Best value for the $ - used Fender Tele under $1000 - Model/year?

[kmckenna45]

The Fender Tele models are all over the place - it’s quite confusing.

From what I can read - American Teles are the better made (based on highest price).

If I want to buy a Tele for under $1000 (used or new) - for jazz/blues - which mode would you recommend I look at? Model/year/American/MIJ/MIM?
I had a Vintera 50’s - but I thought it was too heavy and I didn’t like the chunky neck. And the PUPs weren’t anything great.

I have a 40th Anniversary Squire Tele that I like better than the Vintera - I’d like to keep that one as a back up and invest in a better Tele. As my prime guitar.

I like the thin neck and weight of the Squire. Where can I go to see a comparison of key design/construction features of older Teles?

Thx.

 

[Dismalhead]

You should be able to get a used American Standard for right around $1K in today's market. I have a Classic Series Tele (made in Mexico) from about a decade ago - it's a great guitar too; as good as my American Series Tele IMO. You should be able to find one of those for a few hundred less than the American Standard.

 

[eddiewagner]

Highway one

 

[Blues Twanger]

Into the 90s and early 00s the American stuff was clearly better quality than the Mexican stuff. Since then the quality gap has closed and the main difference the last few model cycles is that USA stuff has features or combinations of features unavailable elsewhere.

Personal experience my current 'best' Fender guitar is a Vintera Tele, better built than my circa 2000 American Series guitar.

It's best to decide what features you want and try ad many models as you can that come close to ticking all your boxes regardless of where it is from.

 

[Dostradamas]

I would not spend the extra for that logo.

A used Fender is just as likely to be a lemon as a new Squier.

Squier is way more guitar for the price than any Fender.

Flame away ya'll

 

[ChicknPickn]

I would not spend the extra for that logo.

A used Fender is just as likely to be a lemon as a new Squier.

Squier is way more guitar for the price than any Fender.

Flame away ya'll

The Classic Vibe stuff is a great value. I think it's what keeps Fender in the game against the Pacific-rim manufacturers. Well worth the OP's time to check one out.

 

[KC]

had an American Standard for a while, the version before this one (contour cuts, bent steel Strat saddles, 2015 or so?) and it was a fine guitar. The pickups sounded terrific, the neck was easy to play. In the end, though, I gravitated back to my MIM 69 thinline with Lollar / GVCG pickups. Light weight (6 pounds on the nose), easy to play, sounds great with those pickups. They are now available as the Lollar Alnico 3 set. I did have the frets leveled & crowned by a very good tech; in the end, after pickup swap & fret work, probably cost as much as the American Standard. But worth it. Pick one up if you see one in your travels & see what you think, might be the guitar for you, too.

 

[boris bubbanov]

Go into the shops, and just play the used Telecasters they have available - amplified.

There's enough variability in prices, that you might find an example I would never think to recommend. Also, you could look for 6 months or more, for the model I might think would match your needs best.

If you can find the time, go through the posts here and see what these guys are actually paying these days. Prices IMO went crazy high and now they're falling (in some places, by a lot). The more you know, the more strict attention you pay to the playability and sound of each one you try, the better you're likely to do. Sorry I can't boil it down better than that.

 

[acstorfer]

If you don't mind some bumps and bruises, you can definitely find some 80s/90s Japanese reissues in your budget.

I got my TL-69 on Reverb for $1,060 (+ tax and shipping). Previous owners have done lots of upgrades over the years. It's a freakin awesome guitar. But yeah, TL-69, TL-52, TL-62, and so on with the reissues are just some stunningly cool guitars. Definitely expect some bumps and bruises at this price point, but you're going to get an awesome guitar if you shop carefully. Definitely use the "make offer" option. I got $190.00 knocked off the price.

 

[adjason]

try to play some teles to find one that appeals to you. The newer player series are really nice as are American standards. I also like the vinteras, the classic series etc. Really all are great- the trick is finding one that speaks to you and feels right

 

[Wooly Fox]

MIJ or MIK Fenders can be as good if not better built than MIA but they're not as common and metric so less appealing for the tinkerer. I go for spec and colour in the price range I have after trying lots first.

 

[jvin248]

.

Get a MIM Player Series.

Low priced Squires get skinny necks, competitors in that price range do better MIA copies than Squier has.

