SolaStrings
NEW MEMBER!
I haven’t seen a thread dedicated to reviews of the JI Tele, just comparing and complaining on other threads. So, here it is - the official JI Tele review thread. I’ll go first…
Overall, it’s a super cool guitar, especially if, like me, you’re a sucker for bound Tele’s. This one is double-bound, so double the awesome. It’s also got the nitro finish, and who can balk at that? I’m fact, that’s really what convinced me to get this model. After all, if all I wanted was a nice double-bound Tele I’d have gotten the Squier CV.
Other great features of this guitar are:
The pickups. Some of the best I’ve heard. In fact, probably my favorite of all Tele pups.
The neck. Also nitro and feels like a broke in baseball glove. Not too chunky either, which I prefer (my other favorite neck is a soft-v roasted maple Strat, if that’s any indication of my preferences - both 7.25 radius).
The cons:
The price. Get a used one. $1600 is outrageous for a MIM.
The frets. The 14th fret was so high the thing just shut down. Did a quick fix on that just so I could play it, but had to do a fret level and crown to really get it to where it should be. I think some of the frets were intentionally flattened for the road-worn effect, but it was actually quite annoying (and expensive if someone doesn’t have the ability to do the work themselves)
The nut. The low E slot was cut a whole string-width too close to the edge (see pic). I didn’t notice it until I was playing and the E string kept sliding off the frets. I contacted Fender about it, and they offered to fix it under warranty, but the closest location was two hours away. It was cheaper for me to buy a vintage style bone nut from Fender and fix it myself (again, could be costly for someone unable to do that level of work themselves).
Some preference things:
The tuning machines were not road-worn, so I replaced them with some that were. Not sure why Fender didn’t do that to begin with.
The backplate. Not a huge thing, but I prefer the “F” over the JI tattoo.
The saddles. I replaced them with Gotoh compensated saddles.
I also put a black top hat switch cover and a white pickguard on it, but that’s totally preference.
Also, I played a JI Tele at a guitar shop before I got this one, and I can say for sure the neck profile was different (the other one was thicker) and the setup was so bad it was unplayable. Also, the wood grain is a crapshoot. I got a really good one, but I’ve seen some I’d return if I bought sight unseen. Also, the relic level seems to vary as well. Just some things to be aware of.
The big question: is it worth it. Yes, but with major caveats. I scored mine as a return (I know why!) from Adorama for $999 AND I have the tools and know-how to fix the issues Fender QC let this guitar get out the door with. So, worth it for me, yes. Same guitar at full price bought by someone without some luthier skill, no. At that price point, buy a U.S. model with better QC.
Overall, it’s a super cool guitar, especially if, like me, you’re a sucker for bound Tele’s. This one is double-bound, so double the awesome. It’s also got the nitro finish, and who can balk at that? I’m fact, that’s really what convinced me to get this model. After all, if all I wanted was a nice double-bound Tele I’d have gotten the Squier CV.
Other great features of this guitar are:
The pickups. Some of the best I’ve heard. In fact, probably my favorite of all Tele pups.
The neck. Also nitro and feels like a broke in baseball glove. Not too chunky either, which I prefer (my other favorite neck is a soft-v roasted maple Strat, if that’s any indication of my preferences - both 7.25 radius).
The cons:
The price. Get a used one. $1600 is outrageous for a MIM.
The frets. The 14th fret was so high the thing just shut down. Did a quick fix on that just so I could play it, but had to do a fret level and crown to really get it to where it should be. I think some of the frets were intentionally flattened for the road-worn effect, but it was actually quite annoying (and expensive if someone doesn’t have the ability to do the work themselves)
The nut. The low E slot was cut a whole string-width too close to the edge (see pic). I didn’t notice it until I was playing and the E string kept sliding off the frets. I contacted Fender about it, and they offered to fix it under warranty, but the closest location was two hours away. It was cheaper for me to buy a vintage style bone nut from Fender and fix it myself (again, could be costly for someone unable to do that level of work themselves).
Some preference things:
The tuning machines were not road-worn, so I replaced them with some that were. Not sure why Fender didn’t do that to begin with.
The backplate. Not a huge thing, but I prefer the “F” over the JI tattoo.
The saddles. I replaced them with Gotoh compensated saddles.
I also put a black top hat switch cover and a white pickguard on it, but that’s totally preference.
Also, I played a JI Tele at a guitar shop before I got this one, and I can say for sure the neck profile was different (the other one was thicker) and the setup was so bad it was unplayable. Also, the wood grain is a crapshoot. I got a really good one, but I’ve seen some I’d return if I bought sight unseen. Also, the relic level seems to vary as well. Just some things to be aware of.
The big question: is it worth it. Yes, but with major caveats. I scored mine as a return (I know why!) from Adorama for $999 AND I have the tools and know-how to fix the issues Fender QC let this guitar get out the door with. So, worth it for me, yes. Same guitar at full price bought by someone without some luthier skill, no. At that price point, buy a U.S. model with better QC.
I just know that this family vacay is gonna be a case of "Mom, dad is outside, starring into the horizon again, and I think he might be crying".
