Fender BAJA Telecaster

[BigMike]

Hi Guys

Been thinking of purchasing a Fender BAJA Telecaster and was looking for any information, recommendations, thoughts etc from any of you guys who may have one or have played one.

There is one in our local store that is nice, but am intending to play a few others to find the right one before I decide to purchase.

I would appreciate any information or advice anyone can offer.

Thanks

BigMike

[KevinB]

They are a very well respected "vintage style" Tele. Their unique features are their relatively large soft-V neck with a more modern 9" radius and medium jumbo frets, the Twisted Tele neck and Broadcaster bridge pickups, and the switching options provided by the S1 circuitry. The blond ones seem to be generally more popular than the desert sand ones, and the only thing to watch out for is that some of them - certainly not all of them - can be rather heavy.

[boris bubbanov]

Check out the Baja topic under "Owner's Clubs" here at TDPRI.

Expect to find a wider selection of nice sounding and playing ones in the "Desert Sand" color, and likely for less money. If you buy a Blonde one, make sure it is a good one since demand is especially high in that color - you're not the only 1 looking for one.

Beware:

Ones with beat up or dysfunctional S-1 switches. Some wobble is OK, when you press the button down once, you should get change of function in positions 2 and 4 only. 6 pickup selection choices; and

Beware heavyweights unless you intend to play seated. You could steal (buy cheap) a heavy but nice sounding one, but it is yours to keep. It won't sell easily like lighter ones do.

Biggest, fattest neck section of all MIM Fenders, Tele and Strats, by a good distance. I like 'em.

[kentspeed]

My Baja is a "heavy" Desert Sand - it's unplugged tone is quite resonant and I don't believe I would want to swap for a lighter body - I've strung it with Da'darrio 11s which I think really suits it character. As far as desirability goes, I think a Baja looks great, feels great and plays like a dream. But then I have a Standard sunburst Tele and think that's incredible too!!
I recommend the Baja highly, the S1 switching gives you some incredible tones you could not usually get from any single Tele.

[jefrs]

The heavy neck is responsible for much of the weight, and they're no heavier than a lot of other solid bodies. I wouldn't say the Desert Sand sounds better than the Blonde. The extra pickup variations are all usable. The S-1 is solid and reliable, the weak point is the little bit of rubber tubing. There are good ones and better ones, you do need to try them out.

[MickM]

I found a clearance BAJA last Jan. at GC, messed with it a bit but also got an Esquire about the same time and as it worked out, the Baja has been in the gig bag for most of 8 months or so. Lately I've been thinking of putting together a "clanky" not pretty sounding Esquire or Tele and thought I already have a good neck on the Baja and got it out.

Well, here's Mr. Numbnutz himself. My Baja is already 90% of the guitar that I've been assembling in my head, duh! Really no excuse to change either pickup, especially the Twisted Tele although the Broadcaster is no slouch. I have a Nocaster that is lighter but 3 other Teles weigh about the same so it's not a fat boy and the more I look at the Desert Sand the more I like it. Think I'm gonna' make 2 mods. 1st is pull the S1 switching and go with the old 3 way and 2nd, I've been sitting on an old allparts top loader plate with steel saddles that I'm gonna' stick on there and see if I can get a little more clank or trash tone out of it.

I'm with Boris, I like 'em too!

[VerySlowHand]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Beware heavyweights unless you intend to play seated.

Nobody has said what heavy is exactly. Mine is 8lbs... is that heavy?

Anyway, I don't understand the weight thing... is it the tone that suffers or the weaklings that can't hold onto an 8lb guitar for a few hours?

It's not like a Tele is anywhere near Les Paul territory for instance.

[bai1975]

I think the Baja is a great tele. It was a super deal before the price hike, now it's just an OK deal. I love everything about it ( big neck, 9.5 radius, CS pickups) but I have been considering pulling the S-1 switch out and replacing it with a 3 way switch. I don't really use any of the tones with the button down other than the third position. Other than that, a great tele and very versatile.

[bai1975]

Mine is around the 9 lb. area but I played Les Pauls for so long it is actually a relief to play.

['55 HRDX]

I picked up a used sand color Baja cheap from a poor smuck that didn't even know it had S-1 switching. It's got a few nicks down by the input jack, but otherwise it looked pretty good. Then I got an after market bakelite pickguard and now it looks as great as it sounds!
I messed around w/ a MIM Nashville model for a few years and even put a GFS mini in the neck. It was a nice guitar. Played and sounded great, but I'd take this Baja model over the Nashville any day!

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by VerySlowHand

Nobody has said what heavy is exactly. Mine is 8lbs... is that heavy?

