Fender Classic Series ‘60s Telecaster

[Highway 49]

Hi, I'm very fond of my Fender Classic Series '60s Telecaster: great neck for me and lovely slab Rosewood fretboard (a real end of the '50s/early '60s vibe); nice pickups (I have to whack the bridge pickup pretty hard to get my Princeton Reverb to overload and the neck pickup won't easily come to life with my Tweed Champ, but I have a set of of Pure Vintage '62s to experiment with so no real problem); a little heavy for me at around 8lbs (again, not a big a deal).
My problem is I'm not much in love with the colour (Candy Apple Red) and I'm definitely not in love with the indestructible Polyester body finish - it feels wrong that the body should remain eternally 'new' while the rest of the guitar ages (I don't think it's unreasonable that my guitar might get old with me), and when Poly does get damaged (presumably if the guitar falls off a building), the damage can look horrible (particularly CAR examples, I've noticed), which means I tend to be a bit too careful with it.
Options:
1. body refinish in Olympic White nitro - c. £400 (here in UK) - feels odd to repaint a guitar basically in factory condition?
2. buy a second Classic '60s Tele, already in Olympic White, lighter weight than mine, and put my '62 pickups in it - somehow damaged Poly Olympic White looks OK to me - c. £600?
3. buy an American Vintage '64 Tele - I could get a fairly light weight one, and it would have a nitro finish and good pickups but (I know this is bonkers) I don't particularly like the transparent white finish, and the laminated fingerboard/'64 pickups definitely puts it into the mid-sixties, so not quite where I want to be - c. £1,400?
4. just play the guitar I have and enjoy it as it is (obviously this is not a serious question)?
5. something else (e.g. buy a Les Paul Junior!)
I'm not sharing particularly to be told what to do, although always interested in people's thoughts, but having already taking advantage of the archive of information available here when buying my guitars and amps, I thought it might help someone else considering buying a Classic '60s Tele (I never considered weight or finish when I bought).

 

[brmusician]

I'm from Brazil. In my case I'm currently interested on hand made teles and strats. I can get a Butterscotch 52-style tele with light or heavy nitro relic and custom pickups (I can ask for some specs) for about USD 1000.00. There are some specs which are hard to replicate, though. Body tonewoods have to be marupa, freijo, cedar or pine, while neck woods have to be pau marfim or pau marfim with a pau ferro fingerboard. Also, philips truss rod nut is not easy to find. Tele and strat copies usually come with allen truss rod nut at heel.

 

[rze99]

I'd put the 62 pickups in there - v good and better than the Classic 60s

..and swap the body out - bide your time and find one that someone offers one on here:

www.thefretboard.co.uk

I just picked up a lovely Rexter Guitars https://rexterguitars.co.uk/ aged nitro body on there for £200 plus callahan pickguard shipped - absolute bargain!

 

[fender4life]

I wanted a baja 60 because i love the classic 60s but prefer a 9.5" radius. Plus not really fond of non standard switching options. Found a baja neck with rosewood in perfect condition and a classic series body new and had some of the parts and when all was said and done i paid notibly less than had i bought a classic series or baja. You may wanna think about selling the C60s. They're going for a lot. Then just buy all the parts you wan and get it 100% to your likling. Just a thought.

 

[Highway 49]

Thank you - that’s really helpful advice!

 

[rze99]

