I'm pretty sure what sours a guy on the Tele Custom Mexican or American made is the modern version of the WRHB. Fender, SHOULD voluntarily change those things out. Oh well, I'm pretty sure they are out of warranty by now.
THE COURAGE TO TELL MYSELF THE TRUTH. I DISLIKE MY CURRENT TELE.
- Thread starter Kandinskyesque
- Start date
This is kind of like a sore on the back of your hand that you can't quite quit picking at. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with design of the Tele Custom, it just needed another pickup other than the WRHB. I think though the thing that makes it hard to get along with the guitar, is that it is just so different from a regular Tele. On its own, there is nothing wrong with the guitar, but it just feels and looks odd to you, if you've played a lot of for want of a better term, regular Teles.
Now, I've thought many times about changing out the pickup, but it's not that simple. You can't buy a pickguard to replace it using a different pickup. The places you can buy the pickguards warn you, this will probably not fit your FENDER! If it won't fit a Fender what's it for? Nah, I'll probably just let it alone, and look over at it once in a while and say, what was I thinkin'?
The Tele Custom kind of makes you feel like you went to the shoe store for a pair of nice leather shoes and came back with. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Besides, tomorrow I might like it again.
Now, I've thought many times about changing out the pickup, but it's not that simple. You can't buy a pickguard to replace it using a different pickup. The places you can buy the pickguards warn you, this will probably not fit your FENDER! If it won't fit a Fender what's it for? Nah, I'll probably just let it alone, and look over at it once in a while and say, what was I thinkin'?
The Tele Custom kind of makes you feel like you went to the shoe store for a pair of nice leather shoes and came back with. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Besides, tomorrow I might like it again.
Telekarster
Poster Extraordinaire
THIS
I'd also like to add: @Kandinskyesque feel free to ask any questions you might have during your build. Be sure to search this site too, cause there's tons and tons of threads that are already out here that will likely answer your questions as well. In fact, this is how I found my way to this site when I first started thinking about building my own Tele 
There was so much info already out here that I built my Tele off prior threads advice, and then became a member afterwards LOL!!! Good luck man!!
Here is my Turd polishing thread. It took a lot of effort.
I think it came out pretty well in the end, that sounds bad.
It is a keeper
www.tdpri.com
I think it came out pretty well in the end, that sounds bad.
It is a keeper
Allen Eden Seafoam Green Body
Well, impulse bought a T-Style body on eBay. This is my first Non-Fender body. Did some searching and it appears in the past they had some shipping/packaging issues. Looks like they solved that as my body arrived quickly and was packed really well and the paint looks flawless. While the...
THIS
Yes, the forum is a great place to find ideas about building a Tele. Ping Ping Clicka was an invaluable source of information in designing and building my first Tele. I've got to work a few things out design-wise, but here is my first self-built Tele. (Plays like buttah)
Telekarster
Poster Extraordinaire
Man with that baby you'll really be able to rock and "roll" !!!
I know we're breaking new ground here, but you should hear like a rolling stone on this baby!
Just to show you how fickle I am, I picked up that AV 72 Tele Custom today, and eyeballed the Kluson Tuners, and six-saddle bridge I put on it, and turned on the DRRI which I had just before tubes started getting scarce put all new pre-amp tubes in and thought. You know I've been looking for a guitar like this!
ping-ping-clicka
Poster Extraordinaire
yes, it is, it's you that have actually changed.
It's metaphysics backwards, when it comes to tele mojo .
So true! After playing my 1970 Thinline w/buckers for 15 years, I picked up up a friend’s plain Tele with singles and realized THAT was the sound I wanted! I wasted no time trading it straight across for a Les Paul Black Beauty and a REAL Tele. I never looked back.
Happy Enchilada
Friend of Leo's
OP:
Throw away your turd polish and get one of these:
Schecter PT Special.
Single coil bridge, P90 neck (tasty!)
Swamp ash body
Tummy and forearm cuts
Bound neck and body
Tusq nut
Lockers
(Yeah, it comes in other colors as well)
Neck is not as fat as the one you have and dislike.
$699 brand spankin' new every day.
I'd offer suggestions but, since I like thick necks and hate a 7.25" radius, I doubt I could help. I do hope you find what you're looking for.
teletail
Friend of Leo's
I think mods are good for improving an already good guitar, but when you don’t like that many things about a guitar, mods are a waste of money.
I agree, and as I get older (53) I agree more and more. I'm not opposed to swapping pickups, EVEN NECKS if I really love everything else about it, (or speakers if it's an amp), but I've been down the "mod it into what I want" road more than once. It's worked out beautifully with my strat, but never really gave me what I wanted from anything else. And a "turd" doesn't have to be a cheap guitar either- my $5K PRS DGT is not perfect. But I'm not touching it. I'll just play it. I bought it for the band so I use the bridge pickup (which is glorious) 95% of the time anyway. But it will never be the guitar I choose for home playing. And I'm not "upgrading" or modding a $5K guitar. I had a Squier thinline that I put more money into than I paid for the guitar. Never was up to snuff. I could play it just fine, it sounded fine, but I never bonded with it.
Nope... these days, something has to really impress me AS IS before I consider keeping it. I'm done polishing turds, even really nice, perfectly formed ones LOL.
oatsoda
Tele-Afflicted
I had to do it with my custom shop a couple years ago, and went back to my American special partscaster.
THX1123
Tele-Afflicted
I'm inclined to agree with some of the posts above. Set your sights on something else and keep the '72.
Lots of us have Teles we weren't enamored with at the time that we sold on and regretted later.
I scored a '04 MIM '72 RI in black 2 years ago for US $450, which was apparently a good price. It replaced one I sold back in 2000. After a few years I regretted selling it.
Lots of us have Teles we weren't enamored with at the time that we sold on and regretted later.
I scored a '04 MIM '72 RI in black 2 years ago for US $450, which was apparently a good price. It replaced one I sold back in 2000. After a few years I regretted selling it.
Fiesta Red
Doctor of Teleocity
That’s a good looking turd (IMHO)…but I understand.
I GAS’d for a Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe for a couple of years…finally got one, dressed it up cosmetically and made it gorgeous…and just couldn’t bond with it….
Didn’t like the Fender MP90’s (a weak version of a P-90, IMHO)…was about to go down the replacement pickup rabbit hole and realized I didn’t like the way the neck joined the body (the Modern Player models had a weird 22-fret neck with a deeper neck rout that just “felt weird” to me)…couldn’t just fix that, so I sold it and moved on.
It sure was pretty, though.
Cheap Trills
Tele-Afflicted
Truly great instruments are rare. A lot of great playing has been done on mediocre guitars. If you sell it, you might miss it. Then again, maybe this is how I've ended up with a room full of guitars I never play.
To tell ya the truth, I'm feelin' a leetle sorry fer it.
jvin248
Doctor of Teleocity
.
The lack of 'bonding' with a guitar is always the tone. Fix that and maybe the neck.
I'd convert it to a Junior with a regular humbucker and a single volume and tone.
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The lack of 'bonding' with a guitar is always the tone. Fix that and maybe the neck.
I'd convert it to a Junior with a regular humbucker and a single volume and tone.
.
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