How did I NOT know about the Offset Teles?

[58Bassman]

I had been thinking about building a bass and thought that a Jazzmaster body would be interesting but time & other crap got in the way. About two weeks ago, I saw some videos on YT about offset Teles, in the Paranormal Squire line and also the limited Fender MIJ models. What the what?

I don't need a pink guitar and Poplar as a body wood isn't particular interesting to me, aside from the fact that dings wouldn't be as deep as they can be in Alder. The one that really hit me was the all-Mahogany Fender MIJ with a P90 at the neck. Sonically, it's what I would want in a Tele because it doesn't do the ice pick in the ear thing- I had a Baja Tele and it was very good at that and, even though I had played with the height & all controls, it was a bit too much. The neck didn't coincide with what I like, even though it seemed great when I originally checked it out.

Anyway, I looked around online and found one not far from me, so I checked it out yesterday and bought it.

I was going to change the strings to what I normally use and at the same time, pull the pickguard, control plate, etc to see how it was built. It was noisy when I played it, so I assumed the wires are just laid in the body & covered by the pickguard- yup, typical.

Why have they NOT gone to twisted wiring after decades knowing that twisted pair wiring is one of the best ways to reject noise????????????????? No shielding tape, nothing on the backside of the pickguard, bupkis. OK, I have something to do.....

Overall, the fit & finish is much better than I have seen on most Squire guitars and the few Vintage Vibe guitars looked great, but the hardware was crap, IMO- the tuners, controls AND bridge on the Vintage Vibe were pretty bad and the neck on one was mounted on an angle, so the high E fell off of the edge, but both played really well and the necks were very comfortable. The neck issue is no big deal, just a matter of filling the holes and re-drilling.

One of the things I wondered about was whether they routed the body for a Tele-style pickup, or something larger. It's not only routed for a P90 or humbucker, it's also routed for a middle single coil pickup.

I like the slightly less biting sound, so far- will see how I get along with it as I play it more.

 

[hemingway]

Whenever I'm asked why I didn't know something, I reply loud and proud:

"Sheer ignorance."

 

[Peegoo]

What's an offset Tele? I just have a reg'ler one.

Heh heh heh

 

[2HBStrat]

... I assumed the wires are just laid in the body & covered by the pickguard- yup, typical.

Why have they NOT gone to twisted wiring after decades knowing that twisted pair wiring is one of the best ways to reject noise????????????????? No shielding tape, nothing on the backside of the pickguard, bupkis....

Cost?

 

[badscrew_projects]

What's an offset Tele? I just have a reg'ler one.

Heh heh heh

It's like not a Tele and isn't offset either

 

[58Bassman]

Cost?

Asking price was $349, but I had some audio equipment sitting around and didn't need it, so that knocked off about $100. The original gig bag wasn't with it, but they threw one in.

 

[58Bassman]

Whenever I'm asked why I didn't know something, I reply loud and proud:

"Sheer ignorance."

I worked with someone and when another employee asked if he was ignorant or apathetic, he said "I don't know and I don't care".

 

[58Bassman]

What's an offset Tele? I just have a reg'ler one.

Heh heh heh

Did you put that together or was it a production model?

 

[58Bassman]

Well, I decided to check out the noise again today and continued the twisting of the wires for each pickup and the jack. I started by removing the pickguard and checking the metal cover on the neck pickup. I had gone to a local music store for a set of strings and checked out some of the pickups in the used box, noticing that several had a metal plate under the bridge pickup and both had a third wire, which was soldered to the neck pickup's cover. When I checked mine, the cover wasn't grounded, so I added a wire, then twisted it around the black & white wires before soldering it to the back of the volume control. It's still noisy next to my TV, but on the other side of the room, it's very quiet and almost all of the residual buzz goes away when I touch anything that's grounded. I'll try it with my SD-1 and I know it's still noisier than my Strat's Lace Sensors, but it's quieter than the Baja Tele I had and I did the same treatment to that one- it had Twisted Tele and Nocaster pickups.

 

[Peegoo]

That is a custom build. I Wanted a Strat with a Tele bridge pickup.

 

[John Stephen]

I worked with someone and when another employee asked if he was ignorant or apathetic, he said "I don't know and I don't care".

That is brilliant. Hats off to that guy. I love snappy responses, and that's one of the best I've heard in a long time.

 

[Eddiebaby1]

That is a custom build. I Wanted a Strat with a Tele bridge pickup.

Lowell? Is that you?

 

[Peegoo]

That is brilliant. Hats off to that guy. I love snappy responses, and that's one of the best I've heard in a long time.

Sort of like the dyslexic insomniac agnostic: he'd lie awake all night, wondering if there really is a dog.

 

[985plowboy]

Offset “Teles”are cool.
But..It begs the question, is it a Tele because of body shape or electronics? There are HH pickups on a Tele body and it’s a Tele.
Teles guts on a Jazzmaster body and it’s a Tele.
Ultimately, it makes no difference to me.

I want to build a guitar with Tele guts on an Explorer body, paint it red white and blue in the Buck Owens style with a maple board Tele neck and blue headstock face.
Sincerely.

 

[ruger9]

Ibanez made the Talman for years. It's been discontinued, but they do have the Yvette Young sig model, which is just a Talman with sparkle finish

 

[Telecaster88]

But..It begs the question, is it a Tele because of body shape or electronics? There are HH pickups on a Tele body and it’s a Tele.
Teles guts on a Jazzmaster body and it’s a Tele.
Ultimately, it makes no difference to me.

Not offset (as noted above), but this is my #1 nowadays... I call it a Stellacaster. Fender calls it a "Parallel Universe Whiteguard Strat." Sounds like the sweetest Tele I ever heard (Nitro, ash body, Nocaster pickups).

 

[985plowboy]

Not offset (as noted above), but this is my #1 nowadays... I call it a Stellacaster. Fender calls is a "Parallel Universe Whiteguard Strat." Sounds like the sweetest Tele I ever heard (Nitro, ash body, Nocaster pickups).

View attachment 1082527

Yes yes yes!!!!
I think a Strat body is the most comfortable guitar, bar none.
But I’m a Tele man.
I entertained that idea for several years prior to Fender offering it as a production model. I even went as far as to ask the guys at Warmoth if they’d make me a body back before they offered it.
They said yes, but I didn’t follow through.

 

[Telecaster88]

Yes yes yes!!!!
I think a Strat body is the most comfortable guitar, bar none.
But I’m a Tele man.
I entertained that idea for several years prior to Fender offering it as a production model. I even went as far as to ask the guys at Warmoth if they’d make me a body back before they offered it.
They said yes, but I didn’t follow through.

I too considered building something like this (I had to go to a contoured body due to nerve damage in my right forearm, but needed my beloved Tele tones). Ultimately, I recognized my limited to nonexistent skills in that regard, and when I saw an American-made Fender that ticked my boxes, I jumped. Glad I did. I highly recommend this guitar.

 

[Festofish]

Tele=tele body shape.

 

[Telecaster88]

Tele=tele body shape.

Honestly, to me it's the pickups and the hardware. They're the heart of a Telecaster, the things that make a Tele sound like a Tele.