Anyway, I don't understand the weight thing... is it the tone that suffers or the weaklings that can't hold onto an 8lb guitar for a few hours?

It's not like a Tele is anywhere near Les Paul territory for instance.

8 pounds is not heavy, not in my book. Nine is heavy.

Some guys here have been playing many years, many shows, long shows, and weight does matter to them and to others as well. A lighter weight guitar can be "faster" and sometimes you must have that, to get a passage to sound right.

I didn't mean to say a Desert Sand Baja is inherently better in any respect, than the Blonde. I just meant, the remaining selection of them by all rights should be better, since everyone's cousin wants a Blonde one and they will be picked through in the shops, with many of the best sounding ones grabbed already. That's been my personal experience. I ended up with 7 Desert Sands and 0 Blondes because the better Blondes got grabbed already AND I imagine the average price I paid for a Desert Sand Baja was $ 200 less than the average price people paid for Blondes. Take what you can find, when it sounds and plays nice.

[BigMike]

Hey Guys

Thanks, this is really helpful stuff and much appreciated.....

Regards

BigMike

[degsycaster]

Just buy one.

I've played guitar for 20 odd years, the last 10 semi-professionally. Always been a Les Paul/SG/Tele player (no frills guitars!) and always insisted upon having a USA guitar as my number one. I don't know if that's for reasons of kudos or snobbery - probably a little bit of both.

I bought my blonde Baja 2 years ago as a back up to my trusty old 2005 SG Standard thinking it would be a nice looking Tele to have as a back up (I used to have a MIM '60s Classic as number 2). And then . . . I took it along to practice . . . . . . . . . . . and it blew me away!

I no longer own any US guitars, and I dont want one. The Baja is by far the best guitar I have ever owned - and mine is a 9lb heavyweight.

Incidentally, my pal has a 2006 Desert sand, 7.5lb and that sounds just as good!

[Stylemaster]

I could say I have an upgraded Baja or admit I am "parting" together a Tele with a Baja neck and a Baja blonde body - both in mint condition and absolutely beautiful. It has a Glendale stainless neck plate, Gotoh vintage-style tuners, Highway 1 bridge plate, Callaham brass compensated saddles, Acme control plate assembly with the "volume kit" and an Electrosocket jack. It's not finished yet but I have half of a Don Mare Hayride set in there - the bridge pickup - and have played it as is and it is blowing me away. Soon it will have the Don Mare neck pickup and then - watch out! I will say that it is THE best Fender neck I have ever played, and is in no way a fat neck compared to other guitars I have. Actually, so far it is the best Tele I've ever played (well I can't remember the '69 I bought new and sold a year later) and it isn't even finished yet. The only thing I am thinking of changing is the bridge plate and saddles - to all cold-rolled steel by Glendale for the total in twang. All in all, it is a fabulous platform for modding to a superior instrument.

['55 HRDX]

Mine has the little 60th anniversary medallion on the back of the neck.
I also upgraded the stock cap w/ a Jensen .047 PIO, from R.S. Guitar Works.
Great woody tone.
I like an ash body better than the alder. My opinion.
Heavy? I have a 76 LP Deluxe. That's heavy!
I find the neck is very comfortable. First soft "V" I've owned.
I can't believe the $$$ they want for these new in the States!

[BigMike]

Hey Guys

Thank you are very much for your help, advice and assistance, the good news is i've gone and got one and I am delighted......

Here she is :



Once again thanks..........

BigMike

[Stylemaster]

One thing I noticed about the Baja urethane neck finish and polyester body finish is that they are very brittle and crack easily. They don't just get dinged, like a smooth ding, but the finish cracks when dinged (kinda like an egg shell though a bit more resilient). I believe this to be true of all the MIM Fenders I've examined in stores. As delicate as lacquer is I think it might be a bit more flexible, as opposed to brittle, at least when new.

Now the polyester they used in the late '60s and '70s, that's a different story. That stuff was thick and relatively tough.

['55 HRDX]

Nice score Big Mike. Enjoy!

[jefrs]

I don't know the weight of mine but I do know the neck, which I have had off, is about the same weight as a body blank. Personally, I can't tell the difference between a 7-lb guitar and a 9-lb one when it's on a strap, I do notice that a 14-lb bass is a bit heavier though. My ash Baja is very little heavier than my alder AmSer.

I may be odd but the only thing on the Baja I did not like was the Twisted Tele, so I swapped it out for an American Standard neck pickup that I just happened to have. The only other alteration was to put a TBX tone control in because I like them. And to give it a really good setup with grooved saddles. I also bought it an ashtray cover for show.

