Jay Turser Telecasters? any good?

[tdu]

Not to hijack with an SX rant but they deserve much more credit than they are given.
I'll take an SX Tele and a decent set of pups any day.
That neck is killer.
Chunky as heck.
I own a Buckocaster with Forrest Lee Jr. bender, a Nocaster(never gets played) a 2005 Lite Ash Tele, A 1971 USA Strat,and an SX modded Tele a couple nice acoustics and a Washburn and a Music Man bass.
If I'm not bending or thumpin lows, I pick up the SX every time.

I have owned an SX and think they are great guitars for the money, but I think his assessment was pretty fair. The SX's do 'require' some upgrades for a lot of people. That's realistic for the price range they are in. I think in general people are very fair towards SX on this forum, and a lot of people are fans.

The thing is though, they aren't exactly easy to upgrade. Hardware and things like pickguards aren't a straight swap and a lot of people don't want any 'hassle'.

Using my Squier CVC as an example, the tuners, pickups, and bridge are all better than the stock SX parts. The electronics also appear to be a step up. By the time I did the same upgrades to the SX, I am not really paying much more for the CVC. And while I don't require anything overly fancy, I do consider the CVC specs 'giggable'. I'd never consider the SX's I have owned giggable in their stock form.

 

[jkingma]

Jay Turser are fine student instruments.

 

[Commodore 64]

Maybe when I've been playing for 10 years, I'll feel differently; however, at this time, I can't see any reason to spend more than $300 on a guitar, and even less reason to care what name is on the headstock. And even less reason to buy one new. Now that I own a crowning file and fret-leveling block, I might even lower that price to $200.

Having just swapped out pickups for about the 6th time...I truly feel that PUPs really don't make a whole helluva lot of difference, especially when you have pedals and amps with loads of settings.

In the past 15 months I have owned or been loaned (the ones in green are in my posession currently):

1969 Fender Telecaster (loaned to me for the past 12 months)
2009 Squier CV50 Tele
2003 MiM Strat
1990 Jackson Soloist Pro
1994 MiM Tele Squier Series
1994 MiM Strat Squier Series
Ibanez Artcore AS83
Jay Turser Tele (HB in neck)
Michael Kelly Patriot Q
Samick Artist Series LP
Paul Reed Smith SE
Samick Jagmaster ca. 1999
Epiphone LP Special
AXL Strat clone
Epiphone Strat clone
SX Tele

There is not a single guitar listed above where the tuners would not hold the guitar in tune. They may not feel smooth, but they don't cause the guitar to go out of tune.

There is not a single guitar listed above with a broken trussrod or fretwork so bad that the guitar frets out or buzzes with a reasonable action.

There is not a single guitar listed above where a quick shot of DeOxit wouldn't fix a switch or pot issue (outside of a wire coming unsoldered).

There is not a single guitar listed above that I could not get some kind of tone that I liked with any of the amps or pedals in my possession.

There is not a single guitar listed above with a twisted/warped/or otherwise unplayable neck.

There is not a single guitar listed above that makes me play better than another. There's no magic guitar that plays itself, no matter what hype you read.

I've churned a metric asston of gear (I didn't even mention amps or PUP swaps) in the past 15 months. I've come to the conclusion that very few guitars/pups/amps are better than others. They are just different. Also, You can get a lemon at ANY price range from any manufacturer.

And for the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would purchase a guitar new, when there are 900 trillion used ones on craig's list or at GC every single day.

Oh and for the record, the guitar I play 90% of the time is the '94 MiM Tele Squier Series (with stock ceramic PUPs). And that Turser was a darn nice guitar. I shoulda kept it.

 

[HOBBSTER01]

I'd never consider the SX's I have owned giggable in their stock form.-tdu

Nor would I.
But no guitar, in my case is giggable until it gets "Hobbsterized."
My Nocaster required mucho setup work when it arrived to the point of I was thinking about returning it.
The only out of the box playable and giggable guitar I've ever gotten was the Buckocaster.
It played like a champ when it arrived.(thanks Steve)

However that SX neck is awesome.
I'm currently on the prowl for one in the classifieds as we speak.

 

[schenkadere]

This for $195 brand new...I'm really tempted.
image removed

 

[Commodore 64]

Mine was very similar, except it was black.

image removed

 

[casey2910]

go a head and do it. the gold will fade quickly if you play it, but hey its all experiences. For a poor man, its all good fun. Money is for entertainment in what ever form you decide to spend it.

