g****r purchase question

[dan.ablett]

i am in a bit of a dilemma...

i am about ready to do my first warmoth build, a tele deluxe with every last detail down to my specs.... all the woods, finishes, hardware, pickups, etc... how i have always SEEN to be in my mind the coolest looking electric for me.

est. $1800aud


a 1996 USA tele, sunburst with a maple neck has become available for me to purchase. amazing guitar, an absolute classic tele. plays like butter.

the asking is $1500 but i think i could snag it for $1300aud.



this is my first tele... would you go the "classic" standard wood combo USA fender tele, locally owned, and significantly cheaper

OR

warmoth one of a kind to your dream specs, unique wood combos, custom finish, custom decal...

as your first tele.

also, sorry, i seem to ask alot of guitar related questions on a bass site, but really, i trust the opinions on talkbass alot more then any guitar forum. and i know alot of us play guitar too....


i would love to be in a position to buy both but thats not going to happen right now....

so please vote! and comment.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Let's make one thing clear first. I don't like to put thousands of clam-shells towards something dispassionately massproduced. If it's cheap, mass produced is OK. If the production, labour, woods, parts etc. cost about the same on both guitars/basses I for one can't justify spending then times the clam-shells just for the name and illusion. Especially when talking about Fender. The only other contraption in the world that's more overrated as a brand is Harley Davidson IME/IMHO. And YES, I've owned/own both.

A custom made instrument is a unique piece of art and therefore I can see it costing a lot more than a mass produced instrument. Warmoth has always been in the top of the aftermarket manufacturers and I can't see You going wrong with their products. Plus You have the complete control over the woods, finish, hardware, just as you said.

Custom all the way if You have the possibility to choose.

Regards
sam

[The Golden Boy]

I know I'm not taking into account the AUS dollar differential, but $1300 sounds steep for a used MIA Tele... I think.

I've got a MIJ Tele that's "better" (for me) than any of the old and MIA Teles I've owned or had my hands on. It's a great feeling/sounding guitar. When I got it, it was cheap- and I didn't have any problem with doing any of the things I wanted to do to make the guitar work for me. I hated the garish finish- so I sanded it off and spray painted it. I hated the switching scheme- so I drilled into the plate and created my own. By the time I'd gotten this guitar, I'd gone through dozens of Tele pickups, and I settled on the Harmonic Designs in there, replaced the saddles with Graph Tech...

All together, I've got about

$200- guitar
$3- can of Krylon almond colored spray paint
$180 (or so) pickups
$20 switch and pots
$30 saddles

into the guitar.






Some day I'll get a new control plate and clean that up so it looks nicer. Maybe.

And stop starring the word guitar.

[basste]

It's your first télé, and finally you don't really now if it's a keeper. I would go for the fender; cause if you get rid of it, will be easier to sell than a warmoth with YOUR spec; which perhaps will not fit with a lot of potential buyers.
Then, after month, if you really want a télé "for life", sell the fender and run your warmoth project.

[Slater]

I voted USA Fender.
First, you know how it sounds and plays (and you obviously liked it). Although the Warmoth build will have your "dream" materials, there's no guarantee on how it will sound or play.
Also, the USA Fender is used, so if you want/need to sell it, you should be able to recover most, or all, of your investment.
IMO, the USA Fender is much lower risk, and a known entity.

[baalroo]

both seem way overpriced to me

p.s. I agree about "starring out" the word guitar, it's obnoxious. If the guitar you're buying is a "g*****r" then I guess that makes you a guitard.

[Jeff K]

This makes me glad I live in the States (although Australia is a great place!). I picked up the 2000 Tele Deluxe (used, but in great shape) about 3 years ago for $800.00. You can't really tell from these pics, but it has tort binding, which looks great against the white.