Mine has also received a ding that cracked off at the neck pocket. The flake was maybe 2mm thick.

[Big John]

You'll be giving away the Schecter then ? ........

[BigMike]

"Giving away the Schecter"!!, I am trying to find another to accompany it!!!

[qblue]

My Baja weighs 8.8 lb, but I don't notice the weight, because it sounds so good, when I'm standing and playing. Mine is a blonde. I love the S1 switch for leads. Of the guitars I bought new, it's the cheapest, but I enjoy it the most. But I avoided the price increase, because I got it in 2007. You don't need a boutique guitar, to enjoy yourself, and a Baja will fill the bill for a vintage style Telecaster. But that being said, I think that the Baja is a stealth guitar, because it looks and feels like a vintage instrument, but has really modern upgrades. I now think every Tele should have a 4-way switch, so that every player has a choice of series or parallel sound with the bridge+neck pickup combination. I find the series setup can sound like a humbucker; this selection made my Gibson almost expendable. The parallel settings (out or in phase) sounds like a 2 or 4 position strat setting; unfortunately there isn't a tremelo offered.

The choice of pickups is what sealed the deal for me, though. The twisted Tele was an audible winner, when I first heard it, during the GREAT Tele tryout in 2007 @ my local GC. I still don't know what a twisted Tele pickup is, or what specs, e.g. resistance or inductance, it has, just love the sound. Now I'm a big fan of the Broadcaster pickup.

I guess I could complain about the poly finish; but as far as I can tell the sound is not affected by it. I will take care to keep it out of temperature extremes, so no cracking would occur.

After getting the guitar, I realized how comfortable the neck was. So I found out that the neck was a soft V. It is much more comfortable than a modern C neck I have on my Strat Ultra. So that was a bonus that I didn't know about until bringing it home.



Oh BTW, I ordered my Baja directly from the factory, so I even violated my own rule: never buy a guitar without trying it out. But it turned out great, thanks to Fender's great quality control. The weight never entered in my mind as a factor, so I never thought about it. I played an old 60's LP in college, that usually destroyed my shoulder. This guitar is much lighter and more balanced, IMHO.

If you get a Baja, you are getting the best of the MIM guitars Fender makes. This is true of the Classic Player series. Now there are a few more choices, though, e.g., Dove. Sorry for the length of the post, but this guitar inspires and deserves the accolades.

[degsycaster]

Originally Posted by BigMike

Hey Guys

Thank you are very much for your help, advice and assistance, the good news is i've gone and got one and I am delighted......

Here she is :



Once again thanks..........

BigMike

Well done BigMike. See you over at the Baja owners club

[jefsut]

I used to have a Baja, and I played a few before I bought mine. I did notice that some of the bodies were much heavier than others. Seems like there must have been a couple of different types of wood used for the bodies.

Nice guitar, though. I really liked the neck, but the thickness took some getting used to.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by jefsut

I used to have a Baja, and I played a few before I bought mine. I did notice that some of the bodies were much heavier than others. Seems like there must have been a couple of different types of wood used for the bodies.

Nice guitar, though. I really liked the neck, but the thickness took some getting used to.

Same thickness that delights me, puts off others.

These really are all ash. Ash can vary dramatically in weight, with the heaviest blanks being 3-4 times heavier than the light ones. Some say different subspecies are involved - I can't disprove that. Meanwhile, alder bodies are time after time somewhat similar in weight - I mean the heaviest blanks are 75 % heavier, not 300% heavier.

Wood is funny.

[PatTele]

Is there any chance of the Baja teles being discontinued at some stage in 2010? It's just playing on my mind a lil' as I won't be able to buy one until probably mid-2010, so I would be cut if it got discontinued like the lite ash tele..

[BlueJim]

Originally Posted by VerySlowHand

Anyway, I don't understand the weight thing... is it the tone that suffers or the weaklings that can't hold onto an 8lb guitar for a few hours?

I find it's the back that suffers when you get to me my age.

But I did play bass for several years in my youth including a Peavey T-40. I believe those were in the 11-12 lb range, so I am unlikely to ever think a guitar is unreasonably heavy.

[jefrs]

My Peavey T-40 is actually 10-lb 9-oz so not 14-lb as previously stated (I lied) but noticeably heavier than any guitar.

[J-man]

Originally Posted by PatTele

Is there any chance of the Baja teles being discontinued at some stage in 2010? It's just playing on my mind a lil' as I won't be able to buy one until probably mid-2010, so I would be cut if it got discontinued like the lite ash tele..

