Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I know the "T-word" is an insult to some people but I've recently been considering delving into the world of the tele. Ideally I'd like to pick up a cheap second hand one, but looking on eBay, it strikes me that the vast majority of teles out there are of the mexican persuasion.

Does anyone have any insight into how they stand up next to their american brothers - or even just general comments on them?

Cheers guys



This one please...

My panrtner in the label has a MexiCaster... he absolutely loves it. Check out all the tracks on here except "Apple Orchard" and they'll tell you how it sounds...

http://www.myspace.com/brianstrubel

Despite all the American vs. Mexican hoopla that some people adhere to, I have to say that my MIM Fenders are great guitars in their own right. Of course, this is just MHO here (and on the Fender Forum too).

Yeah, I can also say that the hardware and electronics (or any other aspect) on the Am. versions is of a higher quality than the MIM's, but I honestly don't think the total differences are worthy of 3 X the price.

In fact, I own an FDP limited edition Strat (#24 of 68) and I much prefer to play my MIM's. Not that the American Series is a bad guitar at all - it's VERY nice - I just like the MIM's more. They feel better and, most importantly, SOUND better to me.

My Tele is a California Fat Tele model - they only made those CA's for 2 years, and they're sort of a hybrid model. All those bodies and necks were made in US, shipped to Mexico for finishing, then shipped back to California for final assembly using all US parts. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the finish on that, and it's a great Tele in all respects.

The MIM's made now are better overall quality than they used to be in terms of older MIM builds, but I can also say that my '92's (a Strat and P-Bass) are perfectly great guitars. I've got another one made up of various MIM parts ('98 body and a '02 neck and hardware) that's simply stunning to play. And, one of the best things is that used MIM's aren't going to cost much.

Like anything else, it depends on the individual guitar in question. The one in the picture looks like a MIM '50's Series. To me, those are the best MIM's that they make.

Feel free to e-mail me if you've got any more questions. I've been a Fender man since '68 and (IMHO) some of these MIM's can be as good or better than anything else, especially in that price range.

I have two recent MIM 50's Fenders- a Daphne Blue Stratocaster and a black Esquire. Overall I would rate the build quality quite high, especially considering the cost (each cost less than $600). The pick-ups on the Strat sound really thin, so I'm thinking of refitting it with hotter ones. The Esquire was fitted with a Dimarzio bridge pick-up by a previous owner, and it sounds fantastic. The guitars look very authentic and unlike a lot of people, I prefer the maple fingerboards and smooth glossy finish on the neck.

Thanks guys - this is all extremely helpful. I think I have a date with eBay....

There's one aspect of the MIM Fenders that bugs me--inconsistency. I have played MIM Teles and MIM Strats and own an MIM Duo-Sonic that I got in great condition for $40.00.

If I were to walk into any large music store and play ten MIM Teles, two would be stinkers, seven would range from so-so to so so+, and one would play better and sound better than a Corona Tele.

Trying before you buy one of these is an absolute must, so eBay is out of the question on this, IMO.

I might add that quality and consistency are getting better on these. Perhaps in a year or two the numbers will change.

To an extent, I agree with Paul about the consistency, but overall I greatly prefer the MIM Fenders to the American models, which I find to have the same consistency issues. Of the Fenders I own (which is many), the worst in terms of quality is the American baritone I bought sight unseen.

I prefer the matte finish on the necks to the gloss on the Americans, and while hardware and electronics may not be as good, these can be replaced for less than the price difference - I almost always change the pickups anyway.

For the cost of a MIM, I'd buy new and get the warranty. Fender has been excellent in terms of warranty service with me in the past, with a no hassle return through the store and very fast replacement of a non standard model. I can't say the same about some other companies...

Not a Tele or a Strat owner, but I am a MIM Jazz owner. I bought my Jazz for around $300 brand new and then replaced all the standard Fender **** hardware and pickups with Barts, Schallers and a BadAss II and have a much better than stock and better than a US made instrument for less than a new US Jazz.

I agree with consistency issues, but that goes for virtually any/all brands too. Lots of people complain about things like fret sprout, bad setups, etc., but those things are easily fixed. Guess I've lucked out the few times I've bought something online, in that those guitars (Les Paul Standard and the aforementioned LE Strat) were dang near perfect out of the box. They were brand new too. I just set them up the way I like them myself - it was no big deal. But I've got friends who *expect* any and all guitars they buy to be exactly perfect for *them* when they open the box (if mailordered) or pull it off the wall in a shop. To me, that's a completely unrealistic expectation.

