Tele at pawn shop. What year?

BlackASATClassic · December 16th, 2006, 03:10 PM

How can you tell if a MIM Standard tele is an '06 with the improved pickups and shielding? There's one at a local pawn shop I'm thinking of buying, but I would prefer an '06.

Is there simple way of knowing this?

jwells393 · December 16th, 2006, 03:15 PM

Look at the serial number on the headstock. A 2006 model will begin with MZ6------.

jlrich · December 16th, 2006, 03:49 PM

I can't believe you found one in a pawn shop. Every pawn shop I've been in has always had plenty of strats but never any teles.

Bones · December 16th, 2006, 03:58 PM

Also the '06 models have the little 60th anniversary button on the back of the headstock.

jwells393 · December 16th, 2006, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Every pawn shop I've been in has always had plenty of strats but never any teles.

I think the Strat is just a much more popular guitar. Grandma's Music in Albuquerque had a wall of Fender guitar. I'll bet 80% of them are Strats.

jlrich · December 16th, 2006, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwells393

I think the Strat is just a much more popular guitar.

You're right but I think also that a tele owner just has a different appreciation/personality/attitude, etc. of a tele that a strat owner doesn't. IMO.

anfontan · December 16th, 2006, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwells393

I think the Strat is just a much more popular guitar. Grandma's Music in Albuquerque had a wall of Fender guitar. I'll bet 80% of them are Strats.

Shhhhhhhh, don't let the Strat people know what they are missing, more Teles for us!

MulliganChebichev · December 16th, 2006, 08:12 PM

looks a little weird, its because it has its plastic cover still on it

smitty54017 · December 17th, 2006, 12:01 AM

I have an '06, but there's no anniversary medallion on it, so there's a couple of variations out there.

MulliganChebichev · December 17th, 2006, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smitty54017

I have an '06, but there's no anniversary medallion on it, so there's a couple of variations out there.

Really? I thought that only 60th anniversary commemoratives didn't have the medallion.

I took mine off then moved it, first a piece of plastic was stuck on the adhesive and it bugged me, plus my medallion was a little over the edge and that too bothered me

yegbert · December 17th, 2006, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackASATClassic

How can you tell if a MIM Standard tele is an '06 with the improved pickups and shielding? There's one at a local pawn shop I'm thinking of buying, but I would prefer an '06.

Is there simple way of knowing this?

The current spec pickups have ceramic bar magnets underneath and the pole pieces are steel. The previous generation MIM Stds (2000 through 2005 I believe?) had pickups with AlNiCo magnet polepieces. The steel polepieces are shinier than the AlNiCo polepieces.

Try to find a guitar store nearby that stocks a good selection of new Teles, and look closely at the bridge pickup polepieces on various models. Squier Affinity Teles and these 2006 MIM Std Teles have steel polepieces. Current production AV '52, AV '62 Custom, Classic Series MIM '50s and '60s, Squier Stds all have AlNiCo polepieces. Maybe in looking at a few you can learn to spot the difference.

You seem interested in the 2006 because of these pickups. If someone has swapped the original bridge pickup out of this Tele, being able to recognize the steel polepieces you might be able to detect the alteration.

Here's a bottom view of the 2006 pups.

And here's a bottom view of a couple of AlNiCo polepiece Tele bridge pups.

Someone had said that the 2006 has different spec pots than the earlier ones. If someone here with both a 2006 and an earlier one (or memory of what an earlier one was like) could confirm that and identify any visible differences (maybe post a pic or two?), it would only take a minute to pop off the control plate and check the pawn shop Tele's pots.

Brent Hutto · December 17th, 2006, 07:48 AM

Is there a thread in the archives with a complete rundown of the changes they made in 2006 to the MiM Standards?

Colo Springs E · December 17th, 2006, 11:19 AM

...better on the new model Standard Teles (larger frets), but I don't find the ceramic pickups to be an improvement.

They're harsher with any distortion, and not as sweet when played clean (in my opinion). I believe they're higher output than the older pickups. I generally am not a big fan of high-output pickups.

yegbert · December 17th, 2006, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

Is there a thread in the archives with a complete rundown of the changes they made in 2006 to the MiM Standards?

I don't remember anyone doing a comprehensive rundown, especially not one based on a first hand comparison. Right around the time they were coming out there were a few discussions that talked about the changes but they were based on what Fender was advertising at the time. The words used in discussing that were so common that the smart search here might not be much help in locating those. For those kind of searches you end up needing to do a brute force, manual search. I'd try starting in the main forum in November 2005 and looking through the post titles since then to find that.

Maybe someone here has one of each before and after the spec change with all the original parts handy (saved, if not still installed) and they can do an exposition on them? I don't have any MIM Standard Teles to do that myself, but I'd find that an interesting read.

December 16th, 2006, 03:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
BlackASATClassic TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Twangsville, USA Posts: 79	Tele at pawn shop. What year? How can you tell if a MIM Standard tele is an '06 with the improved pickups and shielding? There's one at a local pawn shop I'm thinking of buying, but I would prefer an '06. Is there simple way of knowing this?

December 16th, 2006, 03:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 64 Posts: 12,245 101 Photos	Look at the serial number on the headstock. A 2006 model will begin with MZ6------. __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ Guys - learn to disable the flash on your digital cameras.

December 16th, 2006, 03:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
jlrich Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Marion, NC Age: 42 Posts: 1,152 6 Photos	I can't believe you found one in a pawn shop. Every pawn shop I've been in has always had plenty of strats but never any teles. __________________ MySpace YouTube

December 17th, 2006, 11:19 AM	#13 (permalink)
Colo Springs E Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 5,204 5 Photos	I like the playability ...better on the new model Standard Teles (larger frets), but I don't find the ceramic pickups to be an improvement. They're harsher with any distortion, and not as sweet when played clean (in my opinion). I believe they're higher output than the older pickups. I generally am not a big fan of high-output pickups. __________________ Think I'll pack it in and Buy a pickup Take it down to LA...

December 16th, 2006, 03:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bones Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,921 1 Photos	Also the '06 models have the little 60th anniversary button on the back of the headstock.

December 16th, 2006, 08:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
MulliganChebichev Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Eugene, Oregon Age: 18 Posts: 1,742 3 Photos	looks a little weird, its because it has its plastic cover still on it

December 17th, 2006, 12:01 AM	#9 (permalink)
smitty54017 Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New Richmond, WI Age: 36 Posts: 376	I have an '06, but there's no anniversary medallion on it, so there's a couple of variations out there.

December 17th, 2006, 07:48 AM	#12 (permalink)
Brent Hutto Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: South Carolina Posts: 657 6 Photos	Is there a thread in the archives with a complete rundown of the changes they made in 2006 to the MiM Standards?