Hi, I'm very fond of my Fender Classic Series '60s Telecaster: great neck for me and lovely slab Rosewood fretboard (a real end of the '50s/early '60s vibe); nice pickups (I have to whack the bridge pickup pretty hard to get my Princeton Reverb to overload and the neck pickup won't easily come to life with my Tweed Champ, but I have a set of of Pure Vintage '62s to experiment with so no real problem); a little heavy for me at around 8lbs (again, not a big a deal).
My problem is I'm not much in love with the colour (Candy Apple Red) and I'm definitely not in love with the indestructible Polyester body finish - it feels wrong that the body should remain eternally 'new' while the rest of the guitar ages (I don't think it's unreasonable that my guitar might get old with me), and when Poly does get damaged (presumably if the guitar falls off a building), the damage can look horrible (particularly CAR examples, I've noticed), which means I tend to be a bit too careful with it.
Options:
1. body refinish in Olympic White nitro - c. £400 (here in UK) - feels odd to repaint a guitar basically in factory condition?
2. buy a second Classic '60s Tele, already in Olympic White, lighter weight than mine, and put my '62 pickups in it - somehow damaged Poly Olympic White looks OK to me - c. £600?
3. buy an American Vintage '64 Tele - I could get a fairly light weight one, and it would have a nitro finish and good pickups but (I know this is bonkers) I don't particularly like the transparent white finish, and the laminated fingerboard/'64 pickups definitely puts it into the mid-sixties, so not quite where I want to be - c. £1,400?
4. just play the guitar I have and enjoy it as it is (obviously this is not a serious question)?
5. something else (e.g. buy a Les Paul Junior!)
I'm not sharing particularly to be told what to do, although always interested in people's thoughts, but having already taking advantage of the archive of information available here when buying my guitars and amps, I thought it might help someone else considering buying a Classic '60s Tele (I never considered weight or finish when I bought).

There you go

Telecaster Tele Style solid Alder Body: Sonic Blue vintage nitro satin finish.

£109

TC SS T Style Alder electric guitar Body: Sonic Blue vintage nitro satin finish | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for TC SS T Style Alder electric guitar Body: Sonic Blue vintage nitro satin finish at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Highway 49]

I'd put the 62 pickups in there - v good and better than the Classic 60s

..and swap the body out - bide your time and find one that someone offers one on here:

www.thefretboard.co.uk

I just picked up a lovely Rexter Guitars https://rexterguitars.co.uk/ aged nitro body on there for £200 plus callahan pickguard shipped - absolute bargain!

Thank you - that’s an option I hadn’t considered but sounds so sensible, and deals with all ‘problems’ while essentially keeping my guitar

 

[Highway 49]

I wanted a baja 60 because i love the classic 60s but prefer a 9.5" radius. Plus not really fond of non standard switching options. Found a baja neck with rosewood in perfect condition and a classic series body new and had some of the parts and when all was said and done i paid notibly less than had i bought a classic series or baja. You may wanna think about selling the C60s. They're going for a lot. Then just buy all the parts you wan and get it 100% to your likling. Just a thought.

Thanks, the Baja Tele’s were the first I looked at, a few years before actually buying a Tele, and I think they’re really great. But for me - and actually I was only comparing with the 50s Baja - the neck on the Classic ‘60s felt just right.

 

[fender4life]

Thanks, the Baja Tele’s were the first I looked at, a few years before actually buying a Tele, and I think they’re really great. But for me - and actually I was only comparing with the 50s Baja - the neck on the Classic ‘60s felt just right.

I had a classic 60's about 8 years ago. LOVED that guitar. But the vintage radius and frets doesn't allow me to get the action just right. I know how to get a 7.25" to the best they are capable of, but i just find 9.5" with a bit bigger frets better for what i want as playability and action goes. Thats why i sold the C 60s but i gotta say i really miss one thing about that guitar...it sounded phenomenal. Better then my current baja build, but it's a worthy trade-off for me because it's reasonably close and plays a whole lot better.

 

[Jazzy-Will]

Unfortunately, if you're looking for an authentic 60's style Tele you don't have a lot of options. Anything Fender is making right now that claims to be 60s-esque is very disappointing. Between poly finishes, pau ferro fretboards, and 9.5 radius necks and jumbo frets it's all bad. I used to have a 60s Tele classic and it was a pretty good guitar after a proper setup and pickup swap. I would try that and go with the AV64 pickups and see how it goes. It's a fairly cheap investment and you may be able to live with the poly finish. The other option is to save your pennies and buy a used AV64. They are great guitars. I know, I've got two. Good luck.

