I want a cheap Telecaster!

[BreadBin]

2 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

what???

I know, right?

[Bassassin]

3 hours ago, mcnach said:

Differences between the J&D and the Tokai... very small differences, but enough to make me think they're made from a different 'template'?

The scratchplate looks very close but the curves are ever so slightly different in places (such as a sharper corner on the top right of the bridge), and position of the screws. The first one I noticed was the ones flanking the tone control, they look pretty much aligned with the middle of the tone control on the Tokai, but a bit higher on the J&D. There's also the bottom of the neck, it's a bit longer and squarer on the Tokai. Different strap buttons... I thought I noticed more differences but I am looking at them now and I'm really struggling  Some of those things (curves) could be the different angles in the pictures but the screw alignment and bottom of the neck looks real to me...

If you're interested (and I understand if you're not!) there's another one here, better quality pics from different angles - genuinely hard to see any differences from mine, including the neck/body joint position:

https://www.richtonemusic.co.uk/product/tokai-breezysound-thinline-telecaster-butterscotch-w-hard-case-2nd-hand-ytokai88700/

The scratchplate is interesting - when I first got Tele GAS I spotted a lovely SX Thinline someone had up on Ebay for about £100, natural finish with a pearl scratchplate. Missed out on that, and weighed up a new SX (£200) against the J&D, which was £113 but with a tort plate that I wasn't too keen on. Anyway, I put the detail aside & pulled the trigger, thinking I could pick up a pearl plate later for a few quid. Having got the guitar & looked into it, it turns out the proportions are quite different from a standard Fender fit plate - and the screw position & count is also different. The Fender plate (and the SX copy) have 4 screws along the top, between the front of the bridge/pickup surround & the neck pocket. The J&D - and the Tokai - both only have 3.

Combine that with the very yellowy butterscotch finish, identical detailing and near-identical hardware, and to me they do look too similar for coincidence. My "thing" is old 70s/80s Japanese guitars, often Fender & Gibson copies & I'm aware how Japanese factories made generic instruments for various overseas importers/distributors, sometimes with slight variations but usually identical, and those instruments were sold with different names and often with vastly different prices. I have every expectation modern Chinese factories are just the same & I'm pretty confident the J&D Teles come from the same factory, if not the same production line, as the Tokai.

Hope you'll excuse my banging on like this, but I do find this sort of thing unhealthily interesting! I suppose it only matters because the same guitar (if it is) being sold for 3x more makes the J&D seem even more of a bargain!

 

[bnt]

2 hours ago, Low End Bee said:

I bought a purple Squier Bullet Tele for £140. £12 black scratchplate added.

It's amazing for the money. No sharp fret ends and a low action straight from the box. I love it.

That looks like the one I was going to buy: there's a story behind the Purple, it's not a standard Fender colour. Anderton's got them made after customers showed interest, and have sold out two batches of these that I know of. If they ever appear again, I might get one, even though I know it's just a colour.

 

[skidder652003]

I still can't understand how people will pay way over the odds for a brand name when they are in no way superior to the amazing guitars coming from the likes of Thomman, J&D, Vintage etc for a fraction of the price.

[bnt]

When I was looking for a bass a couple of months ago, I considered various factors, and the main reason to go for a brand name would have been resale value. That would also have restricted my options when it came to modification, and I ended up deciding against it, going for a Harley Benton which had I no compunction about totally rewiring to suit myself. But there might still be a brand name bass in my future, with resale value in mind.

Edited June 9, 2020 by bnt

[Matt P]

this thread is making me want to buy another Telecaster! maybe a semi acoustic one would be nice with non-tele pickups to go with my Mex standard.

 

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

[BreadBin]

24 minutes ago, Matt P said:

this thread is making me want to buy another Telecaster! maybe a semi acoustic one would be nice with non-tele pickups to go with my Mex standard.

 

You need another Tele

[Matt P]

8 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

You need another Tele

it's fighting against my desire for a new 5 string short scale bass though, i have played very little guitar in the past 5 years and my current collection has 5 electrics and 3 acoustics that get only a little bit of use each, i'm not sure if i have ever even gigged my Telecaster.

