MIM Teles?

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 30 Mar 2005 6:13 pm

How many of you own these made in Mexico Teles, and how close to the American made Teles do they come as far as tone and quality?

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 30 Mar 2005 6:44 pm

I don't own a Mexican Tele, but I just ordered a Mexican fretless Jazz Bass, and from what I understand they've started using the same pickups for their Mexican models as they use in the American. If that's the case for the guitars too, then that would be a huge step in the right direction.

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www.gregertsen.com

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 30 Mar 2005 7:10 pm

My son just bought one from the Musicians Friend catalog. After a little tweaking he was happy with it.

Papa Joe Pollick · Post by **Papa Joe Pollick** » 30 Mar 2005 8:45 pm

Terry, I just bought a Mex Tele last week. $350 and I am VERY happy with it.Just what I have been looking for. 3 piece ash body in natural finish, maple fretboard,small frets. I called Fender to verify what the salesman told me and they said yes indeed all the parts were made in the U.S. The tuners are made by "Ping" {major golf club company}. Just assembled in Mexico. All I have done to it {so far}is lowered the action a little and it plays and sounds like any Tele I've ever played.Better than some.
I'm gonna tear it down in a couple of days to do what ever shielding it needs and do the Roy Buchan switch-a-roo on the control plate.While I have it apart I'll check all the electronics to make sure they are TOP grade..I'll let you know what I find.But if you buy one, get one that has been made recently.Some of the earier ones had poplur bodys..Not very good tone.IMHO.This one is hot.Good luck and God Bless..P.J.

Jim Peters · Post by **Jim Peters** » 30 Mar 2005 8:56 pm

Terry, I play a Nashville tele. I have 2 Carvins(great guitars), an old Gibson Melody Maker with P90's, and a Frankenstein Tele set up like Brent Mason's. For the last 3 years, the NV tele is the only guitar I play out. It is truly a great playing and sounding ax. I was gonna do this and that to it, but have not changed a thing on it.It is made of alder, maple neck. IMHO, one of the great cost per value guitars made. JP

Papa Joe Pollick · Post by **Papa Joe Pollick** » 30 Mar 2005 8:57 pm

I need to use spell check.Sorry Roy .

Dave Brophy · Post by **Dave Brophy** » 30 Mar 2005 10:33 pm

I think the MIM 50's Classic Tele is a stone bargain.To me,they feel and sound more like an early Fender than the '52 Reissue,at less than half the price.The Nashville and Muddy Waters models are also real nice,and bargain-priced.

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 31 Mar 2005 12:29 am

It depends on which MIM line you are talking about. The 'Standard' MIM line is not bad, but the Mexican made vintage reissues look and play every bit as good as the US vintage reissues. I have a MIM '60s Strat (62 type with rosewood board) that doesn't feel any different than its US made counterpart. It also sounds just as 'twangy' as a Tele.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 31 Mar 2005 3:14 am

I have a MIM "Nashville" Tele. I've had it for about 4 years and it plays and sounds great. I have a friend with a USA Tele and he likes mine better for both playability and sound.

I did do one change. I installed a Stew-Mac superswitch so I could get the neck/bridge pickup like the regular Tele's. The stock switch, in the center position selects the center pickup only, with the Stew-Mac switch, the center switch position is the neck/bridge pickups. The rest of the switch pickup selection is like the stock switch.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 31 Mar 2005 3:50 am

to subjective.

and a little long...

Are the MIM's good players? Yes..some of them are..

Are they all good players ? No..

Are all American Tele's good players ? No

Are there excellent American players? Yes..

For the most part the Tele's are assembled in Corona Mexico. Are the parts the same as the Amercan series..NO..They are not. Are the parts made in America..Yes they are..They are not the same electronics used in the Amercan Series guitars.

The Fender Delta Tone PUPS that come standard on the Amercan series sell for approx $125/ set by themselves as compared to a MIM Tele which sells for $399 complete..

The biggest issue with Tele's and Strats is finding one that you PERSONALLY like, whether it's MIM, MIJ, MIK or USA.

If you ask 100 players each will give you an opinion, just like me but the problem is guitars are way to personal, my favorite playing Tele may be the one you like the least !

Just because someone does not like your guitar does not mean it's not a nice guitar, 98% of the time it's neck width and feel, and we all have a different position on that.

My absolute favorite Tele of all time has a 7.5 radius with jumbos'. One of my good Tele playin pals wouldn't own it..the neck is too small for him. See how it works.

