Ibanez tele custom versus original American made.. - Guitar

[grek30]

* Which is better and why??

[darren wilson]

Well, if *you want a Tele specifically for the Telecaster tone, then i'd say you can't do much better than a genuite Fender Tele or a G&L ASAT.

[Kevan]

www.vintageibanez.com

Some knowledgable cookies over there.....

[jeffrey]

Quote: from darren wilson on 8:16 am on Sep. 25, 2001
Well, if *you want a Tele specifically for the Telecaster tone, then i'd say you can't do much better than a genuite Fender Tele or a G&L ASAT.

Agreed. :biggrin:

The ASAT's are what Tele's should be imo.

[grek30]

* I'm not really looking for the "tele sound" because this version (The Custom) departs very much from the usual tele setup..

* *The one I'm getting now, (I decided against the "Memphis" version) had the original humbucker and single coil replaced with Domarzios and the and also has Shaller tuners.. (So I'm not expecting a tele sound..)

* What I'm thinking more of is the actual quality of the the guitar, materials and craftmanship..)

* The Ibanez model has a solid mahogany body with a birch top with a laminanted maple neck.. (I'm not sure what the body of the original US made version was made of..)

* *And this is the tele with the humbucker in the neck posistion and single coil at the bridge with te LP control layout..)

* So having said that and leaving the "tele sound" out of the equation, which do you think is the better guitar???

* *

[Jimi D]

I've owned a few vintage Ibanez models - including a "top-of-the-line" Bob Weir model, an SG copy, a "59er" LP Copy, a Flying V (Rocket Roll) and several others - and I frankly think that their reputation for being great guitars is exagerated... Most of them - ime - suffer from many of the same faults that plague Korean manufacture today, including second rate woods and veneers, thick finishes, week electronics and second rate hardware. They're reputation was born of a period of particularly low quality in American instruments and based on a "bang for the buck" perspective. I would take a Made in Mexico Fender Standard Tele in a heartbeat over any of the overweight, under equipped copies that Ibanez was churning out 25 years ago. I know Ibanez collectors have driven the prices of these things up to where you'd expect them to be decent guitars, but if it's a playing instrument you want they simply are not worth it....