Just the best Tele for me.

[Big Al]

I have been on the down low for awhile, with health issues that make playing guitar rough. I do try to play every day, though not very often in the Tone Temple as it is hard for me to climb down and up the stairs.

I have a Roland Micro Cube RX that sits next to my spot on the sofa and I have a 1933-36? Kalamazoo Arch top for acoustic workouts and what has become my go to guitar a Tele. I plug in and play and sometimes for hours.

The guitar is a TELE. Best Tele I own, IMO, and it's not a US made custom shop, (which are awesome guitars), but rather a BAJA TELE made in Mexico.

Butterscotch Blonde with Blackguard, nice full V shaped neck with flatter profile and jumbo frets. Pickups are Custom Shop Broadcaster bridge pickup and Twisteed Tele neck pickup.
It has the 4 way switch and a stealth switch in the top of the volume knob that reverses the phase for position 2 and 4.

I can get almost any sound I want and it is light and plays like butter. I am nuts about this killer good Tele, especially at the price point of well under a grand. I also have a couple of the white blonde Classic 50's Teles which are also made in Mexico and get lots of love from me.

But the BAJA is extraordinary. I love using it with players who don't know about it and watching them go bonkers over it. Not a limited, high ticket collectable from the Custom Shop, or even a pricey US model. Just my little south of the border chile pepper.

I see they have a new version Baja like a 60's with Rosewood fingerboard and different pickups. I'll probably have to get one!

This is the guitar I play 90% of the time. Any others who use this wonderful Tele?eace2

 

[Don]

When I built my USAGC T-Style (Blackguard styling, light swamp ash body, large soft V neck with 9.5" rad. fretboard & 6105 frets, vintage style hardware, Fralin Blues Special pickups...) I was after the guitar that hadn't built yet- the Baja Tele. It's the guitar that I play 90% of the time.

I think I'd be happy with either one.

 

[slimdave]

My main guitar is a hand built Gil Yaron 1950 double Esquire (the configuration is just like a Tele). It was built for Nacho B. following the exact specs of the original ones. It's light, has a big v neck and plays like butter. For me nothing can beat a good Tele.

 

[Wilko]

Nuthin' that fancy, but I love my MIM tele thinline. I just shot it seafoam green. I put a MIM custom shop neck on it. Great couch guitar as it also sounds great unplugged for just pickin'. It now has compansated brass saddles and trimmed ashtray along with a Seymour bridge pickup.

BTW, Al. I keep forgetting to post something for you... See your appreciation thread in a bit.

 

[The Real MC]

Some good Fender guitars are being made overseas or in mexico.

 

[Xpensive Wino]

I think Fenders were mostly made by Mexicans during the Fullerton era...they were just on the US side of the border. :teeth

You rock, Big Al....:dude:. Let's see a pic of that Baja, please, if it's not too much trouble.

 

[DanMan]

Don't have a baja but I do have a MIM 60's Classic, also have a 50's classic lacquer. Both are great teles no matter the price. I do like my Cunetto relic I little more, but they are both fine guitars.

 

[S. Cane]

Some good Fender guitars are being made overseas or in mexico.

I think Fenders were mostly made by Mexicans during the Fullerton era...they were just on the US side of the border. :teeth

I disagree about the overseas part. Many people say they like Squiers, and they have the right to do so, as long as it is a matter of taste, just like I liked my Epiphone Les Paul Standard, which was an outstanding guitar for the price, I played it live many tmes and I can tell, it was a very good axe, but it was NOWHERE near as good as a Gibson or American Fender product when it comes to quality, playability and pickups.


About being Mexican made either in Mexico or in Cali. I've seen many a post saying that. Nonsense.

What does it matter if the workers at the factory are Mexican, American, Indian, Chinese, Native American, Native Australian or Polinesian? It's the specs, the crafting technique, the woods and the hardware that count, not who made it. Any Homo Sapiens can build guitars just as well, as long as they follow the procedures.

The difference between MiA and MIM or MiC guitars is the woods, the manual labor and, most of all, the electronics and the pickups. That's why MiA guitars, both Gibson and Fender are superior, and MiM Fenders aren't bad at all.

Chinese made mass produced guitars have waaaay lower quality control and are made of cheap (not to say crap) wood and cheap (not to say trash) electronics in general, that's why they can rock, but will not be as good as the real deal.

