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Help newbie, Fender tele / amp questions


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I've played acoustic for decades but would like to mess around with electric and I jam with some guys in a full band lineup. Might also use for my own gigs if I get good enough on electric. I play rhythm, so, shouldn't be too hard since I've played acoustic so long? I just mainly don't know how to strum an electric and what kinds of patterns work. Anyway, I like a Tele. I would normally just buy a cheap guitar to mess around with but what the hey, I got some bonus money. I found a 1983 American made Tele, I guess it's stock. Appears to be in very good condition. The guy's ask is $1500. Has a hard case, tweed. Also includes a new Fender Mustang. Don't know amp details, looks like maybe 20 watts? That couldn't suffice for much more than practice alone? Questions... what is the guitar worth? What is a decent amp to get? I can buy new but prefer to buy used to get more bang for buck. This is local to me, I can see it before buying.

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Looks like $1300 and up is about right for the guitar. Be prepared to invest more in fret work given its age. Not sure that qualifies as "more bang for the buck" though. $1500 would buy a fairly nice new guitar. The Mustang series does include beginner amps and you may indeed be looking at the lower end. Personally, I find them to be overly complex. A 15 Watt or so tube amp should be more than adequate. I'd look at Fender or maybe Vox. Some folks like the newer modeling amps. I play in worship and my Roland Cube meets my humble needs without being too difficult to operate. As for strumming, I just play whatever suits the song. Hope that helps.

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1. There isn't that much difference between a USA/MIJ & MIM Teles you can find a better deal. 2. Buy a small used tube amp 1 x10 or 1x12 if your playing rhythm you need something that sounds good.

 

What would be a better deal? I was just thinking a USA-made Tele might be easier to sell later if need be or is that not so? I can appreciate there may be very little to no difference in USA/MIJ/MIM Tele's.

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Never buy an instrument thinking about selling it later!

Buy an instrument that serves your purpose.

 

Don't waste your money buying a great guitar and a crap amp...the Fender Mustang amps are for making noise in a bedroom...not playing in a band. You won't appreciate the guitar for what it can do because it will always sound like bees buzzing in a box through a cheap SS amp.

 

As a rhythm player with mainly acoustic background, I would not pick a Tele as a first electric, for a number of reasons. I would be inclined to go with something more like a semi-hollowbody like a Grestch, or an ES339/335, which will offer you more flexibility as a rhythm player.

 

Amps:

I would suggest you find a used Blues Junior which will be loud enough for playing rhythm in a band situation [unless it is some metal variant]. They play clean well, get dirty on their own well and take pedals well.

Or a used Peavey Classic 20 or 30, or a Delta Blues. These can be found at reasonable prices all over the country and are reliable and sound great.

Or a used Blackstar HT Studio 20 or HT Club 40, versatile EL34 based amps, can cover a lot of ground and sound great...will do a credible Marshall as well as stepping into Vox and Fender territory. The main issue with these is the cabinets are oversized, but the value is there, and these amps are selling pretty cheap on Reverb.

Or a Crate V18 or V30 combo...these amps tend to fly under the radar, but they are giggable, have plenty of tone and sell pretty cheap.

 

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Got to thinking about that amount of money for someone who doesn't even play electric... heck, I could buy a Tele MIM and later, a Strat MIM for that same amount or less. Hmmm...

 

Regarding the Blues Junior, good to see it's a decent amp, I actually owned one once. I bought that and a MIM Strat but after awhile, I saw I was going to focus on acoustic and ended up parting with that combo. This was, oh, ten years ago.

 

I should just go visit my brother, lol, I think he has a MIM Strat and a little amp. Noodle around up there a few days for free.

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If it was me I'd buy a less expensive new Tele (probably MIM) and spend more on the amp (tubes). A Fender Blues Junior or something.

 

Once you're all set up, the tone control on a Tele is important. It usually needs to be rolled back a smidge and the amp turned up a bit to compensate. You'll hear it fatten up and lose the ice-pick treble.

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The guitar is worth a grand to 1500 bucks on the top side. The amp is a throw in, and ain't worth a damn. A home practice amp I guess.

