What’s the Best Telecaster Guitar Kit?

Apart from buying a Telecaster guitar, many passionate guitarists decide to take a DIY approach and build one.

With numerous guitar kit manufacturers to choose from, not all of them offer the same level of quality and durability of components.

Buying a kit from a substandard manufacturer will end up with inferior parts making what should be a very gratifying project, a miserable experience.

For this reason, sourcing a good quality Telecaster guitar kit is imperative, and we’re about to help you do so.

In this article, we’ll list the five best DIY Telecaster guitar kits, recommend the best brand, and point out several details to consider when buying your guitar kit.

We certainly hope you find this article helpful, informative and unbiased. Just so you know, we may receive compensation if you use the links on this page. If you do, thank you so much!

Telecaster Guitar Kits Compared

Product	Image	Rating	Key Feature
*TOP PICK* #1 SOLO TCK-1 DIY Electric Guitar Kit		(4.7)	Excellent quality considering the low price
#2 SOLO TCK-100 DIY Semi Hollow Electric Guitar Kit		(4.7)	Outstanding pre-made wood cutting, drilling, and shaping
#3 SOLO TCK-1SM DIY Guitar Kit With Spalted Maple Top		(4.5)	Offers superior materials such as spalted maple and top binding
#4 The FretWire TL Style DIY Electric Guitar Kit		(4.5)	Custom fitted neck joint for maximum tone
#5 StewMac T-Style Electric Guitar Kit		(4.5)	Mahogany body and neck are higher quality for its price range

Top 5 Telecaster Guitar Kits in Review

1. Solo TCK-1 DIY Electric Guitar Kit

SOLO TCK-1 DIY Electric Guitar Kit

This model produced by SOLO Guitars, is the most affordable guitar kit in our roundup. Still, the manufacturer managed to put together many high-quality components in this item.

Solo TCK-1 Kit Overview

This SOLO Telecaster electric guitar kit features a basswood body with a poly sealant. The neck is made of maple, whereas the fingerboard’s material is rosewood. The construction is a bolt-on, and there are 22 frets.

Solo TCK-1 Kit Highlights

The kit has gorgeous black binding around its basswood body. Assembling the guitar can be done quickly due to the pre-shaped headstock.

This might not be ideal if you’re looking for a customized headstock carve, but it will save you some time while putting all the pieces together.

Solo TCK-1 Features

• Basswood body with a poly sealant
• Maple neck
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Predrilled holes
• Pre-shaped headstock

SOLO TCK-1 DIY Tele Kit Key Points:

The Good

Apart from excellent materials, this kit boasts many other benefits. First, all the tough woodworking is already complete.

The same goes for all the hardware. This model also has a pickguard assembly, strings, a neckplate assembly, and all the other components necessary to put the guitar together.

Additionally, the price is one of the most significant advantages of this kit. It’s the cheapest item here, and you’re highly unlikely to come across equally good equipment at the same price.

The Bad

The only hole that’s not predrilled is the string tree. This may not be a deal-breaker, but having an option to use this hole would have been nice.

Moreover, once assembled, the guitar is one of the heaviest models available, which might not suit some players.

What We Like

• • • Cost-efficient
    • Solid materials
    • Complete woodworking
    • Contains all the pieces necessary for the assembly

What We Don’t Like

• • • Lack of a string tree hole
    • Quite heavy

Check SOLO TCK-1 DIY Guitar Kit Availability >>

2. Solo TCK-100 DIY Semi-hollow Electric Guitar Kit with Maple Top

SOLO TCK-100 DIY Semi Hollow Electric Guitar Kit

This is another kit found at SoloMusicGear.com. The item is slightly pricier, and some materials are different from the previous entry.

Solo TCK-100 Kit Overview

Just like the TCK-1 model, this TCK-100 Kit contains 22 frets and a bolt-on construction. The body is also made out of basswood, but this item has a maple top. The fingerboard is maple as well.

Solo TCK-100 Kit Highlights

The guitar has stylish white binding enclosing the body. The manufacturer has already handled the challenging wood cutting, drilling, shaping, leveling, and dressing.

The kit includes all the items you need for the assembly, such as mounting screws, an Allen key, strap buttons, strings, etc.

Solo TCK-100 Thinline Kit Features

• Bolt-on construction
• Basswood body
• Maple top and fingerboard
• Straightforward wiring
• Pre-made fret leveling and dressing

SOLO TCK-100 Tele Kit Key Points:

The Good

This guitar kit is convenient for several reasons. For example, the assembly is rather straightforward. The wiring is simple, and the nut slot depth setup is quick and easy.

After you’ve put all the components together, you’ll find that the guitar is relatively light and easy to play. Lastly, the maple parts give your instrument an appealing appearance.

The Bad

As for the downsides, the neck pocket fit isn’t perfect. Although it sits within acceptable parameters, it could be more snug. Another problem is that there are no instructions on removing the sealer from the body and neck.

What We Like

• • • Simple installation
    • Easy wiring and the nut slot depth setup
    • Lightweight
    • Elegant appearance

What We Don’t Like

• • • The neck pocket fit isn’t ideal
    • No advice on how to get rid of the sealer from the neck and body

Check SOLO TCK-100 DIY Semi Hollow Kit Availability >>

3. Solo TCK-1SM DIY Electric Guitar Kit With Spalted Maple Top

Solo Guitars TCK-1SM DIY Guitar Kit

The SOLO TCK-1SM guitar kit is another stunning entry from SOLO. It’s one of the more expensive items on this list, but it justifies the cost due to various properties.

