising.

Gavin.

i have owned six teles ranging from a $200 dollar squier to a "through the ceiling' and very rare '65 maple cap

to directly answer your questions

i --- almost all teles are good for the money

ii ---the most common parts change is when people toss a humbucker in a tele neck, but you can buy a tele with a humbucker, or two, in fact

iii --- any tele will play classic rock but if you want a tele that can also handle metal without being too thin, get one with a humbucker in the bridge position, or one with a very hot lead single coil pickup with very little treble/high end and lots of midrange/bass like the american standard telecaster ... the classic series and american vintage series telecasters are way too twangy for metal

most of the time i used a traditional tele and played country, classic rock, and new wave/punk

but when i did metal, the mid priced american standard was perfect because the bridge pickup was so thick and warm and almost approached all the characteristics of a humbucker and that may be the cheapest, yet most versatile choice for you and street price is about $950 with tax

another slightly cheaper option would be to get a mexican standard telecaster, buy the fat sounding american standard telecaster bridge pickup or a similar sounding barden, a duncan lil 59er, or seymour duncan 1/4 pounder bridge pickup, and have your store or a private luthier install it and the whole setup with pickup, installation, and mexican standard tele should cost less that $800 with tax