Should I return this mail order Telecaster?

[notjustbass]

Hi,
I have a new Chinese Telecaster Mailorder bride. I can send it back if there are things wrong with it.
The action was 4/32" all across at the highest fret and the nut was also kind of high.
The neck was and still is super straight. I took all the relief out and the trussrod nut is almost loose now. But that allowed me to lower the action to about 2/32" all across with very little buzzing. It plays OK now, I can live with it the way it is .
I'm mainly a bassplayer not a Tele specialist . Do necks on new and inexpensive guitars change over the first few months of their existence. The neck is pretty fat. Could a neck like that start relaxing a bit over time from the constant tension? Can I speed that up by tuning the guitar higher and leaving it like that for a while? Can a neck that is super straight eventually back bow over time?
I could also reshape the neck to make it slimmer. I have done that a few times on my bass guitars and i'm pretty good with that. But I didn't do that to make the neck have more relief.
I don't want to be super picky but am I asking for trouble if I didn't send it back?

 

[boris bubbanov]

I'd send it back. Sounds like you'd be playing a different guitar, every other day.

 

[stnmtthw]

If you don't like it, you don't like it. Send it back and get something you want.

Also, I'm reading "Chinese Telecaster Mail-order Bride" as some cheap knock off from Ali Express or something. My advice is don't buy that crap. There's nothing wrong with buying a Squier if you want something inexpensive to pick around on, and you will get 100x the guitar for the same amount of money.

 

[mimmo]

This!! ^^^

Send it back and but a reliable Squier, it will serve you well and last a long, long time.

 

[teletail]

You get what you pay for. Send it back, the issues you describe won’t get better over time. You can buy a used Squier Affinity for under $100 all day long and they will be 1,000 times better than the junk you’re describing.

 

[bobio]

You don’t mention anything about adjusting the saddle height??? We don’t typically use the truss rod as the primary means to adjust string height. Adjust the truss rod for the proper relief and then adjust the saddles to raise or lower the string height. You will also want to check string height at the nut.

 

[boris bubbanov]

You get what you pay for. Send it back, the issues you describe won’t get better over time. You can buy a used Squier Affinity for under $100 all day long and they will be 1,000 times better than the junk you’re describing.

Teletail, I agree with everything you say except the first sentence. Some guys buy that used Squier you describe and it plays just fine and other guys spend just as much or more for some long distance thingie and it ends up taking up space in a closet. Now that we can safely go more places again, time to go back into the shops and try something out thoroughly before buying - and you may end up paying less, not more, than something sketchy bought sight unseen.

 

[teletail]

Teletail, I agree with everything you say except the first sentence. Some guys buy that used Squier you describe and it plays just fine and other guys spend just as much or more for some long distance thingie and it ends up taking up space in a closet. Now that we can safely go more places again, time to go back into the shops and try something out thoroughly before buying - and you may end up paying less, not more, than something sketchy bought sight unseen.

I wouldn't argue that. I'd also say that the cheaper the guitar, the more important it is to try before you buy. You might have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince in that price range.

 

[old soul]

Squiers can be fantastic, just sounds like you might have a dud or maybe it needs a good setup. If you aren't floored by it, I would send it back. A set up may help, but if you still dont like it, you're out the setup $

 

[PhredE]

A set of measurements re: nut slots/nut height, saddles height(s), and relief at 8th fret (distance from under side of E string(s) to top of 8th fret -- EDIT: fretting the string at 1st and 15th frets -- doh!) would enable folks to help you diagnose the situation best.

I have a few Chinese and Indonesian made guitars, and, I can safely offer this: they always require at least a cursory setup and tweaking (only 1 required major work to make playable). Generally, you'll encounter nuts that aren't filed properly (usually badly fitting or string slots not filed down enough), truss rods that need adjustment, saddles/bridges that also need adjustment. Sometimes, the quality of the hardware or the installation of the same is just not up to snuff and begs for an upgrade as well. Once you work through those 'bugs' things will be much improved -- maybe even bearable.

It's a nuisance and takes some time and money to deal with for sure. But, 'you get what you pay for' generally holds true.

Was curious, you didn't mention the brand of the unit.. Is it something we might recognize?

 

[Happy Enchilada]

Chinese mail-order bride? Frog kissing? Egad, this is almost as titillating as the Johnny Dirtbag / Amber Turd hearings!
I have not smooched any Chinese dollies, but have had hours of fun with Indonesian mail order brides - with great success.
But with any "budget import," you have to realize the pots and switch and jack and possibly tuners will all be dreck.
However, I've found the wooden bits to be first rate in terms of fit and finish - as good as US in most cases (Heresy!).
For example, I have an Indonesian Hamer Special that came with great sounding P90s that were a welcome surprise.