SOLO TCK-1SM DIY Kit Overview

This DIY Telecaster guitar kit features a great look. The body is made of basswood with a stunning spalted maple top finished with a beautiful dark binding for contrast.

The neck and fretboard are constructed of high-quality maple and rosewood respectively. The kit also sports chrome hardware with 22 medium standard frets.

TCK-1SM DIY Kit Highlights

The kit is easy to assemble and is an outstanding base for a fun DIY project. Again, the materials are excellent, and the two single coil pickups are punchy with twang to spare.

Moreover, every hole is predrilled, meaning that the beginners will just need to screw in the parts that come with the kit.

You may need to do some finish coating and sanding since the the back of the neck is unfinished. However, this can give you a lot of freedom – choose any finish you want.

On top of that, there’s no detailed woodworking involved with this Telecaster-style DIY kit.

TCK-1SM Tele-Style Kit Features

• Bound basswood body with spalted maple top
• Rosewood fretboard with maple neck
• Vintage-voiced single coil pickups
• Predrilled holes
• Chrome hardware
• Step-by-step instructions

SOLO Guitars TCK-1SM Tele Kit Key Points:

The Good

Despite being modestly priced, many other kits on the market don’t come close to this model. Namely, you usually don’t see complete user-friendly kits this visually appealing in this price range.

The same goes for the single coil pickups, which help provide traditional sounds. Finally, even novice guitar players will have an easy time putting the kit together.

The Bad

The unfinished maple of the neck does give some freedom to experiment with the finish, but this means you’ll have to put in some extra work with the guitar build.

What We Like

• • • Quality materials
    • Cost-effective pricing
    • Simple assembly

What We Don’t Like

• • • Some finishing may be required

Solo TCK-1SM DIY Electric Kit With Spalted Maple Top Availability >>

Looking for Inspiration?

Check out Fender’s Telecaster Collection showcasing the classic design in any combination of color and configuration you can imagine!

4. The FretWire TL Style DIY Electric Guitar Kit

DIY Electric Guitar Kit – TL Build Your Own Guitar

The next item on our list is the DIY TL Guitar Kit manufactured by The FretWire.

The FretWire TL Overview

This model features excellent materials. The body is made of basswood, while the choice for the fretboard and neck is maple. There’s also the standard fret style with 21 frets and chrome hardware.

TL Style Kit Highlights

Each component in this kit is designed to fit the body perfectly. It includes a predrilled body, a fretted neck, and all hardware and electronics required for installation. This FretWire DIY Tele guitar kit also comes with a pre-installed truss rod and a bolt-on neck joint.

TheFretWire DIY TL Kit Features

• Basswood body
• Maple fretboard and neck
• Chrome hardware
• Bolt-on neck joint
• Pre-installed truss rod

FretWire Tele Kit Key points:

The Good

Out of the box, the kit looks great due to the ash body. The wood is lightweight, and once you build your DIY Telecaster guitar, you’ll find that the material gives it a pleasant tune. Moreover, the ash body will provide you with good sustain.

Additionally, this model features the S-S pickup configuration. Therefore, it’s ideal if you’re looking for articulate tones on your electric guitar.

Lastly, the price isn’t steep at all, considering the high-quality components this kit provides.

The Bad

To get the desired final product, you might need to do some patching and sanding on your guitar. Plus, you’ll need to add some holes to mount the bridge and pickguard.

The FretWire TL Style Electric Guitar Kit in Review

What We Like

• • • Graceful look
    • Lightweight design
    • Pleasant sound and good sustain
    • Articulate tones
    • Reasonable price

What We Don’t Like

• • • You’ll need additional holes for the bridge and pickguard
    • Some patching and sanding may be necessary to get the desired finish

Check The FretWire TL Style DIY Kit Availability >>

5. StewMac T-Style Electric Guitar Kit

StewMac T-Style Electric Guitar Kit

The final contender is a T-style electric guitar kit produced by StewMac. It’s one of the most prominent brands on the market, and this item delivers in many areas.

StewMac T-Style Kit Overview

This guitar’s body is made of mahogany, and the same material is used for the neck. There’s also the pre-fretted Indian Laurel fingerboard. Moreover, the neck has a blank peghead and a pre-installed two-way truss rod.

StewMac T-Style Kit Highlights

The body and neck are made of higher-quality mahogany than other Telecaster guitar kits that go for the same price. The parts fit each other perfectly, and the fretwork itself is excellent.

Also, the tuners are solid, and you don’t need to replace them. The same goes for the pickguard, which is great-looking and thick.

StewMac T-Style Kit Features

• Mahogany body and neck
• Pre-installed two-way truss rod
• Pre-installed fingerboard inlays
• Classic Tele-style bridge and chrome hardware
• Thick pickguard
• Pre-slotted nut

StewMac T-Style Guitar Kit Key Points:

The Good

This StewMac Tele kit features a marvelous price-to-quality ratio. You receive all the electronics and the hardware necessary for the installation, and most of the materials are of good quality.

The body comes in three pieces, but all of them blend in very well. The holes are accurately drilled, and all the Tele guitar kit instructions are clear and easy to follow.

The Bad

While most of the construction is satisfactory, some parts aren’t up to par. More specifically, the pickups included in the kit are low-quality ceramic pieces. If you want to get a better tone out of this instrument, you’re going to need to swap them out.

Another potentially problematic issue can be fret sprouts. Though fairly common with inexpensive, quick dried necks, the sharp fret ends that protrude beyond the sides of the fretboard need to be removed to make the neck comfortable.