When you purchase an Instrument such as a MIM Tele or MIK Guitar, yes, they look and play nice, but the long term is you own it for life.

I would argue all the day long that the American Ash Series with a 7.5 radius maple fretboard with jumbo's is pobably the finest new Tele on the market,( for me ) but it does sell for around $1100...

Put one of these in a side by side comparison with any Tele in the stores and the obvious will jump out at you. Even the Custom Shop Teles that sell for $3000 don't hold up in my view.

After that it would be the MIM 50's classic at around $650 ( slightly fatter neck) if you can find one and then the American Highway 1 Series with the cruddy finish for around $600. Both of these in my view are very fine axes.

But like any Instrument, purpose dictates price...if the MIM standards or the MIK guitars are pleasing to YOU then it's a match.

If you are asking if the MIM are good playing and good sounding, the answer is YES, if you like it. Should you compare it to an $1100 American Ash Tele ? I guess you can but probably should not.

If you purchase the American Ash for $1100, you can probably sell it any day of the week for around a grand. IF you purchase the MIM for $399, does it even have a resale value ?

Don't get caught up in the " My friend says it's good so I bought one "..

Guitars MUST be played first before the purchase..only the player can decide if it's good for them.

it's a quagmire for sure..

t[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 31 March 2005 at 03:54 AM.]

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 31 Mar 2005 8:19 am

Ok, lots of responses, thanks guys.
Here's the deal, I have a Hwy 1 strat that I love! But I can't get away from hearing that "chicken pickin" sound of a Tele.
The only reason I didn't get a Hwy 1 Tele is because our local store didn't have one, and I got my Strat for less than half price because of a couple of tiny places where the paint had rubbed off where it had been sittin on a guitar stand.
Is there any way, besides changing pickups, to get close to that "chicken picken" sound with a Strat? Or, would I have to sell my Strat and buy a Tele to get that sound?
Musicians Friend has a Deluxe Nashville Tele with an Alder body, maple or rosewood neck, and has a Strat pickup in the middle, with a Tele pup in front and back for $519. But only two color options, red, and brown sunburst.
Then they have the lite Ash Tele with Seymore -Duncan pups and maple neck for $629

Anybody got any idea what it would cost to have Tele pups put on my Strat? I know a lot of players do it theirselves, but I doubt I could do it, I'm no good wit electronics.

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

Jim Peters · Post by **Jim Peters** » 31 Mar 2005 8:50 am

Terry,it's a losing battle to convert. Lotsa times it's hard to tell when listening which is which, but strats and teles don't play the same. My NV tele, even with 3 pup's never completely nails that glassy strat 2 and 4 position,though it's close.Strats don't have the same "spank" as a tele. Keep your Highway one strat,get a Deluxe MIM,or highway one tele, you'll be happier and have 2 guitars that you'll love! JP

D Schubert · Post by **D Schubert** » 31 Mar 2005 8:50 am

Terry, I don't think you'd ever get a true Tele sound out of the Strat, because of the design difference in bridge/tailpiece.

A traditional Tele bridge w/ three saddles is a big part of the sound, IMHO. The MIM 50's Classic Tele has most of the original features that add up to twang (maple neck, small fingerboard radius, ash body, three saddle bridge). Simple changes or upgrades that are common: swap steel saddles for brass, replace bridge pickup with something slightly hotter, replace pickguard with black bakelite, to get even closer to early 50's specs. I've had two of these, and would not hesitate to buy another one tomorrow.

The MIM Nashville Tele will be more of a compromise (rosewood fingerboard, alder body, 3rd pickup, six saddle bridge) between Strat and Tele, and in a side-by-side comparison I think you'd hear and feel the difference.

From what I've seen the quality of the Corona-made Teles is very good. Some of the models made in Mexico are low-end in terms of materials, so there is a certain "cheap" feel to those. But for the guitars that sell for $500 or more, I don't think you can really tell the difference. Fender did a good job of training and transferring know-how from their U.S. plant.

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 31 Mar 2005 8:52 am

One thing that contributes a lot to the special Tele sound is that the bridge pickup is mounted on a metal plate (which also holds the bridge). That's one thing you won't get on a Strat....
I've gone from being a Strat guy to being a Tele fanatic,- I just love those 'primitive' guitars.