My advice would be return it for a refund if that's possible. Then save up your milk money for a couple months and go for either a gently used Mexican maiden or a sultry Indonesian beauty like this one:

Schecter PT Special. P90 neck, GraphTech nut, bound neck, lockers - all for $600-ish.
Or build one - you can probably build a fine partscaster for just north of $500. That's what I'd do.

Good Luck!

 

[stnmtthw]

Chinese mail-order bride? Frog kissing? Egad, this is almost as titillating as the Johnny Dirtbag / Amber Turd hearings!
I have not smooched any Chinese dollies, but have had hours of fun with Indonesian mail order brides - with great success.
But with any "budget import," you have to realize the pots and switch and jack and possibly tuners will all be dreck.
However, I've found the wooden bits to be first rate in terms of fit and finish - as good as US in most cases (Heresy!).
For example, I have an Indonesian Hamer Special that came with great sounding P90s that were a welcome surprise.

My advice would be return it for a refund if that's possible. Then save up your milk money for a couple months and go for either a gently used Mexican maiden or a sultry Indonesian beauty like this one:
View attachment 980703
Schecter PT Special. P90 neck, GraphTech nut, bound neck, lockers - all for $600-ish.
Or build one - you can probably build a fine partscaster for just north of $500. That's what I'd do.

Good Luck!

I really like that color.

I think the difference is, Schecter puts their name on their guitars and stands by their product. I'm pretty sure what OP is describing is a knock off pile of trash that some scam artist slapped a Fender decal on and put it on Wish.com to take advantage of people.

Country of origin doesn't really matter as long as the quality is there.

 

[Timbresmith1]

Hi,
I have a new Chinese Telecaster Mailorder bride. I can send it back if there are things wrong with it.
The action was 4/32" all across at the highest fret and the nut was also kind of high.
The neck was and still is super straight. I took all the relief out and the trussrod nut is almost loose now. But that allowed me to lower the action to about 2/32" all across with very little buzzing. It plays OK now, I can live with it the way it is .
I'm mainly a bassplayer not a Tele specialist . Do necks on new and inexpensive guitars change over the first few months of their existence. The neck is pretty fat. Could a neck like that start relaxing a bit over time from the constant tension? Can I speed that up by tuning the guitar higher and leaving it like that for a while? Can a neck that is super straight eventually back bow over time?
I could also reshape the neck to make it slimmer. I have done that a few times on my bass guitars and i'm pretty good with that. But I didn't do that to make the neck have more relief.
I don't want to be super picky but am I asking for trouble if I didn't send it back?

Wait, you’re complaining about a cheap guitar with a straight neck?

 

[Happy Enchilada]

I really like that color.

I think the difference is, Schecter puts their name on their guitars and stands by their product. I'm pretty sure what OP is describing is a knock off pile of trash that some scam artist slapped a Fender decal on and put it on Wish.com to take advantage of people.

Country of origin doesn't really matter as long as the quality is there.

This is somewhat true - but I've found the QC and build is somewhat hit and miss with the Chinese stuff vs. Indonesian.
My "knockaround" acoustic is a sub-$300 Chinese Teton dreadnaught that I absolutely love. It's lightweight, it has a solid spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides, and an articulate and booming voice. Plus, I'm not afraid to have it sit out on a stand within arm's reach all day or take it to a campfire or back porch jam. Just put D'Adarrio locking tuners on it - not because the stock tuners weren't good, but because it's the one that gets played the most, so it goes through more string changes, so why not make it easier? Just put a fresh set of 80/20 Earthwood 11s on it and it sounds incredible. I found some GraphTech bridgepins in my parts drawer that it will get next time I change strings. It gives so much and asks so little. Owner of the local shop that used to sell Teton product told me he dropped the line because there was way too many bad apples, so I musta got lucky.

 

[SPUDCASTER]

Try your luck with a CV Squier 50's or 60's. And maybe look at the Sire Larry Carlton T7.

 

[jimmywrangles]

Artist guitars in Australia import from China, I have a few of them and they're all fine guitars although Artist have 6 people doing quality control between me and the guitar making sure i don't get a dud
With modern machining a cheap guitar can be an excellent guitar once you've replaced the crap tuners etc.
My all time fav guitar in my collection is an Artist LP60 with aftermarket Seymour Duncan Phat cat P90's...It's a freaking beast to play and should be given that the pickups are worth substantially more than the guitar itself.
I'd keep it is what I'm trying to say.

