Which Thinline?

StarCrash · June 8th, 2003, 06:34 AM

I went to all of my local guitar shops yesterday looking for thinlines - to my surprise Academy Of Sound had 3 thinline teles in stock. 2 69's - one sunburst and one lake placid blue (really beautiful) and a 72 in a light blue finish. All guitars were priced at £675. I managed to walk away without buying one!

I'm currently playing a US Strat and I'm really after something new (owned it 6 years) - something that has nice chiming clean sounds but can also handle a bit of dirt. I've been reading up on the 72 and it sounds like just the kind of guitar I'm looking for. We don't really get many guitars like this (from what I've seen) pass through Manchester. The build quality of the 72 yesterday wasn't as good as the 69 in LPB - tighter neck pocket and better f-hole finish, but the 69 is equipped with the single coil pickups.

I've been a bit sceptical about Mexican Fenders due to a pretty poorly constructed Mexican Strat I owned once (the squire vs Mexican guitar discussion on the Fender Forum isn't helping either!) and £675 is a lot of money - you can pick up a new US Standard guitar for that virtually. I'd really like to keep the guitar I buy stock as far as possible.

I really want to buy a thinline asap and I don't want these guitars to be sold next time I go to the store. I guess I'm edging more towards the 69 because of the build quality and finish... but don't want to regret it later and wish that I I had bought a 72. I really need to play both guitars thoroughly, but I was hoping that somebody could describe the difference in sounds between the two guitars as I'm a bit of a tele-newbie.

Dacious · June 8th, 2003, 12:01 PM

OK, '69 is twangier, cleaner-sounding. For 60's pop, country, jazz or early blues would be better.

The '72 will always have more drive, grind, hair however you want to put it. If you play heavier blues-rock, punk, modern alternative etc it's more likely to fit.

It's hard to generalise though - I have a '69RI and use it for everything. There's times I wish it had hummers, but mostly I'm glad it doesn't.

It depends what you play through, too.

Don't rely on memories of old Mexi-stuff - the newer stuff is assembled and finished there but made using the same CNC machines in the US. The Thinlines use the same Schaller tuners made in Germany as the originals. Although made in Mexico the pickups use alnico magnets and are slightly hotter than real 60s items.

Mine has been practiced, gigged and transported across three continents by air for two years and it still looks new. I find the pickups fine, pots and switches are the same as US stuff and the tuners are better than a Highway One Tele.

Stick a 4-way switch on one of these and it'd be a very versatile guitar.

StarCrash · June 8th, 2003, 12:38 PM

Thanks for the response. Your '69 sounds like a really sweet guitar. The music that I play is melodic on the whole but there are often times when I will break the DS-2 out.

Just out of curiosity how much different does the '69 thinline sound in comparison to a standard tele?

Dacious · June 8th, 2003, 01:27 PM

The '69 inhabits much of the same space. It is, if anything more versatile for clean-sounding stuff and ca get almost acoustic-like tones with the volume and tone backed off. The neck pup sounds a little more jazzy.

What it loses is some punch compared to my '78. I used to use an Ibanez SD9, and a current pedal I use is a Dano Black Liquorice, which is much higher-gain. With the BL I can go a little higher volumew-wise before the bridge pickup starts whistling. This is a very hi-gain pedal.

If you do stuff like The Church, or Oasis, or REM or The Clash it'll do just fine. I would go for the LPB one, but I have played a friends '72 and it's a cool guit, too. Go play them both.

Nick Fanis · June 8th, 2003, 01:28 PM

I own loads of guitars but my 85 MIJ Thinline has been w/ me forever.Thinlines are more versatile IMHO than regulat teles and respond amazingly to overdrive.The only change I would do to any MIJ or MIM model is get a bridge pup with a baseplate (a cheap MIA RI 52 pup will be fine).

StarCrash · June 8th, 2003, 01:51 PM

I really can't wait to try these guitars out. Thanks for the help guys, I definitely have more of an idea of what the '69 is capable of now. The wide palette of clean sounds is what really appeals to me... I'm using a Valvestate 100 head and cab and I can get some pretty good clean sounds with my Strat at the moment. One thing I will need to look at is the distortion/overdrive... the amp overdrive isn't very good at all and the DS-2 isn't really rich enough - quite high end.

