Tele buying buying advice needed, all your Baja owners.

uncledick

The Vintage V52 is well worth a look.  Certainly a match for the Baja imho.

lovestrat74

What didn't you bond with? Sound? Feel? If it's the latter then I guess you will need to try as many of the "budget" Teles as you can. Only you will know what suits you. 

I have a Baja and I love the soft v neck. Others on here prefer the slimmer neck of CV, so it's all a matter of personal preference. 

robgilmo

builttospill said:

may be over budget but something like this one? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sonic-Blue-Fender-72-Thinline-Telecaster-MIM-Reissue-2014-Hard-Case-Stunning/232957490384?hash=item363d5934d0:g:2dYAAOSwCtNbuyc4:rk:4:pf:0

Jesus, he should take up photography , arty farty shots in my experience dont sell things , people dont really want to see the product from some obscure angle in low lighting, well lit front back and sides, outside if possible, you want it sold , not put in the centre spread of a photography magazine, and whats with the upside down shot?


The only full shot of the guitar is at a weird angle in which he had to sit on the floor to take with some pants lighting under it, I wouldn't buy that simply because there is nothing much there to show me exactly what I am buying.

rossi

maybe all your previous tele had 7.5 radius and you need a 9.5 or larger .it took me years to figure it out and Squier 51 to do it .While its small difference ,for some its an important one .Just depends how and what you play .

Lebarque

You've tried enough teles. Take the hint and get a Jazzmaster or Strat!

thegummy

DrCornelius said:

chris78 said:

The neck on a baja really isn’t massive. It’s chunky but more like a 52 than a nocaster. That would be my choice. If remains the best and most versatile guitar anyone makes south of a grand. You should be able to pick one up used for £450-500.
If you want a thinner neck, the 60s baja is Ok if you want 9.5 radius, but if you can deal with 7.25, I’d go Mexican classic series 60s, especially if you can find a lacquer version. 

With repsect to above, if you think a classic vibe sounds like a baja, you need new ears. The pickups and wiring options are very different.

You wouldn't be the first to say I need new ears tbf.  I used to have a Baja so know all about the S1 switching so didn't bother messing around with that when I tried them together. I was just more interested in the feel and basic sounds and to my shoddy ears there wasn't much in it.

Wouldn't be so quick to accept the criticism of your ears - some people might believe they can hear such massive differences between 2 Tele pickups but could they actually hear it in a blind test? Maybe you're just less influenced by expectations.

robgilmo

I think the S1 in the Baja for me is pretty useless, I think it takes too much away from the classic tele sound and doesnt put enough back to make it worthwhile, I will be removing mine at some point and putting in standard Tele electrics. 

thegummy

robgilmo said:

I think the S1 in the Baja for me is pretty useless, I think it takes too much away from the classic tele sound and doesnt put enough back to make it worthwhile, I will be removing mine at some point and putting in standard Tele electrics. 

Or just don't press it

robgilmo

Lol, yeah , that would work.

markj

lovestrat74 said:

What didn't you bond with? Sound? Feel? If it's the latter then I guess you will need to try as many of the "budget" Teles as you can. Only you will know what suits you. 

I have a Baja and I love the soft v neck. Others on here prefer the slimmer neck of CV, so it's all a matter of personal preference. 

The best one and first I had was an American standard fitted with BKP brown sugars. Looking back I shouldn’t have let it go. I like the look of the classic vibe, will give one a try when I come across one.

TheMarlin

markj said:

mikeyrob73 said:

Classic Vibe :-) 

Yeah that's the one i'm most interested in.

The Classic Vibe is great, only criticism is the neck is very skinny, and it’s smothered in poly finish.  I’ve often joked that the neck is just a very thickly laminated matchstick. 

Despite that, I really liked mine. Was great fun to play, and would buy another in a heartbeat. 

Best tele neck for me is the Baja. Also an excellent used buy. 

lovestrat74

markj said:

lovestrat74 said:

What didn't you bond with? Sound? Feel? If it's the latter then I guess you will need to try as many of the "budget" Teles as you can. Only you will know what suits you. 

