Finally got my Baja

[degsycaster]

Finally got it on the scales and it weighs in at 9lbs on the button. Surprised me, I thought it was heavier than that but I guess 9lbs could be classed as 'hefty' in anyones book. The switching options are fantastic. 3 of my favourite sounds of all time are on this guitar : pos 1 - classic Tele lead pickup, pos 2 - like strat pos 2 (can't remember if that was button up or down?) & pos 4 with the button down - lovely, honky, out of phase Peter Green type tone. All that from a Tele

[pengipete]

I love my blonde Baja.

For me the biggest selling point was the neck. I've been searching for that neck for years without knowing what it was I actually wanted.

I reckon that she's also the best value for money Fender especially as you can pick them up for around £400.

[j_hunter_hkr]

Yep, I've had my blonde Baja for a few weeks now and it's a wonderful guitar! Even my LP Custom is gathering dust (proverbially of course)!

I wonder what those Classic Player Strats are like......

[teleman1991]

Originally Posted by j_hunter_hkr

Yep, I've had my blonde Baja for a few weeks now and it's a wonderful guitar! Even my LP Custom is gathering dust (proverbially of course)!

I wonder what those Classic Player Strats are like......

Oh... i have a baja and was thinking of getting an LP custom (epiphone)...if its going to just sit there i think ill save my money and get a blues deluxe

[j_hunter_hkr]

Originally Posted by teleman1991

Oh... i have a baja and was thinking of getting an LP custom (epiphone)...if its going to just sit there i think ill save my money and get a blues deluxe

Don't get me wrong, my (Gibson) LP Custom is my favourite guitar, hands down. But the honeymoon period with my Baja is lasting a while and nothing else is getting a look in!

The Epiphone LP Customs are very nice guitars, I hope I haven't put you off!

[adamjs69]

Originally Posted by j_hunter_hkr

Don't get me wrong, my (Gibson) LP Custom is my favourite guitar, hands down. But the honeymoon period with my Baja is lasting a while and nothing else is getting a look in!

The Epiphone LP Customs are very nice guitars, I hope I haven't put you off!

This really has nothing to do with anything, but I can't do an Epiphone simply because of the headstock. To me, it looks funky and I think Gibson made a mistake not to make them look like a regular Gibson open book. I mean, if Fender took the Squire headstocks and made them not look like a regular Fender, they wouldn't sell nearly as many. For me the solution for my Gibson fix has been to gravitate toward the high-quality japanese knockoffs. For one, they are mostly better quality than the Epiphone and many rival even Gibson, but they have the Gibson open book headstock design as well. The Edwards guitars by ESP are my most recent favorites and kick butt while looking and feeling more like a real Gibson than any Epiphone.

Sorry to get off subject here but it got me thinking...

[benadrian]

Originally Posted by adamjs69

This really has nothing to do with anything, but I can't do an Epiphone simply because of the headstock. To me, it looks funky and I think Gibson made a mistake not to make them look like a regular Gibson open book. I mean, if Fender took the Squire headstocks and made them not look like a regular Fender, they wouldn't sell nearly as many. For me the solution for my Gibson fix has been to gravitate toward the high-quality japanese knockoffs. For one, they are mostly better quality than the Epiphone and many rival even Gibson, but they have the Gibson open book headstock design as well. The Edwards guitars by ESP are my most recent favorites and kick butt while looking and feeling more like a real Gibson than any Epiphone.

Sorry to get off subject here but it got me thinking...

I actually like the Epiphone headstock look more than the Gibson, but that's an entirely subjective opinion. Remember, though, that headstock design dates back to at least the 40s, before Gibson owned the company.

When Fender made DeArmond guitars, they didn't put Fender style headstocks on them. Then again, I like the Epiphone specific models, like the Riviera, Casino, and Emperor (all based on Gibson style guitars, but with their own unique features). I've never really looked to Epiphone for a Les Paul or other originally Gibson model.

Cheers!
Ben

[teleman1991]

A little off topic so ill just say BAJA to make it relevant again. There we go. The only gibson LP i could possibly afford is the studio model, although ive never played a standard. I just would like a completely different axe from the old baja.