Matt

Edited June 9, 2020 by Matt P
spelling

[mcnach]

6 hours ago, Low End Bee said:

I bought a purple Squier Bullet Tele for £140. £12 black scratchplate added.

It's amazing for the money. No sharp fret ends and a low action straight from the box. I love it.

 

what??? I'm a big fan of purple and maple!!! 

where did you find that? I love it!!!

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, Bassassin said:

If you're interested (and I understand if you're not!) there's another one here, better quality pics from different angles - genuinely hard to see any differences from mine, including the neck/body joint position:

https://www.richtonemusic.co.uk/product/tokai-breezysound-thinline-telecaster-butterscotch-w-hard-case-2nd-hand-ytokai88700/

The scratchplate is interesting - when I first got Tele GAS I spotted a lovely SX Thinline someone had up on Ebay for about £100, natural finish with a pearl scratchplate. Missed out on that, and weighed up a new SX (£200) against the J&D, which was £113 but with a tort plate that I wasn't too keen on. Anyway, I put the detail aside & pulled the trigger, thinking I could pick up a pearl plate later for a few quid. Having got the guitar & looked into it, it turns out the proportions are quite different from a standard Fender fit plate - and the screw position & count is also different. The Fender plate (and the SX copy) have 4 screws along the top, between the front of the bridge/pickup surround & the neck pocket. The J&D - and the Tokai - both only have 3.

Combine that with the very yellowy butterscotch finish, identical detailing and near-identical hardware, and to me they do look too similar for coincidence. My "thing" is old 70s/80s Japanese guitars, often Fender & Gibson copies & I'm aware how Japanese factories made generic instruments for various overseas importers/distributors, sometimes with slight variations but usually identical, and those instruments were sold with different names and often with vastly different prices. I have every expectation modern Chinese factories are just the same & I'm pretty confident the J&D Teles come from the same factory, if not the same production line, as the Tokai.

Hope you'll excuse my banging on like this, but I do find this sort of thing unhealthily interesting! I suppose it only matters because the same guitar (if it is) being sold for 3x more makes the J&D seem even more of a bargain!

 

 

oh, not at all! (banging on about it) Thank you for your thoughts and contributing to this thread 

I'm going to have to take a break from the computer or I'll end up with one or two Harley Bentons, another SX, a Squier and probably a Stagg. At least

It's terrible not having band business these days, when I'm busy with gigs etc I don't get tempted nearly as much!

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, bnt said:

That looks like the one I was going to buy: there's a story behind the Purple, it's not a standard Fender colour. Anderton's got them made after customers showed interest, and have sold out two batches of these that I know of. If they ever appear again, I might get one, even though I know it's just a colour.

 

 

If I see one I'm buying it, no question! It seems silly, it's just a colour but... 

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

I still can't understand how people will pay way over the odds for a brand name when they are in no way superior to the amazing guitars coming from the likes of Thomman, J&D, Vintage etc for a fraction of the price.

 

I think one of the most attractive points of the more expensive guitars is the (perceived?) better QC. A lot of the cheaper instruments seem to required some minor work to turn them into real nice players, and while I am ok with that not everybody feels comfortable with that.

I played OLP Stingray basses for a while, and I owned two that were very nice, but my 2002 EBMM Stingray just felt *quality* from the minute I had it in my hands and ended up selling the OLPs. Most 'good' instruments I've had were like that. I think where it gets really interesting is in the mid-priced instruments... £400-700. My PRS SE, or the Schecter Model T bass, felt very good, and if you told me they cost £1200 I'd have believed it. Same with a couple of newer MIM Fenders. The PRS in particular has a beautiful roasted maple neck and fingerboard and it's fantastic.

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, Matt P said:

this thread is making me want to buy another Telecaster! maybe a semi acoustic one would be nice with non-tele pickups to go with my Mex standard.

 

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

I don't need another Tele,

 

Find a purple one and I'll do you a favour and buy it first :p

 

[mcnach]

Well, the purple Squier Bullet Telecaster will be back in stock in September... 

[mcnach]

 

Fiiinally... the guitar is on its way. Credit where it's due, they kept me informed all along that it would take a bit longer than usual and kept in touch during the week as if I were buying a top £££ instrument. Hobgoblin Music, thank you.

