I want to get a Telecaster and a Fender amp, but I need some help/education

[ChrisN]

The OP may have other concerns apart from quality about buying non-USA-made guitars.

[KevWind]

On just the guitar and understanding everyone's "bank" is different, BUT Consider the option of the basic Fender traditional platform, but with modern improvements and few more tonal options.
While I ended up opting for a PRS CE24. I was in fact going to purchase a Fender American Elite Telecaster with the new noiseless single coils and the switch to select between series and parallel pickup wiring

MSRP is $1900 but I found them street for $1600 to $1700 equivalent break when combined with an amp purchase

http://shop.fender.com/en-US/electri...114212796.html

[roylor4]

You want what you want, and I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong for wanting it. I think Steve's response was good and his advice sound. If you are ready to go US made Tele and nice reissue amp that a Fender Deluxe Reverb is pretty hard to beat and can do most anything except grunge or metal.

Right now, you just don't know what you don't know. The right electric guitar/amp query is even harder to figure out than the right acoustic for someone's needs. You live in a condo - have you ever played through a tube amp before? To get great tone out of a tube amp they need to be pushed a bit. Even a 5 watt tube amp is enough to get you noise complaints from neighbors, believe me.

The rig you seem to want will not get much play time at home unless you are ready to move.

You say you don't want to break the bank. What does that mean. 1k? 3K? 5k?

IMO, for under 1k, I would buy a Carvin Vintage 16 or a Bugera V5 and an Indonesian made G&L Tribute ASAT. On sale, the G&L and Carvin would set you back less than 7 bills. Not a junk setup either, very gig worthy.

For 2k I would look for a used USA tele and a new Deluxe Reverb.

For 3k, I would look at boutique, hand made amps to go with a Tele.

At 5k the skys the limit.

[beninma]

Keep in mind an awful lot of that "Tele Tone" is in the player's hands, a Tele specialist will get that sound with just about any Tele that still has the standard single coil pickups, and they're going to get most of that tone out of just about any amp that has a decent clean sound.

There is a lot to that.. I got frustrated with my Tele last night just because I'd been near 100% acoustic all last week and even a week and I seem like I need to readjust a little. Could have just been that I was playing around with a fuzz pedal though. Maybe that thing was a waste of money. I'm happiest with my Tele clean or with just a hair of amp breakup.

[FrankHudson]

This is one of those posts where I don't know how exactly to follow the OPs specific requirement or the "spirit of the requirements". And as always, IMHO, YMMV...

Playing a tube amp in most apartments/condos is a significant compromise. There's no way to get exactly the tone you hear on recordings or in a good live sound setup at that volume level. You can practice. In such situations I often find the best compromise with a low watt amp, turned up a bit, and the guitar's volume turned down with EQ set to the brighter side.

The Deluxe Reverb Reissue (DRRI) or one of the Princeton Reissues is a long time favorite of Tele players. The DRRI is also a classic club gigging amp. The Princeton has a bit less headroom and has less clean volume, but can be gigged with at restrained stage volumes. One advantage of the DRRI is that it's been a popular model for decades and there are used ones out there.

Yes, there are other lower priced tube amps and they can get some of that Fender amp sound no doubt. I haven't played many of them, but the Deluxe Reverb and Princeton are classics for a reason. If you're thinking of one you can stay with, or more easily sell if you don't, the DRRI is the answer.

There's also the Fender Champ and it's clones. Dead simple, lower in volume, smaller, and they sound great with a Tele. Most don't have reverb or "vibrato," but stomp boxes can supply a taste of that. At lower volumes they still have some of that Fender clean sound, but I'm talking lower volumes as in recording in a studio or small club, not living room with someone else's living room at the other side of the wall. Some kind of external EQ helps to get a more pleasing sound at living room volumes. In the old days I used to use a wah wah pedal on in the down position as a treble boast to get something that sounded better at talk loudly above it living room volumes.

If you're handy with a soldering iron, a Champ-clone kit is an option. The Champ's simplicity is the factor here too.

Try before you buy on the amps if at all possible. As mentioned above, the amp is at least half the sound, and is harder to modify to change it's sound significantly than a guitar. If I was to move to an apartment, I'd probably use a modeling amp (with patches I would have EQ'ed for very low volume use) or software plugins, and listen on headphones a lot of the time too.