And before someone calls me a cork sniffer, I own and still play Epi and I ain't no oure burst worshipper, I am a workhorse guitar player in a band and actually I am a Fender man.

 

[Progrocker111]

!
This is the guitar I play 90% of the time. Any others who use this wonderful Tele?eace2

I had one once, with blue metallic finish. I agree, it was great sounding Tele for its money. Only drawback to me was fairly thick poly finish and not the lightest weight.

 

[Xpensive Wino]

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo.
​

 

[sikoniko]

In the past few years fender revamped the Mexico factory to the same specs as the us factory. I don't remember all of the details, but the new mim starts are much better than the ones they used to make.

 

[Gitfiddler]

I've read a bunch of positive reviews about the Baja Tele. I was about to jump on one, but then got seduced by another Tele-lady...a Ritchie Kotzen signature. It's a MIJ model, that could easily pass as a Custom Shop Tele due to the amazingly high quality.

Hey Big Al, wishing you all the best during the holidays and forward!! :hank

 

[sonar]

Not a Baja, but a MIM/FSR Copperburst Tele for me. Imo, the MIM Tele's are the best bang for the buck out there.

I just wanted a simple twanger and ended up with maybe my most versatile guitar. It can go from pluck to sing with the turn of a tone knob. She's an alder body w/maple board, which I've always seemed to be drawn to with Tele's. (Some like Norlins, I've always been drawn to CBS Tele's.) It pairs well with my LP, compliments a Gretsch and is a brother to my Jazzmaster.

This Tele is on the heavy side (currently my heaviest at maybe 9 lbs?) and I swapped pickups/saddles for more of a twanger/Bakersfield tone, but all said I'm still way under the value to performance ratio. I've paid more for a freakin' effects pedal in the past.

Like I mentioned in another recent thread - you can get a lot of mileage out of a cheap Tele.

 

[latestarter]

Sounds very nice Al...my type of Tele. Got to have those beefy Broadcaster pickups!

 

[toxpert]

Al is right on target with the Baja. IMHO, the Baja has THE best feeling neck profile of all the production Telecasters...and the custom pickups get all variations of tone. The deep well carve of the control cavity accommodates the push/pull pot and makes this body adaptable to just about any mods you want.

The price you can find these at makes this a sleeper guitar for build and tone quality.

 

[Big Al]

Yes, I've owned plenty of big ticket US Fenders and they are great, but this MIM Tele kills all of them, IMO. I have a couple of the MIM Classic 50's white blonde Teles that I like a whole bunch.

But I have to say that for me, the MIM Baja Tele and the MIM Jimmy Vaughn Strat represent the very best value in Fender Tele and Strat guitars for my money. I play those two constantly, have had the urge to do NO mods or changes and they play and sound as good or better than the much more expensive US made ones. Killer good guitars.

 

[Texas Blues]

I have a Squire Tele.

The pots and switch were always loose and cut out. The pup's were fine.

Switched out the bad and had a 4 way installed and I'm most happy with it.

The neck is rosewood and thin as it comes and plays itself.

I dig it so much its going to the beautician for a Bigsby after the first of the year.

My only non Gibson guitar I play.

 

[roadrunner]

A good Tele's, a good Tele. Doesn't matter where it's made. I think they're doing a great job with the Made in Mexico guitars at Fender. I've played a few lately and was quite impressed.

As has been mentioned, essentially the old classics made in Fullerton in the '50's and early '60's were basically, "Made in Mexico" as well. A lot of Fender's workforce back in the day was made up of people of Hispanic decent... GREAT people to hang with and great craftsman as well.

Play that Tele in good health Al!:dude:

 

[Texas Blues]

A good Tele's, a good Tele. Doesn't matter where it's made. I think they're doing a great job with the Made in Mexico guitars at Fender. I've played a few lately and was quite impressed.

As has been mentioned, essentially the old classics made in Fullerton in the '50's and early '60's were basically, "Made in Mexico" as well. A lot of Fender's workforce back in the day was made up of people of Hispanic decent... GREAT people to hang with and great craftsman as well.

Play that Tele in good health Al!:dude:

Seguero que si senor!

Fender Telecaster este es la mejor que la chingada!