Need Advice on 3 fenders

[Evan]

I went to two shops today. I played many teles and a used orange-red Mexican fender squire Jaguar. They want $300 For it, which seems to be the going new price online.

I liked something about the jag, even if it did feel a bit cheaply made.

Later, I went to a more trusted shop and played an Am Std Tele (950.00) and an Am Special Tele (650.00). The shop owner kept suggesting that the special is every bit as good as the standard. He said I'd be paying 300 more for a more fancy shiny finish on the body and neck. The std neck and body are very glossy. The special has a mat finish all over. The special's neck doesn't feel as good to me, but the owner was really pushing the lower model.

He says the special will probably sell quickly, but I don't want to rush into it.

I wish I could play another few jags but he doesn't have any and won't get in anything for a long while.

I'm not comparing the jag's tone to the tele, but I liked them both. If I didnt know the price of the two teles, I would have still said the std felt better. It seemed more solid and better built. I thought the special was a Mexican model, but he swears it is American.

The necks on the two teles are probably where I felt the most diff... But things litke the tone knobs and bridge also felt better on the more expensive model.

I really don't know what's the best move. I doubt that the local shops are going to be getting much new or used stock in so soon after Christmas.

Thoughts anyone?

[bohemian46]

The American Special is the replacement for the Highway 1 series.
Made in America with other than the top line American components such as tuners, bridgeplates, switch plates etc.

I have an Am Std 2008. Very good guitar.
I have a Hiway 1 2003 ,, better guitar for my playing style..

Be aware that the American Std the Deluxe and the Am Special all have the narrow string spacing at the bridge of 2 1/16th inches... if you are a finger picker this will make a difference.

My Hiway 1 is the old string spacing width of 2 3 /16ths.....
this changed with the 2006 Hiway 1 model which is narrow

Note that there are two different styles of bridges ( there are more but this is the basics)
One is the traditional ashtray bridge with 3 barrel saddles.. vintage wide
The strings go though the bridge plate behind the barrels.

The other is the new style of 2 1/16th .. narrow.. with six saddles and
the strings go through the plate under the saddles

These are NOT interchangeable.

Also be a aware there are basically two different nut widths...
1 5/8ths narrow and virtually unplayable and the 1 11/16ths such as is found on the Hiway 1 The Am Std and deluxe and the Am Special.

NOTE.. all of the Made in Mexico Fenders (MIM) are 1 5/8ths with one exception.. The Nashville Deluxe which is 1 11/16ths

Also be aware there are basically 2 different neck radius..radii ?
7.5 " which is the vintage and the 9" which comes later

Generally speaking the 1 11/16ths nut width guitars have 9"

The only Telecaster i the entire Fender line ( currently) to have the wide and playable 1 11/16ths nut, 9" radius and a wide string spacing is the MIM Nashville Deluxe.... the only one... and get ready for this
it has three pickups, not two.

Good news, they look good and play well and are relativley cheap around $600-700 street. They are a very versatile guitar and well made.
If I did not have my Hiway 1 ,I would own one.
They can sound very jazzy.

More good news, they are available with the maple fingerboard or a proper rosewood fingerboard.

My choice would be the Honey Blonde with a rosewood board. Cool unit.

Good luck

[cosmic gumbo]

The squier jaguar has a 24" scale neck which makes it a very unique beast, way shorter than a tele, strat, or even a gibson. You commented on how the teles you played had stiffer feeling necks than the jag, and that is why.

Do people feel that a standard mim fender is that inferior to an american fender? I'd buy a used mim fender tele for $300, play it for years, and sell it without losing a nickel.

[Retroman1969]

If the one model you tried has the matte finish all over, including the body (because of a nitro top coat finish vs. poly), that should be a HWY 1 model which was the lowest priced American model, coming in at around $650-$700 retail. I was thinking that the Special model had the standard glossy poly body with a satin finish neck, and is typically priced at $850 retail. I could be wrong.
Either way, I always liked how the HWY1 and Specials played better than the Standards or Deluxes. The differences in the necks was one of the main reasons.
The differences in nut widths and string spacing that bohemian46 described is very much felt and makes a difference in playing comfort. Well, to me at least.

[AcornHouse]

Ultimately, you want a guitar that fits YOU and the way you play. Ignore price, where it was made, and especially what others think about them. Since you can play them all, just concentrate on which one is going to make you WANT to pick it up and play it. Then, find a way to buy it. (Of course you may want to avoid trying out any guitars that you know you could never afford.)

Trust yourself!

[thrush40]

The jag spoke to you. Play it again and if it speaks to you again buy it.

Teles are a dime a dozen (ok, not really, but they're everywhere and easily had). I have owned a few teles over the years including the Am Std.(early 90's). I currently own a first iteration of the Highway 1 series (2003). It is hands down my favorite tele. If you're considering one, try to locate a one from '03 to '05 as the '06 and following used less expensive and Mexican sourced parts (or so I've read).

Did you look at any MIJ models? Back when I was really into teles, loads of talented players were touting the MIJ guitars. Don't know anything about the current assessment.

Anyway, I still say get the Jag if it speaks to you.

[ruiner54]

I know this isnt one of the mentioned options but what about mim teles? i went into the music shop when i wasn't even on the market for a guitar and picked a mim standard tele and started playing it.I loved it so much i bought it the next day. the quality is superior to some guitars i have played that sell for twice as much. The tele can make a fantastic jazz guitar.

[Evan]

Originally Posted by thrush40

The jag spoke to you. Play it again and if it speaks to you again buy it.

Even at 300.00 for used? I didn't find out the year the jag was made. Would 300 for an older jag be any better/worse than the same cost for a new one? Is there a sweet spot for older jags that would make that a better find Ann's worth the price?

