Entry point for a good telecaster

dern

Long time since I've been on here so hello.

I sold all my teles ages ago and miss them. I haven't really kept up with what's available so does anyone have any recommendations for an entry level working telecaster. I don't want it to be 'flash' and I don't care about brands, I just want it to play very nicely.

Bit vague but thanks for any recommendations

RaymondLin

Squier classic vibe telecaster

Legionreturns

RaymondLin said:

Squier classic vibe telecaster

Yup

Also consider Vintage v52 

dern

The squire classic vibes are still considered good quality guitars? I played one ages ago and it was really nice but at the last minute went for a MIJ one.

Rocker

Kelly. A great Tele for reasonable money. Way better than MIM Fender. 

RaymondLin

For an entry level, I think they are great.

The next jump up personally I would go to a roadworn, after than I would go straight to Custom Shop skipping the MIJ/USA production guitars totally.  But that's just me.

munckee

Second hand G and L asat or classic vibe. 

monquixote

The thing about Classic Vibe is that they have very skinny necks which isn't really what a Tele is about for me though they are very good guitars.

rawk100

The Fret King Country Squire is worth a look, good quality at a reasonable price.

dern

Thanks very much for the suggestions. The Kellys look really interesting.

Redlester

monquixote said:

The thing about Classic Vibe is that they have very skinny necks which isn't really what a Tele is about for me though they are very good guitars.

It’s very much horses for courses. I wouldn’t describe the neck as skinny at all. But that’s me. Do try if you can. 

monquixote

Redlester said:

monquixote said:

The thing about Classic Vibe is that they have very skinny necks which isn't really what a Tele is about for me though they are very good guitars.

It’s very much horses for courses. I wouldn’t describe the neck as skinny at all. But that’s me. Do try if you can. 

It's pretty much true of all of the Classic Vibe range and indeed Squires in general the neck profiles tend to be designed with beginners in mind and as such tend to be considerably smaller than a Fender modern C.

If you go for something like a 50's Tele the difference in neck profile between a CV vs a Baja / AO / AVRI is massive.

Redlester

I just see it as a nice, well-proportioned neck. The lacquered board on my CV 50s is a boon to me too. Slick would be my word. 

I’ll try and remember this next time I’m in a shop and compare. Neck feel is probably in my top 3 factors of whether I buy or not. Never played a 50sRI

The neck profile I quite like is the Clapton Strat. 

Chuffola

Squier CVs are great value, as are the Vintage V52/62 - in my experience they have slightly fatter necks than the CV (which I don't think are much skinnier than the usual Fender Modern C shape, but that may well be a personal thing).

Vintera / Baja 50s have the chunky 50s necks which I love, but they are a fair bit more cash and I always feel that a Tele is basically a chopping board with strings, so I wince a bit if spending a lot on them!  However, the neck is the most important bit for me, so if you've the budget I'd definitely try out a few. I also prefer the ashtray bridge / 3 saddles etc. which you don't get on some of the Fender range. 

monquixote

The other thing I'd mention about a classic vibe is that when I gigged one the jack socket fell out, the plating wore through on the bridge, the pots and switches got crackley and needed to be replaced.

An American strat gigged much harder still looked basically new.

dern

I like this a lot... https://www.guitar.co.uk/michael-kelly-1953-guitar-blue-jean-wash-maple-fretboard

Not traditional but I like the body sculpting.