 

A new American made tele will set you back 1000 dollars at Sweetwater. You'll want a real Fender hardshell case for it, not included.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TeleASMVBL--fender-american-special-telecaster-vintage-blonde-with-maple-fingerboard

 

A tele plugged into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue sounds pretty damn fine. The PRRI is not bad either, but for the extra coin the DRRI is way better. Used there out there for 700 ish

You might toss in an OD box between the guitar and amp.

The HRD is almost just as good, maybe a Blues Jr, a Vox AC 15 would work for ya.

 

That should get you almost 95% of the places you might want to go with a tele and Blackface Fender amp. Classic rock, country and blues it will cover

 

Strum lighter that you might an acoustic. Let the guitar and amp do the heavy lifting.

 

 

The hardshell tweed cases didn't come with the Fender Tele, unless it's a Reissue from 1983 and he wants 1500 bucks for it. In that case, gimme his number. I have a 52 Tele RI from 1983 and they are going for quite a bit.

 

The cases that came with the Tele's in 83 were either plastics like and SBK Fender labeled case or the Black Tolex hardshell case.

 

 

 

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Live, I think you have received some pretty good advice on the choice of guitar and amp - I don't feel qualified to add anything. But I can address your question about transitioning from an acoustic to an electric. In my humble opinion they are two completely different instruments.

 

I am an decent intermediate acoustic guitarist. I play fingerstyle blues and what John Fahey called "American Primitive". I play out of chords, mostly between the first position and the 12th fret. I read music a bit, tablature very well. I understand music theory a bit (how chords are composed, which chords work with each other). I play in open tunings, some slide. I also happen to build and work on guitars.

 

A couple of years ago I built an electric guitar, more out of curiosity than really wanting one. That has started me over on learning to play guitar. It has forced me to really learn the fretboard - I now practice scales almost every night. It has forced me to be comfortable in the middle of the neck. It has forced me to play with a pick, altho I've got to admit I do some finger pickin' on the old Lester. I found that most of what I knew about blues moved to the LP pretty easily.

 

Then I did something really off the wall, I build an electric jazz guitar. That took my playing back to the dark ages - this guitar just calls for all those lovely jazz chords and progressions, 9ths and 13ths and chords with unpronounceable names. My nice folky I IV V has been replaced by ii V I, and I've had to figure out where the ii chord is in about any key you can name. I no longer sit down and play Puff the Magic Dragon or Dust in the Wind, instead I try to noodle along with Coltrane or Davis. I'm too damn old for this, I wish I had done it fifty years ago.

 

I've also learned an entirely different sound for my playing. When I play (and build) an acoustic guitar I am very aware of the sound of each note on each string - with an electric guitar the sound is the pickup and amp and anything in between. I built one amp that I use for the clean pure lush sounds of the jazz guitar, I bought a cheap little Fender amp with lots of knobs that I still don't know what to do with for the tele and Lester.

 

Short story, they are different beasts, different sounds, different ways to play. Neither is better than the other. I find the electric is much easier to play, that is to fret, get pure tones, bend notes, move around the fretboard. I think that the electric calls for being played with other instruments - an acoustic can be the whole band, an electric wants to play in a band. Both are good.

 

I do have three electrics now, all home made. They are very different sounding - the jazz box is warm and lush, the tele is twangy, the Lester is a nice compromise from warm to brash. My two little amps are in the back ground - the big one is a 6/12 watt tube amp that I built - I play the archtop and LP thru it, the little one is a cheap Fender Champ - it goes with the tele.

 

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Try a Stratocaster before you decide. The Strat is a far more versatile guitar for rhythm. Teles are horrible things with completely unmatched pickups. and no 2/4 quack. I don't know what was going through Leos mind when he came up with that thing LoL.

You will get a lot of macho types going on about teles but do try both.

 

Amp wise I bought a Mustang II recently 40 watts A very nice amp and you will generally get away without lugging effects around because there is a lot in there. You will need the Fender Fuse software and USB to get the best out of it. It is also very good at low volumes for domestic practice.

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Go to a local store, and try out other guitar and amp combos. While I and others love a good tele, there are SOOOOO many other options out there with much more versatility. Ibanez for one. For the 500 range you can get a great guitar.