What We Like

• • • Relatively affordable
    • Most of the kit includes high-quality materials
    • The three body pieces are a snug fit.
    • Accurately drilled holes
    • Clear and simple instructions

What We Don’t Like

• • • Low-quality pickups
    • Relatively expensive

Check StewMac T-Style Guitar Kit Availability >>

Telecaster Guitar Kit FAQs

When purchasing your Telecaster build kit, you want to look for the most renowned and reliable brand available.

This way, you’ll make sure all the pieces of your kit fit together perfectly and that the guitar sounds good once assembled.

In this section, we’ll recommend the finest Telecaster guitar kit on the market and present crucial details you should bear in mind when buying one.

Are DIY Guitar Kits Any Good?

Not all guitar kits are equally good, and this depends on the manufacturer. For example, reputable brands, such as Solo Guitars, are almost guaranteed to sell you a high-quality item.

Therefore, you should buy your kit from a trusted company to significantly lower the risk of purchasing a defective instrument.

The main factor that determines whether your kit is good is probably durability. You should buy a guitar that’s verifiably strong, stable, and sturdy.

It may force you to spend a bit more, but at least you’ll know you’re getting your money’s worth. If the wood is high-quality and sturdy, you’re much more likely to have a long-lasting instrument.

Another detail you should consider is the customizability. Some manufacturers let you customize almost every component in your kit.

Simply put, if you want to build a unique guitar, try to buy a kit that gives you the most freedom to experiment.

Are FretWire Guitar Kits Any Good

Update:

Unfortunately, products from The FretWire have become nearly non-existent. Whether this is fallout from recent supply chain issues over the last few years or other business related decisions, we don’t know. Only time will tell.

We’ve covered a couple of FretWire Tele kits here, and we wouldn’t have if we thought they were junk.

The brand is known for creating quality products that both beginners and advanced guitar players can enjoy.

The main parts of the guitar (the body and neck) are pre-drilled and well fitting, plus their kits include all the items you need to put together a fully functional electric guitar.

Whether a mahogany or ash body, and with fast playing necks, rest easy knowing that FretWire offers guitars that sound and perform great.

They also offer a convenient option to upgrade the tuners and pickups to professional brands right off the order page.

Are Solo Guitar Kits Any Good?

Solo Guitar kits can be a great grab. Even though it’s not the most renowned brand in the guitar kit industry, the manufacturer still has some excellent items.

As we mentioned in the reviews above, the company makes some of the most affordable guitar kits out there. Best of all, this doesn’t come with a considerable drop in quality.

Solo features several different body materials, such as basswood. You can also choose from solid options, such as maple and mahogany, for the neck and top. For the fingerboard, pick rosewood or maple.

Overall, despite not belonging to top-class guitar kit manufacturers, Solo still offers some decent, cost-effective items.

Is It Hard to Make Your Own Guitar?

Despite how clear and straightforward some instruction manuals are, making your own guitar can be quite challenging. Many details can lead to frustration while putting your instrument together.

For instance, if you’re used to buying fully-assembled items from stores, you know how straightforward it is – plug it in and play it.

With guitar kits, the learning curve associated with DIY assembly is steep because it consists of various components and processes.

Furthermore, building a guitar can be quite time-consuming. Even though the kit features all the necessary components, you’ll need to assemble them in the correct position and sequence.

Another obstacle could be looking for other parts if you purchased a basic kit only.

On top of that, there are several tasks you may need to perform on your guitar. These include cutting, sanding, drilling, painting, gluing, staining, etc. All these jobs require a lot of time and patience, depending on your skill level.

Another potential hindrance is the lack of necessary tools for the job. If you don’t have all the required items, the assembly will take even longer.

A few essential tools include:

• Ruler

You’ll need a ruler to keep the distance between components accurate. A good practice is to get a ruler with measurements in both millimeters and inches. You don’t have to buy a cutting-edge item – all you need is an accurate ruler.

• String Cutter

Trimming your guitar strings to an appropriate length requires a sharp string cutter. Since the strings for Telecasters are made out of metal, a pair of scissors won’t do the trick.

• Truss Rod Wrench

If your guitar kit doesn’t have a truss rod wrench, you’ll need to buy one. The item is necessary to adjust the relief of your guitar’s neck, and the proper size depends on the size of the truss rod bolt.

• Screwdriver

Screwdrivers will allow you to loosen or tighten the bolts. They’re also used to adjust the intonation. Just make sure that your screwdriver matches the size of the screws and bolts from the kit.

• String Winder

Twisting the tuning pegs using just your hands is tedious. That’s why you should use a string winder. It’ll expedite and facilitate the whole process.

• Hex Keys or Allen Wrench

Either of these tools will help you adjust nut pressure, neck, saddles, pads, and other parts.

• Work Mat

A work mat isn’t essential but will help shield the guitar from slips and scratches during the assembly.

Is It Cheaper to Build Your Own Guitar?

If you want to get a build-your-own Telecaster guitar kit and assemble the instrument by yourself, it can be both cheaper and costlier than buying a finished product. It ultimately depends on what you consider to be the basic price point for a finished guitar.

For example, some guitar kits require additional materials and components, such as pickups, that significantly raise the project’s cost. Additionally, a fully parted out guitar using premium supplies will run you many hundreds of dollars.

Another factor that influences the total cost is whether or not you have all the tools. If you lack some of them, the price goes up even further and can exceed the cost of buying a pre-assembled guitar.

