What's the deal with baja teles?

benmurray85

Everyone seems to rave about them and there's two in the classifieds which I'm seriously struggling not to make advances on. Even though I REALLY shouldn't at the mo! I'm a HUGE tele fan. They literally can do no wrong in my eyes but everyone seems to love the baja. I know about the four position switch and the s1 but is there something else going on here that I should know about? I have a Mexican Classic 60's which cost me about 180 on eBay about 6 years ago and it's the best guitar I own. I also have a custom shop 52 relic tele but I wouldn't put on above the other. I think I'm just tele blind, anyways tell me about the baja

lustycourtier

I've had 2 and hated them. Thick Plastic paint, stupid switching and really heavy.

GIJoe

I love it!

The neck is like a baseball bat, so is not for everyone, but is superb.

Really good pickups.  I cannot fault it.

It's my #1 guitar - I know I can depend on it to sound awesome.  I have gigged it several times without a backup.

jaygtr

I thought they would be the tele for me, but they weren't .
Didn't like the neck, didn't like the prehistoric bridge, the first one I played was heavy and poorly built, the second one was a good weight and well built, but I still didn't bond with it.

I will say they both sounded pretty good though .

benmurray85

Hmmm might be for me then. I like the vintage bridge and heavy teles. It's funny coz I've never heard anyone say anything bad about them! Haha

randomhandclaps

Though debatable, they are suspected of being responsible for the spread of Bovine Telecaster tuberculosis.

thomasw88

i've had 3 teles -  a Tokai breezy sound which was awesome, the baja, and now a levinson  blade delta T2.

the blade is so much better than either of the other two in build quality its unbelievable.   

The tokai was a nice guitar, and I didn't like the baja.  Don't understand what the fuss about them is to be honest.  The pickups are good, but they're not as nice as Toneriders or other more pricey ones.

I hated the finish on the baja.  It just looked dirty and not in a christine aquilera way..

jaygtr

benmurray85;170176" said:

Hmmm might be for me then. I like the vintage bridge and heavy teles. It's funny coz I've never heard anyone say anything bad about them! Haha

I can understand why people like them and the are reasonable value ( although not as reasonable as they used to be) , their just not my type of tele.

monquixote

The main thing about them is the V profile baseball bat neck which is a love or hate thing. 

They also have custom shop pickups which are very good. 

The 4 way is useful, but the out of phase is a bit of a gimmick. 

Parker

Yeah! Buy mine! Lol

badlydrawnbanjo

They're hard work

Neil

I must admit I liked the couple I looked at but the weight put me off. 

DrBob

Neil said:

I must admit I liked the couple I looked at but the weight put me off. 

Exactly this, loved the neck, thought the pickups were great, wondered why they made it as a heavy as a Norlin era Les Paul Custom...

siremoon

When I was buying my Baja I found that the weights varied tremendously.  The one I bought weighed 7 1/2 pounds.  Others I tried were much heavier and one ridiculously so.  As ever try before you buy.

I think the pickups are excellent, the neck is a matter of taste although I wouldn't describe it as a baseball bat, more junior rounders.  I find a use for all 4 "S1 button up" switch positions but never use the extra two "button pressed" S1 options as the tones there don't sound great to me.  I agree they have slapped the glop on a bit thick which many don't like but it doesn't bother me especially.  The neck was a tad sticky until it was played in a bit.  The build quality on mine was pretty good, the only problem I've had was with the jack socket which worked loose after a few months.  That of course is a long standing tele weakness.  Replaced it with an electosocket. Sound wise it is very good imo, it has a wonderfully resonant tele quack to it which I love.  

Would I buy one again?  Yes but only if it was the same sort of weight as the one I already have.  My one man straw poll suggests mine is one of the lighter ones.

Aidanspaghetti

I had one for about 6 months - great guitars...

Sound fabulous but as others have said, check the weight!

chrisj1602

If you can be arsed going to Dawsons in Stockport (noticed your location is Lancashire), I played the one they have in and it's very nice. Nice neck, pretty light.

thermionic

I don't think the weight thing is just a Baja thing, it's typical of ash-bodied MIMs. I found the same thing with the 50s Classic (I ended up with the heavier of the two I tried, but it had a much nicer feeling neck).

SidNewton

The weights vary a lot, 7-9lbs. I played one in a local shop that was really light. I like the neck as well, very playable. I've seen a clip on youtube of the Mexican factory and the bodies are, I suspect, a five piece spread with a laminate on the top.

martinw

SidNewton said:

 I've seen a clip on youtube of the Mexican factory and the bodies are, I suspect, a five piece spread with a laminate on the top.

This one isn't:

http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/bajage.html 

mcsdan

Great guitars. Had one and loved it and regret selling but it was a p/x against a reissue LP which is stunning.

Spec is spot on for a vintage tele. Weight can be an issue but try some in store to be sure. The finish is a bit thick but it is what expected with a MIM.

I've been tempted with the ones in the classifieds too.Must resist!

Jetfire

One of my students has one and they are horrible IMHO. Huge plasticy feeling neck, heavy and the pick ups are VERY weak and quiet.. Could be a Friday one but otherwise, they are all sorts of terrible..