The jag did have two humbuckers. I've seen a lot that had two singles. Johnny marr's new jag comes with singles...

Originally Posted by thrush40

I currently own a first iteration of the Highway 1 series (2003). It is hands down my favorite tele. If you're considering one, try to locate a one from '03 to '05 as the '06 and following used less expensive and Mexican sourced parts (or so I've read).

. I'll try to find out if it's highway or special. It's definitely new though.

Originally Posted by thrush40

Did you look at any MIJ models?

I don't think any that I saw were MIJ.

[Evan]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

If the one model you tried has the matte finish all over, including the body (because of a nitro top coat finish vs. poly), that should be a HWY 1 model which was the lowest priced American model, coming in at around $650-$700 retail. I was thinking that the Special model had the standard glossy poly body with a satin finish neck, and is typically priced at $850 retail. I could be wrong.

The shop owner is honest, but maybe he's mistaken or over simplifying because he wants to make it easier for me. I'll check the s/n when I go today.

[Evan]

Originally Posted by bohemian46

The American Special is the replacement for the Highway 1 series.
Made in America with other than the top line American components such as tuners, bridgeplates, switch plates etc.

Shoud the "other than top of the line" bit worry me?

I have an epiphone alleykat from 2001 which always felt like the components were half-baked. The switches were sub par and too easy to knock. The pick ups were loose and would rattle. The knobs would make a squeak from the glossy texture against my fingers when I turned them. The jack would loosen occasionally and I couldn't tighten it back in the body so that it would stay put firm.

That stuff always bothered me and kept me from wanting to play it. I don't want to get into that situation again, but I also don't want to spend a fortune for quality. I'm beginning to understand that quality costs more with fender.

Originally Posted by bohemian46

Be aware that the American Std the Deluxe and the Am Special all have the narrow string spacing at the bridge of 2 1/16th inches... if you are a finger picker this will make a difference.

My Hiway 1 is the old string spacing width of 2 3 /16ths.....
this changed with the 2006 Hiway 1 model which is narrow

I have an Antonio aparicio classical guitar and really like the wider neck, but the new model fenders don't offer that. I guess I'm pretty much stuck adapting to the standard. The good thing is that all of the teles that I've played so far feel reasonably roomy on the neck. They all feel better than my alleykat.

Also, the frets on the neck of the special felt harsher. They have an unfinfsed feel that that is a little scratchy. I think they're also a bit higher, though the owner swears the only difference between thee necks is the finish.

Originally Posted by bohemian46

The other is the new style of 2 1/16th .. narrow.. with six saddles and
the strings go through the plate under the saddles

These are NOT interchangeable.

I'll check that today. I do remember that it's the ash tray style with 3 saddles.

[M-ster]

Originally Posted by bohemian46

The American Special is the replacement for the Highway 1 series.
Made in America with other than the top line American components such as tuners, bridgeplates, switch plates etc. ...

Interesting discourse. I didn't realize the extent of the variations. Thanks for that post, bohemian.

[Evan]

The Jaguar is a Squire model.

I didn't mean to leave that out of my original post. Does that change anything?

[Evan]

I learned today that the special IS actually listed as a HWY 1 on their site. Maybe the owner got them mixed up. 650.00 for an entry level guitar seems really excessive.

Has anyone played the fender Modern player guitars? They're a good bit less, and seem promising.

[bohemian46]

The Hiway 1 is not an entry level guitar.

Most of the MIM , particularly the standard, are entry level.

[bohemian46]

Word is the Modern Player is the first Fender made in China.

Go MIM before the MP.

Buy used if you are trying to save money.

[Turtlejimmy]

Hello,

I just bought one of the American Special Strats. Great guitar, I can't think of one single thing that it's lacking in a perfect strat (at least for me). The hardware is great, especially the tuning machines. With Super Bullet Fender strings (.009), the guitar stays in tune for days.

I have long, skinny fingers and love fat necks (and wide ones too), like my Gibson SG. Even so, I prefer the neck on the Special Strat. A little thinner, it has a longer scale and that makes a whale of a difference. I also like the jumbo frets better than the Gibson. You can see the difference, in how much taller they are ... My jumbo frets are really smooth and make sliding and bending almost effortless.

The biggest difference between the Special and other high end American Stratocasters (and the rest of them too) are the pickups. Texas Special single coil pickups are very clean and vintage sounding. Nothing else in Fender's line sounds like them. There's a Greasebucket curcuit that naturally syphons off the fat, so you get only lean notes.

My advice .... listen carefully to the pickups. There is another American model that goes for $1500 (roughly) that has N3 pickups. Everyone's different, but I hated the way they sounded. Not very Strat like in my opinion. I also like the Texas pickups much better than the American Standard's pu's. I was surprised there was such a difference in the pickups. (I wasn't listening to the MIM and Squires, so I'm not sure how they sound)

I like the glossy body too. The finish is a lot tougher than on others with thin finishes. Will take a beating and still keep the beat.


Turtle

[Evan]

I'm really not sure that the HW1 feels like it should cost $650.

The Jag is actually a Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar HH with two humbuckers. I think I would like to find a two single pickup model... does anyone know if that configuration is currently being produced?

[Buster Loaf]

The one to get, the Kurt Cobain model. You WILL be happy with it, I guarantee it1

[SamBooka]

Lol
Thinking outside the box!
I like it!

[amhabz]

I think those humbuckers are splitable, so with a bit of work you can have the best of both world.

[Evan]

Originally Posted by Buster Loaf

The one to get, the Kurt Cobain model. You WILL be happy with it, I guarantee it1

Pricey. Maybe if they released a squire version...
Are the humbuckers splittable on the squire vintage Modifier jag?