Squier Tele vs. Fender Tele '52 reissue...

[Josh S]

I'm in a bit of the same boat...

 

I had a Squier Std tele in butterscotch, which I liked very much - I bought it one day just for the hell of it (at $200 and change CDN it was like, "Why the hell not?"). It had probably the sweetest neck I've ever played, and it sounded just fine. I played it in my R&B band for months before eventually selling it to a friend who needed a tele.

 

I then purchased an Am 62' RI which was going for a deadly price. And you know what? Yeah, it's better. It's a {censored}ing amazing guitar. But, as stated before, it does have all of the issues old guitars had since it was built the exact same way - and it took a lot of work to get it the way I want it.

 

Is it better? Yes. Is it $1000 better? Well... No, not really.

[kevorkazito]

Great axe GAS Man... I can't wait to get mine

 

[bigtonemusic]

I just bought a limited edition 52 tele. A run of 150 of them were made for a local shop here that sells a lot of fenders. The only difference between mine and the regular 52 reissue is that mine has a pure nitro finish where the reissues supposedly have polyurethane added to the laquer.

 

They let me go down to the basement and sort through all of them to find the one I like (they had 50 of them on hand). I never realized there was so much variance from one guitar to the next even when it's the exact same model of the same production run....I mean I knew there were differences, but not like that. The weight was all over the place. The tone was all over the place. The quality of the build. The grain. Even the color.

 

Even when you go into a guitar shop and play the exact same model of something you own, it's hard to tell just how different the two are if you don't have the other one there to compare. Imagine AB'ing 50 of them....oh the indecision! Do I want the bright one, the balanced one, or the snappy one? Do I want the straght grain or the curly grain? Do I want the one with the flamey neck or the one with the bird's eyes in it?

 

Anyways...I eventually made up my mind...best $1430 I've ever spent on a guitar.

[bigtonemusic]

 

Originally posted by Josh S Is it better? Yes. Is it $1000 better? Well... No, not really.

 

 

You are wrong and I'll tell you why. Because if you had purchased another "workalike" guitar for $1000 less that sounded and played every bit as good as your 62, but just didn't have the subtlies of the 62, you still wouldn't be happy. Your GAS would not be satisfied and ultimately you would have wasted how ever many 100 dollars you spent on the cheapie that could have been used towards the guitar you really wanted.

 

Is a laquer finish and a logo written exactly the way they did it in 62 worth $1000? It is if everytime you see it, you wish you had it instead of the guitar you have now.

 

Personally I'd have gone with the 57, but that's just me.

[jerry_picker]

Originally posted by bigtonemusic You are wrong and I'll tell you why. Because if you had purchased another "workalike" guitar for $1000 less that sounded and played every bit as good as your 62, but just didn't have the subtlies of the 62, you still wouldn't be happy. Your GAS would not be satisfied and ultimately you would have wasted how ever many 100 dollars you spent on the cheapie that could have been used towards the guitar you really wanted. Is a laquer finish and a logo written exactly the way they did it in 62 worth $1000? It is if everytime you see it, you wish you had it instead of the guitar you have now.

 

"...might just arouse my appetite without beddin' her down."

[jerry_picker]

 

Originally posted by DenverDave Do they still make MIM 50's Tele's?? I haven't seen one in GC, and would probably snach one up if I had the chance. The Protone Squiers are pretty rare on eBay these days too, and are fetching a bit more than I care to pay for a Squier...

 

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=510138

[jdjonsson]

I think you'll like your new guitar. You may need to dress the fret ends, or have someone do it. Stewart MacDonald has a fret end dressing file for $13 that will make that sucker feel nice. I also recommend swapping out all the electronics. As I've said in other posts that I've put pickups from a Classic '50's tele and new pots, selector switch, and an orange drop cap in mine. It sounds great, and I think it looks killer. All the mods will still cost far less than that '52 reissue.

 

Pic time:

[docjeff]

Originally posted by Mikeo don't get to rapped up in the 52 reissue. I OWN ONE AND I BOUGHT IT IN 1983, IT COST 400 BUCKS BRAND NEW AND IT'S WORTH ALL OF THAT AND MAYBE ABIT MORE, BUT NOT 1700. NO WAY. AND BESIDES TGHE FRIGGING THING IS MADE IN MEXICO NOW. Get youself a nice G&L, or Melacon.

