Fender Tele-Set Neck

richardp69

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o.k., bear with my ignorance because I know little about electric gear. Back in the day when all I played were electric guitars, my favorites were the Tele and the Strat. I owned a number of them but I'm pretty sure they were all bolt on necks. I recently picked up a MIK tele with a set neck. When did they start doing that??? I haven't paid much attention to the Fender brand since my high school and college years (yup, light years ago) but this one kind of caught me off guard.
 

AcornHouse

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Are you sure it’s MIK and not MII? The only set neck I’m aware of Fender doing, is the Jim Adkins model, which is Indonesian made (and which I have and love.)
They might have expanded their offerings since (Although you’d have thought they would have consulted me!) and started another model from Korea. But it would make sense for their Indonesian plant to handle the set necks, since they’d be geared up for them.
 

Quantum Strummer

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Fender does set neck Strats & Teles from time to time. I think this started in the '90s, but don't quote me on it. ;)

-Dave-
 

richardp69

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Thanks for the info guys. Chris I did double check and it is made in Korea. You need to go slap the Fender folks upside the head for not consulting with you first.
 

shihan

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Fender Custom shop did (maybe still does) a Merle Haggard ‘Tough Dog’ replica that had a set neck. They do different models with set necks from time to time. I think a set neck Tele would be great; I never saw the point of a bolt on neck from a player’s perspective. Great for the manufacturer though.
 

JF-30

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Fender Custom shop did (maybe still does) a Merle Haggard ‘Tough Dog’ replica that had a set neck. They do different models with set necks from time to time. I think a set neck Tele would be great; I never saw the point of a bolt on neck from a player’s perspective. Great for the manufacturer though.

Gilmour's now Jim Irsay's Black Strat has had I think no less that 6 different necks on it when Gilmour owned it. Do that with a set neck 6 times. I needed a new neck for my Fender J bass I bought. The guy I bought it from neglected to tell me the neck was like a rollercoaster ride. So when I gave them negative feed back and wanted my money back they told me they would buy me a replacement neck if I changed my feedback. So I got a killer Warmoth Birdseye Maple neck with binding and block inlays. Glad I had a bolt on neck for that ordeal.
 

Guildedagain

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A set neck Tele is like a bolt on neck Les Paul... Unnecessary, or just plainly a bad idea, in my mind.

An LP sounds like an LP because of the tenon joint, among a few other things.... And a Tele sounds like a Tele because of the bolt on neck, among a few other things.

I think the spank of the ["plank"] Tele comes in part from the bolt on neck. Also, Leo wanted us to be able to change a neck out in the field, not a repair shop.

I'm guessing a set neck Tele sounds meatier than a bolt neck, probably a fantastic guitar. I just like it the way Leo made it though, and the modular design lends to much home tinkering ;)
 

dbirchett

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My guess is that this is the one you are talking about:

31eML3XptbL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg


This is a MIK Set neck with Seymour Duncan HBs. It came in the natural top, red and a black cherry burst that was my favorite. It was a very light guitar and had a decent sound but I didn't like the feel of the neck. I had a chance to buy a red one very cheap but I couldn't get past the feel of the neck.
 

JF-30

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A set neck Tele is like a bolt on neck Les Paul... Unnecessary, or just plainly a bad idea, in my mind.

An LP sounds like an LP because of the tenon joint, among a few other things.... And a Tele sounds like a Tele because of the bolt on neck, among a few other things.

I think the spank of the ["plank"] Tele comes in part from the bolt on neck. Also, Leo wanted us to be able to change a neck out in the field, not a repair shop.

I'm guessing a set neck Tele sounds meatier than a bolt neck, probably a fantastic guitar. I just like it the way Leo made it though, and the modular design lends to much home tinkering ;)

What about hums vs singles. One has a pup suspended from a metal plate. Both have different scale lengths. One has tuners that at 3x3 and one is 6 in a line. Lot of stuff make them sound differnet. Hell Gibson and Fender have both made hollow body versions of the LP and Tele, Strat too just recently on EJ's new signature model. Gibson has done bolt on's on a few oddities, just like Fender has done some set necks.

Purist will tell you that is not what it is cause it is not made to the traditional specs.
 
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Guildedagain

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I would never personally want a bolt on neck on a LP style guitar, to me it looks like one of those bad early Japan copies.

I had a really impressive Hagstrom Swede I think it was, a LP with a bolt on neck, and it had the oddest acoustic sound, but quite endearing actually. I miss that one.
 

Quantum Strummer

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My '96 Relic Nocaster was transformed by replacing the original (and occasionally temperamental) neck with a MIM rosewood board jobbie. 7.25" radius rather than the original's 9.5" too. A formerly really good guitar is now a terrific one, a serious competitor even to my old '53. It amazes me how much more alive it is acoustically. It's not that the neck/body joint is any more solid than it was before, just that the new neck and body seem to be more in sync resonance-wise.

I love my mid-'70s Greco bolt-neck LP copy. :) It's a total weirdo in terms of what it's made of (lotsa bits of sycamore and birch, maple veneer) but it plays nice and sounds very LP-like.

-Dave-
 

bobouz

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Fender has been doing Korean set-necks Teles for quite a while. I bought a gold one new back in 2004 with DeMarzio humbuckers. There have also been similar models with single coils.

The one I had was a nice guitar, but in the end, it became partial trade-bait for a Gibson hollowbody.
 
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