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 31 Mar 2005 9:27 am

Terry, and do keep in mind that the "Chicken Pickin' " as you refer to and is justly stylish these days is not only done on a Tele although the Tele bridge , saddle and PUP configuration allows for the right hand to grasp the style and thus the Tele has become the favorite and most recognizable, and for me too.

Not that I am any great resource on the subject, but I play the same stuff on both Tele's and the Strats, the issue I have with the Strats is that the dang middle PUP and the first volume knob get in the way and I have to adjust my right hand accordingly but the Strat will snap , sparkle and twang...

But I do prefer to play on the Tele's if I had to choose. Uh..but wait..I do really like using the tremelo arm of the Strat for extended chord sustain..

I think at this point you probably should have both Guitars...after you modify the Strat, it will still be a Strat !

I think if your were to ask Reggie Young he would have his own opinion on the "Chicken Pickin on a Strat" conversation...

good luck there buddy..
t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 31 March 2005 at 09:28 AM.]

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 31 Mar 2005 11:01 am

Our lead picker has a Strat, with Blue Lace Sensors, and he does a lot of the chickin pickin on the Strat and a Fender Deluxe Reverb. He usually uses the middle/bridge pickup switch setting.

Although I have the MIM Nashville Tele and like it, I also like the Strat's except I'm constantly "accidentally" moving the volume control whe I play one. I can't understand why the Volume Control was placed where it is.

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 31 Mar 2005 11:10 am

To me, the Tele and the Strat sound identical. Single coil pickups - that's where the sound is. I think the 'country' sound of a Tele is just in the player's imagination. It is the 'look' of the Tele - the fact that so many superstar country pickers have played them - that give the Tele its 'country' aura.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 31 Mar 2005 11:17 am

Leslie, with all due respect my friend, they are not the same Guitars and they PLAY and FEEL totally different.

As mentioned above the right hand technique of a Tele along with the bridge/pup configuration allow for a totally different feel and technique.

yes possibly , the guitars may sound the same to some , but a main reason many of the Country Pickers play them is for the natural way they feel in your hands, especially the right hand. From this a personal tone can be developed.

I would argue against the "Imagination" thing going on.

t[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 31 March 2005 at 01:19 PM.]

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 31 Mar 2005 11:37 am

The MIM guitars are just like all other guitars; some are bad, most are OK, a few are very good.

Last time I counted how many guitars I've had the list was over 100, and many of them were strats and teles, from the '50's up.

In fact that "country aura" thing is exactly why I wouldn't own a Tele for years! The sound is what matters to me and the Tele and Strat are NOT the same guitar and do NOT sound the same. After I gave the Tele a fair chance, I went from being a confirmed Strat player to preferring Teles, and "country aura and feel" ain't why.

Jimmy Page wasn't sounding real "country" when he recorded the solo to "Stairway to Heaven" on his old Tele (some say it was an Esquire) and plenty of other rockers...Jeff Beck for another....have used Teles and Esquires in very UN-country settings. Amos Garrett did some really nice - and not country - things on a Tele, including the famous "Midnight at the Oasis" solo, which is one of the ones that really got my attention and got me into the Tele. Since then I've done my share of country twanging on it, too.

By the way, I did put a Tele lead pickup on one of my Strats back around '83, and it didn't make it sound like my Tele, but then I know a lot of people couldn't have heard the difference... or between my '54 Tele and my '57 Les Paul Special either, for that matter...

For that "a player dials in any guitar to his own tone until sounds the same on any guitar" argument, I played my Strats and Teles with the same band through the same amp and could never once get the Strat bridge pickup to sound like my Tele bridge pickup, although the average crowd probably wouldn't know the difference... even then, I think a lot of people could hear the difference if you sat them down and could get them to really listen while you A/B'd the two.

Sure they sound very similar, they are both solid-bodies with single-coils, but similar is not exactly the same. I'm sure that "similar" is close enough for many.

To those who play Teles instead of Strats "for the feel", I can only say I'm sorry their ears aren't good enough to hear the difference, besides just having that "feel" in their hands.
[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 31 March 2005 at 01:09 PM.]

seldomfed · Post by **seldomfed** » 31 Mar 2005 12:39 pm

Guitars MUST be played first before the purchase..only the player can decide if it's good for them.

I agree totally. I had a Nashville Tele (MIM - which I think all the 'Nashville' Teles are). I got it because one day I was in the local store with time to kill and just played every Strat and Tele on the wall. This one guitar jumped out at me with a tone, and a feel that was better that all the rest! So I got it. I was surprise to learn it was made in Mexico. Nice axe.