A low volume, relatively inexpensive, simple to use modeling amp with a tube power section would be the Fender Super Champ XD. It has digital "spring" reverb built in and can sort of emulate other than Fender amps, but it does a good Fender clean sound at lower volumes. I didn't find mine gigable on even a low volume stage with the stock speaker, but if you see one as you try the DRRI and a Princeton you could try it.

You say you want an American Telecaster, but you don't say why. The reason so many respondents are already suggesting non-USA Teles is that there's no sonic and few playing reasons for you do so if cost is an issue. The solid body electric guitar is not an acoustic guitar. There are fewer fine points in construction that impact sound in any meaningful way. I say this after owning more than a dozen Telecasters over the years, including ones made in the US, Mexico, Japan, and various Asian nations, and some branded with Fender's Squier low-end name. I'd concentrate on comfort with the neck shape more than anything else (this varies, and while you can buy another neck, thanks to Leo Fender's genius, it's not a drop in, no adjustments needed thing). A used Fender 52 Reissue would be a great way to go, again you benefit on the long time that reissue has been on the market. But a Mexican Tele can sound great, and the upper end of the Squier line has some great sounding Teles too.

The current American Professional Tele also gets good reports, though I haven't played one yet.

Maybe 80% of an electric guitar's sound is pickups, and those are easily swappable as your ear for subtleties develops or your taste changes, but I happily enjoy the pickups on my most humble Squier Tele. I swapped out the bridge pickup on three of my Teles to something I like better, but have owned more where I've never felt the need. The only other thing I find changes the sound on a Tele in any way I think I find audible is the bridge design. I like the traditional brass 3 barrel saddles, but you're talking only a small part of the sound. A lot of other stuff (body wood, fingerboard type, nitro finish, etc) is inaudible to me.

Some of the Asian Teles have smaller necks than I like. I'll play them and deal, but I like the feel of US and Mexican Tele necks I've played more. I'll say it again: that's the thing to test drive on a Tele as much as the sound of the pickups--and much much more than anything else, including the where it was made sticker.

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

and the upper end of the Squier line has some great sounding Teles too.

but I happily enjoy the pickups on my most humble Squier Tele.

Jack Pearson's a well-regarded player who hangs with other quality players - his primary gigging guitar is a 20th anniversary Squier (2004?) he found at a pawnshop ($80?), and he's running the stock pickups. I can't think of a better endorsement for Squier.

[nitram]

I bought a Classic Vibe Custom Tele used for $300 (Canadian) and it's a ton of guitar. Check out reviews on 'em.

[jljohn]

Thank you for all the responses so far. They are much appreciated!

Steve, you've given me a lot to think about. Thank you.

Roy and Frank, thanks for the suggestions and the thoughts about the amp.

My desire for a made-in-the-USA kit has to do with where my dollars go and what I'm supporting. There is very high quality stuff coming from all over the world these days, but as a personal matter, I prefer to buy USA-made.

I do live in a condo, but I have a separate space below my unit (not adjacent to anyone's living space) that will function perfectly for a playing space. I probably couldn't push a large amp down there but I should be be able to push a smaller amp a good bit without annoying anyone other than my own family!

This is obviously all academic right now, but I will spend time playing for deciding and buying. For the guitar, I am not wedded to a Fender-branded Telecaster. I'd consider a Nash or any others that meet my initial requirement of being a vintage-inspired domestically-made guitar. For the amp, I actually like the idea of the simplicity of a small 5W tube amp that I can push at home. A Champ 5W might be a good option. Is the '57 Custom Champ the only 5 Watt amp that Fender is currently making? I am willing to buy used, and maintenance doesn't concern me too much.

I might try to push this number down a bit, but for the time being, let's call $2k the absolute ceiling for a guitar and amp. Buying used, I figure that number (or even a good bit less) will buy a very nice setup, even with the US-made requirement.

[roylor4]

I will reiterate my recommendation of the Carvin Vintage 16. Made in the USA. Switchable from 5-16 watts. Reverb and a power soak (acts as an attenuator). I don't think there is a comparable US mad amp out there for the money. For the money of the reissue 57 Champ I would look elsewhere. I have actually owned on. A real one, not a RI. I would go with a boutique builder first.

The Carvin would keep the $ in the US and give you a LOT of leeway to find a great US made guitar.

You should keep US made G&L's in mind IMHO. I prefer their neck to US made Teles, but that's just me.

