Opinions on 70's Fender Telecasters.....

SimpleSimon

what's the consensus? i appreciate you should view each guitar on its own merit but wonder if a 70's Telecaster might be a good punt? If so which years are deemed 'better'?

Funkfingers

Try as many as you can. Hopefully, you will stumble across one that plays nicely, sounds good and doesn’t weigh a ton.

HandwrittenHero

If you’re close enough, I believe @guitars4you has a 76 Tele in - https://www.guitars4you.co.uk/guitars/5642-fender-1976-tele-original-case-blonde/

ICBM

Pre-1972. That's when the body shape changed to the uglier version with a flatter curve on the top bout next to the neck.

They didn't actually suffer too many changes after that, compared to some of the other models - although the average weight does increase in the later 70s.

Pickup and control specs did change too, but unlike the body shape those things can be fixed if you want to...

Lewy

HandwrittenHero said:

If you’re close enough, I believe @guitars4you has a 76 Tele in - https://www.guitars4you.co.uk/guitars/5642-fender-1976-tele-original-case-blonde/

Weighing in at 9lbs 12oz!! I'm not one of these people who thinks anything over 7lbs is heavy but bloody hell

RaymondLin

A telecaster is a tiny guitar, 9 lb 12oz?! Ouch.

kentuckyklira

Funkfingers said:

Try as many as you can. Hopefully, you will stumble across one that plays nicely, sounds good and doesn’t weigh a ton.

This is the golden rule with 70s Fenders. I have a few and they´re all great. I´ve checked out way more and there were a lot of awful ones out there. I guess it´s only going to get worse as the good ones tend to find a nice home and the bad once get passed along.

munckee

I’ve decided to stop worrying about weight after taking my 79 Strat to a shop and comparing to a 79 they had in and deciding they weighed the same. 

Chap weighed them mine was 8 his was over 10!

ive played various 70s strats and Teles and never hated any. 

guitars4you

The earlier the better as a general comment for 70's

Weight, neck join all generally get worse as the decade moved on

Also what are you comparing them to - Compare say 5 or 10 different 70's Tele's and you'll find one you like - Compare a 70's Tele to many CS models and many will favour the CS from a feel playability, tonal point of view - But many want some 'old school' mojo over a more recent model

Sometimes you'll find a non-original 70's model with tweaks that can be better - I have a non-original 75 in stock that IMO destroys the original 76 I have in stock

Many later 70's models and the bridge p/up can be fierce and brittle and lack 'balls/body' which then sounds a bit to 'ice picky' thru a overdriven amp setting

Pre 72 and you'll find the credit card will need a higher spending limit

richardhomer

I used to own a ‘71. Once I changed the pots for 250k ones, it was a very nice sounding guitar - though still on the weighty side.

I also owned a late ‘90s 52 reissue which was objectively better in every way.

If you’re ‘in love’ with the idea of an old Fender, I kind of get the appeal - but if you simply want a ‘good’ Telecaster there are much less costly options that will more often than not be a better choice.

Henrytwang

I own a 1974 blonde Tele with a rosewood fingerboard. It was a couple of years old when I bought it and it’s an excellent guitar although it doesn’t get played so much these days as the original frets are quite worn and I don’t know who to trust to refret it. Unlike many 70s Fenders it’s quite lightweight.

jimmyguitar

I know of a blonde 72 tele with no issues for £2800. It is just under 10lb though 

https://i.imgur.com/TQSMJ0U.jpg

Philly_Q

When I see the words "70s Telecaster" I think Wide Range humbuckers and the Telecaster Deluxe, Thinline and Custom. 

I wouldn't particularly want to own a "regular" Tele from the 1970s but I'm sure there are good ones around.

TonyR

I had a 70s Telecaster Custom (the one with the humbucker at the neck) back in the early 1990s - I hated the thing, it felt like a plank, I was glad to get shut of it!

Probably worth a few bob now, but hey ho.

ICBM

jimmyguitar said:

I know of a blonde 72 tele with no issues for £2800. It is just under 10lb though

Old body shape too, but that is really quite heavy for one that early.

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

jimmyguitar said:

I know of a blonde 72 tele with no issues for £2800. It is just under 10lb though

Old body shape too, but that is really quite heavy for one that early.

No bullet truss rod - did that come in later for Teles than for Strats?

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

No bullet truss rod - did that come in later for Teles than for Strats?

It was never used on the standard Tele - only the Custom, Deluxe and Thinline - it goes with the three-bolt neck plate.

jimmyguitar

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:

jimmyguitar said:

I know of a blonde 72 tele with no issues for £2800. It is just under 10lb though

Old body shape too, but that is really quite heavy for one that early.

No bullet truss rod - did that come in later for Teles than for Strats?

‘72 is the last year of the 60’s specs. Single string tree and ‘correct‘ body cut. 

guitars4you

Henrytwang said:

I own a 1974 blonde Tele with a rosewood fingerboard. It was a couple of years old when I bought it and it’s an excellent guitar although it doesn’t get played so much these days as the original frets are quite worn and I don’t know who to trust to refret it. Unlike many 70s Fenders it’s quite lightweight.

If the guitar means anything to you, just get it re-fretted - It will put new life back in the guitar and 99% certain it will be a better player afterwards  - IMO anything like 6100, 6105 or my favourites (6150) will just enhance it no end

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

No bullet truss rod - did that come in later for Teles than for Strats?

It was never used on the standard Tele - only the Custom, Deluxe and Thinline - it goes with the three-bolt neck plate.

Well well well... I'm a bit embarrassed, 40-odd years of being into guitars and I've never realised that!  I guess I've always been interested in '70s Strats because I like the look and players I like used them, but I never took notice of the Teles from the same period.  I just assumed they had the three-bolt plate and bullet.

koneguitarist

Try as many as you can, I had a lovely 76 sunburst tele which was pretty light. But also a Tele Deluxe with factory Strat tremolo (it’s the one in Ultimate guitar book) which was pretty heavy, they all varied a lot but never played a bad one unlike strats from same period. 

The only ones that sounded awful were when they changed pots from 250k to 1 Meg for some stupid reason, but most people changed pots anyway.