What Are the Best DIY Guitar Kits?

We’ve already listed the top five build-your-own Telecaster kit options. To sum up, FretWire appears twice in this roundup with the Ash TL and TL Thinline Style guitar kits.

Solo Music Gear also has two noteworthy, affordable models – the Solo TCK-1 and the TCK-100 Semi-hollow guitar kits. Finally, StewMac have deserved their spot on the list with the top-grade StewMac T-Style electric guitar kit.

It’s worth noting though, if price is your primary driver, the TC-10 from Saga is well worth a look for those on a budget.

Who Wins the Best Tele Kit Shootout?

In our opinion, the best overall brand is the Solo Guitars (solomusicgear.com) with their two top options – the TCK-1 DIY and TCK-100 Thinline Style guitar kits. Both kits have a lot to offer, but the beginner-friendly TCK-1 is the best Telecaster DIY guitar kit at the moment.

Each item features high-quality tonewoods (basswood and rosewood) and has appealing maple components. Also, the assembly process is relatively straightforward in both cases.

Overall, the Solo TCK-1 guitar kit is the winner because of its traditional style and slightly lower price. It’s sibling, the TCK-100 Thinline Style, offers the same durability and ease of assembly. It’s marginally pricier but offers the same familiar style and functionality players prefer.

All in all, we pick the TCK-1 from Solo Guitars as the superior Telecaster guitar kit.

EDITOR”S PICK!

SOLO TCK-1 DIY Electric Guitar Kit! >>

The post Best Telecaster Guitar Kit (Complete Guide with Reviews) first appeared on GuitarNiche.

Part 4 of How To Setup A Fender Telecaster

Getting down to brass tax and setting the stage for fine tuning.

What’s covered in the Video:

• A quick neck-to-body alignment and relief assessment

• General action setup

• Cutting the nut

• Tips to achieving a perfect guitar setup

Video: Telecaster Setup Tutorial Part 4

Transcript:

A Quick Neck Realignment and Action Check

i put a capo on here to keep these strings and everything under control. They like to pop out of the of the old school tuners if it’s not organized like that.

I took the neck off and I gave it a good tweak, it’s a judgment call. I gave it what I considered to be a good a good torque anticipating the amount of pressure it would it need to be in the state that I want it in. And then reinstalled the neck again, just two screws ’cause I might have to take it off again.

Now I’ll get that capo off there. Going to double check my alignment. Okay, that looks not too bad. This thing wants to be tilt towards treble side a little, so not doing any undo force or anything like that. That looks great.

I’m just going to set the screws again, modest pressure on your neck screws you know, you don’t torque the crap out of them. I’ve seen the screw heads just torque right down and it compresses all this wood – it distorts the plate. You don’t have to be gorilla man you know, just good moderate pressure on there and that’s dandy.

Assessing Relief

I’m going to bring this up to pitch – that was my a440 pitch fork by the way. Nice buzz there, wonder where that’s from. Well, we will find out.

Right, I’m going to take two seconds and see if I can locate what that little sizzle is all about – push the string around. Beauty, okay it was just a little softness down here little something was a little out a joint. Moving it around.

And my relief is pretty good, oh yeah, that’s real good, I like that.

At some point I will have, look around for it, I’ll have a very specific video on reading neck relief. I’ve always said I could write a book on neck relief. It’s a very interesting process involving compression, torque all sorts of interesting things and every instrument has its own little kind of thing where ,it likes this doesn’t like that or what not. It’s really quite remarkable.

Here are a couple of video examples on the subject:

Using a business card and a feeler gauge to reference neck relief for better action

How to avoid misreading neck relief

Just as an aside, I had a bass in, a brand spanking new top-of-the-line branded bass, really nice beautiful neck on it,and it was punched from the get-go. Punched. The neck was just like, I couldn’t find a happy spot on that. During the relief setup the neck would either bowed back here because of too much compression here, and it had a scoop up here. It was just… I mean this is a brand new instrument. I thought buddy, I said to the owner, take that back for warranty and he didn’t and that’s okay. That’s his choice to do that, but in my books I is a subpar instrument.

I have special tricks and things that I do to coax necks into better condition. When I see them like that, and I tried with this one, and it wouldn’t settle down – he’s got a compromised instrument that’s brand new, top end too, not cool. But it just shows even brand name stuff is not immune to the natures of force and the natural quirkiness of wood. Internal soft spots, could be whatever. It was unfortunate.

Back to our show here.

Cutting the Nut

This bit of relief looks good. The string height looks not too bad. I might work a little bit on that treble side but at the moment, I’m going to cut this nut. I’ll give you a brief rundown of how I’m going to do this. If you watchs ome of my other videos there’s a little more in-depth explanation of this process.

I have my way of doing it. It’s not the end all be all, it’s my preference. I use light and gaps let’s say, to do this, but I’m just going to make sure that we have these slots properly ramped.

The height on that low E is good. What I’m looking for is a certain amount of light gap between the string and the top of the fret using the ambient light that’s in here. When I first moved in here some time back, quite a few years now, compared to my old shop, this lighting was very different – I had to relearn the process but it only took a short time.

Anyway back cutting this a little bit to finesse the front edge of the slot there. I’m using my select files here. I’ll use certain files for certain strings. Once again, the whole nut cutting job is a story for another day.

Actually, I have some of it in another video that I got pretty in depth with it. Well, this one’s being fussy. I want to give you guys a real deep explanation on at least my process.

