70s tele custom

[Jasonspaceman0]

Hi,

I've finally saved up enough to go looking for a decent 70s Custom. Any advice? What should I be looking out for? Bad neck pockets I know about.....

[BB]

I believe once you get the right one in your hands, (bad neck pocket or not) you'll know it. I had a couple of 72 Thinlines that had a large gap in the neck pocket, but thye were still great guitars.

I'd also say don't jump just because you have one in your hands. Trust your gut....you'll know if it feels right or if it feels wrong. I've kicked myself many times by not following my own advice! The introduction from the book Blink by Malcom Gladwell explains this very well.

Most of all, good luck! I hope you find one that speaks to you!

[Texas Jimmy]

I know the feeling...I picked up a '74 last November. Before I bought it, I probably spent six months scouring the web on a daily basis looking for the ”right” one. I wound up buying mine from a reputable shop in Vancouver, BC (I live in Maine). It was there as a consignment piece. Needless to say, it was a considerable leap of faith purchasing such a (relatively) high-ticket guitar having never actually seen (let alone played) it. Nuts and bolts, It arrived without incident, and the guitar itself is a gem. Sooo...My advice to you...Know exactly what you want (year, color, number of saddles, fingerboard, etc.) and don't compromise on that. Make sure it's all original. If you can't play the guitar, have it checked out by someone who is familiar with this model, and talk to them about it. Be patient. Odds are satisfying these criteria will take a little while...Fewer and fewer of these Customs on the block. When you do find it, pull the trigger. If you don't, someone else will.

[steelcaster]

i'll throw a thought into the mix ... i totally get wanting an original piece ... and myself am always keeping half an eye out for a 70's deluxe ... i grew up playing my dad's custom deluxe which was (and is) a killer guitar.

in any case last year i picked up a danocaster '74 replica and it slays my dad's original in feel and tone in every way. absolutely smoking hot guitar. and with these you are pretty much guaranteed of that.



its worth thinking if the priority is cool and potentially collectable at some point ... or just the best playing guitar of that type.

just throwing that out there but as i said i totally get wanting an original piece too.

[MrTwang]

The quality of these varies enormously so +1 to the advice on trying them out and not necessarily buying the first one you see. Spend some time playing it without it being plugged in to an amp too to see what it really soumds like.

[StratBluesRock]

I have played a coupla 70s Strats ('75 and '79 hardtails, and I built a Hendrix Strat with a '79 Strat neck) and they are all fantastic.