I've played others like it since, and have noticed some variability - so clearly, the recommendation to play before purch. is sound advise (pun intended)

Wish I still had it

- I traded it for another guitar that jumped out at me a while later - a Reverend Commando. But now I want another tele - so I'll go searching again someday soon.

Chris

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Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"Listen Sooner"
www.book-em-danno.com
www.seldomfed.com

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 31 Mar 2005 1:17 pm

as written:

"To those who play Teles instead of Strats "for the feel", I can only say I'm sorry their ears aren't good enough to hear the difference, besides just having that "feel" in their hands"

Jim where ya goin' with that one ?

Maybe I am misunderstanding you.

OF course there is a difference in sound..I would not argue that at all...

My commnet above relates only to right hand attack and approach, which is not consistent for both of these axes.

We are off thread topic though..
sorry

t[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 31 March 2005 at 01:23 PM.]

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 31 Mar 2005 3:57 pm

Saturday night at church I played my Hwy 1 Strat, and also played an american made Tele that our special singing group, The Master's Familly had. I noticed the strings on the Tele were a little closer to the neck than my Strat, and the neck might have been a little more narrow. As far as playabillity of the two guitars, I liked my Strat as much if not more than the Tele. But the Tele just had that country twang, which I happen to like. but the guys helped me get a little better tone from my Strat, not as twangy as the Tele, but playing through my steel amp which is a session 500rd, I can't expect to get the Tele Twang. I have a pod 2.0 which I'm thinkin of sending it back since it don't have the 2.3 update, but it has a couple of amp models like the Blackface Twin reverb and Blackface deluxe, that I think I could come close to gettin the tone I'm lookin for. But my problem is, I can hear a tone I like by listening to someone else playing, but being able to duplicate that tone, or even gettin close, by a certain amp model, and tweaking the tone knobs I just can't seem to get it dialed in. If someone else was playing my guitar and I could get back about 30' or so and listen I think I could do a lot better on gettin the tone I like on my Strat. I know I won't get a real good tone till I get a real good amp to play my Strat through. Like a Fender Deville. HA

Terry

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Mullen D10 /8x5 / session 500rd/ American Strat Highway 1 model
steelin for my Lord

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 31 Mar 2005 4:23 pm

I find the Tele a more challenging instrument to play than a Strat, which is exactly why I like it so much. The fact that I have to "work" the Tele more to get a good tone and sustain from it seems to bring out the best in me.
Someone said in an interview once that "it's one thing to play electric guitar, another thing to play a Telecaster".......
My favorite Tele picker? Roy Buchanan. If anybody knew how to make a Tele sing it was him...

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www.gregertsen.com

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 1 Apr 2005 4:39 am

I think that if a chicken-pickin' sound is your goal, you have to ask yourself whether your time would be better off spent practicing and experimenting, or working to make the money to buy some more stuff which won't necessarily chicken-pick all by itself. I have heard Steve Morse get a really, really good chicken-pickin' sound out of one of these: http://www.ernieball.com/mmonline/specs/
instruments_stevemorse.html
I have heard Jerry Garcia get a really good chicken-pickin' sound out of something like this: http://store.yahoo.com/alembic/further.html
Of course you'll have to rob a bank to be able to afford one, but a brain transplant might go even further, if you can talk Steve Morse out of his....

I'm not sure if you can get exactly the sound that you're looking for out of a Strat because I don't know who your exemplar is, but a lot of people do a very credible imitation of chicken-pickin' on a Stratocaster. I personally think it has more to do with right-hand muting, tone, gain and compression than a particular bridge configuration.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 1 Apr 2005 6:36 am

I have a MIM Nashville Deluxe Tele which I like a lot. The only thing I'm not real happy with is the frets. They're a little to large on this guitar for my taste. I prefer a very low action with very light strings. I have the sunburst version which has been modified to include a white pearl pickguard and some switching changes. I installed a regular Tele 3-way switch and a mini toggle between the volume and tone controls to turn the middle pickup on/off. I also reversed the control plate where the volume knob is toward the front (neck) of the guitar and the toggle is to the back.

Jack S. I also hate those top volume knobs on strats. I have two strats and both of them have the top volume control removed. I have the master volume in the middle hole and the tone knob now controls all three pickups instead of just the middle and neck having tone controls. JH in Va.

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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.