Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed

**Little Jay** · 02-04-2021, 04:44 AM

Tip for your tele: pickups from AliExpress!

In my DIY tele I had a $10 Alnico standard tele bridge single coil. Best pickup I ever found at such a low price! But at 5.6K it was no match for the 8.0K Lolar P90 at the neck.

So I bought an $8 ceramic blade humbucker in single coil format, again on AliExpress. It measures 7.6K, is very wel made and sounds absolutely great for an $8 pickup! Heck, if it was a $100 pickup it would still sound great! Amazing......

**Bach5G** · 02-06-2021, 10:01 PM

I picked up my FSR MIM Tele from my tech this a.m.

A couple of years ago, I went to the guitar shop to buy a pedal. The pedal turned out to be an older version and not the current model that I’d ordered. So with the purchase money burning a hole in my pocket, I pulled this Tele down from the wall.

MIM Fender Special Run butterscotch blackguard Tele. The big deal was the control plate was reversed (not a selling point for me frankly). Maple. 9.5 radius I think. Frankly, pretty generic.

It was a good jazz Tele. The crappy ceramic pickups sounded great. I’ve never been a maple guy, but the neck felt pretty good. I had the store set it up for 0.010s.

This past week, I had my tech unreverse the control panel, and install an Earvana nut, and brass compensated saddles. My tech also leveled the frets.

It now looks, plays, and sounds like a dream. If I could only keep one guitar, this might be it.

**papaj77** · 02-19-2021, 11:51 AM

Hi everyone, here is my lockdown project. It's a cheap (£90) Gear4music ash tele DIY kit. I was really curious how good this can be for that price, but it was a pleasant surprise, fret work was pretty bad (to be expected for that money) so had to level and it needed a shim for the neck, aside from that it's great, pickups are cheap but sound fine, everything fitted together nicely, it's on the heavy side but I like that (no neck dive). It comes unfinished with big headstock so it can shaped however you want. I staid the body with yellow food colouring and boiled linseed oil and the neck just boiled linseed oil. Plays great with nice low action, well worth the money if you are handy with tools and setup, much better that many Squiers I had or tried.

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**Little Jay** · 02-22-2021, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by papaj77

Hi everyone, here is my lockdown project. It's a cheap (£90) Gear4music ash tele DIY kit. I was really curious how good this can be for that price, but it was a pleasant surprise, fret work was pretty bad (to be expected for that money) so had to level and it needed a shim for the neck, aside from that it's great, pickups are cheap but sound fine, everything fitted together nicely, it's on the heavy side but I like that (no neck dive). It comes unfinished with big headstock so it can shaped however you want. I staid the body with yellow food colouring and boiled linseed oil and the neck just boiled linseed oil. Plays great with nice low action, well worth the money if you are handy with tools and setup, much better that many Squiers I had or tried.

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Looks great! For such small money and a little labour, you get a lot of guitar so to see. Smart project, enjoy it!

**papaj77** · 02-22-2021, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Little Jay

Looks great! For such small money and a little labour, you get a lot of guitar so to see. Smart project, enjoy it!

Thanks, it really is a nice guitar. It’s time to build me an amp now ?

**AmsterdamJazzist** · 02-23-2021, 09:52 AM

Chiming in after lurking for two years... for good reason

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Finally got myself a Tele! Player series, 2020. AMAZING bang/buck ratio. And yes great jazz sounds to be found on the neck pickup. Happy to join the Tele-owner crew!

**citizenk74** · 02-23-2021, 09:02 PM

**apguitars** · 02-26-2021, 08:21 PM

Hi, look at my tele

Tele especially for jazz players, semi hollow construction compound radius and "JAZZBUCKER" pickup 2,9kg Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-img_8016-jpg

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**Half-trick pony** · 02-27-2021, 06:46 AM

Here's my contribution.

A 1995 Yamaha Pacifica 302S which I just sold. Amazing quality as always from Yamaha. Severely underrated instruments.

The other one is a MiM Telecaster Special from around 1993. Completely stock incl. the humbucker and the TBX tone control. Lovely axe. With the translucent finish it looks really classy. Only downsides are the weight and the flaky neck finish (which seems to be a trademark feature of 90s Fenders).

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**jim232777** · 02-27-2021, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by papaj77

I staid the body with yellow food colouring and boiled linseed oil and the neck just boiled linseed oil.

Very pretty. It may be sacrilegious, but I've never been a fan of most "blackguards" because of the milky, semi-transparent yellow finish. I could definitely go for this variation!

**citizenk74** · 02-27-2021, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by Half-trick pony

Here's my contribution.

A 1995 Yamaha Pacifica 302S which I just sold. Amazing quality as always from Yamaha. Severely underrated instruments.

The other one is a MiM Telecaster Special from around 1993. Completely stock incl. the humbucker and the TBX tone control. Lovely axe. With the translucent finish it looks really classy. Only downsides are the weight and the flaky neck finish (which seems to be a trademark feature of 90s Fenders).

Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-img_6510-jpg

**Roy Boy** · 02-27-2021, 08:11 PM

Not set up for jazz, but this is my second partscaster used for playing praise and worship at church. The neck is a Warmoth modern with ebony FB. Bootstrap Palo Duro pickups. Chambered body with maple cap and belly carve.
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Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-tele-tree-jpg

**papaj77** · 02-28-2021, 05:54 AM

Originally Posted by jim232777

Very pretty. It may be sacrilegious, but I've never been a fan of most "blackguards" because of the milky, semi-transparent yellow finish. I could definitely go for this variation!

Thanks, I really like to see and feel the wood, that’s why there are only two coats of oil on it and it feels great.

**rbbrnck** · 02-28-2021, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by guavajelly

Did anybody try one of these?

Salen Deluxe and Classic | .strandberg* Guitars
I don't feel a need for a headless telecaster but I'm curious about the "endur" neck shape and the modernistic look.

tried the “premium” (chambered) version. hard to resist, honestly - impossible’s more like it, though in the end i chose their “other” shape, and 7-string, for the active electronics. if i could have afforded, i would have next added a Salem, and put EMG T-Set pickups onto it.

neck feels like the most natural and obvious thing in the world, no need to “try” and “adjust to” for me, it just clicked like we’d been together ever since... my choice was made on tone and feel and playability, headless wasn’t a goal for me - and still isn’t, only a by-product i can live with.

**Alter** · 03-02-2021, 03:28 PM