 

[Commodore 64]

Yeah, I hate gold hardware. Gold hardware is for case queens, unless you prefer the weathered look.

 

[redhand]

I know this thread is a little old now but I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

I just bought a Turser Tele off of Ebay. Its one of the nicer ones, cost me 350 plus shipping. The guy put GFS pick ups in it and added a Bigsby tail piece. I worked in a guitar shop for a couple years during and after high school and I got to play some great guitars. I developed a taste for good equipment and I don't put up with guitars that are substandard for a second. That being said I love this guitar. I played an '81 gibson LP jr. for years until it was stolen. That was a great guitar and this turser plays just as well if not better.

You can get a lemon with any name on it. For the money and the quality I'm not sure I'll every buy anything other than Jay Turser again.

btw what the heck is a case queen?

 

[redhand]

This turser tele actually plays very similarly to an ernie ball music man I used to have.

 

[Commodore 64]

Case queen is a guitar that stays int he case and is never played/abused. That's about the only time gold hardware stays gold, IME.

 

[kevinpaul]

I had a Deluxe a few years back. I'd say it was a decent guitar, but a poor Telecaster. It just didn't sound like a Tele to me.

I have two, a 335 clone that is much better than any epiphone I had. The Rose Wood Tele is the best Tele I ever owned!
Better than my Fenders that are case queens now. They make great stuff!

 

[vintage clubber]

I have two Tursers in my collection - a paisley tele and a strat style. I have done lots of upgrades on both and they are both nice players. Great necks on them!

 

[Timewarp Guitar]

I have two Tursers, and a lot of love for both of them. I have a Paisley tele, and a black "fat strat", both completely stock. Great guitars for very short money. I also have a Heritage H170, and a very nice old Epi Sheraton, as well as a couple of basses. I occasionally play blues with a guy who has a bunch of Tursers, including the jazz box and a rosewood tele. I've played his guitars, and every one of them is aa keeper. My point? If you can get past the shape of the headstock, and the Turser logo, you can own a great short money guitar.

 

[Rod Parsons]

My 335 copy. Totally stock.. The first time I ever even heard of the Turser brand, I tried one off an exclusive 'Jay Turser" display rack at my favorite music store in 2001. I had gone to the store to buy some strings and just tried out the one in the picture. It played beautifully and was set up and intonated as good as it gets. It is still set up the same... no changes. I looked at the price on the hand tag and immediately asked a clerk about it. He smiled and I took out my credit card immediately.. The price was so cheap for what I got. I love it. I named her Leah May, after my first and deceased Golden Retriever.

 

[CNILE]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I played one a while back, as a test guitar in a store while shopping for an amp.
The sound was killer(assumed it was the amp)-played great!

Got home, plugged my RI Nocaster in ....ho hum......just another amp.


Went back to get the Turser, it was gone.

I specifically picked that guitar off the wall, because it was a hundred bucks, the crappiest thing in the store.

Just a plain, yellowish tele, I think it had a "rosewood" neck on it.

One of the best tele's I've ever played on.


I still kick myself in the a** over that one.

I don't know where they are made, what parts are on there, only one I've ever seen, but I would jump through a plate-glass window for one.

 

[Dr Improbable]

I have a Turser "Mustang" that is a decent guitar. Despite the fact that it and I have different concepts about intonation....

 

[Ryvn]

I have a Thinline with Telecaster Deluxe style configuration. Very cheap and good quality.

It sounded good when I was trying it out on the store with a nice big amp. At home on my Fender Greta, not as good. Good enough for starters or for someone looking for a project guitar.

 

[ultra80096]

I bought a JT Rosewood Tele last winter. Had some rough fret ends. Smoothed them out, thought the pickups were meh, hung it on the wall. Got it down this summer, played with pickup settings along with eq on my Delta Blues 115 & actually took it to our once a month jam night last thursday. Also bought a CV BSB recently & I like the neck of the JT better than the CV, though I really like both guitars. The JT has the fretboard edges rolled, & feels smoother than the CV.

 

[radiocaster]

Played the hollow tele kind in a shop, didn't think too highly of it, extremely light air guitar type body, haven't tried any Fender/Squier of a similar model to compare, but I'm sure it could be someone else's cup of tea. Looked nice though, binding on body and f-hole.