[j_hunter_hkr]

Originally Posted by teleman1991

A little off topic so ill just say BAJA to make it relevant again. There we go. The only gibson LP i could possibly afford is the studio model, although ive never played a standard. I just would like a completely different axe from the old baja.

If it's a Les Paul style guitar you're after maybe try and track down a Tokai. They make some wonderful copies and you could argue that pound for pound they're just as good as a Gibson (the one I played certainly was!). Just stay away from the lower end of their catalogue, those ain't too great!

Oh, and.... "Baja".

[degsycaster]

Originally Posted by j_hunter_hkr

If it's a Les Paul style guitar you're after maybe try and track down a Tokai. They make some wonderful copies and you could argue that pound for pound they're just as good as a Gibson (the one I played certainly was!). Just stay away from the lower end of their catalogue, those ain't too great!

Oh, and.... "Baja".

+1
Tokai Les Pauls are fantastic guitars (especially the Japanese ones), waaay better than Epiphone quality and tone. I've had a '92 Gibson Std, 2003 Gibson Classic and a Tokai LS70 and the Tokai was as good as either of the Gibbos. Having said that, I did once have an early (Japanese) Epi Custom and that was great, although I did replace the bridge pickup with a Dimarzio Tone-zone. BAJA BAJA BAJA

[teleman1991]

just took a look at the tokai site baja, very nice looking stuff baja. I wonder if either of local guitar shops stock them...baja...

[teleman1991]

Anyways properly back to the baja...how mexican actually is this guitar? when you round up all thats in it... i read somewhere the parts are cut in the corona factory but the neck is finished in the mexican one... is this lies?!? thanks.

[benadrian]

Originally Posted by teleman1991

Anyways properly back to the baja...how mexican actually is this guitar? when you round up all thats in it... i read somewhere the parts are cut in the corona factory but the neck is finished in the mexican one... is this lies?!? thanks.

Who knows, and frankly, who cares. It feels as good as guitars that are triple its price. In fact, it feels as good as my girlfriend's dad's '58 tele, which I posted about here.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaste...-big-pics.html

That said, I'll say it's 78% mexican made parts, and 67% mexican labor, with an error of +/- 50% ;)

Ben

[pengipete]

I looked at a few Bajas and I would rate the individual components very highly but the finished, assembled product was sometimes less than the sum of it's parts. Nothing major and certainly nothing that affects the value for money but the overall quality was not perfect on any that I saw.

Or as my wife said - "Your Tele is unique and special because of it's imperfections - just like you." - Can't argue with that.

[joyster]

Just managed to offload my Line 6 Variax 300 (yuk!) so I paid a visit to Nevada Music, determined to come out with a Baja. They are a SERIOUS music emporium in Portsmouth.

They had 2 in stock, one of which was hanging on a stand near the counter. I did the resonance test and sure enough I could feel the vibration in the body when I plucked the B string while the guitar was suspended by the headstock. I took the guitar down and wow! what a weight! Must have been over 9lb! Sure looked pretty though. And the neck was total luxury.

Remembering the advice i learned from the TDPRI, I asked the guy to unpack the other Baja so i could compare. I could hardly believe the difference. Baja2 was a featherweight in comparison and the whole neck tingled when I strummed it!

Into the demo booth, where I plugged into the clean channel on an enormous Orange valve amp and turned the clean volume way up and the drive way down. With volume and tone full up I played my usual Hellecasters/Byrds/etc licks and noted how strong the pickups are on the Baja. Especially after playing the Variax for the last 6 months...!

Then I unplugged Baja 1 and plugged in Baja 2, exact same settings, same licks, same crap playing, same bum notes .

Oh my god

This guitar twanged, screamed and cried like no other I have played. With a huge grin fixed on my ugly mug I stepped out of the demo booth with the 2 Bajas and was asked "where's the other guitar, man?". They were that different.

So Baja 2 (is sitting on her stand in my front room and Baja 1 is waiting for some poor sucker to come along and not be able to compare her with...

btw My Baja with strap weighs - 7.4 lb on my digital scales and I can only see 2 pieces of wood in the body!

So, learn from me, COMPARE, COMPARE, COMPARE!

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by teleman1991

Anyways properly back to the baja...how mexican actually is this guitar? when you round up all thats in it... i read somewhere the parts are cut in the corona factory but the neck is finished in the mexican one... is this lies?!? thanks.