Here’s an example of how you can use light to cut the nut exactly the way you want it:

How to cut nut slots to the perfect depth every time.

f you can make use of it that’s awesome. Again that’s about a 50 thou needle file. This is a specific file a D string for acoustic. This is a, let’s see what is this is, this is a 16 thou, yes it’s a 16 but I’m going to look for a 20. There’s my 20. I like to use a 20 here just for starters just so I know that the walls are are good. Okay, that’s good.

It’s binding a little bit, and that’s not a problem. I’ll get in here with the 16 – just like that. Now I leave a little bit more height on the G string because it’s a wrangley string. It’s like, when you pluck it, it’s not doing this sort of thing. it’s doing this. We want to accommodate that.

Now remember this is all dependent on having the relief set up properly to begin with. On to the second string. I will use my 13. This one’s fairly high so I’m going to be a little bit more aggressive here. You can actually compensate for certain, say idiosyncrasies at the nut and your playing style if you take the time to study it properly and understand deflection, intonation and a bunch of other nifty little tidbits.

There’s more than one right way to tune a guitar. Some people will have a vice-like grip, they’re naturally heavy-handed and other people are very, very soft. Their approach is very light and the nut, the whole instrument can be set up to tailored to their particular styles, and that includes the nut. Okay, that’s dandy.

I’m going to finish up with my stubby 10 here. Notice that I don’t have it under the the button or the string tree here. That’s fine because I don’t want to wrestle with it. I’ll get a fair read with it as is. I’m being very careful not to nick the back end of the neck too, this back ridge here.

Sometimes they extend a little bit too far back during the manufacturing process and you can’t avoid but hit them, and that’s just the way it goes sometimes. Of course you don’t want to but so as I’m doing that if you can notice I cut slanted this way, slanted that way, few strokes and then back. I cut the back wall or the back, say, the trailing edge and then finesse it – just go across the slot itself at the last couple cuts.

Okay that’s really good. You can get the first string down pretty fine without worrying about any kind of buzz or anything like that so again I’m not going to get into too much more detail about that. That’s done, that is done. I know where the instrument’s sitting I won’t have to touch that again because I’m not taking the neck off at this point.

A Word on Customer Service

Funny thing might happen here, we might have some leftover compression from adjusting the trust rod which will force the neck up. I will make a point of telling my client that I had to use a couple good torques on that neck and and if it decides to move it’s not a problem, it’s just a matter of a readjustment – that’s service after the fact and that’s good business.

Okay, always, always throw that out there – that you don’t want to say, “Well, you know I couldn’t, I don’t know where it’s going to…” Yeah, don’t play that card, that’s just not cool. You want to make sure that your customer is cared for and that you’re knowledgeable enough to anticipate these natural changes, and help them to understand that it is natural and that they’re taken care of. You’re going to care of them okay, that’s a good deal.

Okay, so that being done, I’m pretty comfortable with getting those strings under there which is good to go. Give that screw up there a test – that’s good like that.

Now we’re down here, now we’re going to get into the final phase of the actual setup process which is dealing with the saddles and getting the actual action down here fixed up, or where where it’s going to wind up.

The main Factors of a Perfect Setup

I’ll relate this before I’m going to take a break, I want to relate this one thing which I come to over and over and over which is what I call the triangle of a perfect setup. That is you have three points that constitute, let’s say, the perfect setup and imagine it like a perfect triangle.

If any one of those points is out of balance the whole thing is skewed. One point is your nut, another point is the bridge, the saddles that whole area here, and the other point would be the relief in the neck.

All those things have to be in harmony to achieve the ideal setup. Once we deal with the nut, that is essentially done you should never have to worry about it again unless it wears or needs replacement through breakage or whatever. This and your relief, that’s really where the meat and potatoes is going to happen.

This, for the most part can be, once you have your your radius set you shouldn’t have to tinker with that anymore – except to maybe generally raise or lower things. You can do that like, the same amount of turns per adjuster here.

Your intonation once it’s set, unless you change the string gauges, you shouldn’t have to deal with that again either. And really, the hero in this whole thing is the relief in the neck because that will dictate how the whole thing is going to react under your hands.

I tend to to aim for a point where everything is moderate, nice, relatively easy action. I speak with the individuals. I watch them play and get a sense of how they approach the instrument and that sticks in my mind. Again, we set it up accordingly. I already have that information for this person.

Anyway, on with the show. I’m going to take a short break and get right back. Thanks.

The Telecaster: A Working man’s Tool

The beauty of a Tele is its simplicity. Originally designed for the working musician, Leo Fender’s brilliant concept included the very necessary element of serviceability.

If the instrument’s neck got damaged it was easily replaceable by removing the four neck bolts and installing a replacement neck.

While this is common for most production instruments today, back in the day it was a novel way of dealing with manufacturing an instrument for the masses.

Thanks to this component type of assembly process, the market for custom parts has allowed anyone to build their own dream guitar to their own specs.

Everything from inexpensive Telecaster guitar kits to bespoke built bodies and necks in every color, shape and style imaginable. I wonder if Leo saw that coming…

In the context of putting things together, or more accurately, back together in this case, reattaching a neck may need a bit of adjustment to sit perfectly.

Have you ever seen a guitar with the outside strings really close to one side of the neck? On the treble side this can be a huge issue as you’ll find your notes literally falling off the edge of the neck. Vibrato can be nearly impossible.

The cure is to align the neck laterally, which I cover in the first part of this video.

A Few Thoughts on Cutting The Nut

Being one of the most important elements of a great guitar setup and a key point of energy transfer, the nut always gets special attention.

