Recommend me a tele that's a step up from the CV 50's

Nocaster are not hype, they kick ass! The pickups and the fat neck are what set it apart from the 52RI. Both are great Teles.

as far as the 9.5 radius if you look at the blackguard book specs most blackguards were not 7.25 anyway. (I think they were supposed to be by design but after all the sanding they ended up being flatter)

 

Since you already have a Tele and play in a worship band, I would go with something that sounds very different so it will compliment the Tele. You can get an Epiphone Les Paul Special with P90s for about $379 or a Les Paul Studio for $379.

 

IMO its all hype just a gimick to sell high priced guitars. They are Telcasters plain and simple, Even true org. nocasters are no better than the 52 telecaster in general .


So they screwed up a few neck rads probably not many and 9" not 9.5.
I suspose the book says most had med. jumbo frets as well. Whats it say the Broadcaster neck rad. is?

 

Agreed, I had an Epi LP standard, found the neck unusable. I also had an EPi Prophecy LP, which has modern/slim fast neck - too slim for me!

The Vintage V1OO series have slimmer necks, try the Peter Green model

 

A Tele is always a Tele and what accounts for those characteristics are always going to be very similar between a Nocaster and AVRI 52. I do however feel it is still possible to determine what for you personally makes a better guitar, or is say an improvement over another.

I think it all boils down to what you think makes a better guitar?

Are their pickups better, on the whole for most people's tastes yes. I especially like the hot bridge pickup they put in the first generation Nocasters over the stock AVRI 52 pickups. Though pickups are easily changed.

Are their necks better, if you like something slightly fatter to hold onto yes. Though that is again totally subjective. I do feel that fatter necks are more stable and sound meatier.

Do you prefer a thinner finish, if you do a Nocaster in most cases (the NOS models are very similar to AVRI 52) will have less lacquer. For me finish is all about feel and looks. I prefer the colours the custom shop uses on it's Nocasters and the feel of them.

There are other factors that are linked to each individual guitar. Like wood selection and relicing if you opt for a Nocaster that you don't get on AVRI 52s. General fit and finish, which tends to be completely impeccable on Nocasters.

One thing I never factored in, but heard about recently was the fact that some of the maple used on Nocasters (and on some Telecasters in the past) seems to be of been of a greater density then on an average model. There is a clip of Phil X talking about a 50s Telecaster they have for sale at frettedamericana that has a very dense bird's eye maple neck. Apparently that alters the response of the guitar somewhat.

I have always thought of all the wood myths regarding tone, the neck wood ones seem to be reflected most often in what I experience. Neck size and material seems to correspond relatively often to the character of a guitar. I noticed the relatively heavy, bird's eye maple neck of my Nocaster seems to have a sharper attack then the rosewood and other maple necked Telecasters I've played. It's far more common to find necks like those on Nocasters then a AVRI 52 because for a long time they came as standard. They also wear far more slowing if you are into that kind of thing.

P.S.

There is a whole world of vintage, CS limited additions, CS Masterbuilds and Luthier custom builds that probably sound and feel even better then a Nocaster. Though a Nocaster secondhand is a really decent bang for the buck acquisition. I just think Nocasters are hyped because they are easy to get hold of and rarely let you done. They are basically the CV 50 line of the Fender Custom Shop. They stopped me GASing hard for a real 50s Telecaster, I could have been a world of trouble without them.

 

imsilly,

Really good breakdown of the Nocaster. As someone who knew little on how they differ thanks very for the info mate

 

I'm asking the same kind of question as the topic creator. I've got a CV '50s and I'm wondering how a Mexican '60s reissue (or even the '50s model, though I tend to prefer rosewood fretboards given a choice) would be. The CV sounds amazing for the price, but to be honest, I'm not really a huge fan of the neck. I don't mind a slim neck, but this one's skinnier than Amy Winehouse on hunger strike.

I've also got a Squier Tele Custom II, which has a slightly fatter neck and (I'm told) a vintage 7.25 radius. Either way, it just seems to fit my hand much better. I wonder how them Mex classic models compare. The '60s version certainly looks the part for me.

