Is this the best Tele money can buy?
 

OK I'm biased...and it's a Fender made in Japan.

Best money can buy ? who knows, who cares :D
It looks pretty nice and his Revv amps are super cool :up:

In my opinion, the best Telecasters money can buy (outside of vintage) don’t have the word “Fender” on the headstock. To me, Suhr and Tom Anderson take that honor.

Anyone who can get more than ten seconds into that video has my admiration.

Not for me it isn't. I only have one, a '62 AVRI. I bought it for the vintage specs (and the color, Surf Green :D), and I wouldn't trade it for one of those.

But that is a nice Tele.

I love my Telecaster. (Honey blonde with black guard, maple board and a Bigsby).

No GAS for a second Telecaster but if I did have, it would splurge on a B-Bender with a leather cover similar to Waylon Jennings.

I have a G&L ASAT Classic that is pretty sweet.

Although a nice example , it couldn't hold a candle to my lefty Rosewood Tele . Not even close . :)

For some unknown reason, a lot those Kotzen Teles are super heavy like almost 9lbs. they play nice but are les Paul weight.

My Telecaster is heavy (verging on Les Paul territory) and maybe its the alder body plus Bigsby combination but either way, I'm okay with it.

About the guitar in the video, I do like a bound Telecaster (double bound even better) but the guy in the video said it had a big neck which might put me off depending on how big it was. (Nice looking guitar and sounds great but being the best is highly subjective).

I have two Telecasters..

The first one is a Made In Mexico Ash 50's Tele reissue. I swapped the pickups, pots and caps, pickguard, and control plate on it, and it's fantastic! It was even great before I swapped the pickups and the other parts, I was just experimenting and it turned out great. Total investment around a grand.

https://i.imgur.com/pxKeaZB.jpg?1

Then a few years later, a very expensive custom shop Tele came my way. It was one of the yearly custom shop Tele Deluxe series. It's super light, has a beautiful quilt top, dark rosewood fretboard, birdseye maple neck, great pickups, fully intonatable bridge, and pearl knob Sperzel tuners. I got a deal on it but it sold originally for over $3000, It's great too.

https://i.imgur.com/fq3prXB.jpg?2

My point... you can find a good Tele in any price range!!! They are simple guitars, and pretty easy to get right.

This right here is the best Tele I can buy for the money.

Here's a $1k USA Tele I picked up in pawnshop a few weeks ago for $100+ tax.

My '09 Fender Highway 1 Honey Blonde Tele:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e31624c0_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f0de1fe4_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...10aa2601_b.jpg

There's obviously no "best" tele, although there may be a best for any individual player. The Kotzen is a pretty unique instrument with different pickups and tone control approach than most other telecasters and a flatter fretboard than all but a few other teles. It's the best tele for Richie Kotzen, and it may be for you, but it's not for me and it's evidently not for a lot of people since a whole LOT of people have spent considerably more for different models.

For me, the best tele is the toad worn 50s or the American Original 50s model. Since the Roadworn was about half the cost of the AO and has a neck I prefer even more (while both are incredible necks for my taste), I own a roadworn and it's by far the best tele I've ever owned and by less the best tele I've ever played. FOR ME. For lot's of folks, my first choice would be among their last...

-Ray

Nice tele.

Some people would immediately want to change the bridge, the tuners, the pickups, etc...

but a rock player might like it as is -

it is a nice solid Tele IMO but only if you want a modern Tele.

I think the best Tele for the money is a USED - higher end Tele of most any brand. There are some great high end Tele's that are perfect - but a bit pricey -

however - on the USED market - you can snag a great one for the price of an AVRI Fender (which are also great Teles)

I traded for a Glendale Tele and it is hands down the best Tele I've owned but I have owned some really good ones - Fender CS, Grosh, Suhr, etc...

but this Glendale just has that extra "it" and weighs 6.5 lbs!

I've played one of those. It's a rock machine for sure, but it doesn't do the traditional Tele thing very well - or for that matter anything other than what it's designed to do. Pickups are pretty hot, especially the bridge. Nice guitars but not for me.

There are SO many builders making great Teles these days. In addition to those already mentioned, there's Kirn, Hahn, LSL, and K-Line. And others. I have a K-Line and a Fender. I prefer the K-Line by a big margin.