Telecaster verdict from those in the know, please?

[Mr H]

There's a local eBay sale which I'm interested in, but I know even less about guitars than I do about basses. I know enough, however, to be sceptical about the name Fender when applied to eBay guitars. It's this one:

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251189235224?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649"]http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1423.l2649[/url]

I emailed and asked for more pics, and got these (original size!):



A neckplate marked [i]Fender[/i], no visible markings on the bridge, something not-quite-discernable on the bridge pick-up.

The serial number, apparently, has been sufficiently worn that it is no longer readable, so that line of investigation is lost. It's done "a few tours" in the last two or three years, and was owned by somebody else before the current owner got it.

A distant guitarist friend of mine has his doubts, but he's too far away to check it out for me. So what does the panel think? A good buy at a particular price, or just not convincing enough? Thanks in anticipation.

[LukeFRC]

Bridge pup - seymore duncan?

[Mr H]

Very possibly. We were also thinking [i]Duncan Designed[/i], but the first word looks longer than the second. That would be a replacement, though, which would have been worth mentioning?

Questions are now being raised about the neckplate (should it be plain?), the likelihood of a serial number wearing away, and the lack of a visible [i]Telecaster[/i] on the headstock. "Fender" neckplates and decals are easily available, it seems...

[Big_Stu]

I had a Fender Mexican Tele a while ago. It had "Fender" stamped into the bridge between the pickup & the saddles & "Made In Mexico" on the back of the headstock, that one looks possibly like a worn "custom shop" logo?. It also had TELECASTER in block caps just under the Fender logo.

While I'm no expert on the many & varied versions of Fender guitars I'm finding it difficult to think why a partial logo would have worn of on what otherwise looks to be a fairly good cond guitar, and for a Mex the price seems a bit rich if it hasn't reached his reserve yet.

......... and yes, the neckplates & most other Fender parts are easily available.

edit: mine didn't have two string trees either, it had one round one.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Big_Stu

[mart]

I've never seen any Fender, and certainly not a Tele, with such a figured neck. but then I wouldn't expect the cheaper copies to have very figured necks either, which is making me think it's a bitsa.

Oh, and a dumb question: <question deleted cos I found the answer in a book!>

Edited December 2, 2012 by mart

[3below]

Totally edited out my earlier thoughts having looked at ebay, noted is mex tele so my comments N/A based on USA teles. Top E machine head looks misaligned (unless is photo distortion, very improbable with CNC tooling to drill the peg head location hole (1 on mex, two on usa I believe). In 40 yrs of guitar / bass playing (and 5 fenders of own) have never seen serial worn away on headstock. Then again it could happen.

Edited December 2, 2012 by 3below

[Mr H]

Thanks gents. That double string tree seems to be a feature of the Squier Standard Telecasters - good spot, Big Stu.

I think I'll be walking away from this one.

EDIT: I emailed the eBay seller (who isn't the owner of the guitar!) with the suggestion that this isn't a genuine M.I.M. Fender Telecaster, and the reasons which have been put forth. I have done the decent thing and implied that the current owner was deceived by the previous owner. I wonder what will happen to the listing?

Edited December 2, 2012 by Mr H

[RhysP]

It's a Mexican Fender Special Edition Koa Telecaster.
Google that & you'll find plenty of pictures that look exactly like the one you posted, even down to the double string tree.
Nice guitar, if it had a maple fingerboard I'd probably bid on it myself.

Edited December 3, 2012 by RhysP

[SlapbassSteve]

Lovely Tele that, the neck maple reminds me of a Lite Ash model I had recently.

[Mr H]

Hey, nice one Rhys - that's turned everything on its head somewhat. That looks exactly right. Well, now I will do the other decent thing and email the seller (and thus the owner) and let them know.

[Ancient Mariner]

I was thinking Light Ash model, but yes, Koa, hence the Duncan pickups.

[RhysP]

[quote name='Mr H' timestamp='1354518775' post='1886803']
Hey, nice one Rhys - that's turned everything on its head somewhat. That looks exactly right. Well, now I will do the other decent thing and email the seller (and thus the owner) and let them know.
[/quote]

Glad I could be of some help.
I've got a bit of a soft spot for Telecasters.

[BigRedX]

If it plays nicely and sounds good and the price is right does it matter whether or not it's a "real" Fender?

[Mr H]

Agreed, absolutely, but it pays to be careful on eBay in view of the number of suspect "Fenders" out there, especially as a non-guitarist (me!).

[RhysP]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1354535146' post='1886989']
If it plays nicely and sounds good and the price is right does it matter whether or not it's a "real" Fender?
[/quote]

I agree with you up to a point, but how do you know that "the price is right" unless you have some idea of what the guitar is?
It could be a really nice £100 Tele copy, but bidding on it when it's already at £195 would be a bit stupid wouldn't it?

[BigRedX]

I'm not one of these people who agonises over re-sale value, so as long as the instrument looks nice, plays well and produces the sorts of sounds I want, the price I'll put on it will depends on how well it satisfies those three conditions compared with the price of similar instruments and the name on the headstock will have little influence over it.

For example I'm currently restoring a Firebird copy guitar. At some point someone had tried to pass it off as a Gibson, although to anyone who knew their Gibson guitars it was fairly obviously not. However it is a considerably better guitar (and more accurate) than any other Firebird copy that I've played so far and in nicer condition than several real Gibsons that I have come across and so IMO worth every penny of the £300 I paid for it

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1354494591' post='1886750']
It's a Mexican Fender Special Edition Koa Telecaster.
Google that & you'll find plenty of pictures that look exactly like the one you posted, even down to the double string tree.
Nice guitar, if it had a maple fingerboard I'd probably bid on it myself.
[/quote]
So it is! Otherwise I would have identified it as a project build.

[Ancient Mariner]

In the same vein as BRX, one of my strats is actually a Squier from the version they made in Mexico that had 'Fender' in solid black lettering and a tiny circular 'Squier' logo. Someone had sanded off the Squier logo and refinished it quite well so that it was very hard to tell, with the only other clues being the solid lettering and the ceramic pickups and mini pots under the guard. It was sold non-working, and the kid flogging it had no idea, having paid £300 the previous year - he wasn't happy being offered £100 and we settled at £135 in the end including gig bag (probably got my moneys worth from the amount of weed smoke that must have absorbed).

Needs a refret now, but it's still one of the nicer playing strats I've handled and certainly one of the best MIMs.

[Mr H]

Got an email back from the seller who took it all in good heart - "Ha ha, we've all been burned on eBay at some point." Fortunately, I think she saw my earlier this-looks-dodgy email at the same time as the"retraction". So that's good. May still bid, even though I feel bad about questioning its authenticity. What better way to make amends, though, than bidding highest?

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='Mr H' timestamp='1354555317' post='1887313']
May still bid, even though I feel bad about questioning its authenticity. What better way to make amends, though, than bidding highest?[/quote]

I'm sure it would be appreciated........... or seen as a failed attempt to get it for less

I'm equally OK that my
[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1354486987' post='1886645']While I'm no expert on the many & varied versions of Fender guitars[/quote]
was an accurate statement to make.

[Mr H]

And after all that... I was highest bidder, didn't make the reserve (£300), and it got sold off eBay to someone who offered more than I did.
Exciting three days, though!