Point where the Upgrades end, and the saving begins

[alanfc]

I've got this 2000 MIM that I bought to see if I could love a Tele, just one more chance.

And I DO, I love Tele.

Mine has some issues though, and I wonder at which point you guys realize that the changes and upgrades are costing you...
"Costing" you as in >>> the savings that you could be building for just buying your ideal Tele?

My example: I've already spent $70+ on a new bridge pickup. Thats OK. Next up, rounding the fret edges - fine I can do that myself for free. But the main thing is the body weight and the balance. Its too light in the body. After a month with a rough wide strap and higher rear strap button position, still not good. So I found me a 2"x6" , 1/4" thick slab of scrap iron the other day and bolted it to the back near the strap button. 2- 3lb I think. Balance is better now.
But I really want a new body ! I ask myself, how much is that and how can I find the right one? I'd be adding $ 200-300 + right there if I swapped.

So between the time on the fret ends, the new pickup, the body swap, the inevitable bridge, saddle and wiring changes that I read about here. Where am I at ?.. do you see my question.
I'm not judging those that perpetually upgrade as wasting their time and money. I can tinker with my gear but I don't find any fun in it like many guys do. Only for my self, I ask this question.
Please share what youve done and the decisions you've made. I'd greatly appreciate it!

[Burnjet]

Well, here's how it works for me. My wife can't track the cost nearly as well if it comes in pieces and it doesn't look like "another guitar". Plus, even if I got the perfect guitar tomorrow I'd have it on the bench in a month doin something to it. Dropping a few hundred on a new partscaster also keeps me from tweaking the guitars I really should leave alone.

[ajgus]

What you have & what a lot of us here have is a sickness. Until you decide to get help for it there will never be "enough". I figure I'll keep modding my Tele until it eventually is so far from its original form thats its not even a Tele anymore.

Here's what it looks like now...

Trumpet.jpg

[Stevie 202]

Dunno,

I Bought a
'99 MIM Std for $250.

New bridge = $65
Callaham saddles = $35
Schaller tuners = $45
Callaham pre-wired control plate with knurled dome knobs (awesome, BTW) = $100
Pick Guard = $20
Frets polished (and ends rounded) = $30

(after all that, it sounded so good I decided to leave in the stock pups)

Total = $545.

Conclusion - got me a real sweet Tele and a real player on the cheap. Fact is, it's my #1 right now.

[CMHguitarist]

A "new" Tele is great but there would be changes that you'd like to make to that too. Besides, with all of the good quality after-market items out there (and I know that this is going to sound sacreligious to some of you), I really think you can build a Tele that sounds better and performs more like you want it to than one off of the shelf. Heck, take a look at the one that Andy Summers plays... it barely resembles the original anymore. It has a Gibson PAF in the neck, different wiring harness, a phase reversal switch, an onboard mid boost preamp & knob... When you do fix up that Tele tho, make sure that you put good quality stuff on it...

[Old Cane]

You gotta hip me to this dude; what are savings?

[Daddydex]

This is all very subjective to begin with. I won't like what you like, you won't like what I like. I save a fortune by leaving them alone for the most part. Plus, when and if it is time to sell, the partscasters won't return the investment. Stock for me and if I don't like it, I'll buy another.

Dan

[alanfc]

Originally Posted by Old Cane

You gotta hip me to this dude; what are savings?

ha- I save up about half in real money and charge the rest when I buy =big= new stuff.

I understand what yer all saying here, its obvious everyones' tastes are different. Thinking more about this, in my case now, the main question is blowing 200-300+ on a good heavy body and keeping the neck, which needs work (fret ends, a free job) ? I could see keeping the neck if it was fantastic, but its not. I dunno maybe it is. Its the only Tele neck I 've ever played except for a Tele I had about 20 yrs. ago which I lasted only 2 weeks with. (and a rosewood chinese copy about 2 yrs ago)

THanks guys

[thepassivevoice]

Originally Posted by Burnjet

Well, here's how it works for me. My wife can't track the cost nearly as well if it comes in pieces and it doesn't look like "another guitar".

Glad to see that I'm not the only one that thinks like this.

[alanfc]

Originally Posted by alanfc

ha- I save up about half in real money and charge the rest when I buy =big= new stuff.

I understand what yer all saying here, its obvious everyones' tastes are different. Thinking more about this, in my case now, the main question is blowing 200-300+ on a good heavy body and keeping the neck, which needs work (fret ends, a free job) ? I could see keeping the neck if it was fantastic, but its not. I dunno maybe it is. Its the only Tele neck I 've ever played except for a Tele I had about 20 yrs. ago which I lasted only 2 weeks with. (and a rosewood chinese copy about 2 yrs ago)

THanks guys

bahh forget the heavy body !!
At rehearsal this weekend
I used the Tele with its new SDuncan bridge pickup and the tone knob rolled down a bit and it was FANTASTIC when live and loud.
(even the bass player said he could hear me better).
And, I removed that silly iron slab from the back of the body. I'm no longer obsessed with a having a heavy body. This thing is fine.

Now for some improvements. I'll be doing alot of reading on here about pots, wiring, caps. Mainly interested in a bit brighter neck pickup.

[boris bubbanov]

My ideal Tele or Strat doesn't hang on the wall in a guitar shop.

I know it may seem strange to have a $ 69 guitar with a $ 193 neck and $ 28 tuners and so forth, but if it outperforms the guitar in the shop selling for $ 700, I don't see the error in my ways.

The learning and discovery process is so rewarding; how does one buy that off the hook at the music store? And I find the skills learned assist me in getting the most out of each guitar I have. Best of all, most of these parts are re-usable and can be shuffled around to create next weeks' favorite guitar, then the week after's favorite guitar, and on and on.

Very satisfying to in effect take the pain of selling guitars out of the mix for as long a period as you like.

[e-merlin]

You are forgetting that there's more than money involved. There's the fun quotient of building and modding.

And, it never ends. Once you get one finished, it's on to the next one.

[garytelecastor]

The way that I look at this is that in one way or another I am going to experiment with tone and pups, and bridges and on, and on. So why not do it with a tele that isn't $1000.00
I am always trying to find that mystical ethereal entity that eludes my ear.

[alanfc]

Thanks guys,
my latest post (#10) has an update.
Things got a whole lot simpler , in a good way