 

[rze99]

Hi, I'm very fond of my Fender Classic Series '60s Telecaster: great neck for me and lovely slab Rosewood fretboard (a real end of the '50s/early '60s vibe); nice pickups (I have to whack the bridge pickup pretty hard to get my Princeton Reverb to overload and the neck pickup won't easily come to life with my Tweed Champ, but I have a set of of Pure Vintage '62s to experiment with so no real problem); a little heavy for me at around 8lbs (again, not a big a deal).
My problem is I'm not much in love with the colour (Candy Apple Red) and I'm definitely not in love with the indestructible Polyester body finish - it feels wrong that the body should remain eternally 'new' while the rest of the guitar ages (I don't think it's unreasonable that my guitar might get old with me), and when Poly does get damaged (presumably if the guitar falls off a building), the damage can look horrible (particularly CAR examples, I've noticed), which means I tend to be a bit too careful with it.
Options:
1. body refinish in Olympic White nitro - c. £400 (here in UK) - feels odd to repaint a guitar basically in factory condition?
2. buy a second Classic '60s Tele, already in Olympic White, lighter weight than mine, and put my '62 pickups in it - somehow damaged Poly Olympic White looks OK to me - c. £600?
3. buy an American Vintage '64 Tele - I could get a fairly light weight one, and it would have a nitro finish and good pickups but (I know this is bonkers) I don't particularly like the transparent white finish, and the laminated fingerboard/'64 pickups definitely puts it into the mid-sixties, so not quite where I want to be - c. £1,400?
4. just play the guitar I have and enjoy it as it is (obviously this is not a serious question)?
5. something else (e.g. buy a Les Paul Junior!)
I'm not sharing particularly to be told what to do, although always interested in people's thoughts, but having already taking advantage of the archive of information available here when buying my guitars and amps, I thought it might help someone else considering buying a Classic '60s Tele (I never considered weight or finish when I bought).

re

Buy a second Classic '60s Tele, already in Olympic White, lighter weight than mine, and put my '62 pickups in it - somehow damaged Poly Olympic White looks OK to me - c. £600?

This has just appeared

Buy the Fender 2010 Classic 60's Telecaster Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard (Pre-Owned) #MX10203646

The Fender 2010 Classic 60's Telecaster Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard (Pre-Owned) #MX10203646 is available at guitarguitar. Free next day delivery on orders over £199 or click and collect. You can even trade in your old music gear towards the purchase

www.guitarguitar.co.uk

 

[JL_LI]

Authentic? What’s authentic. It sounds to me like you have a great guitar as it is. Want something different? Save your pounds, dollars, whatever, and buy it. I’ve modified guitars and can honestly say they’re different but not necessarily better than before. And one more thing I’m noticing is that as they age, they need work. Mostly fret leveling and crowning, but work nonetheless. Play what you have. Fill in holes in your collection. And keep playing.

 

[boris bubbanov]

I love the Rexter idea, or the sound of it. I'll defer to zre99's appreciation of this guy's ability to produce a quality body.

Two thoughts, though:

Don't mess with the stock body. One day if you or your heirs decide to sell, you'll want the stock body for maximum return. If it is in your way, sell it - genuine MIM 60s bodies are worth decent money currently. Refinished, it would be a wreck. Why I'm not even sure it makes sense to mess with a MIM body that's lost 10% of its poly finish. That alder under there will not be pretty.

Don't buy a Warmoth T body. They're simply the wrong shape. A guy might find it "acceptable" for a while, then the variations on the FEIC correct shape start eating at him and he comes to hate it. I know I hate the one I bought years back - it sits on a shelf, where I can't see it.

 

[fender4life]

Thanks, the Baja Tele’s were the first I looked at, a few years before actually buying a Tele, and I think they’re really great. But for me - and actually I was only comparing with the 50s Baja - the neck on the Classic ‘60s felt just right.

Just so you know, the Baja 60s neck is nothing like the 50s. It's about the same thickness or a tad more then a classic 60s neck but with shoulder that gives it a solid feel and stability without feeling huge.

