New American "not-so-special" teles

[Alchemist]

I have a slight pimple on my arse, which I believe probably prevented me from finding a girlfriend for years. Also, the toe nail on the large toe of my left foot is just a bit too long. These imperfections bother me. ... for god's sake, it's a bloody guitar, not the Mona Lisa. Just play the {censored}er and decide whether it plays well, and sounds good. Who in your audience (if you have one) gives a flying {censored}adoo whether there are tiny gaps here and there? Some people need to get a life.

 

 

why would you pay for something glaringly flawed? I wouldnt.... crappy neck joints, sloppy routing work and parts fitting... all red flags

 

its not a $200 squier, I expect more on guitars nearing the $1000 range

 

 

anyways, like I said, back to the used market I go

[cogdog]

So in the past few days I checked out several american special teles because I was kind of gassing at the idea of having a tele for recording somethings.... and the thought of getting a new glossy MIA tele for $800 seemed right.... not one that I looked at didnt have quality control issues... I was dissapointed neck pockets that were too large.... misalligned bridge where you could see the pickup routing peeking through at the side of the bridge (I really hate that), slight bubble in the pickguard little things that on a squier wouldnt matter, but I guess this is what they mean by special I'm going back to the used market for an MIA standard or deluxe

 

 

that's kinda odd because so far all of the specials Tele & Strats I've check out have all been pretty sweet

[cogdog]

...it's hard to beat the used market right now though

[dcooper830]

I love my American Special Tele. I'm extremely happy with it.



.

[ashtray]

Some people prefer the vintage style bridge over the American standard too. The special is like an upgraded hwy1. I like it.

[ieso]

I gave up on Fender a long time ago. Switched to G&L and couldn't be happier. Maybe give one a spin. Never know.

[paradisel0st]

I have a slight pimple on my arse, which I believe probably prevented me from finding a girlfriend for years. Also, the toe nail on the large toe of my left foot is just a bit too long. These imperfections bother me. ... for god's sake, it's a bloody guitar, not the Mona Lisa. Just play the {censored}er and decide whether it plays well, and sounds good. Who in your audience (if you have one) gives a flying {censored}adoo whether there are tiny gaps here and there? Some people need to get a life.

The only person here who needs to get a life is you. Who gives a {censored} what your audience thinks? That isnt the point. Fact of the matter is if you're paying big bucks for something which frankly $800 is a decent chunk of change to most people you want it to be right. There are plenty of 200-300$ guitars that don't even have those issues, they could at least be more on the ball with quality control.

"Who gives a {censored} that $3000 LCD TV you bought has a ton of dead pixels in it, big deal, get a life!"

Pathetic.

[blueballoon]

why would you pay for something glaringly flawed? I wouldnt.... crappy neck joints, sloppy routing work and parts fitting... all red flags its not a $200 squier, I expect more on guitars nearing the $1000 range anyways, like I said, back to the used market I go

 

 

These aren't glaring flaws. They don't affect playability or sound - and it's arguable whether or not they affect aesthetics. Sloppy routing? C'mon, man. The routes are hidden behind a scratch plate.

 

These are $800 American made guitars. That's not an easy feat.

 

R&D, materials, labor, freight, marketing and sales are all factored into the price. All of this must be made up somewhere and if these are the flaws we get - then we should be satisfied.

 

You can't expect to pay the lowest possible price and get something perfect every single time. It's just not going to happen. Consumers with this mindset are already running retailers and manufacturers ragged, even forcing overseas production as a means of survival for many manufacturers and lowered wages/cut hours for retail employees.

 

I recently had a chance to sit down with the American Special series and let me tell you....they are worth every penny of $799. It's wonderful that we can get such nice guitars for such little coin that are made right here in North America, and I really hope the consumer support is there so that this trend can continue.

 

I don't work for Fender (but I do have a good friend that does) and this isn't meant as a jab at the OP, I just thought maybe someone out there could benefit from my thoughts.

[k4df4l]

well B) I dont really like teles, but I want to add that bridge tele tone to some recordings, so $840 Canadian versus $1200 Canadian for a standard is substantial... I dont care about the gigbag, I have plenty of nice cases I keep stored away, I keep my guitars out on racks in a humidified room, so the gigbag doesnt bother me....

If it's just for recording, I can't imagine it would be too hard to find someone to loan you a tele....

