NOW WITH NGD: Should I buy a new US 50s Tele?

monquixote

I'm down to a DGT and a Strat now having sold my Gretsch. 

That means I've got a grand and change sitting in my Paypal. I could just stick it back in the bank, but it's hard to justify significant musical purchases now I don't gig and it will just evaporate on various child and house maintenance related things.

Teles are probably my favourite guitar, but weirdly other than a couple of bits and bobs I've never owned a really nice 52 blackguard which for me is what I see in my minds eye when I think "Guitar".

I tried a load of Teles a while ago and I found US Standards to be quite uninspiring, too polite and the neck was the dull as ditch water modern C. Only the 50s Vintage Reissue impressed me, but I didn't like the tiny frets and vintage radius.

My tendency is to sit and endlessly refresh the classifieds looking for something that's a bargain, but I'm seriously thinking I should just buy a new American Original 50's Tele.
It seems to be the 50's Reissue I loved, but with the better frets and radius. From what I can see spending twice the amount on a custom shop really just gets me options I don't need and relicing I don't want.
If I sell it I'll lose a few quid, but I think buying stuff with the idea of selling it in the back of my mind has been half of my problem in the past.

I could obsess about which boutique variant is going to be 5% better, or I could just buy the obvious choice and spend time playing.
Of course if corona virus wasn't a thing I could head down to Peach and try some stuff, but I can't imagine when that's next going to be an option.

Thoughts chaps?

EDIT: Now purchased - Pics for the TLDR brigade!

stickyfiddle

Sounds like a Tele would be a good bet. I'm a firm believer that everyone should have a Tele.

Buy a used Original 50's? Then if you feel you aren't loving it you haven't had that first day depreciation hit? I haven't played a Tele, but the Original Strats I've picked up have all been nice guitars. 

crunchman

Aren't "non-essential" shops allowed to open from the 15th?  Might be worth checking with Peach what their plans are for re-opening.

monquixote

crunchman said:

Aren't "non-essential" shops allowed to open from the 15th?  Might be worth checking with Peach what their plans are for re-opening.

That's a very good idea.

monquixote

stickyfiddle said:

Sounds like a Tele would be a good bet. I'm a firm believer that everyone should have a Tele.

Buy a used Original 50's? Then if you feel you aren't loving it you haven't had that first day depreciation hit? I haven't played a Tele, but the Original Strats I've picked up have all been nice guitars. 

That would be my usual approach , but despite being a huge selling model they hardly ever come up on the classifieds which I suppose should tell you something.

ICBM

There are two sensible ways to buy a guitar.

1 - try every guitar you can find, whether you think you like it or not. Buy the one that you find that fits you and sounds right. This can take as little or as much time as you want.

2 - just buy the guitar that you think you want. Sometimes life is too short for complicated drawn-out decision-making.

I'm very guilty of doing the first a lot, but actually some of the best guitars I've ever owned - a few of which I've still got, in some cases decades later - were bought simply because I knew I wanted one.

nick79

If it’s anything similar in build quality, tone and mojo to the Broadcaster I’ve just bought then just do it. Life is too short! 

chris78

Peach are reopening on an appointment basis from 15th. Hold fire, get yourself down there and be prepared to walk out with a custom shop 

adampeter

I think for that money a post 2012 AVRI 52, these have the vintage tall frets, i have one and cannot recommend them highly enough

Funkfingers

The Fender Hot Rod ‘52 Tele has the 9.5” fingerboard radius and bigger fret wire. The neck profile has decent “chunk” to it.

The same neck appears on the 2011 Brown’s Canyon and Old Growth Redwood Tele-bration model. 

monquixote

Funkfingers said:

The Fender Hot Rod ‘52 Tele has the 9.5” fingerboard radius and bigger fret wire. The neck profile has decent “chunk” to it.

The same neck appears on the 2011 Brown’s Canyon and Old Growth Redwood Tele-bration model. 

I would like one of those, but I do like the Tele neck pickup.

stickyfiddle

ICBM said:

There are two sensible ways to buy a guitar.

