MJT Tele Body Question

[junkopardner]

I’ve been following some MJT Tele body auctions on eBay and was thinking about getting one for a partscaster build. I was curious to know what everyone’s thoughts were on MJTs quality etc, and also since there’s no neck pocket measurements listed, what kind of neck I would need to fit the body.

My other concern is that these bodies are nitro finished with some light relic on them, so a non-relic or aged neck might look silly on there. So there’s that consideration as well.

So if anyone has any input on this I’d really appreciate it.

 

[Raising Arizona]

Depends on what wood it is… if you’re looking for a spot on replacement tele body… tone bomb… I just built 3 of them. Consistent, no flaws, alder… and really reasonable… eBay has them sometimes
They came natural, I nitrocellulose painted them

 

[junkopardner]

Depends on what wood it is… if you’re looking for a spot on replacement tele body… tone bomb… I just built 3 of them. Consistent, no flaws, alder… and really reasonable… eBay has them sometimes
They came natural, I nitrocellulose painted them

Those look really sharp. Are the neck pockets all fender specs?

 

[loudboy]

I have a butterscotch Swamp Ash body. Very nice quality, the finish was nicely reliced, and after about 250 gigs or so on it, it's aging very nicely. Super-light and resonant, I put an All-Parts soft-V neck on it, and it fit perfectly. I had it finished in Nitro, and the guy who did it matched it perfectly. All other hardware lined up exactly also.

 

[johmica]

MJT offers a quality product. The neck pocket is in standard Tele dimensions. If I were going to match it with a new, "un-reliced" neck, I'd ask them to finish it in their "closet clean" option. It's the closest that they offer to 'like new."

I've had three bodies and five necks finished by them, and I haven't been disappointed yet.

 

[Raising Arizona]

Those look really sharp. Are the neck pockets all fender specs?

Yes… wouldn’t have it any other way. I bought the tone bomb necks too… those are really great. Super tight fit. I bought two mild V 21f, 12 radius, medium jumbos… amazing!! I also built an ash strat, same ultra quality… neck is an extreme V, 7.25, vintage frets, 21f. Sharp V shape… pretty cool. If you ever get ash, get it sanded ready for paint. It’s really a hard wood (literally) sand out and fill…

 

[soul-o]

Well, let me tell you about that. I built a partscaster based around a MJT brown subnburst w/ bindimg, light relic. MJT was super reliable and pro and got me exactly what I asked for. I paired it w/ a Fender neck (w/ finish sanded on the back) w/ rosewood fingerboard, Lollar pickups and a Joe Barden bridge. I have used that on about 1,000 gigs.
The finish is now knackered in such a manner that guitar dudes at social events often ask if it‘s a real 60’s tele. That said, it‘s a bit more than I anticipated and I wish that it was a bit less so. It plays better than any tele I have tried except for custom shop ones, but it looks quite worn in.

 

[Hodgo88]

I have three MJT guitars, two full builds and one body.

A closet clean will look fine with a new poly neck, but their finishes are very, very thin. Unless treated very carefully the body will chip, crack, and age rapidly while the poly neck will stay new looking for a long, long time.

If you commission a custom order, just assume out the gate they are never going to meet the timelines they communicate to save yourself some heartburn.

 

[jeb512]

My MJT experience was not great. i ordered a closet-clean alder double bound tele body in LPB. Less than 24hrs after placing the order, I had a change of heart and wanted to go with a cream binding instead of white. I was told this would cost $50 to make the change even this early on (it states this on their site but I hoped they’d work with me since I was spending a lot of $ with them). They didn’t and I left it as is.
I also ordered hardware through MJT. When the hardware arrived it was wrong and they failed to include the tuners. I sent it back to them at my expense. No offer came from them to reimburse or pay for the return shipping.
When my body finally arrived (late) it was heavier than promised. Upon ordering the body I was told it would be 4.6 lbs or less. Mine is 4.7. They knew this because they write the weight in the neck pocket and they used it anyway. Not a big deal but not as advertised.
For the OP, the neck pocket on mine was way too narrow to fit my brand new Warmoth tele roasted ash neck. Also, The neck humbucker route I requested is too narrow to fit a standard humbucker. This was my first partscaster (and hopefully last) build. After 6 months of waiting for the body I was done dealing with MJT. I ended up taking it to a local pro to get the neck pocket opened up properly and to get the my humbucker to fit. He also finished putting the whole thing together for me and did a great job considering his assignment.
In the end it looks and plays great but it was not a fun ride to get here. I won’t buy another from them. I’ll stick to Warmoth in the future.