Course, once you start playing it for the recording, you're gonna want one so you might as well bite the bullet

[JoeFatFish]

I traded 2 Michael Kelly Electrics for the White Amer. Special Tele, and also picked up the black HSS Amer. Special Strat at a good price after my 15% coupon, both from my local GC. I played them both and they sounded sweet! I did notice little impeefections, but I inspect things like mad. I was not bothered by them as you have to really look. They feel and play awesome, at least mine do...for me. KUDOS to Fender!

[Alchemist]

These aren't glaring flaws. They don't affect playability or sound - and it's arguable whether or not they affect aesthetics. Sloppy routing? C'mon, man. The routes are hidden behind a scratch plate. These are $800 American made guitars. That's not an easy feat. R&D, materials, labor, freight, marketing and sales are all factored into the price. All of this must be made up somewhere and if these are the flaws we get - then we should be satisfied. You can't expect to pay the lowest possible price and get something perfect every single time. It's just not going to happen. Consumers with this mindset are already running retailers and manufacturers ragged, even forcing overseas production as a means of survival for many manufacturers and lowered wages/cut hours for retail employees. I recently had a chance to sit down with the American Special series and let me tell you....they are worth every penny of $799. It's wonderful that we can get such nice guitars for such little coin that are made right here in North America, and I really hope the consumer support is there so that this trend can continue. I don't work for Fender (but I do have a good friend that does) and this isn't meant as a jab at the OP, I just thought maybe someone out there could benefit from my thoughts.

 

 

A sloppy neck joint on a bolt on guitar is not a glaring error? Thats the heart of the guitar. Anyways, the only way manufacturers listen is if consumers talk with their wallets, ie refuse to pay for things. The more people lower their expectations, the more large companies think they can get away with.

 

I'll tell you what, Godin (made in Canada, and USA), as well as Carvin seem to do a hell of a job for less money. Not the same guitar, but the same concept. As well I hate to break it to you... but R&D for an american special tele.... I'm sure the years of research that went into "hey why dont we do a glossy finish highway 1" was tramendous. My comment about sloppy routing and fit and finish have to do with the bridge pickup rout protruding far out from the bridge plate... ie I can see it.

 

 

anyways, as an active consumer of music products, it is my right to demand a level of quality from manufacturers...... I have owned fenders in the past, most recently an AM standard strat that had just about perfect fit and finish... I know they can build great guitars, and am dissapointed when I find the opposite to be true..... I'm generally a very reasonable person, and was quite dissapointed at what I found when I wanted to buy this product. To those that got a good one, good for you, I'm sure quite a lot of them are very good.... this post states my experience, so dont let it offend you, I was just passing on my experience

[Angry Tele]

neck pockets that were too large.... misalligned bridge where you could see the pickup routing peeking through at the side of the bridge (I really hate that), slight bubble in the pickguard

 

 

You'll find this on Teles from 1950 to brand new Custom Shop models.

[Alchemist]

You'll find this on Teles from 1950 to brand new Custom Shop models.

 

 

I guess I've just been fortunate with the standard and deluxe models I have played before..... or may not have been as critical as I wasnt aggressively pursuing one to buy

[JoeFatFish]

No offence taken my Canadian friend. Not by me at least. I agree, experiances differ from place to place etc...We all have differant expectations, tastes and experiances. No ones is better or worse than anyones elses. I agree that the finish is not excellent in the American Specials, but I like them and mine play and sound great. For me I see beyond those minor (to me) imperfections, becuase I am stupid or whatever. I also own a 2009 American STD Strat and an American Mahogony HSS strat, that I love. I have seen some NEW American Fenders and other brands with blatant QC issues, but I passed on those and looked for the ones that looked good to me and where the right choice for me. Luckily we live in countries where we have choice and we can express our tastes in guitars instead of worrying if we will be bombed again, like some of our less fortunate breatheren. maybe I'll get some heat for this, but it's cool. Next I want an American deluxe in Amber...if they will still make it in that finish 1 year or so down the line. Gotta keep my GAS in check.

QUOTE=Alchemist;39285752]A sloppy neck joint on a bolt on guitar is not a glaring error? Thats the heart of the guitar. Anyways, the only way manufacturers listen is if consumers talk with their wallets, ie refuse to pay for things. The more people lower their expectations, the more large companies think they can get away with.

