CV 50’s , a real 50’s ?

[vlad paduraru]

When I bought my CV 50’s , I was crossing over from acoustics and not knowing much on electrics, I took the advice of people on the net.
You know… a 50’s tele does it all , and CV is your best bang for the buck. This guitar has a well deserved reputation , well made, good pups ecc. But is it really a 50’s?
I mean … ash, alnico 3 (or 5) and thick neck gives you a broad sounding , snappy guitar. Lavish lows , tight mediums and sparkly trebles. Like a rosewood acoustic. More or less what the original name implied .. a Broadcaster.
Pine does not sound like ash and a thinner neck means softer response…. More elastic , less stiff. Not only is the neck wimpier , but the body gives out tight lows , ample mediums and trebles. Yes , it quacks , but it is not a do it all tele.
I put so many pickups on this guitar , I lost count, but no matter what she will not be a Broad Caster.
Now , with Squier humbuckers from a 70’s , sounds like her own thing, which I really dig (I suppose a 70’s). Fender has the Modern player made out of pine and that makes sense to me.
What do you think about it ?
Is it a 50’s ? Am I missing something?

 

[skradlee]

*The very first Esquire guitars (In production before the Broadcaster) were made out of pine before they switched to Ash.

*Telecaster neck sizes varied by year and even by the employee shaping it, and throwing out ballpark statements like "50s teles had thick necks" is simply not accurate. I played a real 52 next to a CV50s at the Dallas guitar show and was shocked at how similar the neck shape was.

*The CV series is an approximation of features from different eras of Fender guitars, and mainly has to do with finish and fretboard options. Other than that, they are just well made, affordable guitars that get the look people want. Most of the specs are not meant to be vintage correct and it doesn't appear that they try to hide that.

 

[radiocaster]

Lavish lows , tight mediums and sparkly trebles.

 

[archetype]

When I bought my CV 50’s , I was crossing over from acoustics and not knowing much on electrics, I took the advice of people on the net.
You know… a 50’s tele does it all , and CV is your best bang for the buck. This guitar has a well deserved reputation , well made, good pups ecc. But is it really a 50’s?
I mean … ash, alnico 3 (or 5) and thick neck gives you a broad sounding , snappy guitar. Lavish lows , tight mediums and sparkly trebles. Like a rosewood acoustic. More or less what the original name implied .. a Broadcaster.
Pine does not sound like ash and a thinner neck means softer response…. More elastic , less stiff. Not only is the neck wimpier , but the body gives out tight lows , ample mediums and trebles. Yes , it quacks , but it is not a do it all tele.
I put so many pickups on this guitar , I lost count, but no matter what she will not be a Broad Caster.
Now , with Squier humbuckers from a 70’s , sounds like her own thing, which I really dig (I suppose a 70’s). Fender has the Modern player made out of pine and that makes sense to me.
What do you think about it ?
Is it a 50’s ? Am I missing something?

Despite all the replicas being made, there's no such thing as a real 50s Tele except a real 50s Tele.

IMO the CV 50s plays like one, sounds like one, and is everything Leo intended a 50s Tele to be.

IMO, the fine points you mention are either unquantifiable theories (the wood, the neck, the pickups) or simply non-issues, unless you're trying to find reasons not to buy one.

Buy one and play it. It's a fine guitar. My CV 50s gets as much play time as my James Burton Standard and Baja 50s with bigger necks. I bought another CV 50s neck for a partscaster build I'm working on.

 

[fender4life]

There's reason the name has "vibe" in it....well....it should be obvious what i am getting at.

 

[Boreas]

It is very hard to compare a 70 year old Fender to a modern Squier. Even if they were constructed identically, one was constructed of parts and materials available 70 years ago, and the modern one wasn't. Even slabs of wood age over time, and older woods were often sourced from older-growth trees. Magnets fade and often mellow over time. So TODAY we may prize a 50s era Fender for many reasons, it may not have been as spectacular in its day.
So no, you aren't going to get a six-figure guitar for three figures.

 

[tacobender]

I just put an allparts neck on my cv. Completely changed the sound. Super snappy now. Sounds like Marty Stuart blessed it with his scarf. You can definitely get a 4 figure tele for 3 figures.

 

[rdjones]

I just put an allparts neck on my cv. Completely changed the sound. Super snappy now. Sounds like Marty Stuart blessed it with his scarf. You can definitely get a 4 figure tele for 3 figures.

He's in Italy.
He can't even get a tank of gas for "three figures".

 

[tacobender]

Well, get a CV and a Marty Stuart scarf and call it good then.

 

[vlad paduraru]

I never meant a period correct guitar. 50’s , 60’s , 70’s, I see them as sonic characters, personality types… what to expect, in general lines at least, of a tele.
Otherwise you can easily get lost in miriad possible combinations of body,neck, pups… and opinions.
I guess “fender4life” is right…
Classic Vibes is what you get.
What I think a 50’s Type would be, is a Do It All tele , done in the 50’s , when modern music was toddler, you know… electrics where just starting out, and Leo trying to build THE guitar.

