MIM telecaster vs American

[rollypolly]

Has anyone felt the jump up from a MIM to an American tele was worth it?

I currently have a MIM thinline ‘69 tele in mahogany and like it well enough, but I got a hankering for an American tele. The less expensive “special” looks particularly appealing. Or maybe a standard.

Any opinions?

[KevWind]

Having played a few MIM tele's when I was looking for my first electric
Given they are pretty good guitars ,,, me personally I would probably not opt to upgrade to anything less than either a new American Vintage II 63 or and Ultra but that is just me YMMV good luck

[rmp]

I think they are, but not everyone will agree with me.

[Bob Womack]

Back in 2009 I went out on a Strat quest armed with the notion that there wasn't any difference between the MIM and American instruments except prejudice. I discovered that there were significant differences and ended up bringing home an American Standard Strat, the equivalent of an American Strat these days. More HERE.

Bob

[davidd]

I did. I had MIM Tele's and got the hankerin' for a USA Wildwood '52 Thinskin Tele. It was a nice guitar, but the vintage string spacing and overly rolled neck meant that the high e tended to slip off the edge. I eventually sold it. I'm actually in the process of selling one of my MIM Tele's because I like the Squier CV's more. Telecasters aren't rocket science to make. If the guitar plays well and the neck suits you then it is just about getting the right pickups. I've had the opportunity to play Custom Shop, NoCasters, Nash, LsL and I've come to the conclusion that it's 90% horsefeathers...

[Chickee]

I have a 2017 Classic Player MIM Jazzmaster that came with a three color sunburst body, perfect rosewood fretboard on a classic C shaped maple neck. The fit and finish is as good as any American made Fender up to the AmPro II line of guitars. The electronics(pickups, jack, toggle, pots)not so much. The bridge rattled all the time. Needles to say, with such a perfect body and neck, all the lacking parts were replaced. The guitar is an absolute tank now.

I have the entry point to the American Fender line, an American Special HSS Stratocaster(two actually-20 years apart)with a beautiful classic C shape soft edge maple/maple neck, and a three piece body you can feel the seams thru the finish(ugh). Two Texas Special single coils w/Atomic Humbucker in the bridge round out the package. Electronics are excellent. Finish of the body, not so much.

So to me it comes down to what you want or need out of the guitar. The MIM Classic Player Jazzmaster is my number one best looking, strongest performer, BUT, it has had alot put into the electronics to get there.

The American Special Strat is a jack of all trades out of the box with no need to change anything.
Pick your poison…

frank d.

[Rolph]

I had a MIM Brad Paisley model. It was very lightweight compared to a US made Tele. It played great and I sold it. I've had a lot of Telecasters since the '80's, currently an Ultra w/ Maple board (2021 model). Just about a perfect electric guitar. G and L makes wonderful Telecasters, esp. 1990's.

[posternutbag]

Short answer, yes. I have had 2 MIM Nashville Telecasters. Both had the bridge in the wrong place. No matter how far I moved the saddle back, I could not get spot on intonation on the E and A strings. My solution was to cut the spring in half so I could get another 1/8” back. It helped, but it still wasn’t perfect.

To me this is the thing about inexpensive instruments. They are really good. A $400 Squier CV is better than most of what was available in the 1990s when I started playing. But the expensive guitars of today are even better. In the last three years I have had a Fender Am Pro II Strat, a Gibson SG Standard, and now my Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Standard R8. Each has been “worth the money” when compared to the Nashville Telecasters and other sub $1K imports I have played. But the complaints I have with less expensive instruments are complete nitpicking when compared to inexpensive instruments from 30 years ago.

So, the long answer is that, IMO, expensive instruments are an upgrade over their less expensive counterparts, but the upgrade is slight and incremental. Clearly it is worth it to some people and not worth it to others, which is why it is so great that we can get playable guitars that sound good at a variety of price points.

[rokdog49]

You can find flaws in guitars built anywhere. You can also find near flawless guitars built anywhere. It’s the law of averages and a lot of subjective opinions.

[rollypolly]

I have nothing against lesser expensive teles. I always wanted a thinline ‘69 reissue in hog and the MIM version is great. Love it for what it is. But for some reason a USA made tele is calling.

[Brent Hutto]

The shape and proportions of the neck and fretboard and the size of the frets matters far more to me than the country of origin sticker on a guitar. If you have a Telecaster you really, really like the first step is to see if any of the "American" models have a neck and 'board at least pretty close to your Tele.

[rollypolly]

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

The shape and proportions of the neck and fretboard and the size of the frets matters far more to me than the country of origin sticker on a guitar. If you have a Telecaster you really, really like the first step is to see if any of the "American" models have a neck and 'board at least pretty close to your Tele.

Ah good point. I just assumed the neck would be the same. I remember playing a highway one tele years ago and the neck was nice and the frets were jumbo, also nice. The satin finish was appealing.

[TiffanyGuitar]

Overall, I think the MIA Fenders are better than the MIMs, but there are very good to great MIMs out there. I have experienced more fret sprout and neck adjustments on the MIMs that we have owned than the American models. (My sons and I both have had or still have some Fenders). Also, I see more neck pocket cracks on the MIMs. I have become a non-fan of the thick epoxy/poly they use. That being said, I have had electronic issues with both MIMs and MIAs.

I think Fender right now might be struggling with labor/quality issues and sorting wood that doesn't weigh too much. They save the good cuts for the custom shop and you can tell.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by posternutbag

Short answer, yes. I have had 2 MIM Nashville Telecasters. Both had the bridge in the wrong place. No matter how far I moved the saddle back, I could not get spot on intonation on the E and A strings. My solution was to cut the spring in half so I could get another 1/8” back. It helped, but it still wasn’t perfect.

To me this is the thing about inexpensive instruments. They are really good. A $400 Squier CV is better than most of what was available in the 1990s when I started playing. But the expensive guitars of today are even better. In the last three years I have had a Fender Am Pro II Strat, a Gibson SG Standard, and now my Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Standard R8. Each has been “worth the money” when compared to the Nashville Telecasters and other sub $1K imports I have played. But the complaints I have with less expensive instruments are complete nitpicking when compared to inexpensive instruments from 30 years ago.

So, the long answer is that, IMO, expensive instruments are an upgrade over their less expensive counterparts, but the upgrade is slight and incremental. Clearly it is worth it to some people and not worth it to others, which is why it is so great that we can get playable guitars that sound good at a variety of price points.

Precise intonation on a three saddle Tele is basically impossible. MIM Fender Telecasters are all CNC produced, so the chance of a bridge being off that much seems remote. Intonation on a Tele is just accepting that it is off slightly and not worrying about it.

[posternutbag]

Originally Posted by davidd

Precise intonation on a three saddle Tele is basically impossible. MIM Fender Telecasters are all CNC produced, so the chance of a bridge being off that much seems remote. Intonation on a Tele is just accepting that it is off slightly and not worrying about it.

The Nashville Telecaster has six saddles.