In the case of our ’52 Reissue Telecaster on the bench, the material we’re working with is bone. Traditional, tonally effective and a very long lasting natural material.

If you’re curious about how to cut a nut to work in harmony with the guitar and the player, skip to the 5:07 minute mark. I go into great depth about the tools and techniques used to dress out a factory installed nut.

It’s important to note that any mass produced guitar is built within tolerances dictated by the company producing it. Fender products are no exception.

That’s not to say they aren’t a fine instruments, not at all, Teles in particular are one of the most versatile guitars ever produced regardless of region of manufacture. But the fact is, every guitar needs to be dialed in to match the owner’s playing style.

The nut happens to be one of the most critical points needing attention out of the box. Our “52 Reissue on the bench is no exception.

Check Availability! >>

PRO TIP: Individual files for each string gauge will ensure a perfect cut – but they come at a price. If you take your setup skills seriously, consider making the investment.

Amazing Guitars Deserve Awesome Accessories!

Sale!

Guitar Player Evolution T-shirt

This guitar player evolution t-shirt truly is a classic representation of how far the human race has come. We believe, as guitar players, we have reached our ultimate state as human beings. How can you improve on that?

Makes a great gift for any evolving guitarist.

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These Are A Few Of My Favorite Strings T-shirt

NOT SOLD IN STORES!

This incredibly comfortable shirt features a vibrant print of famous guitars on the back, plus a cool graphic emblazoned on the front! A superb statement for any guitar lover.

Makes a perfect gift for any guitar collector or aficionado!

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Jimmy Page Guitar Player Rock T-shirt

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Coming Up:

Everything you wanted to know about setting string height, maximizing acton and playability, plus the finer points of setting intonation.

Recommended Guitar Accessories:

Basic Guitar Tool Kit

26 Pc Guitar Repairing Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Better Guitar Tool Kit

Ernie Ball Guitar Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Best Guitar Tools Kit

27 Pc Guitar Tool Set

Check Availability!

The post How To Setup A Fender Telecaster Part 4 (Tweaks, Tips and Cutting the Nut) first appeared on GuitarNiche.

Part 3 of How To Setup A Classic Fender Telecaster.

In this segment:

Cleaning and Restringing

In order to get this ’52 Reissue performing up to it’s maximum, we have to knock it down a bit. This way, we get to peek under the hood and have clean access to adjustments that may be hidden.

What’s covered in the video:

• Tele bridge tweaks

• Restringing quickly and efficiently

• Neck polish & prep

• Beginning critical adjustments

Video: Telecaster Setup Tutorial Part 3

Final Thoughts

Regarding cleaning the guitar’s finish, there seems to be a bit of a debate – is it ok to use paper towels to clean the finish or not?

I say, throw the dirt straight in the garbage.

With a background in finishing and polishing, I can tell you with absolute certainty, your enemies are contaminated cleaning materials and a work surface that holds on to fine debris.

Imagine putting a TON of work into a pristine finish only to see it marred by a small shift across a work surface that’s abrasive – no fun.
You’ll notice my old workbench in the videos is glass.

I keep a small guitar mat under the butt end of the guitar, the neck goes in the cradle and that’s it. Glass is super easy to clean of course, plus it keeps me aware of hitting anything with excessive force.

Previously, the best material I ever found for a long lasting safe surface was, believe it or not, velour! The ultra short hair-like fibers keep large particles on the surface for a quick brush off.

They also allow super fine debris to collect under the surface and away from delicate finishes. When it builds up too much, just take a vacuum to it and it releases the dirt easily.

Whatever your work surface, point is, it’s all about controlling the cast-off junk.

If paper towels are free of particles that can cause damage – which is easy enough to test inconspicuously – go right ahead, use them.

As far as hardware and such goes, we’ll cover cleaning that in another article.

Alright, back to the guitar in the spotlight…

PRO TIP: Want to keep your strings organized while you service your guitar? Use a guitar capo! These things are wicked time savers as well an indispensable musical tool.

What Makes A Tele So Remarkable?

Talk at length with any Telecaster enthusiast and it becomes clear that they occupy a special place among guitar players. Versatility in tone, a rich history and simplicity of design are just a few of the instrument’s charms.

From a service point of view, it doesn’t get much better – with exception of the vintage style truss rod access, still a pain, but there are workarounds as you’ll see. For a detailed look at the complete process of setting up a guitar, check out our How To Set Up A Guitar page.

As always, I have a few comments and stories to share about guitar repair in this next video.

Great Guitars Deserve Great Accessories!

Sale!

Guitar Player Evolution T-shirt

This guitar player evolution t-shirt truly is a classic representation of how far the human race has come. We believe, as guitar players, we have reached our ultimate state as human beings. How can you improve on that?

Makes a great gift for any evolving guitarist.

Order Yours Today!

---

not rated $25.97 Original price was: $25.97.$18.99Current price is: $18.99. USD Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Strings T-shirt

NOT SOLD IN STORES!

This incredibly comfortable shirt features a vibrant print of famous guitars on the back, plus a cool graphic emblazoned on the front! A superb statement for any guitar lover.

Makes a perfect gift for any guitar collector or aficionado!

Order Yours Today!

---

not rated $28.97 USD Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Jimmy Page Guitar Player Rock T-shirt

Order Yours Today!

---

not rated $25.97 USD Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Coming Up in Part 4:

More Tele tips and tweaks including cutting the nut for perfect playability.