I'll tell you what, Godin (made in Canada, and USA), as well as Carvin seem to do a hell of a job for less money. Not the same guitar, but the same concept. As well I hate to break it to you... but R&D for an american special tele.... I'm sure the years of research that went into "hey why dont we do a glossy finish highway 1" was tramendous. My comment about sloppy routing and fit and finish have to do with the bridge pickup rout protruding far out from the bridge plate... ie I can see it.


anyways, as an active consumer of music products, it is my right to demand a level of quality from manufacturers...... I have owned fenders in the past, most recently an AM standard strat that had just about perfect fit and finish... I know they can build great guitars, and am dissapointed when I find the opposite to be true..... I'm generally a very reasonable person, and was quite dissapointed at what I found when I wanted to buy this product. To those that got a good one, good for you, I'm sure quite a lot of them are very good.... this post states my experience, so dont let it offend you, I was just passing on my experience

[blueballoon]

A sloppy neck joint on a bolt on guitar is not a glaring error? Thats the heart of the guitar. Anyways, the only way manufacturers listen is if consumers talk with their wallets, ie refuse to pay for things. The more people lower their expectations, the more large companies think they can get away with. I'll tell you what, Godin (made in Canada, and USA), as well as Carvin seem to do a hell of a job for less money. Not the same guitar, but the same concept. As well I hate to break it to you... but R&D for an american special tele.... I'm sure the years of research that went into "hey why dont we do a glossy finish highway 1" was tramendous. My comment about sloppy routing and fit and finish have to do with the bridge pickup rout protruding far out from the bridge plate... ie I can see it. anyways, as an active consumer of music products, it is my right to demand a level of quality from manufacturers...... I have owned fenders in the past, most recently an AM standard strat that had just about perfect fit and finish... I know they can build great guitars, and am dissapointed when I find the opposite to be true..... I'm generally a very reasonable person, and was quite dissapointed at what I found when I wanted to buy this product. To those that got a good one, good for you, I'm sure quite a lot of them are very good.... this post states my experience, so dont let it offend you, I was just passing on my experience

 

 

No worries at all, no offense taken or intended.

 

Whereas I certainly agree that consumers have a right to purchase/decline to purchase at their discretion - I think the point I didn't drive hard enough was the proportion of quality to price.

 

The Am Standard is a higher quality guitar, delivered at a higher price point than the Am Special. You simply get more for your money.

 

Carvin is a direct-order company, so we can rule them out for comparison as they simply don't have the overhead that Fender does - even if you took their business volume up to scale with Fender, they are apples and oranges in regards to business models.

 

Godin is a similar business to Fender, but they still have far less overhead so that is yet another difficult comparison. Look at the guitar magazines this month - you're almost guaranteed to find a full page Fender ad in every single one. The amount of money Fender spends on advertising in one year is probably close to the total sales volume of Godin electrics in that same year. With Godin, production numbers are lower so risk is lower - they can afford to produce and charge less.

 

It's actually really difficult to compare Fender guitars at a given price point to another North American manufacturer, I'm trying to find something in my head and there really isn't anything. Maybe the cheaper Gibsons? I don't know much about those, though.

 

Anyway.....

 

When getting what is pretty much a fully featured American Strat/Tele with Fender on the headstock for $799, I think one would be foolish not to anticipate some corners cut.

 

To answer your question about the flaws, no - I do not think a sloppy neck joint is necessarily a glaring defect. If the neck is straight, stays on, makes good contact and the guitar can be set-up comfortably and properly intonated - then I think you are splitting hairs, at least in regards to this particular guitar. If it were a CS Strat that you are paying $2500+ for, then it should be perfect. For $799, it comes pretty darn close.

 

TLDR, right?

 

My final thought is this: Fender guitars are tools. They are not carved top, AAAA Spruce Top, Set neck furniture guitars. (No bias from me, I like those kinds too)

 

They are meant to be beat on. Played. Parts replaced when worn down. They are musical instruments for the working musicians, and I'm very excited that Fender has finally issued a series that meets a price-point that the blue-collar players can afford by saving their disposable income for a few paychecks.

[pvwolfgang5150]

What about a Highway 1 Telecaster?

[steve_man]

These are $800 American made guitars. That's not an easy feat.

Ah, but ARE the purely "American"? If they are like the Highway One models, much of the hardware is not US-made...

How else could they get virtually the same guitar for less money?

[DonK]

I've only played one, and that was at a local store. It had excellent build quality and I was tempted to buy it, especially as they told me I could have it for $660. I'm glad I didn't get it though, because a few weeks later I came across a Schecter Hollywood (pics in my NGD thread) at a $599 blowout price. I already have a few Tele's, so in the end I'm glad I got the Schecter instead.