 

[Boreas]

Hi,
I have a new Chinese Telecaster Mailorder bride. I can send it back if there are things wrong with it.
The action was 4/32" all across at the highest fret and the nut was also kind of high.
The neck was and still is super straight. I took all the relief out and the trussrod nut is almost loose now. But that allowed me to lower the action to about 2/32" all across with very little buzzing. It plays OK now, I can live with it the way it is .
I'm mainly a bassplayer not a Tele specialist . Do necks on new and inexpensive guitars change over the first few months of their existence. The neck is pretty fat. Could a neck like that start relaxing a bit over time from the constant tension? Can I speed that up by tuning the guitar higher and leaving it like that for a while? Can a neck that is super straight eventually back bow over time?
I could also reshape the neck to make it slimmer. I have done that a few times on my bass guitars and i'm pretty good with that. But I didn't do that to make the neck have more relief.
I don't want to be super picky but am I asking for trouble if I didn't send it back?

You left out some important details. Brand? Model? Price? If we don't know what you are actually dealing with, it is speculative to advise you. If it is truly Chinese junk, then return it. But China does produce some good guitars that may be worth fiddling with to make right. It may just need a PROPER set-up, not just wanking away at the truss rod which is not the way to set up a new guitar.

 

[nojazzhere]

Hi,
I have a new Chinese Telecaster Mailorder bride. I can send it back if there are things wrong with it.
The action was 4/32" all across at the highest fret and the nut was also kind of high.
The neck was and still is super straight. I took all the relief out and the trussrod nut is almost loose now. But that allowed me to lower the action to about 2/32" all across with very little buzzing. It plays OK now, I can live with it the way it is .
I'm mainly a bassplayer not a Tele specialist . Do necks on new and inexpensive guitars change over the first few months of their existence. The neck is pretty fat. Could a neck like that start relaxing a bit over time from the constant tension? Can I speed that up by tuning the guitar higher and leaving it like that for a while? Can a neck that is super straight eventually back bow over time?
I could also reshape the neck to make it slimmer. I have done that a few times on my bass guitars and i'm pretty good with that. But I didn't do that to make the neck have more relief.
I don't want to be super picky but am I asking for trouble if I didn't send it back?

I echo most of the comments above. Without a few more specifics, particularly the actual brand (and if I'm familiar with it) I won't advise keeping what you have. I HAVE had good luck with the super-cheap Grote brand, as well as Squiers, and hear good things about Harley Bentons. Almost ANY inexpensive guitar you buy will need some neck work.....frets leveled, relief adjusted, etc.....so always figure that into your budget. The advantage to buying USED is usually that work has already been done, and you're paying a "used" price.
And....please, don't re-shape a big neck. They are hard to find and SOMEONE will want it. If you have to have smaller, buy a cheap small neck for your own use......my opinion.

 

[John C]

Chinese mail-order bride? Frog kissing? Egad, this is almost as titillating as the Johnny Dirtbag / Amber Turd hearings!
I have not smooched any Chinese dollies, but have had hours of fun with Indonesian mail order brides - with great success.
But with any "budget import," you have to realize the pots and switch and jack and possibly tuners will all be dreck.
However, I've found the wooden bits to be first rate in terms of fit and finish - as good as US in most cases (Heresy!).
For example, I have an Indonesian Hamer Special that came with great sounding P90s that were a welcome surprise.

My advice would be return it for a refund if that's possible. Then save up your milk money for a couple months and go for either a gently used Mexican maiden or a sultry Indonesian beauty like this one:
View attachment 980703
Schecter PT Special. P90 neck, GraphTech nut, bound neck, lockers - all for $600-ish.
Or build one - you can probably build a fine partscaster for just north of $500. That's what I'd do.

Good Luck!

Unless Schecter changed these for 2022 they are made in Korea, not Indonesia - one of the few Schecter Diamond Series that are still MIK; most models are made in Indonesia. Should be made by Cor-Tek either way.

Back on topic these are very nice instruments - very lightweight and resonant with more of a "Modern C" neck shape and not the more typical thin Schecter shape.

 

[schmee]

Not sure I see a problem.......? You are trying to get 1/16" action and frankly, it's hard to do reliably on a Fender USA Tele, much less a $90 guitar. My guitars are more like .080 on the high E at the 15th fret and 4/32 on the low E. Wider at the end fret. Adjust that nut and play it.