For example, a few years ago I was in a San Diego shop playing one of those cheap-o Gibson Faded LP Specials. Looked it over - no flaws, intonation was perfect, played a few chords and lead lines and it sounded fantastic to me. Asked a friend to play it while I stood away from the amp so I could get a better idea of what it sounded like at a distance.

When he was finished, he said I was nuts to buy any guitar that had fret sprout on it - even the slight amount this one had. He said something about sloppy workmanship and horrible quality control.

So I just asked him what he thought of the sound, and he thought it sounded great. Then I asked him what he thought about the price ($500 out the door at that time). Great sound for that price he said. So I bought it (I was going to anyway, no matter what he said). After that I asked him about the "quality" rant he gave me and I simply said "Do you think ten minutes with a file on the ends of these frets was going to stop me from owning this great sounding guitar?"

It didn't even take 10 minutes to fix. He's still kicking himself for not buying one then. Nowadays those cost around $150 more...

Just saying that a lot of so-called flaws aren't worth worrying about at all.

As for the Fender neck finishes, most of them are the satin finishes - that's not necessarily a difference between the MIM and MIA models. Same goes for fretboard radii too. Just depends on the guitar model - and it seems like there's a million of 'em these days.

I like both types of finishes, and radius differences don't bother me at all. Back in the old days if you played any Fender you got a 7.25" radius and a glossy neck. No choice.

Now, my AM LE Strat, one MIM Strat and the Tele have a 9.5" radius board. The LE has a rosewood board and the others are all maple. All of those have the satin finish. But guess what? They've all gone glossy just from playing them a lot. Feels real nice!

My other Strat has a '50's all maple neck on it (7.25" radius) and it came with a gloss finish, and it's just as comfortable to me as the rest are now.

What cracks me up now is how we've got all the options to choose from and still some players declare stuff like "It's IMPOSSIBLE to bend strings on a 7.25 radius neck" and stuff like that... Well, to them I always say there was once this guy named Jimi who didn't seem to do too badly...

Oh, one other thing...

Robert, do you have a link to that e-Bay ad? I don't want to bid on it - just interested in the asking price and if that tweed case is included too.

FYI, those tweed cases (if it's a Fender G&G case) are really nice. Expensive too.

Just saying, if that case is included with that Tele, you might be able to get a great score.

Teles are nice - I have an American HSS - it's a great player and it sounds great too.

I guess the best thing about looking for and buying a Tele is that there are hundreds if not thousands of them out in the stores and the possibility of disappointment is substantially reduced by that fact if you try some out - MIM or otherwise - and you should!

Having said that, I bought mine (NOS) on ebay..... guess I lucked in!!

Great post Steve, really interesting and very helpful - thanks for taking the time.

I suppose I should have been clearer, but the picture I posted is just one of the colour/model I'm interested in (blonde, all maple neck, 50s reissue). It's not actually on ebay, and in fact I haven't seen one yet that comes with a case. Which is pretty much the only reason I didn't buy one today!

I have a MIM strat and am happy with it. $295 brand new on sale. I agree that if a MIM is what you want then buy new. Wait for a blowout sale. Usually on holidays. There is a website that does a side by side MIA vs MIM comparison however, I don't have the link here at home but might have it at work.
A new MIM Fender doesn't come with a factory case.

I have a MIM Fender Cyclone. Since I don't play much guitar, it just kinda laid around..One day a friend of mine comes over who is an excellent guitar player, and who also has done zillions of set ups..

He takes the guitar, an allen key, and a screwdriver,and in minutes has this stock MIM guitar screaming.

Right - MIM's don't come with a case, but my Tele came with a really decent gigbag (Fender Deluxe) which was fine with me. Especially for the price of $329 - at the time they were being blown out for $299 because they were discontinued, but there was a $30 upcharge for the sunburst finish.

Those '50's models cost more than the Standard MIM's but I think they're better all around and well worth it. If you can get the guitar and the gigbag for a decent price I say jump on it. If you want a case you can always get one later.