Telecaster / Stratocaster recommendations (got one! Page 9)

[Mike]

Ooh that's a nice 'un

[NickD]

Thanks for all the help and recommendations, but Zog's Gold Star goes to hurb who found me this fella in Edinburgh on Facebook market place.

Advertised for £600 but I got it for £500.

Ticking a whole lot of my boxes, lads I'm not gonna lie.
It's an old Classic Player Telecaster Thinline in a colour I never knew they made them in (Surf Green). Matches my Squier VM Jaguar perfectly.

I'm thinking about a mint/parchment guard to reduce the bling a tiny amount.
Has replacement block brass saddles (keeping) and locking tuners (most likely not keeping, the stock ones came with the guitar).

Will I go full wanker and replace the pickups with the stupidly expensive CuNiFe ones?

That’s lovely. There was a sonic blue one from that range in a shop in Nottingham and it was great to play. Just a bit overpriced at twice that.

Glad you found one that you liked - and not in sunburst.

[lorez]

Will I go full wanker and replace the pickups with the stupidly expensive CuNiFe ones?

that looks lovely Mike and welcome to the thinline club. What are the pickups that you are referencing? Is it the Fender one's?

[Mike]

Yeah the original wide range humbuckers featured pole pieces made of copper nickel iron alloy (CuNiFe) which could be machined into screws and also be magnetic

It was also used in car Speedo’s at the time

Then all that went electronic and the alloy factories closed so they became MOJO

The reissues have look alike a but not build or sound a likes supposedly

Some boutique companies did versions

And now fender have taken a factory out of mothballs and reissued them built as the originals for £200 a pickup

You can’t say they’re not opportunists

[Bacchus]

Are fender making CuNiFe themselves? Surely they must be getting it from somewhere.

[Mike]

I made up the factory mothballs

Let’s be honest they’re probably just saying it’s the alloy for the lols and it’s the same stuff a school bar magnet is made of

[Mike]

I like how this lad balances the maple with the chrome and green-blue; a case of not getting a super yellowy parchment/mint guard so it doesn't look too queasy in the way it does somewhat with your stock 'guard. With the yellow dialled back, with some terrible GIMP-ing, it all balances a bit better (imo, at least):

Now do my wizened craggy face!

[dots]

Wowsers trousers, that's a beauty!

best comment so far on such a great find. well done, miek (vis a vis hurbz)!

[Nick]

Love that! Congrats!

[lorez]

Yeah the original wide range humbuckers featured pole pieces made of copper nickel iron alloy (CuNiFe) which could be machined into screws and also be magnetic

It was also used in car Speedo’s at the time

Then all that went electronic and the alloy factories closed so they became MOJO

The reissues have look alike a but not build or sound a likes supposedly

Some boutique companies did versions

And now fender have taken a factory out of mothballs and reissued them built as the originals for £200 a pickup

You can’t say they’re not opportunists

ahh ok, just realised the prices I was looking at were per pickup and not a set. total noob mistake. That is spendy. what about other makers like lollar or creamery? Are they better/close to the originals?

[Noirie.]

I don't see any point tbh. The fake wide rangers sound to me.

they're good enough for JDB...

[Mike]

Paging BENECOL

[Thomas]

Great pickup! I’d personally go for a black guard on that (I do love ugly 70s aesthetics).

[benecol]

Paging BENECOL

I really really like them in mine, and there was a significant difference in just about every aspect. But I do hear mainly with my wallet.

FWIW, I got mine by heavily flexing the Make Offer button on eBay, and emphasising that I would buy a pair if the price was right. Although I did this just before Brexit (I got them from Germany) and Xmas (where they may have wanted to clear stock).

[Mike]

Who did you do that Jedi mind trick on btw?

[benecol]

I'll send you a link, but to emphasise: pre-Brexit.

[lorez]

those pickups are £100 more than I paid for my squire but I would be interested to know if the fender ones in yours are worth upgrading to from the ones in the mine. They say they are Fender designed but who knows what that means

[Mike]

I think the ones in this guitar are the same as the '72 Telecaster Deluxe RI I had before

The first incarnation of the lookalike WRHB which I believe is just a regular humbucker in a WRHB casing

They seem to have made new "revoiced" versions (not cunife) in the new Vintera guitars which may be different/better but I have no experience
They also have V-Mod II double tap versions (not cunife) in the expensive American Professional II series

Also no reason to suspect your Squier ones are inferior really...

If they work for you they work for you.

I'm enjoying the guitar as it is. Big Dafty compared to my more sophisticated/cultured Jaguars

[lorez]

I think the ones in this guitar are the same as the '72 Telecaster Deluxe RI I had before

The first incarnation of the lookalike WRHB which I believe is just a regular humbucker in a WRHB casing

They seem to have made new "revoiced" versions (not cunife) in the new Vintera guitars which may be different/better but I have no experience

Also no reason to suspect your Squier ones are inferior really...

If they work for you they work for you.

I'm enjoying the guitar as it is. Big Dafty compared to my more sophisticated/cultured Jaguars

I have no suspicion about the pickups in mine, I'm blown away as always about the playability of the CVs. This feels lovely

Glad you are enjoying it though, there is something no nonsense about a tele even if its trying to be sophisticated with the F hole

[Mike]

Fur Coat - No Knickers