 

[vlad paduraru]

He's in Italy.
He can't even get a tank of gas for "three figures".

No , but I can get Top notch cheese for a 1 figure

 

[msalama]

Well then stuff like Gran Castelo must be like 0.3 figure around there, but still oh so good. MmmmMmm...

 

[Flyboy]

I just put an allparts neck on my cv. Completely changed the sound. Super snappy now. Sounds like Marty Stuart blessed it with his scarf. You can definitely get a 4 figure tele for 3 figures.

I considered doing that on my CV 60s Strat but I never got around to it (other projects on the go) and the guitar just got left untouched. I hated that neck profile. I finally moved it on last month.

 

[vlad paduraru]

Despite all the replicas being made, there's no such thing as a real 50s Tele except a real 50s Tele.

IMO the CV 50s plays like one, sounds like one, and is everything Leo intended a 50s Tele to be.

IMO, the fine points you mention are either unquantifiable theories (the wood, the neck, the pickups) or simply non-issues, unless you're trying to find reasons not to buy one.

Buy one and play it. It's a fine guitar. My CV 50s gets as much play time as my James Burton Standard and Baja 50s with bigger necks. I bought another CV 50s neck for a partscaster build I'm working on.

I do own one (even a 60’s).
So the 3 you mention are ash , pine and alder bodies. Don’t they feel different?
You see …I own a modded Harley Benton made of ash (changed the neck for a beefier one) and that guitar fits the profile of a Do it all tele.
Would I get this from a Baja?
I was thinking of selling the 2 CV I own , to get one of those ( I do have doubts , though).
Please elaborate on than comparison

 

[T Prior]

Classic Vibe---its in the name ! LOL I had one , I bought it following all the hype , I ended up giving it away. I couldn't find the HYPE

I believe the closest thing we can acquire to an early 50's Tele is an early issue 52RI , 82 thru 88 or 89 , and even at that they are close but not exact. But they ain't gonna be inexpensive. The 82,83 and 84 were made in Fullerton while after 85 they are made in Corona if that means anything. All of them were built on the same platform and very consistent thru the 80's .

Hard Wood, cloth wired pups, CTS Pots , 7.25 radius , slick fret board etc...

The only comparison I can make would be that the CV 50 for me, didn't measure up to the 88 and 89 / 52RI's I own and play. Weight, feel, neck, playability, comfort , balance etc...Its like working with a premium TOOL you have been using for a long time, then going to an entry level tool that is said to be the same. You just know its not the same.

 

[archetype]

I do own one (even a 60’s).
So the 3 you mention are ash , pine and alder bodies. Don’t they feel different?
You see …I own a modded Harley Benton made of ash (changed the neck for a beefier one) and that guitar fits the profile of a Do it all tele.
Would I get this from a Baja?
I was thinking of selling the 2 CV I own , to get one of those ( I do have doubts , though).
Please elaborate on than comparison

The individual slab of wood makes far more difference than the type of wood. That's the main reason 2 identical guitars can sound different. I don't pay much attention to the type of wood in the body, I just pay attention to the way an individual guitar plays and sounds after I've set it up.

I have a Baja 50s and a CV 50s. Each one is a do-it-all Tele, but each has it's own set of tones it can produce.

The main reason to get a Baja 50s is because you like the big, C-profile neck that has a soft V-profile below the 5th or 6th fret. You should play one before you buy one, mainly to see if you like the neck. if you like it, then I'd recommend selling one of your CVs and getting a Baja 50s, too.

 

[northernguitar]

I don't buy that wood type plays a huge tonal factor, especially on a solid body electric. If someone can hear such differences, they've discovered psychoacoustics.

 

[Boreas]

Here we go...

 

[vlad paduraru]

Here we go...

I know … I ‘ll keep it for some other thread

 

[fender4life]

I just put an allparts neck on my cv. Completely changed the sound. Super snappy now. Sounds like Marty Stuart blessed it with his scarf. You can definitely get a 4 figure tele for 3 figures.

Yep, the neck is the center of a guitar's voice. Thats where the saying "tone follows the neck" came from. I had a 90s fernendes strat that was one of the best sounding strats i ever played and it was the neck. Basically a 62 but basswood body same as the imported ||MIJs at the time but with the fernendes headstock. No matter what body, hardware and pickups i put it on it always sounded exceptional. Thats why when i see people saying they love a guitar but are thinking of getting a different neck for it because of the shape it makes me cringe because they may be in for a rude awakening if they love the tone as it is now. And that just one of many examples i have experienced. I've also experienced the opposite....a neck that doesn't sound good no matter what i put it on. You can always make a bad neck sound a little better, but not likely it will ever sound really good. And same with a great neck....it'll sound great on most anything bur it will vary some in HOW great.