Mid to high range Squires are the same prices as MIM which has the premium logo (easier to sell for more later).

MIJ models have too numerous model variations and they take a serious expert to separate real from fake. I avoid these.

Old guitars, and we are further from the eighties MIJs than vintage fifties Fenders were in the eighties, represent owners and their techs in terms of playability and no longer the factory.

The MIA logo wrestles with some players' vanity, and they end up gladly paying a premium for it.

Get a MIM Player Series, or if you play more rock and metal then get the MIM Standard as those have ceramic magnets in the pickups.

.

 

[OldTelePlayer]

Just some general comments based on what I've seen...

US made Teles use the best grade of wood, better tuners and bridges and better pups.

MIM Teles use the same wood, just a lower grade, in the body. Tuners, etc are good, just not always A-grade best. These days, a MIM is always a good choice.

MIJ were always solid guitars. I haven't seen one in quite a while, so I can't say much.

Squier has a couple lines, the best of them use decent materials but expect the body to be thinner, therefore lighter.

All guitars are somewhat hit or miss in that a particular wood, like ash or alder, comes in various grades. Even US Teles of the same model can be a bit different simply due to the individual wood used. That's always been the case from Day 1. That's why I always play it before buying. There might be subtle differences.

Construction quality wise I think the MIM is just as good as the basic US. Squier can be spotty from time to time, but they are not in the same price range anyway.

In the MIM and Squier lines you will see more alder or basswood because ash is becoming more expensive and there is less of it around. Nothing wrong with alder or basswood or any other tonewood, it is just different.

 

[BluesMann]

You should be able to get a used American Standard for right around $1K in today's market. I have a Classic Series Tele (made in Mexico) from about a decade ago - it's a great guitar too; as good as my American Series Tele IMO. You should be able to find one of those for a few hundred less than the American Standard.

This exactly. I have two American Standards from 96-97 one Strat, one Tele. Very nice guitars, good players. Good construction. At the time I bought them I played the Standards that were made in Mexico. I was surprised, how well made they were, but I decided on the American Standards mainly because of the the way they felt to me. Since then I purchased a Made in Mexico Deluxe Active Jazz Bass. It has American made electronics and pickups. It’s every bit as well made as our bands bass players American Precision Bass. The guitars coming out of the Ensenada factory are seriously worth looking at as an alternative. And you will save some money. Either way, you should find a plethora of availability on the used market. If you can, play everything you can get your hands on before pulling the trigger. And then enjoy!

 

[Reedo]

I had a standard MIM Tele for a few years. You can still get them used at a good price. Ditch the ceramic pickups for something you prefer, and you've got a great player.

 

[andrew777q]

partscaster.

swamp ash body from guitar mill finished by yourself in shellac; used mim neck with vintage tuners from the gear page; fender bridge, backplate, knobs, pickguard, and control plate from stratosphere; 275k cts pots from wd music; crl switch, great cap, and switchcraft jack from art of tone; switchtip, jackplate, ferules, and strapholders from philadelphia luthier; used pickups from the gear page, or bootstrap, or best of all (like me) wind your own

you'll have exactly what you want to play and 400$ left over to buy a nice tube amp

 

[REWTX]

+1 for a Highway One.

 

[Dostradamas]

The Classic Vibe stuff is a great value. I think it's what keeps Fender in the game against the Pacific-rim manufacturers. Well worth the OP's time to check one out.

Somewhat confused by your response.

Do you consider Squier a Fender?

I consider them different brands. (the big name on the front of the headstock)

40 Years of Squier: how Fender’s budget brand conquered the world

Four decades on, we look back at the birth of Squier and Fender JV, and why Fender decided to go big in Japan...

www.guitarworld.com

The op (I believe) is looking for a Fender branded guitar under $1000

I was suggesting to stick with Squier and save some money since he has a 40th anniversary Squier and likes it.

Am I missing something?

 

[DFB1]

I went with a used Baja2016 model.

 

[John_B]

In December I did what you want to do today. I bought a used mint 2019 American Performer Tele for $1000. I would do it again today. The neck is wonderful, absolutely wonderful. This guitar with the right pickup sounds better than any tele made in Mexico. In my case, it was the SD Antiquity II that made me pass out! This alder body sounds way better than any MIM alder body. An American Tele holds its value and the snobs stop turning their nose up at you. It is a win-win-win situation.