 

[junkopardner]

My MJT experience was not great. i ordered a closet-clean alder double bound tele body in LPB. Less than 24hrs after placing the order, I had a change of heart and wanted to go with a cream binding instead of white. I was told this would cost $50 to make the change even this early on (it states this on their site but I hoped they’d work with me since I was spending a lot of $ with them). They didn’t and I left it as is.
I also ordered hardware through MJT. When the hardware arrived it was wrong and they failed to include the tuners. I sent it back to them at my expense. No offer came from them to reimburse or pay for the return shipping.
When my body finally arrived (late) it was heavier than promised. Upon ordering the body I was told it would be 4.6 lbs or less. Mine is 4.7. They knew this because they write the weight in the neck pocket and they used it anyway. Not a big deal but not as advertised.
For the OP, the neck pocket on mine was way too narrow to fit my brand new Warmoth tele roasted ash neck. Also, The neck humbucker route I requested is too narrow to fit a standard humbucker. This was my first partscaster (and hopefully last) build. After 6 months of waiting for the body I was done dealing with MJT. I ended up taking it to a local pro to get the neck pocket opened up properly and to get the my humbucker to fit. He also finished putting the whole thing together for me and did a great job considering his assignment.
In the end it looks and plays great but it was not a fun ride to get here. I won’t buy another from them. I’ll stick to Warmoth in the future.

Wow that’s kinda what I feared, especially with the neck pocket. Sounds like an overall bad experience, but I’m glad you found a luthier that got it worked out for you.

 

[Hodgo88]

@jeb512 that doesn't shock me. I ordered a full custom build with them and they ended up shipping it unassembled because my neck wouldn't fit my body, and their "luthier" couldn't fix it. Didn't refund a single cent, didn't attempt to make it right. Just sorry, thanks for the cash here's 80% of your order

 

[ahiddentableau]

I would not buy a "closet clean"/non-relic'd body from them. A few years ago, sure. But not now. Wouldn't get a metallic finish, either. The metallic non-relic'd body I got from them a year or so ago was a train wreck. Lots of orange peel, and six months after I got it developed massive checking. Long lines all the way up and down the body. This in spite of the fact that it never left the cozy confines of my indoor living space.

If I'm being charitable, I think they expanded quite a bit and when you do that it's always going to be a struggle to keep the quality control high. And they're known for the relic thing, not clean finishes. But mostly I just didn't get what they agreed to provide, and I've heard plenty of other reports from others along the same lines. Enough to be wary.

 

[justusberlin]

they get their bodies from wildwood and they are excellent.

I would not custom order from them again - same issue closet clean was reliced (which is stated on their website) though I specified that I wanted no relic whatsoever.

Would not hesitate to buy through Ebay from them though because you can see what you get.

 

[Lonn]

I just bought one of their medium relic Strat bodies on ebay (my second overall) and love it. My only beef was the channel for the wires to the output jack was in the wrong spot and totally interfered with the bottom tone pot. Easy fix but that should not happen with a company that deals with thousands of bodies a year. No problems with the Allparts relic neck. Relic hardware from Real Life Relics.

 

[Norrin Radd]

I have 3 MJT Tele bodies. I have fit them with necks from all parts, mighty mite, Fender, and Musikraft . Never had an issue with any of them fitting. One of them was a custom order (a double bound Standard Tele in crown royal finish). The other two I purchased as auctions on eBay. I am not a person who wants anything near a pristine guitar body. I went down that road for the first decade and a half of my playing career and found it to be a giant pain in the ass to worry about nicks and dings. If you are wanting something in a clean pristine finish, I would suggest buying elsewhere. I’ve never tried a tone bomb, but I do have a Bloomdoom body for my Jaguar, and it is quite spectacular. However, it is also a relic job, but the finish seems a bit stronger than the MJTs. And if what you really want is a new like finish, just buy one of the poly finished bodies off stratosphere and call it a day.

 

[421JAM]

A closet clean will look fine with a new poly neck, but their finishes are very, very thin. Unless treated very carefully the body will chip, crack, and age rapidly while the poly neck will stay new looking for a long, long time.

This is definitely true. I ordered a Tele body from them (yes, my stock fender neck fits perfectly) and said I wanted a matte finish fiesta red. What they sent me had no clear coat at all, and the finish chips very easily. If you bump it on something even lightly, you're going to lose topcoat, and the primer will be exposed. I was disappointed at first, but I've grown to love it, especially the crazing that has developed on the finish.

 

[johmica]

@jeb512 that doesn't shock me. I ordered a full custom build with them and they ended up shipping it unassembled because my neck wouldn't fit my body, and their "luthier" couldn't fix it. Didn't refund a single cent, didn't attempt to make it right. Just sorry, thanks for the cash here's 80% of your order

Did they provide both the neck and the body? Or did you have one or the other (or both) shipped to them?

Just curious.

 

[Hodgo88]

Did they provide both the neck and the body? Or did you have one or the other (or both) shipped to them?

Just curious.

A fair question, and no - it was not their body/neck.

 

[FuncleManson]

Just my two cents: I've used three MJT Strat bodies (no Teles yet) with absolutely no issues. None were custom orders. Two were purchased via eBay auctions and one used on Reverb. I've paired mine with one Musikraft and two Warmoth necks that I didn't do any relicking to and, personally, I like them.

FWIW, it seems when people have issues with them, it's almost always on custom orders. The folks who buy from eBay auctions generally seem pretty happy with them.

 

[telequacktastic]

If you're wanting a durable poly finish that lasts like a production fender then no don't go with MJT

If you're aware that Nitro finishes will develop checking and wear a lot quicker than poly finishes than yes go with MJT

I was recently surprised to learn that some people aren't familiar with the differences between Nitro and Poly.