[bsman]

If you're serious about wanting a US-made guitar, may I suggest Ron Kirn? If you check the TDPRI (telecaster discussion page re-issue) he is rated very highly, and I can tell you that for the same price you would pay for a US deluxe model you will be getting a guitar that will compare favorably with a Fender custom shop model.

[wrathfuldeity]

Perhaps for amps check out pm BootHillamps or Muchx on tdpri.com (tele forum).

Another us made git is Peavey Reactor, the mia's are amazing. I have a mia strat predator (pawnshop score) and with diy mods, its my #1. Personally like the necks and radius on these much more so than a fender.

The below ended in 2014...but you might find a pawn shop score.

https://reverb.com/item/112811-peave...angmaster-ohsc

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by jljohn

...My desire for a made-in-the-USA kit has to do with where my dollars go and what I'm supporting. There is very high quality stuff coming from all over the world these days, but as a personal matter, I prefer to buy USA-made.

I do live in a condo, but I have a separate space below my unit (not adjacent to anyone's living space) that will function perfectly for a playing space. I probably couldn't push a large amp down there but I should be be able to push a smaller amp a good bit without annoying anyone other than my own family!

...For the guitar, I am not wedded to a Fender-branded Telecaster. I'd consider...any others that meet my initial requirement of being a vintage-inspired domestically-made guitar. For the amp, I actually like the idea of the simplicity of a small 5W tube amp that I can push at home...

...let's call $2k the absolute ceiling for a guitar and amp. Buying used, I figure that number (or even a good bit less) will buy a very nice setup, even with the US-made requirement.

In order:

• Fair enough, and while I both understand and share your preference (for reasons I can't discuss here) the combination of GAS and a retirement income has made me somewhat more pragmatic in the grand scheme - and if I can obtain the tones I'm after, at a quality level comparable to/better than the big-buck stuff and a wallet-friendly price, it's a no-brainer for me...
• If you have a "playing space" available, I'd strongly recommend stepping up to something in the 15-25W range for a tube amp (25-45W for solid-state) - what I said about headroom and clean power, rather than sheer volume (when you go shopping sample a few amps in this category - regardless of manufacture - using nothing but your hands and the guitar's controls to achieve your tone, listen to the interaction between amp and guitar, and you'll see what I mean)...
• If you're in the market for "vintage-inspired/domestically-made" and prefer to buy new, you can put together a nice guitar-&-amp setup from Kiesel/Carvin (one and the same company BTW - the guitar division was renamed a couple years ago) for $1500-2000; FYI Kiesel is essentially a custom shop, where you can option out a guitar to your specs for the price of an off-the-rack USA Fender - and if you have very specific requirements this would be a good way to go...
• Since you're OK buying used you might want to scope out a Gibson LP '60s Tribute with P-90s from a few years ago; while the first-run goldtops are generating a bit of collector interest (with the PRS-style revealed-edge "binding" it looks like a well-kept '56, that got put under the bed when surf music hit in the early-60's), the other finishes are available in the $600-800 bracket (I've seen the ebony version for as little as $500 in "player" condition). FYI I own a 2011 goldie, and I can tell you first-hand that it makes an excellent instrument for what you're doing: the P-90 will let you "ride gain" from your guitar in a way no stock Fender will (going from clean to drive with a turn of your volume control), the chambered body is 2-3 pounds lighter than a full-solid LP (which gives it a nice acoustic resonance that translates well to amplified tone), and the LP design is about as vintage-American as they come; pair it with a '65 Deluxe Reverb RI and not only will you never need an OD pedal, you'll never need another rig...

[Jerry D]

A bit of general advice. Beware of those who say "Oh, Mexican Fenders are nice, if you don't like the pickups, you can always upgrade", etc. I think I would make sure I would be happy with the Mexican as it stands.

I recently bought an American made strat, because I found out that if I bought a Mexican and then added a case, better pickups, a trem block, and the labor to change it all out (I'm not friends with soldering irons) I was actually gonna have more $ in the Mexican than in a MIA American Standard. No-brainer.

[dave42]

Reminds me of an old craigslist ad that said "... made in Mexico by fine Mexican craftsmen, as opposed to made in the California plant by fine Mexican craftsmen."

I agree with Jerry D's comment.

[Song]

I want to get a Telecaster and a Fender amp

I think you should get a Telecaster and a Fender amp