Respectfully, that would not be correct for the Baja series. Perhaps the Twisted Tele and Broadcaster pups are made in Corona CS, perhaps Ensenada. The ping tuners are made in asia as is the jack, the ash and maple grown in the US or CAN, the fretwire from goodness knows where, but basically everything else is Mexico start to finish.

[Van_The_Man]

Originally Posted by j_hunter_hkr

Don't get me wrong, my (Gibson) LP Custom is my favourite guitar, hands down. But the honeymoon period with my Baja is lasting a while and nothing else is getting a look in!

The Epiphone LP Customs are very nice guitars, I hope I haven't put you off!

Les Pauls are nice, but they can't beat a good Tele to my opinion.

I have an old '87 Gibson Les Paul Custom myself (including a few Standards/Studio's) and they are all nothing compared
to my Tele, especially in terms of playability and feel. My Les Pauls feel like cheap **** in my hands after playing the Tele.

[teleman1991]

Originally Posted by joyster

Baja2 was a featherweight in comparison and the whole neck tingled when I strummed it!

Then I unplugged Baja 1 and plugged in Baja 2, exact same settings, same licks, same crap playing, same bum notes .

Oh my god

This guitar twanged, screamed and cried like no other I have played. With a huge grin fixed on my ugly mug I stepped out of the demo booth with the 2 Bajas and was asked "where's the other guitar, man?". They were that different.

So Baja 2 (is sitting on her stand in my front room and Baja 1 is waiting for some poor sucker to come along and not be able to compare her with...
!

My baja weighs a tonne which i dont mind, but when i pick up my MIM standard it so light its just lovely to play. Was there no virtual difference in sound then? because im concerned if i get a lighter guitar body obviously the sound would be different but for better or for worse.. i don't know. Also i know what you mean about the pickups, they have a depth thats really nice and to me says "fender".

[benadrian]

All the activity on this thread today is making me want to go to my practice space and play my Baja.

Ben Adrian

[degsycaster]

Benadrian . . . . . . does this help?


Joyster - welcome to the club, you are now one of the 'baja boys'. Interestingly, mine (the blonde) is a real heavyweight and it sounds superb. Had it over a week now and it's settling beautifully. I can't put it down!!

[teleman1991]

Originally Posted by degsycaster

Benadrian . . . . . . does this help?


Joyster - welcome to the club, you are now one of the 'baja boys'. Interestingly, mine (the blonde) is a real heavyweight and it sounds superb. Had it over a week now and it's settling beautifully. I can't put it down!!

druels......

[joyster]

I bought my first Telecaster from Minns Music in Southamton in 1975. It was Olympic White with a white 3-ply pickguard and rosewood neck and a chrome ashtray cover. It cost about £250 even then so I guess it was a MIJ. I remember it seemed to play itself after all those years of accoustics. It used to get really trebly when the volume knob was anywhere other than full on but I liked the effect - sounded a bit like Clarence on Untitled...

I first got into live music when my first wife dumped me and my buddy took me to a C&W club to cheer me up!!!!!! I saw and heard the lead player with the Telecaster and I was instantly converted. I bought a guitar and an old Laney reverb combo and prety soon I was on the pub/club circuit.

By 1980 we were playing more and more Pop so I swapped the Tele for an old Strat (probably worth an absolute fortune now - if only I knew then what I know now..) but the band finally packed up in 1981 and I never played out live again.

I got the bug again this year but this time it's for my own entertainment and I've been fooling around with a Variax 300 through a Toneport/Gearbox/laptop into headphones. The Classic Collection patch is fantastic and the creamy tube warmth of the VibroLux is fantastic.

However, the Variax, while great for recording tracks, has no soul and gives nothing back to the player if you know what I mean.

The Baja has brought all the memories flooding back to me, outdoor barn-dances in the rain, driving home through the New Forest in the fog after 6 or 7 pints of cider, pulling my combo over in the middle of Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town and giving everyone a heart attack when 50 watts of reverb hit the deck... They are memories i will treasure all my life.

i wonder if it the nature of the music that is associated with the Tele that makes it so special? There's no more emotional music than good ole country IMHO.