School me on Fender guitars please

GomezAddams

GomezAddams

Wandering and wondering
Staff member
I've been in the guitar doldrums for the last decade or two. I just can't get motivated to put any serious effort into guitar. I occasionally go to a local bar, see a band and get fired up to get back into playing, but the enthusiasm doesn't seem to last.

I've decided that maybe adding a few different guitars to the mix might give me enough of a challenge to get me serious about playing again. Historically, I've never gotten along with telecasters, so I'm thinking that getting a tele may get me motivated just through sheer stubbornness.

I'm pretty knowledgeable about Gibsons, so I can feel confident buying used Gibsons. But I realized that I know next to nothing about Fender guitars. As I understand it, Fender USA > Fender MIJ > Fender MIM > Squire. But I also understand that at least some of the Squire series are excellent guitars. I also understand that is is unfortunately common for people to modify cheap Squires so that they appear to be higher end Fender guitars.

So, what should I be looking for? From a casual observation of facebook marketplace, MIM Fenders seem to be the "sweet spot" pricewise. What Squire lines are worth looking at?

Also, what signs should I look for that would indicate a fake Fender?
 
Teles have varied a lot and theres still a lot of variation out there from very vintage inspired to ultra modern and all in between.
Myself I prefer more of a 50s vibe. Blackguard, beefy bridge pup, brass saddles, 7.25 radius. I dont own the perfect one yet, I'll prob have to parts caster it, but I want to try a 50s Vintera II.
In the 60s the pickups got more chimey w a bit less output, but I hate those grooved steel saddles, esp when theres 6 of em.
Then theres the thinlines, and the wide range humbucker thing in the 70s.
The 90s-00 MIMs are well made and used to be the everymans go to gigging tele, but I dunno these days if they are still a bargain.
Solid guitar tho if you want the modern six saddle bridge and 9.5 radius.
Today for new ones Id try the VIntera IIs, a new American Professional II.......
or heck really you cant go wrong with a Squier Classic Vibe, choose your era. They are prob the modern Everymans go to get er done inexpensive Tele.
 
I think if you are used to Gibson electrics, which are 12" radius, you may not like vintage spec Fender with a 7.25" radius fretboard. The modern 9.5" radius Fenders are, at least, closer to a 12" radius. And, the 9.5" radius is common enough that it's easy to find in Squier, MIM or USA Fender guitars. But, Squier and Fender do make a few with even flatter radius boards.

I own a couple of Gibson LP's (12" radius fingerboards), a Fender Am Deluxe (9.5" radius) and a Squier Tele Deluxe (9.5"). Personally, I go one level lighter with string gauge on my Fender-style, 25.5" scale length guitars vs my LP's and 335-style (24.75" scale length). For me, I've gotten used to the differences. I can switch back and forth pretty easily between 25.5" scale, 9.5" radius and 24.75" scale, 12" radius. They feel, relatively, close enough to me.

It does take a little bit to get used to the extra room on a typical 25.5", Fender scale length if you mainly play Gibson electrics. But, most acoustic guitars are 25.5" scale length. So, if you play a standard acoustic guitar, a Fender electric should not feel all that foreign.

I can certainly play a vintage 7.25" radius neck. In some ways, it feels very comfortable and ergonomic in my fret hand. But, for me, they seem to fret out more often, when I bend notes. I'm also not a fan of soft or hard V on the back of the neck. The modern C shape Fender-style necks are my preference.

I have a bunch of different neck thicknesses on my guitars. Yet, I seem to be able to play all of them just fine. Each thickness has advantages and disadvantages to me. I have one Gibson Super Strat, 25.5" radius, wizard thin neck, relatively flat fingerboard radius, which was my earliest, good guitar. The thin neck makes stretches across the fretboard easier than my Am Dlx Strat and I can generally play most licks a bit faster on it. Yet, I've come to appreciate thicker necks for their sound and comfort.

I like your idea of trying something outside your comfort zone. Each time I've added a guitar that's different, it makes me play different. I'm still trying to get into the whole Telecaster thing. I cheated a bit getting the Squier Deluxe Tele, which is closer to an LP than a traditional Tele. I keep telling myself, I'll one day get a real Tele and see what it's all about.

I don't know how to spot fakes. And, I'm not an expert on Fender, Squier, MIM or MIJ. Seems like there are plenty of non-Fender Tele guitars that are good to great. If it's possible to buy local, I suggest you trust what you feel and hear in guitar shops.
 