1 - try every guitar you can find, whether you think you like it or not. Buy the one that you find that fits you and sounds right. This can take as little or as much time as you want.

2 - just buy the guitar that you think you want. Sometimes life is too short for complicated drawn-out decision-making.

I'm very guilty of doing the first a lot, but actually some of the best guitars I've ever owned - a few of which I've still got, in some cases decades later - were bought simply because I knew I wanted one.

This is a good post. All of my non-negotiable keepers has been something has actually been #2. I really enjoy #1, but making a decision and just buying the damn thing can be very powerful and exactly what @monquixote is describing.

monquixote

Just spoken to Peach they don't have one and say they are unlikely to be able to get any more for several months as Fender have a huge backlog.

That is making me lean more towards just ordering one from somewhere that does have stock.

RaymondLin

ICBM said:

There are two sensible ways to buy a guitar.

1 - try every guitar you can find, whether you think you like it or not. Buy the one that you find that fits you and sounds right. This can take as little or as much time as you want.

2 - just buy the guitar that you think you want. Sometimes life is too short for complicated drawn-out decision-making.

I'm very guilty of doing the first a lot, but actually some of the best guitars I've ever owned - a few of which I've still got, in some cases decades later - were bought simply because I knew I wanted one.

I have only ever done the latter, never the former.  Even my Gibson that i went to try in person first, it was good so I bought it.  The rest of them I just bought, if i didn't like it, I traded it away.  It's not the end of the world.

monquixote said:

Just spoken to Peach they don't have one and say they are unlikely to be able to get any more for several months as Fender have a huge backlog.

That is making me lean more towards just ordering one from somewhere that does have stock.

Go for it, get used and you won't lose any or much.

GavRichList

ICBM said:

There are two sensible ways to buy a guitar.

1 - try every guitar you can find, whether you think you like it or not. Buy the one that you find that fits you and sounds right. This can take as little or as much time as you want.

2 - just buy the guitar that you think you want. Sometimes life is too short for complicated drawn-out decision-making.

I'm very guilty of doing the first a lot, but actually some of the best guitars I've ever owned - a few of which I've still got, in some cases decades later - were bought simply because I knew I wanted one.

I'm all #2 here  

monquixote

RaymondLin said:

monquixote said:

Just spoken to Peach they don't have one and say they are unlikely to be able to get any more for several months as Fender have a huge backlog.

That is making me lean more towards just ordering one from somewhere that does have stock.

Go for it, get used and you won't lose any or much.

There don't seem to be that many second hand ones about and a lot of them aren't that much off the price of a new one which should probably tell me something!

Funkfingers

monquixote said:

Funkfingers said:

The Fender Hot Rod ‘52 Tele

I would like one of those but I do like the Tele neck pickup.

So, change the pickguard and (at least) one pickup. 

GavRichList

I just had a look on Amp Guitars as they had a really nice looking AVRI 52 last time I saw, and for a good price. That one has unfortunately sold, but this might be of interest? thought it was worth mentioning anyhow.

https://ampguitars.com/product/fender-cij-52-telecaster/

monquixote

Funkfingers said:

monquixote said:

Funkfingers said:

The Fender Hot Rod ‘52 Tele

I would like one of those but I do like the Tele neck pickup.

So, change the pickguard and (at least) one pickup. 

That's what I've been thinking about

Get a hotrod and change the pickups and pickguard

Get an AVRI and have it refretted and profiled

Or just get a new one which has the features I want.

monquixote

GavRichList said:

I just had a look on Amp Guitars as they had a really nice looking AVRI 52 last time I saw, and for a good price. That one has unfortunately sold, but this might be of interest? thought it was worth mentioning anyhow.

https://ampguitars.com/product/fender-cij-52-telecaster/

Cheers dude.

Never heard of them before, will keep in my list now!

GavRichList

cant vouch for the shop personally, have just noticed they carry nice stuff at not horrendous prices. They also have a stunning looking 620 in, at a fairly significantly higher price than it was nabbed for on ebay a week or so ago  

https://ampguitars.com/product/rickenbacker-83-620/

...so they're not a charity! but mmmmmmmm.