MIM Standard Fenders?

Funkfingers

robgilmo said:

My Epiphone LP Standard has a lovely neck, the frets are nice and small, the action is low and the neck is quite slim, if I could put that neck on my Tele I would be a happy camper. The thing more or less plays itself.

In that case, the smart move would be to keep your Epiphone LP.

Invest your disposable funds in better pickups and a smartarse switching system for the Les Paul. True, this will not yield the exact sounds of Fender type guitars but it should cover most musical bases.

My recommendation would involve either push-pull pots, the Freeway 3x3-03 six-way selector switch or Seymour Duncan Triple Shot mounting surrounds. None of these is cheap but the result will be a guitar that you will enjoy using.

munckee

Funkfingers said:

Given the brief, IMO, the Classic Player series models will have the fret sizes and neck profiles to satisfy the demands of the OP.

Pre-owned examples of the Classic Player Fifties Stratocaster and Baja Telecaster should be within budget. If you are lucky, the pickups may have already been upgraded.

I loved the pickups in my CP50s strat, not so much the v neck though..

robgilmo

Funkfingers said:

robgilmo said:

My Epiphone LP Standard has a lovely neck, the frets are nice and small, the action is low and the neck is quite slim, if I could put that neck on my Tele I would be a happy camper. The thing more or less plays itself.

In that case, the smart move would be to keep your Epiphone LP.

Invest your disposable funds in better pickups and a smartarse switching system for the Les Paul. True, this will not yield the exact sounds of Fender type guitars but it should cover most musical bases.

My recommendation would involve either push-pull pots, the Freeway 3x3-03 six-way selector switch or Seymour Duncan Triple Shot mounting surrounds. None of these is cheap but the result will be a guitar that you will enjoy using.

Now you really have made me rethink this, its my Tele that I want to change, the Epi may well have to stay.

CasperCaster

I think the Mexican Fender stuff is very good, but you'll obviously get better value buying secondhand, and the pickups are the weakest point, particularly on the Mexican Stds. Alternatively why not put a bitsa together? I've had an all maple Squier CV Tele neck up for sale for a while and will be advertising a Fender Highway One Tele body soon. Plenty of other folk here have various parts for sale as well, including other necks and bodies, pickups etc However good the Mexican stuff is I reckon for £300 you could get some excellent parts to put together a Tele which would be superior, and wouldn't need further upgrading.

Samgb

robgilmo said:

So whats wrong with the pickups? My budget is what I can sell my two current guitars for put down as a deposit and finance on the rest so even a classic series is pushing it a bit, a Baja will be a bit too much. My Epiphone LP Standard has a lovely neck, the frets are nice and small, the action is low and the neck is quite slim, if I could put that neck on my Tele I would be a happy camper. The thing more or less plays itself.

Nothing. To my ear the bridge pickup is a little more modern - thicker, and slightly less clangy than the old fashioned tele. The neck and neck and bridge settings sound more 'classic'.

BigLicks67

Samgb said:

robgilmo said:

So whats wrong with the pickups? My budget is what I can sell my two current guitars for put down as a deposit and finance on the rest so even a classic series is pushing it a bit, a Baja will be a bit too much. My Epiphone LP Standard has a lovely neck, the frets are nice and small, the action is low and the neck is quite slim, if I could put that neck on my Tele I would be a happy camper. The thing more or less plays itself.

Nothing. To my ear the bridge pickup is a little more modern - thicker, and slightly less clangy than the old fashioned tele. The neck and neck and bridge settings sound more 'classic'.

I'd agree the bridge pickup is hotter and easier to get into Les Paul impersonation mode. However, the neck pickup on mine was atrociously muddy and the volume had to be dialled back to get a clean sound. 

chrisj1602

Just because someone on the internet says the pickups need changing doesn't mean they won't work out fine for you. I'd be more interested in radius and fret size at this point.

HAL9000

chrisj1602 said:

Just because someone on the internet says the pickups need changing doesn't mean they won't work out fine for you.

^ This. I’ve recently bought a used  MIM Std Tele and right now I’m preferring the sounds over my US Std. OK, I’m prepared to accept that it might be in its honeymoon period, but it is nonetheless a very decent sounding guitar.

chrisj1602 said:

I'd be more interested in radius and fret size at this point.

Yup. If the rest of the guitar is right then the pickups can easily be changed at a later date. If the radius or frets don’t suit then that’s much more of a problem.

steer

chrisj1602 said:

Just because someone on the internet says the pickups need changing doesn't mean they won't work out fine for you. I'd be more interested in radius and fret size at this point.

Yep - I feel no need whatsoever to change the stock pups on mine. 

thegummy

I would love to go to the Mexican factory and find out if the only difference between the standard and things like the classic player are the specs or if the latter gets more man hours per guitar, more attention to quality etc.

I think this is really quite a mystery and think it's often assumed that the higher end Mexican fenders differ to the standards in more than just the paper specs.