The amp I would personally use it to start a bonfire, but the EPA might get on me for it. It's nothing more then a glorified, overly complicated, bedroom practice amp, with 3 good tones out of 100. Spend the extra money, and get something decent. What is decent? Whatever sounds good to your ears, and is a minimum of 20 watts for a tube, and 60 watts for a SS for live playing. Other then that, your own ears are the guide.

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If you're buying an '83 Telecaster you're probably paying more for it's age than it's function. Which is fine if that's what you want, it will probably hold it's value pretty well. Fenders from that time are hit and miss, there are some good ones and some bad ones. That's really not known as the best time for Fender, there's a pretty good article about how it was "turning around" right around that time.

 

If I wanted the best setup per dollar, I'd find an American Standard Telecaster from the mid 2000's for around $650, which will probably have equal to better quality. I'd spend the rest on a used Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue as has already been mentioned in this thread.

 

There's always all kinds of debates about gear, but I think one thing that almost everyone can agree on is a good amp with a bad guitar is a lot better than a good guitar with a bad amp.

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If you buy used you can usually sell if you have to for the price you bought it for + or - a bit of $$. The better deal is the MIM or MIJ guitars actually the MIJ guitars are great the MIM one from 94-96 were made with USA surplus necks and bodies but the electronics and some of the hardware are OK at best.You being a acoustic player probably won't notice any difference in the playing action of those guitars.

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...

The hardshell tweed cases didn't come with the Fender Tele, unless it's a Reissue from 1983 and he wants 1500 bucks for it. In that case, gimme his number. I have a 52 Tele RI from 1983 and they are going for quite a bit...

 

How can I tell exactly what Tele it is? Serial number or just what, and if it's that, what do I do once I know the number? I have no idea what he has other than a couple pics. I see a SN on the headstock. E3 + 5 other numbers.

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I own 4 strats and 2 teles. I do like the tones the tele delivers, but strats are cool.

 

You'll never know until you hit a shop and test drive both to see what you will dig more. Make sure they are set up well, by the shop.

 

You can play strat or tele, or any electric with your fingers, I do sometimes, Mark Knopfler and Jeff Beck both do. Brian Setzer used both a pick and fingers when playing.

 

There's not too much I don't like in guitars.

 

The Gretch Electromatics ( cases are not included) are cool too. Like the 5420T's( lovey necks on them). The pickups could be better and can be replaced with some chimmey TV Jones pups. The did a nice job for a made in Korea guitar. Add a little slapback delay and it's a classic sound.

 

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The two Gretsch guitar I have are one of these The red RN Rose.

[VIDEOhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9gMFTUAYbs[/VIDEO]

 

and a Power Jet

[video=youtube;W9Mhb2ALgU4]

 

Not as many folks play Gretsch stuff as either the Tele or Strat.

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As for amps, the Fender GT100 is a surprisingly butt kicking amp and extremely versatile . You won’t go broke buying pedals because it has it all built in. Once you find your sound you can save it a go right to it . Plug and play without the hassles of tubes

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As for amps' date=' the[b'] Fender GT100[/b] is a surprisingly butt kicking amp and extremely versatile . You won’t go broke buying pedals because it has it all built in. Once you find your sound you can save it a go right to it . Plug and play without the hassles of tubes

 

I think the GT 20 was in the deal, but that also have effects, Bluetooth and USB port, so you can practice with backing track.

 

All I have for a modeler is a older Vox Valvetronix. I have actually done a few gigs with it.

 

Kids today don't know how lucky they have it. I tell ya back in my day all we had were tubes, and we like it.:D:D:D

 

 

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Good tube amps sound great, but keep in mind that tube amps generally cost more in the long run, with the expense of retubing. A good SS amp can also sound great. I currently own a blackface Bandmaster, a Boogie MK IV, and an Ampeg V4 in tube amps, but gigging I generally use either my Peavey Studio Pro 40, or an Acoustic G20, either with a Vox Stomplab and other effects. Much lighter to haul around, no need to maintain tubes, and a very good tone out of either with a little tweaking. As to guitars, as has been said by others, there is nothing like going to a store and trying out different models. I currently use a JVT59 for all gigs, instead of my Teles or 335, as I like the versatility. I got it for ~$800 as a scratch and dent and bought a case for ~$60 to go with it.