 

[tall_martin]

So what did you go for?

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, tall_martin said:

So what did you go for?

 

SX:

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/434753-i-want-a-cheap-telecaster/?do=findComment&comment=4185136

[mcnach]

ooooh... what did the very nice courier brought me today?

[mcnach]

A bit busy just now but I managed a good half an hour of guitar noises...

The guitar is beautiful, flawless finish, I tried hard to look for cosmetic issues but found none. The closest was perhaps the fret slots, viewed from the side, the filler is a bit paler than the surrounding wood. That. And then I remembered how much I paid.

It was in tune when I took it out (nearly, I did retune it, but I've heard bands play live with guitars that were more out of tune than this one straight from the box), which suggests someone tested it before postage, or maybe it was the display model (it was the last red one they had). 

Frets are pretty good. The action is set low enough (I'd like it a bit lower) and plays nicely everywhere until you get to around the 14th-15th fret where the strings choke a bit: it's usable as it is, but it needs a little adjustment so that it plays smoothly all over. The frets are not shiny, they look like the guitar has been out for a while, which again makes me think it was probably a display model, but if it was they really cleaned it up (or not many people ever tried it :D) , except for the frets. As such they feel a little 'scratchy' when bending strings, but I'm sure after a couple of weeks of regular use (which it'll get) they'll be just fine. Fret ends are smooth as... 

Neck is pleasantly wide and chunky. Not baseball bat style, just... the right amount of girth, for my liking. If you are a fan of the Ibanez RG series necks, you'll find this a bit too deep, but I think it's the right size. Oh and lacquered, beautiful 'vintage' tint. I love lacquered necks.

I'll probably cut the nut slots a TINY bit lower. I was thinking it would need a new nut, as a lot of budget guitars come with pretty horribly cut soft plastic nuts, but I'm not in a hurry with this one. As it is, it plays well enough, a little harder than ideal, which is very clear when I switch to the PRS, but... £139! I am surprised I get something that looks as good and is perfectly usable out of the box.

I haven't mentioned sound yet.

It sounds... like a Telecaster. It's very good, especially the bridge pickup, it's got that edge that Tele bridge pickups have and it's lovely with high gain, which is what separates the meh from the yeah pickups. The neck pickup is a little polite and lacks a bit of 'sparkle' compared to my ideal Tele sound. It sounds good enough, but I'm looking for negative points and I can't find anything else. Ideally I'd have something a bit better there.

I have a black pickguard for it... however it doesn't fit. It's what happens sometimes when you go for non-Fender derived clones. On the SX the neck pickup is mounted on the pickguard rather than straight into the wood underneath, which suggests a wide pickup cavity underneath (they often do that so that they can produce different models with different size pickups... humbuckers etc using a single body design). The bottom of the neck is also a couple of mm longer than a Fender-derived version, so the only way I can fit this pickguard is moving the pickup 2mm down, which may be easily done if the pickup cavity is large as I suspect. No biggie, 'though. One day I'll adapt it. If not... I can use the black pickguard on the purple Tele that I'm getting for my birthday in September

Seriously... £139? Add a decent setup and this can be a seriously decent guitar. 

@madshadows you were right, it's a very pretty metallic red. Hard to make it justice on a phone picture.

 

[madshadows]

3 hours ago, mcnach said:

A bit busy just now but I managed a good half an hour of guitar noises...

The guitar is beautiful, flawless finish, I tried hard to look for cosmetic issues but found none. The closest was perhaps the fret slots, viewed from the side, the filler is a bit paler than the surrounding wood. That. And then I remembered how much I paid.

It was in tune when I took it out (nearly, I did retune it, but I've heard bands play live with guitars that were more out of tune than this one straight from the box), which suggests someone tested it before postage, or maybe it was the display model (it was the last red one they had). 

Frets are pretty good. The action is set low enough (I'd like it a bit lower) and plays nicely everywhere until you get to around the 14th-15th fret where the strings choke a bit: it's usable as it is, but it needs a little adjustment so that it plays smoothly all over. The frets are not shiny, they look like the guitar has been out for a while, which again makes me think it was probably a display model, but if it was they really cleaned it up (or not many people ever tried it :D) , except for the frets. As such they feel a little 'scratchy' when bending strings, but I'm sure after a couple of weeks of regular use (which it'll get) they'll be just fine. Fret ends are smooth as... 