 

From my experence if a person was to sit down and play 5-10 or each and or several different models ,they will find a difference in tone and attack sustain Etc. etc.
a gem for the beholder can pop up in any model. Also lots of people tend to think ( not I) the figured wood is vibration restrictive and not a good thing. Real Nocasters (org.) did not use figured maple as a standard issue.

IMO your description of the sonic qualities and standard use of figured wood only add to the Hype IMO. The difference in what verion of vintage pickup or modded vintage spec., which is better is subjective, as you know.

But to me IMO the idea of creating a tele which costs that much just cause it was sold for a short while with out a designation, when a 52 Ri was already being sold . Well the CS IMO is a hyped up ripoff ,.IMO there is no upgrade in wood quality and fit and finish that requiers the upcharge.
My CV thinline fit is as good as any CS guitar!

 

yahoo canada.... 23800 links




the green is heavy and has a push pull tone pot

tom lee is a vintage and fender dealer



i always am drawn to the jr it just feels good to me light thin tele like

 

Classic Player Baja
You won't find another pine body though.

You could just put a fatter neck on it and (IMO) it would be a tremendously better guitar.

In fact, why not put together a parts-caster? Get a neck from Warmoth or USACG, Fender body, pickups and hardware of your choice. You can get Fender CS quality with a little bit of discretion and around 1/4th the cost.

 

Loving this answer!!!

 

+1000

but it also depends on what you consider an "UPGRADE"????

if you like fat knecked guitars... there a quite a few "upgrades" to the cv50.....

again, I find this question impossible to answer.... I UPGRADED to a CV50 when I traded off my American Standard.

I know that for me the cv50 was a huge upgrade from the american standard and I didn't (and haven't) change a thing on it.....

and IN MY OPINION, I think the mexican's poor quality control, some are fine, some are junk, never seen one that was great.

 

If you just plain want another Telecaster... CV Custom or Thinline?

Not necessarily a step up, but certainly not a step down... and a Thinline would be a nicely complementary guitar.

Unless you just plain want a more expensive or definitively higher quality instrument... then the AVRI would probably be a good place to start. Or send one of our resident builders a note?

 

Was at GC yesterday and did an A,B,C, test playing a CV 50, MIM, and MIA through a DRRI. I still stand by my contention that an MIM is a step up from a CV 50, but I'm not sure that it's so much a step up as a difference in sound & feel when compared to the CV 50. I still liked the stock MIM better than the CV 50. What was different for me, this time around, is I had a slight preference for the MIA as the pick of the litter. So I would go MIA, followed by MIM, and then CV 50. However, when looking at the difference in the price points, would go with the CV 50. I would probably be willing to pay an additional $50 for the MIM and then an additional $50 for the MIA. The difference really isn't all that much and gets to be an apple and oranges comparison rather than a dramatic shift in quality or sound with the different models. At least that's how it was for me at GC yesterday.....and I am only "pawn in game of life".

 

Those Vintagev100 lemon drop LPs vary so hugely in quality from guitar to guitar - my local shop stocks a bunch of vintage gear and while you can get a smacking great bargain on a good guitar if you find a good one, some of them have awful fretwork, sloppy detailing and are just absolute rubbish.

 

Its tough because the CV in its stock form is such an Overachiever. I think people are shocked when they pick one up the first time and realize it's a Squire budget guitar (no offense meant here but it's priced as an import guitar) but side by side with the stock MIM (Having owned both) I would lean towards the CV.

So what now? You could check out the American Specials, though color options seem kinda limited for what is supposed to be a step up into American made territory. I think it's either white or tobbacco burst, but they seem setup nice and keep you in that vintage bridge setup you are used to.

To be honest, you would have to aim kinda hi to beat your CV, I really believe the MIM standard is not going to get you there without some type of $$ investment. Modern bridge, ceramic rocker pups (some love the pups some hate them) so so tuners, crap saddles and crap nut.. As usual here is the "Go try some out yourself" nugget. But it's true, you just don't know until you check them out.

 

If my CV would have had a chunky neck, I probably would still have it. I'd have eventually swapped out the pots if they didn't loosen up, but other than that, it was definitely a keeper.