I don't see them being discontinued any time soon. But then again, Fender have done stranger things..

[boris bubbanov]

Only way I see it discontinued is, the bean counters decide it costs too much to make, alongside the other lesser MIMs.

Or, some wiseguy decides a USA AV model with the same features would generate more profits. That would be weird, a Baja not made in Baja.

One design, well respected, often in short supply. Some guys simply gotta have it. What better model to pull and re-insert upmarket.

Don't forget: These are the same ladies and gents who brought you the much resented 30 % price increase in the middle of an economic crisis.

:^O

[superbadj]

You know, I've still never played a Baja tele.

I need to rectify that!

[J-man]

Originally Posted by superbadj

You know, I've still never played a Baja tele.

I need to rectify that!

Yep - From the reviews here they seem to be inconsistent, but if you get a good one they're great. I've played two in my life, and both were awesome - one got bought.

[superbadj]

Yeah, I have read a lot of inconsistent reviews, no doubt. Seems weight is an issue.

But the fatter neck and pickups get nearly universal approval. Maybe fretwork issues, but nothing awful.

I just live in a smaller town, and nobody here ever carries them!

[BigMike]

For those of you thinking about a BAJA, go and try one out, I am sure you will not be disappointed, i'm not................

[telbert twang]

I like very much mine as well. Boy, does it sustain - seems like forever :-) . Mine is 3.7 kg if i remember it right. Just like jefrs said above, I have nothing against it´s bridge pickup tone (which has been often told as not anything special at least) . It gets even better when the surgical tubing is discarded and (both) pup(s) mounted on the regular springs. One thing though, about the praised twisted neck pickup - there seems something to be out of balance (to my ears) - although very clear and vintage´y sound, but kind of thin and on the same time pretty high/pushy output. Dont have the words/wisdom to describe it better - just not as round or balanced as some other great (and clear) tele neck pups...

[Willyguitar]

I have a Baja and it has been through a revolution. It's heavy, and at first I thought I needed a lighter one... so I bought a lighter one with a view to selling the first one. But it turned out that the heavier one just sounded better and had a better neck (I tried swapping necks and that didn't work). Then, as an experiment, I put CS Nocaster pickups in it, but once again I came to the conclusion that the orginal ones were actually fine, if not slightly better! So now, I am completely happy with my completely stock original Baja (with just a bit of dodgy soldering going on under the control plate).

They are wonderful guitars.

[JumpMarine]

I've had mine for about a year now('07 model bought brand new) and LOVE it after swapping the junk S-1 harness for an RS vintage pot/cap set and shielding it. I've changed pickups on literally every guitar that I've owned except for this one. The Broadcaster/Twisted Tele are a pair of the best tele pups I've ever used. The neck is to die for. It's my go to guitar.

[boris bubbanov]

I have no control over what happens to a Baja when it sits dehydrating in a shopkeepers window over the course of a winter or two.

But I have bought a lot of Bajas, and I have tried many many more than I've bought. Since you just don't see that many anymore, I would not be shocked if I have played more Bajas than all but a tiny handful of people, there at Fender.

They do vary in weight, because that is how ash guitars are. Anytime a model is red hot, you almost have to know the lightest ones will get skimmed off immediately; that's the way it is. But having played a ton of them, I would not call them inconsistent.

If the fretwire sprouts because the guitar is kept at 5% relative humidity, that's not the model's fault.

Now, people's reactions may be inconsistent. Some people really like the big neck and some are put off. Some people like the very different Twisted Tele neck pickup and all the weird switching choices and some people want old school Tele; so their reactions are inconsistent.

But most of all some people evaluated it as a $ 600 guitar and were smitten, and other people evaluated it as a $ 1,100 instrument and bought a used AV52 instead (so would I).

So, for the overseas buyers, full speed ahead; your prices are probably as decent as they will be. As for North American customers, buy used or hang in there. $ 1,100 is a nutball price and no-one expects you to actually pay that. Buy and play something else for 6 weeks or six months until the price gets normal somehow.

[Ortho]

The Baja was not meant to sound like an airier ash 52, so a heavier, optimally heavier weight is probably preferrable. I have played them and liked some of them, esp. when looking for a Tele less over the top in terms of treble...

[jimdye]

I have a Baja body and bridge that I am going to combine with GE Smith hardware and electronics. I'm still not sure whether or not I should cut the Baja bridge and body mount the bridge pickup, or do a standard mounting with the existing bridge. All that's left to get is a neck. Still have to decide whether to go Baja or GE. Once complete, i'll have my BJ Smith Telecaster!