TeleFilter

September 25, 2005 12:17 AM

Anyone here a Fender Telecaster nut?

I ran across a tele today and I cannot find out much about it. It was advertised as an "American Standard" but I'm almost postive it's not. I cannot find anything on the web about it and hopefully someone here may know something about it. Description:

- Rosewood board
- Contoured body with white binding on the body only
- Pearloid pickguard
- Lace sensor in the bridge position and single coil in neck position
- Three way switch, volume, tone pot, and coil tap switch (?)
- Turquoise in color

This is exactly what it looks like only with a maple fretboard. They have it advertised for $599 and I'm about to snap it up. Anyone know anything about this tele?

posted by KevinSkomsvold to Media & Arts (23 answers total)

Take a look at the headstock and write down the serial. That and information about the logo placement etc can tell you everything you need to know.
posted by mr.dan at 12:25 AM on September 25, 2005

oooh! I love this! Give me the serial #!
posted by sourwookie at 12:33 AM on September 25, 2005

Am I a Tele nut?

Just a little


But I'm also exhausted and wasted. See you manyana.
posted by sourwookie at 12:35 AM on September 25, 2005

Response by poster: I'll do that Mr. Dan. LOL sourwookie, glad to see someone relishes the challenge. This guitar is not even listed on Fender's web site (probably since it's not the flavor of the month). Just to give an idea of how cool this thing is, I'm trading my Fender Toronado and Nashville tele, strait up for this thing.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:38 AM on September 25, 2005

Response by poster: Crap. *Closes italics*
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:39 AM on September 25, 2005

Where did my [sarcasm] tags go on "just a little"?

oh, and, serial plz k thnx.
posted by sourwookie at 12:48 AM on September 25, 2005

Just on a quick note: Three pickups will usually designate it as some variety of a Nashville (Strat wannabee) Tele. Binding is a bit of a bugbear.

Describe your Toronado (w/serial) and Nashville (w/serial.) Perhaps I may know if it is worth it.
posted by sourwookie at 12:54 AM on September 25, 2005

Looks like a Fender "Nashville" Telecaster to me, although I think that finish is a custom job (though it could be "factory custom".) I guess it's a version of this, though the picture you've got has a three-way "Power Tele" switch between the knobs.

It's got 2 Tex Mex Tele Pickups (Neck and Bridge) and 1 Tex Mex Strat Pickup (Middle) with a US Vintage 6-saddle bridge. The 5-way is the "Strat-O-Tone" selector and the 3-way is the "Power Tele" switch. It's got a maple neck and an Alder body.

I'd suggest that $599 is a pretty good price for it, particularly if it's got some sort of custom finish/binding...
posted by benzo8 at 1:12 AM on September 25, 2005

Response by poster: Heheh. Have at it. The Toro is MN8113107 and the Nashvile Tele is MZ3140625. And yes, after further review of the picture, I failed to see the middle pickup which would put in Nashville tele category. The one I'm looking at does not have this..
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 1:16 AM on September 25, 2005

Right... So it's a turquoise tele with the rosewood fingerboard. That's it? ;-)

We're gonna need the serial number for sure to be able to find out any more about it I think...
posted by benzo8 at 1:53 AM on September 25, 2005

OT: Are the american made ones really that much better?
posted by shoepal at 10:07 AM on September 25, 2005

Modernly - no. It is, in fact, just "assembly" anyhow - the pick-ups are stock wherever the guitar is assembled and the wood for the bodies and necks too tend to be sourced from the same location.

Historically, "US Made" tends to be a short-hand which implies the guitar is a vintage piece made in the USA before assembly was moved to other countries - it's really a comment on the age of the guitar rather than it's quality...
posted by benzo8 at 10:44 AM on September 25, 2005

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Telecaster is good instrument - I'm quite fond of mine.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:58 AM on September 25, 2005

Response by poster: Well I grabbed it. Came to $530 w/HSC. The dealer didn't know what kind of tele it is but I'm leaning toward a strat plus (?). Here's some pics of the booty including the SN shot. Hope this helps.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:12 PM on September 25, 2005

Response by poster: Shoepal. American vs. Mexican made is always a fun discussion. People feel pretty passionate about both sides. In terms of quality, the only difference I've noticed (and this is changing) is that the older Mexican-made Teles and Strats were made with poplar rather than alder, or harder, woods. I purchase strictly on feel and somewhat on look.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:18 PM on September 25, 2005

KevinSkomsvold: I take it you mean Tele Plus, doesn't look too much like a Strat to me ;)

It does look like a Tele Custom. It's a good instrument, if you do want that Lace tone (which I happen to love, Radiohead for example uses Customs and Pluses).
posted by abcde at 12:33 PM on September 25, 2005

Well, it's a 1997 made in USA model. That little switch puzzles me. It looks aftermarket. It's almost certainly not a tap; I don't believe you can tap a noise-cancelling pickup. I doubt it's a coil cut either. It probably just turns the middle pickup on or off; that's how I'd wire it if it was my guitar.

That middle pickup definitely makes it fall under the general 'Nashville Tele' rubric. I wonder if the middle and neck pickup are also Laces?
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:44 PM on September 25, 2005

Response by poster: Heheh abcde, you are correct. I have Fender on the brain.

ikkyu2: According to what I found on the switch "coil tap":
The mini-toggle turns on the bridge pickup in the middle and neck+middle combinations, which is a convenient way to get all seven active combinations of three pickups. I'm not near an amp to test this right now so I have no idea if it's valid or not. Nice tele btw! Like the way the wood grain shows through the paint.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 1:03 PM on September 25, 2005

Yeah, definitely 1997. The little switch is as I said above - it's called the "Power Tele" switch. The guitar (should, as it has the PT switch, although the bridge doesn't appear to be stamped "Fender Fishman" as it ought to be) have a piezo pick-up along with the magnetic pickups and the PT switch switches the piezo in or out. If you put a stereo lead into the guitar you'll get piezo on one side (right, I think) and magnetic on the left.
posted by benzo8 at 2:57 PM on September 25, 2005

Did I mention that this axe is giving me some serious guitar envy? Well, it is.
posted by ikkyu2 at 4:32 PM on September 25, 2005

Response by poster: Nice tele btw! Like the way the wood grain shows through the paint.
I meant this comment for your tele, ikkyu2. Somehow your name got smushed out of my original comment.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 5:44 PM on September 25, 2005

Thanks, KevinSkomsvold. I too have some serious guitar envy after seeing those picks on flickr. Damn! Congrats!
posted by shoepal at 9:41 PM on September 25, 2005

Kevin — sweet.
posted by Wolof at 1:28 AM on September 26, 2005