 

Your's must be from Japan? I'm not sure whether they were making them in Fullerton in 83.

 

They made a few in 1985 just before they closed down the factory, and then they started rolling them out at the rate of about 5 per week in 1986.

 

I have an '86 and it's one of the best guitars I've ever owned. The pickups are really well balanced and they are pretty damn hot! After playing this thing for 20 years, it definitely feels great.

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Originally posted by Mikeo don't get to rapped up in the 52 reissue... AND BESIDES TGHE FRIGGING THING IS MADE IN MEXICO NOW.

 

False.

 

'52 RI's are made in the USA. You are thinking of the 50's (not 52) Tele MIM.

 

2 totally different guitars.

 

I haven't played the Affinity Squier. If it is the toploader I think it is, I find it hard to believe it would have the sustain of a through-body.

 

As far as the '52, my guess is you were comparing a stock '52 to a stock Affinity Squier, with each guitar's pickup position compared to the analog in the other guitar.

 

You were comparing apples to oranges if you did that. The stock '52 has a totally different wiring scheme than modern Teles, and you need need to compare it's middle setting to the Squier's neck setting, the Squier's middle position to a setting midway between the middle and bridge setting on the '52, and the bridge settings should be comparable.

 

I haven't played the Affinities. I did have a MIJ Squier Tele for the better part of the 90's though. The '52 is not 10 times a better guitar than a Squier Affinity maybe, but it is a better guitar with better components and a more expensive through-body string pull design.

 

Only a doofus would pay list for ANY guitar much less a top-of-the-line flagship model like the '52 RI.

 

I got a mint '87 '52 RI about 3 years ago in a friendly sale,w/ohsc and all case candy (papers, Fender strap, ashtray cover, wiring mod kit, etc.) for $400 USD. While that was a crazy great deal, they are worth twice that.

 

BK

 

 

[Straightface]

So how much should you pay for a 52ri? MF has them for $1349, how much better can you reasonably expect to lower the price? Also, being left handed, nobody really has lefties in stock, and based on what I've read, it seems as though the QC is all over the place. I played around with a righty in GC, but couldn't really do much with it but it felt so nice, and light as a feather.

[Brian Krashpad]

 

Originally posted by Straightface So how much should you pay for a 52ri? MF has them for $1349, how much better can you reasonably expect to lower the price? Also, being left handed, nobody really has lefties in stock, and based on what I've read, it seems as though the QC is all over the place. I played around with a righty in GC, but couldn't really do much with it but it felt so nice, and light as a feather.

 

 

My rule of thumb is to try to get as close to half of street price as possible for a used guitar. Which would put a used '52 at around $700. However it looks like recent ebay sales have been around a grand. Anywhere in that range could probably be considered a good deal, depending on age, condition, extras, etc.

 

BK

[batotman]

Originally posted by bigtonemusic I just bought a limited edition 52 tele. A run of 150 of them were made for a local shop here that sells a lot of fenders. The only difference between mine and the regular 52 reissue is that mine has a pure nitro finish where the reissues supposedly have polyurethane added to the laquer.

 

Odd that about a million different places carry that same guitar then isn't it?

[Straightface]

 

Originally posted by Brian Krashpad My rule of thumb is to try to get as close to half of street price as possible for a used guitar. Which would put a used '52 at around $700. However it looks like recent ebay sales have been around a grand. Anywhere in that range could probably be considered a good deal, depending on age, condition, extras, etc. BK

 

 

What about for new? Will the stores deal on a brand new one? Say if GC had one for $1350, would they generally be willing to sell it for less? And if so, how much less? Not that I'll ever find a lefty in a store...

[baron85]

Hey, I think I'm going to hijack this thread, but I need some feedback. What do y'all think of the American Telecasters? I was looking at an Ash Telecaster for about 1000 (although I'll definitely be able to talk them down). How do they compare to the '52 Tele or any of the G&L's? I played a G&L ASAT Bluesboy (semi-hollow with the humbucker) and I played an American (black finish). Both were real nice, and I'm in the proverbial quandary right now. Thoughts?

[HurdyGurdyMan]

That's cool.