[Willyguitar]

The only person here who needs to get a life is you. Who gives a {censored} what your audience thinks? That isnt the point. Fact of the matter is if you're paying big bucks for something which frankly $800 is a decent chunk of change to most people you want it to be right. There are plenty of 200-300$ guitars that don't even have those issues, they could at least be more on the ball with quality control. "Who gives a {censored} that $3000 LCD TV you bought has a ton of dead pixels in it, big deal, get a life!" Pathetic.

I think you're taking me a bit too seriously. I've never paid any bucks, either big or small for a guitar. Suffering from severe myopia, I also wouldn't notice a flaw in a guitar, or in an LCD television for that matter. As for an audience, I guess I was suggesting that 'one's' audience (not mine) might not be too bothered, on the assumption that some people on here have an audience.

There you go, a stupid British cnut using the word 'one' in an entirely unecessary way.

Mind you, I just don't get it either. I mean, if you see something for a lot of money, that isn't in your view worth the money, JUST DON'T BUY IT.... and then why would you bother posting up on an internet forum about a minor fault in something that you didn't buy, because you didn't think it was worth it? Couldn't you just, I don't know, make a cheese roll, or play a guitar instead? Maybe it's because I live on a little island that could win prizes for {censored} manufacturing, where people consider it a bit impolite to complain or something...

[tubedrt]

I just can't figure out why one would buy one of these for $799 with a gig bag, when with a 10% off coupon, you could get an Am. Standard with nice hardshell case for a little over $100 more?

My opinion would be that if Im looking for "tele" Id most likely want a ashtray bridge. These have them. Also both guitars have the same neck. Also, Some might say the "specials" have better Pups than the standards, having Texas Specials. So other than a hardcase and "American Standard" name, what are you paying extra for. Not to mention the fact that not everyone has a 10% coupon and many dealers dont offer coupons.

[Angry Tele]

I guess I've just been fortunate with the standard and deluxe models I have played before..... or may not have been as critical as I wasnt aggressively pursuing one to buy

 

 

what you call flaws I call attention to detail. Ive only seen oversized neck pockets on Custom Shop models because they are trying to accurately recreate blackguards from the early 50s which had huge neck pocket 'lips'

 

If you want tight neck pockets and no ass gap (exposed pickup route) CIJs are good for that. Be carefull what you wish for with tight neck pockets they tend to crack the paint around the neck when its a perfect fit.

[steve_man]

My opinion would be that if Im looking for "tele" Id most likely want a ashtray bridge. These have them. Also both guitars have the same neck. Also, Some might say the "specials" have better Pups than the standards, having Texas Specials. So other than a hardcase and "American Standard" name, what are you paying extra for. Not to mention the fact that not everyone has a 10% coupon and many dealers dont offer coupons.

Anyone that gets a newsletter from Guitar Center gets a 10% off coupon...if not, go to their site and download it. Most online retailers will match it.

I would disagree that the Texas Specials are "better" than what comes in the Standards. With the Am. Standards, you're getting an amazing case (which is nothing to sneeze at), a better neck and frets (yup...I've played both), and better hardware (hardware on Hwy 1 models...and these too come from Mexico). Worth the cash to me...not to mention resale value will stay higher on an American Standard.

[pekelnik]

You'll find this on Teles from 1950 to brand new Custom Shop models.

 

 

My Highway One upgrade strat has the tightest possible neck pocket. The neck is touching the wood on both sides without any gap whatsoever. This is pissing me off a bit now because I spent hours routing and chiseling out the neck pocket on my tele yesterday and I did not manage to make it so nice. There is a tiny gap on one side.

[cale76]

I love my American Special Tele. I'm extremely happy with it. .

I've got one as well, and I like the {censored} out of that thing. I picked it up for $640, ordered blindly, and was overwhelmingly pleased.

[steve_man]

Tried another one a couple of days ago. The local shop got in a sunburst HSS model with a black pickguard. Plugged into a JCM 800 they had in for trade...and it didn't sound too bad. It did not sound as "Stratty" as many others that I've played. I think it's due to the Texas Specials. Not really what I would be looking for in Strat tone...but I liked the guitar overall...it had a rosewood board, which was really nice. However, I still like the feel of the Am. Standards better...just a better neck, IMO.