Recommended Guitar Accessories:

Basic Guitar Tool Kit

26 Pc Guitar Repairing Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Better Guitar Tool Kit

Ernie Ball Guitar Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Best Guitar Tools Kit

27 Pc Guitar Tool Set

Check Availability!

The post How To Setup A Fender Telecaster Part 3 (Cleaning And Restringing) first appeared on GuitarNiche.

Part 2 of How To Setup A Fender Telecaster.

In this segment, we continue to tackle the job of making this killer ‘52 Reissue roadworthy.

Teardown and Neck Adjustment

Tearing the instrument down to it’s bare essentials is a relatively simple task.

The real trick with setting up a Telecaster, especially these old school Teles, is dealing with screws and hardware that may be deteriorated. The slot screws that hold everything together on a vintage style instrument can be particularly troublesome because of the lack of tool grip.

Pleeeease be careful.

It’s VERY easy to slip and wind up with a big headache. Watching a flathead screwdriver skate across a premium instrument’s finish is no fun.

For a complete list of recommended tools, check out our Guitar Setup Tools Guide page.

Whether you have an original vintage instrument (lucky you) or one of the fine reissues, they setup just the same.

What’s covered in the video:

• Tools needed

• Removing the old strings

• Dealing with a loose ferrule

• Adjusting the neck

• Tips and tricks to make the job less painless

Video: Telecaster Setup Tutorial Part 2

Transcript

Tools

String winder, side cutters, strings. We are going to need the appropriate size flat blade screwdriver. A couple of them small. That’s the 3/16″ this one is 5/16″ I believe. That should suffice. For some of our larger screws and things like that I will also grab a larger one. The set screws at the bridge, they’re also slots. Everything on this thing is slots, pretty true to form really.

Anyway, on with the show.

Removing the Old Strings

I’ll be up and down and around the instrument whatnot, so we’re going to have at it first by dumping our strings.

I’ve never had a problem with taking off all the strings on an instrument. Unless there’s something, say in a floating system where you know the tension on the instrument is key. I always say batch your processes. Give this thing a haircut all at once. Here we push that all through.

By the way, if you’re ever doing any electronics on a Tele and you have to work with the bridge bridge pickup, you should take the strings off because trying to do that with the bridge pickup still in there is a nightmare!

I just noticed that we have a bushing or a ferule that came out as well, we will tackle that, getting that bad boy back in place. It’s not uncommon to see those things fall out due to shrinkage. Wood is a natural thing that will expand and contract with the amount of moisture in the air and that’s what can happen.

You notice that I wrap all the loose ends and then throw all that in the garbage, it goes all in one lump.

Okay, just quickly, I’m just going to put a tiny little drop of glue on this. Put it this way, if I ever wanted to get this thing out, I want to be able to do so with a minimum of damage or effort. I certainly don’t want to have any glue or anything kicking around the instrument.

There we go. So I just put a little bit of this is a crazy glue gel which will both fill the void. I put a little bit around there off to one side just to to stop it from from popping out again. I could use carpenter’s glue or Titebond, anything that’ll fill that void and and keep things organized. Anytime you have to use glues use your judgment that too much is obviously a problem, too little is is just as bad. You don’t want things squeezing out and creating a problem.

Removing the Neck

First thing I’m going to do, I’m going to get the neck off. We’ll have a peek at what’s going on there. I’m being very very careful with the screwdriver. I held it in the position where I could crack the screws. I was comfortable with that now it’s just starting to give here, so I’m going to do is carefully take the rest of this out by hand. If they’re a little tighter you can put something on your workspace and put the thing flat down just so you’re comfortable with that. The interesting part’s coming, trust me. So that’s gonna go back on the same way.

This is coming apart pretty cool, I’m not forcing anything. The body date says October 28th, 2008. It’s a reddish stamp, looks like an eight yeah 2008 number 18354. So there’s that.

The neck date November 24th, 2008 so these are within a couple days of each other. That’s pretty awesome. There’s a scan code on the back of that. That sticker there, that’s probably about three or four thou thick, but I would really prefer to not have that there, just call me crazy. If it wasn’t there I’d be happier about the contact between the the neck and the body simple as that.

Inspecting the Neck

The frets themselves look like they’re in really good shape. They’re just going to need a real quick, most basic polish and they should be fine. Now, as far as adjusting the neck goes, the end adjuster here is flush with the end of the neck which is good. That means it’s not over-compressed, it’s not sticking out causing a problem. There’s a little recess here from milling. Using a flat screwdriver is still the best way to go with these things, that’s what’s recommended.

Adjusting the Neck

Now in my mind, I’m referring back to the image I kept for the relief. I’m going to make a little judgment here as to how stiff the neck is. Just turning the adjuster back then to its original spot. I kept a note of that. I’m still seeing a little bit of relief in the neck. Now I’m giving that about, I wouldn’t say a quarter turn, something more than a quarter turn and not a half turn so interpret that whichever way you want.

Now I have a little bit of a back bow so I’m interpreting the pressure, I’m feeling it’s not necessarily as free to adjust as I would like it. I’ve had vintage instruments here which are just like butter they’re awesome. They were so well made, things are just not necessarily the same as they were. Anyway, the adjuster’s where I want it to be. Taking a straight edge here, I don’t see any rocking or anything, and still a little bit of relief on. This is just a regular old 12 inch ruler that I use around the necks.

The neck is almost dead straight which is not bad, but once once we get the strings on that may change. It’s gonna induce a little bit more deflection or relief as it were, so I’m going to give that just a tiny little crack to anticipate the pull of the strings. Does that make sense?