 

At the long and mcquade here a salesclerk told me that all the gibsons and epiphones they've been getting lately stink. He said that the quality control has gone to absolute {censored}, and they constantly have to deal with new Gibson's being shipped in with cracks, blemishes, poor fret jobs, sloppy finish, etc.

[kevorkazito]

I think that they are trying to keep up with demand which in turn, pushes down the quality. If someone has bought any of those axes recently, well they might see these comments as inflammatory, but in effect, they are educational. I had a '82 LP Standard and played in concert band at school. My 1975 Ibanez played and sounded better. The teacher, being brand oriented, wanted me to always play the Gibson so we'd look professional for the adjudacators... I couldn't reason my way out of it so I used the Gibson and hated the sound and the performance suffered for sure. That was the Norlin era LP. I should've had a car at 16 and instead bought that piece of crap without really trying it. Burn!

 

My pro axe now is the Ernie Ball Music Man Petrucci sig...

 

I've walked out of a store with a $3600 bill (es-335) and the MM blows snot on it... pardon the imagery... both in playability and sound...

 

Even at this moment I'm tired and all I want to do is play my MM.

 

If you are a newbie, check them out! You will be so happy when the music gets sucked out of you when you play such a quality axe.

 

By the way, I am selling my 1975 Ibanez LP, Deluxe '59er. This is the real dealio that sparked the infamous lawsuit. Check out the headstock below. Quite regrettable scenario for me as it plays almost as nice as the MM but my professional life dicatates that I purchase a Mesa Boogie Preamp so I can carry it under my arm at recording sessions off my site. PM me with offers if you are interested (looking at around $560 US for it) It will on eBay by Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

[No Soul]

I bought the Affinity Tele in butterscotch to fight my GASin for the 52.

 

At the time I could have afforded the 52, but Im a Les Paul guy at the end of the day. So squire it was!

 

Amazing guitar for the money!

Oddly enough, I had to "break in" the neck because it was so damned dry! Only took a few hours, but still...

 

Set up from the factory was suprisingly good. Electronics were crap, but thats where duncan comes in.

Fret edges were a tad rough, but good enough to just ignore.

Finish and finish are excellent though.

 

Cheap guitars are truly something else these days.

[No Soul]

Originally posted by Brian Krashpad I haven't played the Affinity Squier. If it is the toploader I think it is, I find it hard to believe it would have the sustain of a through-body.

 

the lead ch on my boogies dont know that my affinity isnt through body

[orourke]

I've got nothing against teles, in fact I have a few, but I think it's nuts to pay (or charge) $1750 for a tele. A telecaster is such a primordial guitar. It's not as labor intensive to build, as say a Les Paul where you have a cap, binding, rosewood fretboard, humbuckers and big inlays. Jeez, a tele is a freakin' plank of wood, with a simple neck and two skinny-ass pickups.

 

My luthier/friend hand builds beautiful teles out of really old lumber and sells them for $800 bucks. $1750 for a simple guitar that was massed produced (probably by robots) is rediculous.

[jerry_picker]

Originally posted by orourke My luthier/friend hand builds beautiful teles out of really old lumber and sells them for $800 bucks.

 

 

Contact info or website?

[mekke]

strange you should mention bare knuckle on a squire tele.

I bought this squier standard tele 1 year ago. 250 euros.

Then I got this bare knuckle County boy tele set.

 

The sound of knuckle is fantastic: IMO it is not a rip off boutique piece of expensive gear.

They sound balanced, ballsy but still round; on my recordings I can

[orourke]

Originally posted by jerry_picker Contact info or website?

 

Here's a link:

 

http://www.kellyguitars.com/

 

....but he doesn't do computer orders, he's pretty old fashioned. You either have to talk to him on the phone or go there in person. The $800 figure of course is not a quote, but I know his guitars usually run from $800 to $1200. I have two of his guitars, a strat and a tele baritone, and I'm very happy with them.

 

I've seen some of his lumber, some is 100 year old swamp ash that still has bark on it! Recently he made a proto-tele with a body made from an old pine floor from a 100+ year old building that had been demolished down on the Bowery, it had knot-holes and all, very light weight, fun guitar. He does padauk, mahogany, maple whatever you want. Mainly he likes building teles though.