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A few more thoughts. I'm likewise a rhythm guy who played acoustic exclusively for decades. My first electric was a Strat (A Fernandes knockoff, not a "real" Fender) and I never bonded with it. My current electric is a Schecter, a sort of Strat/Les Paul hybrid. I picked it up cheap from a pawn shop, invested some TLC, and it suits my humble needs. It's the guitar I play in public. My main adjustment was getting used to a guitar that doesn't sound much like one. Second (or possibly third), $1500 is a lot of money, especially for a guitar you might not keep. You can do much better.

 

Finally, some closing thoughts: A week ago you wanted to buy a bass rig and spend as little as possible. Now you're willing to spend 4 figures on just a guitar. Fine. Rather than tell you to make up your mind I'll play. Your profile just says you're in "Louisiana," which takes in more than 50,000 square miles. Not much help but here's what's on CraigsList for central Louisiana and surrounding areas. No clue if any of this gear is near you but all of it is way less than what you're looking at: A Gretsch G5622T (double cutaway semi hollow) for $600 in Ponchatoula. A USA Strat for $850 somewhere east of Shreveport with a cheap practice amp. A Mexi-Tele for $300, again somewhere east of Shreveport. And a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe somewhere northeast of Baton Rouge for $395.

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How can I tell exactly what Tele it is? Serial number or just what, and if it's that, what do I do once I know the number? I have no idea what he has other than a couple pics. I see a SN on the headstock. E3 + 5 other numbers.

 

https://support.fender.com/hc/en-us/articles/212774746-How-can-I-find-out-when-my-American-made-instrument-was-manufactured-

 

 

Here is my two tele's. The blonde one was made in 1983 and came from Sam Ash in NYC on 48th street. It's in killer shape. There is on "V" on the very early models made at the Fender Fullerton plant

 

The Sunburst is from 1985 and was MIJ, as Fender was having some real issues at the time, since Bill Schultz had just purchased the company from CBS.

The say the MIJ ones are as close as you can get to owning a vintage tele from the 50's or 60's. IDK.

 

I believe HC Moderator Phil has a cherry one.

It was my bar gigging axe for years, along with a American made Fender Strat and Fender and Marshall tube amps.

 

If you take off the neck you can pin point the exact month and year.

 

Personally I have purchase a Fender guitar in 25 plus years, but I have played a few newer ones and they are just as good as they ever were.

I'm strat set for a lifetime too. see in the photo a 3 tone sunburst from 1976, a 2 tone sunburst RI from 1984, the cherry on is a 62 RI from the mid 80's and the black American Standard was a back up and a different sound I also used at bars and clubs.

 

What I have purchased since then are more Gibson, Grestch's, Rickenbackers, PRS , Martin's and you name it.

 

For a while I was more into hollow body jazz boxes, and I still am.

 

Most of these guitars I paid a lot of money for in the day. 300-450 was a lot of money in the day.

The key to building a collection of gear is never sell anything . Play it love it and take care of it, when you get bored with, stick it the closet and forget about it.

Personally I love the tel for what it is, others prefer the start, which has more tones and might be nicer to play.

 

If I were looking for my first electric I just grab a new tele, and a Fender DRRI, maybe a PRRI, a good over drive pedal and your set to jam with almost any band. For practice I have some small amps, that are family and wife friendly.

 

 

I hard shell case everything. If it doesn't come with a proper hardshell case I get one for it.

 

A lot of manufactures are now tossing in gig bags.

 

I have 2 Taylor GS minis that I will get SKB cases for soon.

 

The whole set up might be a bit more than you want to spend, as you looking at about 1000 dollars for a Tele, and I think the DRRI is just over a grand now. Used it out there and you will save money.

 

If you buy online, ask for a discount. 20% off the top is not unreasonable at a shop or online. There was a mom and pop shop in my town in the day and the guy always discounted gear. I have a few online retailers that I have worked with for decades, they discount all my purchases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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