 

[kinkstah]

Don't mess with the stock body. One day if you or your heirs decide to sell, you'll want the stock body for maximum return. If it is in your way, sell it - genuine MIM 60s bodies are worth decent money currently. Refinished, it would be a wreck. Why I'm not even sure it makes sense to mess with a MIM body that's lost 10% of its poly finish. That alder under there will not be pretty.

Don't buy a Warmoth T body. They're simply the wrong shape. A guy might find it "acceptable" for a while, then the variations on the FEIC correct shape start eating at him and he comes to hate it. I know I hate the one I bought years back - it sits on a shelf, where I can't see it.

Totally agree with the 'don't mess' & 'don't go Warmoth'.
May I suggest Allparts, they offer quite a wide range of Tele Bodies (correctly shaped) which, IME, are a good option.

Guitar Bodies

We have a wide variety of guitar bodies at Allparts. Get yours now!

www.allparts.com

 

[Highway 49]

Unfortunately, if you're looking for an authentic 60's style Tele you don't have a lot of options. Anything Fender is making right now that claims to be 60s-esque is very disappointing. Between poly finishes, pau ferro fretboards, and 9.5 radius necks and jumbo frets it's all bad. I used to have a 60s Tele classic and it was a pretty good guitar after a proper setup and pickup swap. I would try that and go with the AV64 pickups and see how it goes. It's a fairly cheap investment and you may be able to live with the poly finish. The other option is to save your pennies and buy a used AV64. They are great guitars. I know, I've got two. Good luck.

Thanks for the recommendation, I’m looking at a ‘64 AV now. And yes, Fender make so many different guitars but somehow can’t quite get all the things for a faithful reissue on the same guitar.

 

[Highway 49]

re

Buy a second Classic '60s Tele, already in Olympic White, lighter weight than mine, and put my '62 pickups in it - somehow damaged Poly Olympic White looks OK to me - c. £600?

This has just appeared

Buy the Fender 2010 Classic 60's Telecaster Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard (Pre-Owned) #MX10203646

The Fender 2010 Classic 60's Telecaster Olympic White Rosewood Fingerboard (Pre-Owned) #MX10203646 is available at guitarguitar. Free next day delivery on orders over £199 or click and collect. You can even trade in your old music gear towards the purchase

www.guitarguitar.co.uk

Thanks, nice, it must have appeared in the five minutes I looked away from their site

 

[Highway 49]

Totally agree with the 'don't mess' & 'don't go Warmoth'.
May I suggest Allparts, they offer quite a wide range of Tele Bodies (correctly shaped) which, IME, are a good option.

Guitar Bodies

We have a wide variety of guitar bodies at Allparts. Get yours now!

www.allparts.com

Thanks for the Allparts recommendation- I’ll check them out

 

[Highway 49]

I love the Rexter idea, or the sound of it. I'll defer to zre99's appreciation of this guy's ability to produce a quality body.

Two thoughts, though:

Don't mess with the stock body. One day if you or your heirs decide to sell, you'll want the stock body for maximum return. If it is in your way, sell it - genuine MIM 60s bodies are worth decent money currently. Refinished, it would be a wreck. Why I'm not even sure it makes sense to mess with a MIM body that's lost 10% of its poly finish. That alder under there will not be pretty.

Don't buy a Warmoth T body. They're simply the wrong shape. A guy might find it "acceptable" for a while, then the variations on the FEIC correct shape start eating at him and he comes to hate it. I know I hate the one I bought years back - it sits on a shelf, where I can't see it.

Thanks, yes, feels it does feel gratuitous in some ways to refinish a perfectly good guitar.

 

[Highway 49]

Authentic? What’s authentic. It sounds to me like you have a great guitar as it is. Want something different? Save your pounds, dollars, whatever, and buy it. I’ve modified guitars and can honestly say they’re different but not necessarily better than before. And one more thing I’m noticing is that as they age, they need work. Mostly fret leveling and crowning, but work nonetheless. Play what you have. Fill in holes in your collection. And keep playing.

Yes, thank you- that is very good advice