Baja owners club

[degsycaster]

I've had a search and can't see that anyone has actually started an 'official' owners club thread. So post a pic, tell us how your Baja is shaping up, what mods have you done, etc.

I'll start with good old MZ7085548, 6 months in and still loving her. She spent a short time with a cream guard but is now back to full on 'black-guard' beauty. I've replaced the guard and control plate with thicker replacements from axesrus.co.uk and added strap-loks & an electro-socket jack cup, but other than that she's all standard.

[telechucker]

Heck, I won't be able to join till tomorrow. Just got an email from my buddy at the guitar store. My Baja is waiting. The Desert sand version. I played the one in the shop and was very impressed. I'll check back soon .... Regards.

[telejoe]

I've had my Baja for a few months now and presently it's my number 1. No mods have been necessary except for strap locks. Every time I try to upload a photo to this site it tells me that the file is too big. I guess my camera takes pictures too big for this place.

[degsycaster]

Originally Posted by telechucker

Heck, I won't be able to join till tomorrow. Just got an email from my buddy at the guitar store. My Baja is waiting. The Desert sand version. I played the one in the shop and was very impressed. I'll check back soon .... Regards.

telechucker, congrats and welcome to the club, almost!

[Nick Fanis]

Just bought one!6,8 lbs of tone heaven,intonates everywhere even w/o compensated saddles,the pickups are amazing & I actually USE the "funny" switching system.I plan to keep mine dead stock (& for ever).

[Buckocaster51]

Here be mine...



It is a very decent guitar.

As you might expect, with that leather it is a bit "above the curve" in terms of typical Telecaster weight.

[degsycaster]

Originally Posted by Nick Fanis

Just bought one!6,8 lbs of tone heaven,intonates everywhere even w/o compensated saddles,the pickups are amazing & I actually USE the "funny" switching system.I plan to keep mine dead stock (& for ever).

Nick, mine intonates perfectly too! I thought something was wrong when I first got it!! I also use the S1 a lot and don't find it at all confusing. Can't agree on weight though, my baby is 9lb on the nail

[mattio]

...mine is MZ7193005 and I bought it last summer. It´s a great guitar, the pickups sounds so sweet and it plays great. I keep wanting a more expencive strat than my squier affinity, but then I play my Baja through a bad monkey into my little giant and I get the perfect tone and start thinking; why would I want anything else again?

Mattio

[Broken Light]

Mine is MZ6278949. For some reason it doesn't have an anniversary badge like other '06s I've seen.

[degsycaster]

Originally Posted by Broken Light

Mine is MZ6278949. For some reason it doesn't have an anniversary badge like other '06s I've seen.

Like the neck 'bucker

[born2tele]

Here's mine serial nr MZ8043501 I've had her a few weeks now and she sounds so good. I like the S-1 switch, but do you guys find the front position S1 switch on useful? I think it sounds little bit too thin and "quacky". I love the sound of the neck pickup alone, very warm and bright. And front position S1 off, little humbuckerish!

I like how this guy shows the different tonal qualities of the baja telecaster.
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=ANlBVSS83sE

[furrfurrfurr]

Love mine.

7.9 lbs

no mods

[benbd]

Here is mine with a homemade paisley pickguard :

[degsycaster]

Originally Posted by born2tele

Here's mine serial nr MZ8043501 I've had her a few weeks now and she sounds so good. I like the S-1 switch, but do you guys find the front position S1 switch on useful? I think it sounds little bit too thin and "quacky". I love the sound of the neck pickup alone, very warm and bright. And front position S1 off, little humbuckerish!

Agree with everything you say except for the front S1 position. This position is actually one of the features I picked a Baja for. When you play at low drive/high volume settings, volume and tone on the guitar down a bit : you have them most lovely Peter Green/out of phase Gibson tone. I mod my Gibsons to get this sound, the Baja has it on tap. Love your picture, by the way

[JDA]

For those who have Baja's that intonate perfectly with the non-compensated stock saddles what brand and gauge strings are you using? I'm using DR Tite-Fit 10-46 strings on mine and it doesn't intonate perfectly. I'm checking it with my ST-200 Turbo Strobe Tuner.

I do like my Baja and the neck size and profile feels great in my hands.

Thanks, JD...

[VWAmTele]

Before bakelite PG and Glendale saddles

[vintageman07010]

I took out the S-1 switch. and switched it to a standard 3- way switching. New tuners, new knobs and a new pickguard witch it just a bueaty.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by Broken Light

Mine is MZ6278949. For some reason it doesn't have an anniversary badge like other '06s I've seen.

Nice.

Look how high you number (278949) is. That would be late production, probably. If you have occasion to pull the neck, check the dates. Neck or body or both may be 2007; I've got late MZ6 guitars without the 60th button, and I have late MZ5 guitars that do have the 60th button. Numbers get assigned to items before it becomes evident when they'll be finished units. I believe.

[boris bubbanov]

I oversprayed a cheap Stew Mac pickguard in Terra Cotta lacquer.



I'm not sure. I actually am starting to like the real aged parchment single ply Allparts pickguards on these Desert Sand guitars. 3 like that and 3 blackguards for the moment.

The other thing is to do an anodized gold pickguard like they're now doing on some Custom Shop Strats.

[Astro1176]

Loving mine - MZ8043358 blonde blackguard. The neck had quite a bow on, but it played great with a highish action. The truss nut was already fully tight, so I have added a shim washer and straightened the neck some, but left a bit of relief cos I liked how it plays. Also I have shielded the cavities and pickguard with aluminium tape and foil, which has reduced the hum.

I've had it for maybe 3 months, and it is inspiring me to practice much more and improve my technique - I just love the sound that comes out of it! Played clean and unacompnied, I am mainly using the neck or neck+bridge. I sometimes use the S1 phase switch (I also discovered in my various tinkerings that the relative pickup heights makes (to my ears) a MASSIVE difference to the S1 sound - so if you hate it now, try adjusting your pickup heights to see if there is a sweet spot for you there)



I almost didn't get it because of the green/blue tinge in a couple of the wood-grain veins - but I phoned around and the other shops said their bajas also had the green tinge - so it must have been a batch. Will that tinge fade?