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I too came to Fender from Gibson scale and radius guitars, but also a LOT of Martin D28. I went with the 9.5" radius because its most commonly available and is indeed a good all around choice. I started my Fender journey with a pretty generic 90s MIM Strat, but went on to a partscaster tele I put together with a very nice rolled edge 9.5 radius super fat neck, pine body, and 3 saddle brass ashtray bridge. I kinda have a love/hate thing going on with Strats love em in a lot of ways but hate em in others. Still looking for the perfect Strat for me.
After playing a lot of Fenders Ive discovered those old 7.25 Fenders are so comfy to play rhythm on. I prefer a slightly higher action anyway so I really dont have the fretting out problem. Im not too fussy over intonation so a 3 saddle is fine for me once its dialed in. But I dont own one yet, Im still looking for that perfect vintage 50s tele.
I tend to like thicker necks for the same reason, comfort. Sure you cant shred as fast, but my hand always cramps playing rhythm after a while on those thin flat neck shredder guitars.
Right now, given the guitars I own, If Im playing strictly cleanish rhythm all night I'll grab my parts tele with its baseball bat neck and take er easy. If I gotta play some more intricate leads I'll go with my SG with is slightly beefy but not too massive neck, or my Gretsch which is a bit smaller than the SG but not too skinny.
But in reality, those shredder necks are about the only thing I cant get on with. Otherwise I adapt pretty quickly to most any scale length, neck, or radius. Heck I even love those little short scale Mustangs and Duo Sonics.
So my advice is you want something really out of your wheelhouse go with an old school vintage spec tele.
If you want something more familiar, go for the standard 9.5 with a bog standard modern C profile and modern six saddle string thru bridge.
But even the standard Tele C necks can vary a lot in taper and feel, so just pick one thats comfortable for you. If you cant get it done on that then a Tele just isn't for you.
 
I cant really help you with fakes. A Fender aint nothing but a collection of parts so even a vintage one could have all kinds of alterations made.
All I can say is if you are looking at something expensive deal with somebody you can trust. Otherwise I wouldn't worry to much about the model or where it was made if you like it and the price is right.
Again if you dont want to spend much try out some Squier Classic Vibes. They have pretty standard necks, though a tiny bit smaller than the MIMs or American guitars you really wont notice it unless you A/B them side by side, 9.5 radius, choices of maple or rosewood, and IMO above average pickups given the price.
 
There’s generally a subtle difference that I’ve noticed between a maple fretboard and a rosewood fingerboard. The rosewood seems to sound a bit darker and richer, while the maple sounds a bit more bright. Also, I have found that I prefer the feel of rosewood to maple because of the finish they put on maple fingerboards. But, I did not know that before I bought my Am Dlx Strat which is a maple fretboard. Oh well, I play it even though I’d go rosewood fingerboard (or similar) if I was shopping for that Am Dlx today. I’m not sure what they call the equivalent Strat these days.
 
You know the way people meme about 'just get a tele'? Well, yeah: just get a tele. It's the original utility guitar. it's got the classic Fender thing, and it's also incredibly versatile.

Do you want a CV, a Mex, a J, a US? Try a few; there are great instruments at all of those price points. You might find you really love a CV over an American Standard. That axtually kinda makes it more in Leo's vision, I think.

If you feel in the doldrums playing Gibsons, I guarantee playing a tele will lift you out of that.
 
Prolly too late, but I didn't see or missed anyone pointing out that MIJ or CIJ Fenders are basically as good as MIA Fenders, often with cooler variations.
 
MIM in general has really stepped up their game lately (last 10 years or so). I'm sure there are some duds out there but the gap between MIM and MIJ has closed a LOT in my experience.
 
smurfco said:
MIM in general has really stepped up their game lately (last 10 years or so). I'm sure there are some duds out there but the gap between MIM and MIJ has closed a LOT in my experience.
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i have a 2001 MIM Jimmie Vaughan sig strat that is ever bit as good as my 1994 MIA, and with cooler sounds/wiring.
so they've been pretty good for more than 10 years.....just sayin'
and the 1988 MIJ one in my avatar was a hard tail that my band mate bugged me about until i finally sold it to him and was a fantastic strat, but a hard tail.
 