Neck is pleasantly wide and chunky. Not baseball bat style, just... the right amount of girth, for my liking. If you are a fan of the Ibanez RG series necks, you'll find this a bit too deep, but I think it's the right size. Oh and lacquered, beautiful 'vintage' tint. I love lacquered necks.

I'll probably cut the nut slots a TINY bit lower. I was thinking it would need a new nut, as a lot of budget guitars come with pretty horribly cut soft plastic nuts, but I'm not in a hurry with this one. As it is, it plays well enough, a little harder than ideal, which is very clear when I switch to the PRS, but... £139! I am surprised I get something that looks as good and is perfectly usable out of the box.

I haven't mentioned sound yet.

It sounds... like a Telecaster. It's very good, especially the bridge pickup, it's got that edge that Tele bridge pickups have and it's lovely with high gain, which is what separates the meh from the yeah pickups. The neck pickup is a little polite and lacks a bit of 'sparkle' compared to my ideal Tele sound. It sounds good enough, but I'm looking for negative points and I can't find anything else. Ideally I'd have something a bit better there.

I have a black pickguard for it... however it doesn't fit. It's what happens sometimes when you go for non-Fender derived clones. On the SX the neck pickup is mounted on the pickguard rather than straight into the wood underneath, which suggests a wide pickup cavity underneath (they often do that so that they can produce different models with different size pickups... humbuckers etc using a single body design). The bottom of the neck is also a couple of mm longer than a Fender-derived version, so the only way I can fit this pickguard is moving the pickup 2mm down, which may be easily done if the pickup cavity is large as I suspect. No biggie, 'though. One day I'll adapt it. If not... I can use the black pickguard on the purple Tele that I'm getting for my birthday in September

Seriously... £139? Add a decent setup and this can be a seriously decent guitar. 

@madshadows you were right, it's a very pretty metallic red. Hard to make it justice on a phone picture.

 

 

Glad you like it, superb guitar for the money  

John 😎 

[mcnach]

21 hours ago, madshadows said:

 

Glad you like it, superb guitar for the money  

John 😎 

 

... and it gets better the more you play it  

I forgot how cool Telecasters are! I still go for the whammy bar at times  but I'm getting used to it. I brought the neck pickup up a bit and that improved the sound. I may still get something better there, but not in a hurry. Frets feeling much better too as they get used. 

The Classic Vibe my friend has is nicer. It's hard to describe, it just feels like a really good guitar... but he is very good setting up his instruments so his CV Tele is perfect. Once it's been given a little attention, I can't imagine this one being much different, except for the pickups. The CV Squier pickups are very nice. The SX neck pickup is just adequate.

Don't get me wrong, it's fine as it is, which for the money is crazy. I just know it can get a little bit better.

Thank you all for indulging me

Edited June 17, 2020 by mcnach

[tall_martin]

Looks brilliant!

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, tall_martin said:

Looks brilliant!

 

 

and I found it sounds better if I turn the amplifier up a few notches 😛

 

[Geek99]

6 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

... and it gets better the more you play it  

I forgot how cool Telecasters are! I still go for the whammy bar at times  but I'm getting used to it. I brought the neck pickup up a bit and that improved the sound. I may still get something better there, but not in a hurry. Frets feeling much better too as they get used. 

The Classic Vibe my friend has is nicer. It's hard to describe, it just feels like a really good guitar... but he is very good setting up his instruments so his CV Tele is perfect. Once it's been given a little attention, I can't imagine this one being much different, except for the pickups. The CV Squier pickups are very nice. The SX neck is just adequate.

Don't get me wrong, it's fine as it is, which for the money is crazy. I just know it can get a little bit better.

Thank you all for indulging me

You’re welcome 

[Nail Soup]

I purchased a Squier Bullet in Daphne blue earlier this year for £150. Very happy with it - I think the Bullet sounds more Tele-like than the Squier Affinity.

I did pay a bit extra to get that colour though.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Nail Soup