June 8th, 2003, 06:34 AM	#1 (permalink)
StarCrash NEW MEMBER! Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 7	Which Thinline? I went to all of my local guitar shops yesterday looking for thinlines - to my surprise Academy Of Sound had 3 thinline teles in stock. 2 69's - one sunburst and one lake placid blue (really beautiful) and a 72 in a light blue finish. All guitars were priced at £675. I managed to walk away without buying one! I'm currently playing a US Strat and I'm really after something new (owned it 6 years) - something that has nice chiming clean sounds but can also handle a bit of dirt. I've been reading up on the 72 and it sounds like just the kind of guitar I'm looking for. We don't really get many guitars like this (from what I've seen) pass through Manchester. The build quality of the 72 yesterday wasn't as good as the 69 in LPB - tighter neck pocket and better f-hole finish, but the 69 is equipped with the single coil pickups. I've been a bit sceptical about Mexican Fenders due to a pretty poorly constructed Mexican Strat I owned once (the squire vs Mexican guitar discussion on the Fender Forum isn't helping either!) and £675 is a lot of money - you can pick up a new US Standard guitar for that virtually. I'd really like to keep the guitar I buy stock as far as possible. I really want to buy a thinline asap and I don't want these guitars to be sold next time I go to the store. I guess I'm edging more towards the 69 because of the build quality and finish... but don't want to regret it later and wish that I I had bought a 72. I really need to play both guitars thoroughly, but I was hoping that somebody could describe the difference in sounds between the two guitars as I'm a bit of a tele-newbie.

June 8th, 2003, 12:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,612 35 Photos	OK, '69 is twangier, cleaner-sounding. For 60's pop, country, jazz or early blues would be better. The '72 will always have more drive, grind, hair however you want to put it. If you play heavier blues-rock, punk, modern alternative etc it's more likely to fit. It's hard to generalise though - I have a '69RI and use it for everything. There's times I wish it had hummers, but mostly I'm glad it doesn't. It depends what you play through, too. Don't rely on memories of old Mexi-stuff - the newer stuff is assembled and finished there but made using the same CNC machines in the US. The Thinlines use the same Schaller tuners made in Germany as the originals. Although made in Mexico the pickups use alnico magnets and are slightly hotter than real 60s items. Mine has been practiced, gigged and transported across three continents by air for two years and it still looks new. I find the pickups fine, pots and switches are the same as US stuff and the tuners are better than a Highway One Tele. Stick a 4-way switch on one of these and it'd be a very versatile guitar. __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

June 8th, 2003, 01:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,612 35 Photos	The '69 inhabits much of the same space. It is, if anything more versatile for clean-sounding stuff and ca get almost acoustic-like tones with the volume and tone backed off. The neck pup sounds a little more jazzy. What it loses is some punch compared to my '78. I used to use an Ibanez SD9, and a current pedal I use is a Dano Black Liquorice, which is much higher-gain. With the BL I can go a little higher volumew-wise before the bridge pickup starts whistling. This is a very hi-gain pedal. If you do stuff like The Church, or Oasis, or REM or The Clash it'll do just fine. I would go for the LPB one, but I have played a friends '72 and it's a cool guit, too. Go play them both. __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

June 8th, 2003, 01:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
Nick Fanis Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Athens-GREECE Posts: 1,793 14 Photos	Go w/ the 69 I own loads of guitars but my 85 MIJ Thinline has been w/ me forever.Thinlines are more versatile IMHO than regulat teles and respond amazingly to overdrive.The only change I would do to any MIJ or MIM model is get a bridge pup with a baseplate (a cheap MIA RI 52 pup will be fine). __________________ "Hit him again Jack,he is crazy!" Hunter S.Thompson www.myspace.com/nickfanis

June 8th, 2003, 12:38 PM	#3 (permalink)
StarCrash NEW MEMBER! Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 7	Thanks for the response. Your '69 sounds like a really sweet guitar. The music that I play is melodic on the whole but there are often times when I will break the DS-2 out. Just out of curiosity how much different does the '69 thinline sound in comparison to a standard tele?

June 8th, 2003, 01:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
StarCrash NEW MEMBER! Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 7	I really can't wait to try these guitars out. Thanks for the help guys, I definitely have more of an idea of what the '69 is capable of now. The wide palette of clean sounds is what really appeals to me... I'm using a Valvestate 100 head and cab and I can get some pretty good clean sounds with my Strat at the moment. One thing I will need to look at is the distortion/overdrive... the amp overdrive isn't very good at all and the DS-2 isn't really rich enough - quite high end.