I have a Baja and I love the soft v neck. Others on here prefer the slimmer neck of CV, so it's all a matter of personal preference. 

The best one and first I had was an American standard fitted with BKP brown sugars. Looking back I shouldn’t have let it go. I like the look of the classic vibe, will give one a try when I come across one.

Rosewood? If so the 60s Baja might suit you if the CV doesn't ..

markj

TheMarlin said:

markj said:

mikeyrob73 said:

Classic Vibe :-) 

Yeah that's the one i'm most interested in.

The Classic Vibe is great, only criticism is the neck is very skinny, and it’s smothered in poly finish.  I’ve often joked that the neck is just a very thickly laminated matchstick. 

Despite that, I really liked mine. Was great fun to play, and would buy another in a heartbeat. 

Best tele neck for me is the Baja. Also an excellent used buy. 

I’m quite interested in the Baja, the neck on the classic vibe might be too thin. Any special year to look out for in the Baja or are they all the same.

robgilmo

Mine is a 2012, the neck is really quite nice, not baseball bat but not slim by any means, its a 50's one, the only thing that I dont like is the finish and the S1, The S1 can be sorted quite easily but that pukey brown milky tea coloured finish isnt to my taste, and it makes a right old hum when Im not touching the strings, apparently Im not alone with a noisy Baja. That being said its a great guitar.

HAL9000

stimpsonslostson said:

If you want a REALLY budget option... 
I've heard MANY good things about Affinity Teles. I've not got one, but a Telecaster is a simple beast at heart. 

I had one years ago that I have always regretted selling. Plenty of that Tele 'punch' and more fun than a team of young ladies experimenting with new ways of being nice to me.

DrCornelius

robgilmo said:

and it makes a right old hum when Im not touching the strings, apparently Im not alone with a noisy Baja. 

I had the same problem with my Baja, I ended up buying some anti static washing machine sheets and wiped round the guitar every week or so which seemed to make it a lot better without totally sortiing the problem.

robgilmo

Squiers are really nice, I really regret selling my VB Standard, but one in one out was the plan and it had to go. I would buy another in a heartbeat.


In fact if you are anywhere near Cardiff there is a Vintage Blonde 2016 Standard on FaceBook for sale for 160 quid, looks quite decent, thats a lot of guitar for very little money.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/guitarexchange/

Dan_Halen

If you've already had 5 and didn't like them then maybe you're just not a Tele guy  What is it that didn't click with the previous ones? The shape, feel, sound or just the whole thing?

Might be worth looking at something like the 70s ones - the 72 Custom or Deluxe or maybe a Thinline?

markj

I’ve changed the title of the thread. Very interested in a Baja, what have got 50’s or 60’s version.

crunchman

markj said:

TheMarlin said:

markj said:

mikeyrob73 said:

Classic Vibe :-) 

Yeah that's the one i'm most interested in.

The Classic Vibe is great, only criticism is the neck is very skinny, and it’s smothered in poly finish.  I’ve often joked that the neck is just a very thickly laminated matchstick. 

Despite that, I really liked mine. Was great fun to play, and would buy another in a heartbeat. 

Best tele neck for me is the Baja. Also an excellent used buy. 

I’m quite interested in the Baja, the neck on the classic vibe might be too thin. Any special year to look out for in the Baja or are they all the same.

They do vary, but I don't think that it bears any relation to what year they are.  You can get variation in the same batch.

After hearing all the fuss about them, I tried one when on holiday in the US, thinking I could get it cheaper than here.  That one was lifeless.  On the other hand, I did briefly own a really good one a while later.

Weights of Baja Teles are reputed to vary quite a lot.  I think the wood can be quite variable.

The thing to do with Teles is just try a bunch, and find a good one, whatever the official specs are.  I have a Japanese one at the moment that I really like, even though it is poly finish and has a top loading bridge rather than the traditional through body Tele stringing.  My brother-in-law had a Squier Affinity Tele that sounded better than some Fenders I've played.