Most new MIMs (mostly Strats and a few Teles) I've played had lovely toans and a nice played-in feeling. To my ears, new Standards tend to sound and feel a bit more hifi-ish.

IMO Fenders generally require a bit more effort than your usual plays-like-butter LP or SG, but I kind of dig that and believe I can hear that struggle, in a good way. I have a vintage spec LP and a vintage spec Strat, and I don't mind the difference in radius at all as I find it's two rather different approaches to playing electric guitar anyway. The action on the Strat is a bit higher too, and it's generally tougher to play, but going back and forth all the time it's not a problem.
 
My only recent experience with the current Fender crop comes from Guitar Center, so take it with a grain of salt.
I was looking for a Jazz bass. GC had a 1/2 doz on hand, mostly new ones, and I played em all.
I started out with a couple of new American Pro IIs and just didnt feel it. Yea they were well made with nice fretwork, but I just didnt jell with them. They somehow felt and sounded too slick and hi fi, heavy as a boat anchor, and just not the vibe I wanted. Then I tried some Mex models and they were more what I was looking for, except the fretwork was terrible and it seems no care was taken at all to make them play nice after they left the assembly line.
I wound up coming home with a slightly used Vintera I. Even tho the fingerboard was laurel, the neck felt great, it wasnt a boat anchor, and the bass had the classic Jazz sound and feel. They didnt have any new Vintera IIs so I didnt get to try any of those, but I'm very happy with what I got.
My point is, it kinda soured me on puchasing any Mex models without playing them first. They have the bones of a good instrument, but you run the risk of having to spend another $200 at the luthier to make them enjoyable to play, and the American models are just too damn slick and modern for me to enjoy them.
 
i have 2 strats: a 1994 MIA Dlx and a 2001 MIM Jimmie Vaughan sig Tex Mex. both are great guitars and i've posted pics of them here numgerous times. the JV has become my #1. i bought it used thru GC from one of their stores in Calif. i only got to see the pic on their web site.
it played very well, right out of the shipping box. it has (for me) wonderful pups/wiring, which is according to how JV wanted it done.
it's basically a '57 reissue with hotter than normal tex mex pups, but the middle pup does NOT go thru a tone knob. it's wide f'ing open, which actually makes it useful by itself, and also make the #2 and #4 positions a lot more interesting.
i have a LP, but because i get the tones i like with the strats, i haven't played more than a few times in 8 years or so.

the best thing you can do, is go play some, keeping in mind that you'll need to dial the tone knobs on the amp differently than a gibson.


my 2 ¢ :Wave:
 
smurfco said:
if you dont mind lake placid blue, adorama has the mim player series teles for $499:


perfectly cromulent guitars in my experience
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How do they sell them that cheap? Speculation on reddit is that Adorama sells factory seconds. But for that price, I wouldn't care if the guitar had a blemish or two.

EDIT: Odd. When I navigate using your link, I get the $499 price. If I browse guitars, that same guitar is $650.
 
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GomezAddams said:
How do they sell them that cheap? Speculation on reddit is that Adorama sells factory seconds. But for that price, I wouldn't care if the guitar had a blemish or two.

EDIT: Odd. When I navigate using your link, I get the $499 price. If I browse guitars, that same guitar is $650.
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I am not sure exactly but I believe they are the previous generation of Player instruments or something. They may be factory seconds but I have ordered a few of these Adorama guitars (the Vintera Strat I got last year was one) and with the exception of a Jaguar that was too heavy (not their fault) they were all great guitars. It might need a setup but I wouldn't worry about it being a piece of junk or anything. And they do allow returns, though you may have to pay return shipping (I don't remember with the Jaguar). I think it's worth a shot!
 
Looking at a Nashville Deluxe.

Described as having a 'modern C-shape neck'. Is that the 9.5 radius?

I'm hoping to get to the local mom'n'pop this afternoon to actually lay hands on some Fenders.

But I'm thinking I want the whammy, so I'm checking out Strats as well.
 
frunobulax said:
Looking at a Nashville Deluxe.

Described as having a 'modern C-shape neck'. Is that the 9.5 radius?

I'm hoping to get to the local mom'n'pop this afternoon to actually lay hands on some Fenders.

But I'm thinking I want the whammy, so I'm checking out Strats as well.
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Neck shape and radius are two different things - the neck shape refers to the cross-section of the neck and the letter it (kinda) resembles.

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