Best tele for around £300?

AuldReekie

thomasw88 said:

Levinson blade

+1 for Blade; this looks a bargain. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEVINSON-BLADE-Delta-Standard-BLACK-NEW-OLD-STOCK-BARGAIN-RRP-779-/321922424821?hash=item4af4125ff5:g:~akAAOSwFGNWSfwH

Deadman

I built my dream Tele for 350 quid, so it can be done, even with a decent spec. However I've owned a CV and loved it. If I owned another I'd have to strip that plastic'y finish off and nitro it but the CV would be my recommendation for an off the shelf job.

Barrivee

G&L ASAT Tribute - several on the bay under £300 at the mo. Great guitars

pintspiller

if you're near a fender dealer, try as many models as you can, then check ebay and gumtree for used prices. i remember wanting a tele and trying a number of them to get my faves. in the end, the only one with a neck profile that i liked was the usa standard. suffice to say, i can't see me getting one now as i get more gigs as a bassist.

if it's just looks you are after, there is a reverend with a tele shape that is one of the most playable guitars i put my hands on. but it's not a tele

digitalkettle

Thanks chaps...all points noted.

lincolnblue

ESBlonde said:

If you look real hard those Korean made Fender lite ashe teles of a few years back represent excellent vfm. Might stretch the budget a little but unlikely to lose on a resale.

OVERVIEW

The Fender Lite Ash Telecaster Electric Guitar couples the tonality of ash with a pair of Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups for the firepower demanded by modern music. The birdseye maple neck has 22 medium-jumbo frets and abalone dots. Its nicely equipped with chrome hardware and a chrome bridge with brass barrel saddles. 3-way switching and tone/volume controls round out this tidy Tele package.

Weighs less than 8 pounds for lots of resonance.

FEATURES

• Light ash body
• Bird's-eye maple neck
• 22 medium-jumbo frets
• 25-1/2" scale length
• Chrome hardware
• Chrome bridge with brass barrel saddles
• Dot abalone inlays
• Pickups: Seymour Duncan: APTR-1 Alnico II Pro (neck), APTL-1 Alnico II Pro (bridge)
• 3-way pickup switching

Edit.

Oh look!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Lite-Ash-Telecaster-/262163816117?hash=item3d0a2e5eb5

I have a Lite Ash Tele which I bought from @lixarto Superb guitar for the money

Joe123

Why not a used Schecter PT special?it has a neck P90, though and with serial-parallel combination and contoured body( just like a Kotzen's tele)

markslade07

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

digitalkettle

Yikes...I don’t even remember who I was asking for!

rossi

Ibanez Talman as a left field suggestion  if any one is still around with a similar problem .I played  one and it  was  pretty  good .I would have gigged it no problem .

markslade07

digitalkettle said:

Yikes...I don’t even remember who I was asking for!

Come on, it was only 5 years ago!

Rich210

My mate picked up a revelation tele for £150 a think, it's decent, plays nice and sounds like a tele!

Funkfingers

Given the time elapsed since the original opening post and general worthlessness of Sterling beyond these shores, the target price figure could do with revising upwards.

Does £450 seem about right?

Draco_V_Ecliptic

Anyone know if the Mexican teles are any good?

Funkfingers

As a rule, the Fender MIM Standard Telecaster is good workhorse instrument that would benefit from a few modifications. IMO, they are better built and more playable than many American examples from the Seventies. (CNC machines care nothing for national boundaries.)

Generally speaking, Fender selects the lightest and prettiest wood for their expensive lines. The MIM production tends to get what is left - heavier and plainer, hence, the preponderance of opaque finishes. The body shaping and cavity routing is sufficiently good that the Mexicans bodies have to have a "crop circle" hole made under the scratchplate to expose attempted fakery.

For me, the pick of the MIM bunch is the Baja Telecaster. The neck profile is superb. Bodies vary in weight and resonance. 

Joe123

markslade07 said:

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Hehe..I wasn't aware this thread started a few years ago..sorry for resurrecting an old thread haha.
@digitalkettle : so, what did you end up with?thanks

digitalkettle

Joe123 said:

markslade07 said:

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Hehe..I wasn't aware this thread started a few years ago..sorry for resurrecting an old thread haha.
@digitalkettle : so, what did you end up with?thanks

I wasn't asking for myself...I have no idea why I even posted!

chotu495

Draco_V_Ecliptic said:

Anyone know if the Mexican teles are any good?

I bought one last year. Nice enough for my enthusiastic beginner skills. 

I put locking tuners and a Wilkinson bridge on it last week, and the whole guitar has now come alive. The new bridge in particular completely improved the sound and feel. Big step forward 

Tusq nut is next 

suspiciousminds

I have a 2015 mim Tele in lpb and I love it.
I’ve put a 5way switch in, orange drop caps, I’m happy with the bridge pickup - not so with the neck so I’ll swap that out at some point.
Great guitar for the money.