Help choosing Telecaster

[junkopardner]

I’ve been looking at every T guitar for months. I really had decided to get the new Fender Road Worn 50s model because I like the specs and nitro finish, but the more I think about it I think I’d like building my own. I want a light ash body, MJT to nitro finish it, and then probably a road worn maple neck on it with a twisted Tele in the neck and a custom shop nocaster in the bridge.

I know it won’t have the resale value of the road worn, but I don’t ever plan on selling it.

I guess I was just wanting to know if I’m over thinking it. I could have a brand new player Tele for $500 after tax, and I’m sure that would be just fine but I’m really looking for a forever Tele. So should I just get the road worn, or just do the build I want?

And outside of Warmoth and MJT, who makes really good ash T bodies? Has anyone had any cheaper bodies that were just as good as the more expensive ones?

Thanks all

J

 

[KC]

Yep — overthinking. Do you want maple or rosewood fretboard? What size frets? What radius? Which pickups? Are you sure you don’t want a thinline? Lots of variables. The odds of getting it all right on the first try are low. Why not start with the road worn?

 

[Vibroluxer]

^^^^ Good Advice.

 

[Dukex]

^^^^ Good Advice.

Agreed.

 

[McGoldTopp]

Find out what you like and don’t like on the production model, then build another later.

I have a few forever teles…

 

[lammie200]

Guitar Mill and Augustus Guitars make T bodies.

 

[jvin248]

.

Get the Player Series model your first time out. Then as you figure out what is real and what is vapor-ware about mystical materials and brands you can update just those features. You might not update anything ...

I've observed some guitarists swap enough parts out of their first guitar where they end up with their first guitar back in a pile of parts they rebuild and have two guitars!

I stay with maple fretboards because they are more stable. Start putting exotic woods on a maple neck gives different rates of expansion/contraction and tuning stability moves around.

Before swapping pickups remember you can adjust pickup heights/tip and swap pots and caps to push guitar tone around. You can also put a steel plate under a bridge pickup to increase output.

The two main mods I do to my Teles:
1- Add in a 4-way switch to a classic SS Tele for a stealth Les Paul Junior humbucker tone.
2- Rotate the control plate for V-T-Switch to the rear.

.

 

[Southlaw 68]

Not to mention, you will be waiting a year for MJT to complete your project.

 

[Dan German]

I started by building. I don’t have the ones I built anymore. When I ordered my Logan, it was a fairly straightforward t-style. I didn’t mod it for years, and then only slightly.

Buy the closest thing to what you think a tele should be (even if it isn’t a Fender), and mod or upgrade later. A Road Worn is a great place to start.

 

[junkopardner]

Yep — overthinking. Do you want maple or rosewood fretboard? What size frets? What radius? Which pickups? Are you sure you don’t want a thinline? Lots of variables. The odds of getting it all right on the first try are low. Why not start with the road worn?

Ideally I want an Ash body with a nitro finish, a thicker vintage 7.5 radius maple neck with vintage tall frets, a twisted Tele in the neck and custom shop nocaster in the bridge.

The only thing holding me back on the road worn is the alder body instead of ash and limited color options. Also I’d still have to change the pickups, which might not be a big deal if I could sell the stock ones to help recoup some of the new pickup cost.

 

[junkopardner]

Find out what you like and don’t like on the production model, then build another later.

I have a few forever teles…

I love the 2021 50s road worns, but the bodies are alder instead of ash and the color choices are very limited. Also I’d want different pickups. But spec wise I love everything about the 50s road worn

 

[junkopardner]

Not to mention, you will be waiting a year for MJT to complete your project.

Does it take that long just to get a body painted?

 

[Vibroluxer]

Warmoth is faster, quite a bit.

 

[junkopardner]

.

Get the Player Series model your first time out. Then as you figure out what is real and what is vapor-ware about mystical materials and brands you can update just those features. You might not update anything ...

I've observed some guitarists swap enough parts out of their first guitar where they end up with their first guitar back in a pile of parts they rebuild and have two guitars!

I stay with maple fretboards because they are more stable. Start putting exotic woods on a maple neck gives different rates of expansion/contraction and tuning stability moves around.

Before swapping pickups remember you can adjust pickup heights/tip and swap pots and caps to push guitar tone around. You can also put a steel plate under a bridge pickup to increase output.

The two main mods I do to my Teles:
1- Add in a 4-way switch to a classic SS Tele for a stealth Les Paul Junior humbucker tone.
2- Rotate the control plate for V-T-Switch to the rear.

.

I’ve liked the player series teles I’ve played but I’m just not a big fan of the 9.5 radius, thinner necks and the heavy glossed bodies. I’ve been so close to buying one but in the back of my mind I know I’d still want the 7.5 radius maple neck with vintage tall frets and a nitro finish. So that desire would still be there for that Tele. I’d rather just do it right the 1st time yknow?

I like those mods and for volume swells reversing the control plate seems like a no brainer. No need to make it harder than it has to be.

 

[Ed Storer]

Have a look at Pinup Custom Guitars. You may have to wait a while, but you'll have one that's incredibly close to a really good vintage tele. Prices are pretty good for what you'd be getting.

No affiliation other than being a proud owner - see my sig pic.

 

[junkopardner]

Thanks Ed I’ll check them out

 

[junkopardner]

Have a look at Pinup Custom Guitars. You may have to wait a while, but you'll have one that's incredibly close to a really good vintage tele. Prices are pretty good for what you'd be getting.

No affiliation other than being a proud owner - see my sig pic.

Thanks Ed I’ll check them out

 

[DrBeezus]

Ideally I want an Ash body with a nitro finish, a thicker vintage 7.5 radius maple neck with vintage tall frets, a twisted Tele in the neck and custom shop nocaster in the bridge.

The only thing holding me back on the road worn is the alder body instead of ash and limited color options. Also I’d still have to change the pickups, which might not be a big deal if I could sell the stock ones to help recoup some of the new pickup cost.

You're lucky if you got 50 bucks for those pickups.

 

[junkopardner]

You're lucky if you got 50 bucks for those pickups.

Not surprising. They’re useable but that’s about it.

 

[Southlaw 68]

Does it take that long just to get a body painted?

No, I do not believe so. I ordered a custom shop MJT guitar so, that may be why it is taking so long.