I’m anticipating compression a bit. I’m not going to put it under too much of a microscope because by the time we get the guitar back together and get it tuned up to pitch, it’s normal to have to take the neck off and make another small adjustment under the new situation.

So that’s done for moment, for all intents and purposes.

Reattaching the Neck

Here’s the trick, I’m going to get my neck plate situated. I’ve got one screw and I’m going to turn in there just to get the neck to hang on. Then I’ll put another screw in there.

I’m only going to put in two screws. If I have to take the neck off again, having only two screws will save me some time. And the two screws will certainly be enough to hold the neck rigid and give me some proper reads and stuff like that. I’ve never ever ever had an issue with just using the two screws, it’s a way of expediting things. I’ve never had to go back because I didn’t have all four screws in there, that kind of thing.

Anyway we’re going to take a short break and we’ll get back at it. We’re going to do a little bit of housekeeping here. It’s actually in pretty good shape so we’ll have at it in one sec.

And I’ll be back.

There are tons of variations on the theme that share the same early family traits.The recent and very affordable Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster, the very fine Japanese FujiGen TL52-75, excellent Custom Shop editions, cost effective MIM models and of course our current 90’s era patient.

Which leads to the next question, which one is better?

If you really love Teles, they’re all good. If you’re a purist, they’re still all good – they’re Teles!

The U.S. made ‘50’s Vintage Telecaster first hit the market in 1982 and featured the expected 4 numbers stamped into the bridge plate. Later in 1988 it changed to 5.

According to many Telecaster Reissue fans with a broad range of experience, Custom versions such as this Road Worn 50’s Telecaster is about as close as you can get to the real deal.

Of course there are winners in every rendition. I’ve handled some that were just stellar.

Once in a while you get one in your hands and it just has… that sound, that feel that is just right.

All that without the price gap that will set you back $30,000.00 investing in an original instrument. Think about it, those original beauties have approached the average person’s retirement age.

Great Guitars and Great Acessories!

Guitar: Helping Musicians Since 1952 Classic Rock T-shirt

This is a great classic themed rock guitar t-shirt that comes in a multitude of colors. The vintage styling says it all. Inspired by retro cool vibe of the year 1952 when a true rock legend instrument was born.

Makes a great gift for any guitar player who appreciates vintage vibe.

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Guitar DAD Chord Unisex T-Shirt

You love your kids. And as soon as you have a moment to yourself, you also enjoy the super comfortable feel of this classic Guitar DAD Chord Shirt while you practice and unwind.

Makes a great gift for any father who plays guitar.

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Jimi Hendrix Guitar Player T-shirt

Absolutely one of the most influential guitar players to ever wield the instrument. Enjoy this awesome custom designed guitar t-shirt for your very own. You find this amazing tee anywhere else. It’s unique, just like you.

Makes a great gift for all guitar aficionados!

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Coming Up:

A little housekeeping and some preliminary adjustments that get us closer to Tele nirvana.

Telecaster Setup Video Series Contents

Part 1: Introduction and Assessment
Part 2: Teardown and Neck Adjustment
Part 3: Cleaning and Restringing
Part 4: Tweaks, Tips and Cutting the Nut
Part 5: Fine Tuning Action and Intonation
Part 6: Final Adjustments and Test Drive

Recommended Guitar Accessories:

Basic Guitar Tool Kit

26 Pc Guitar Repairing Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Better Guitar Tool Kit

Ernie Ball Guitar Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Best Guitar Tools Kit

27 Pc Guitar Tool Set

Check Availability!

The post How To Setup A Fender Telecaster Part 2 (Teardown and Neck Adjustment) first appeared on GuitarNiche.

Part 1 of How To Setup Fender Telecaster

Welcome to GuitarNiche’s Six Part Authentic Guitar Setup Video Series: How To Setup A Classic Fender Telecaster.

Introduction and Assessment

Ever have Tele troubles? Or even just guitar troubles?…

No guitar is immune to climate changes, accidental falls, misuse and neglect. Even pro level instruments benefit from a good setup before they live in the hands of their owners.

This is why the Guitar Setup Video Series exists.

That, and to share some of the nuggets and interesting history I’ve picked up over many years of working with guitars.

What’s covered in the video:

• Assessment

• Things to watch out for with Telecaster setups

• A little background on how the Telecaster was inspired

Video: Tele Setup Tutorial Part 1

Transcript:

Introduction and Assessment

Hey everybody, Steve from GuitarNiche here. We have a fine example of a ’52 Reissue US-made Tele here that we’re going to do a tip-to-toe setup on.

As far as I know it has never had any work done to it since the owner first purchased it and, first order of business will be assessment – looking at what if any problems exist and what we’re up against as as far as just getting it tip-top.

That’s the order of the day and I’ll be back momentarily. See you in a sec!

We’re going to have a little look-see at how this puppy sounds with a little bit of grind on it. I have the amp set up kind of ah pretty moderate, pretty spanky.

The guitar’s on the back pickup there. The action is kind of stiff.

My first impression is this: it doesn’t quite feel right across the fretboard – action is a little bit high which can be typical with seven and a quarter-inch radius fretboards from the early Teles and early Fender products etc.

The other thing, just as an aside here, is this has the old-school wiring in it where it’s all bass as you go forward on the switch so you can comp bass lines and stuff like that. It did have a purpose but that’s a story for another time.

As far as the assessment goes here, again I said that the strings are a bit high, particularly on the treble side. I’m gonna have a quick look at the relief on the neck – which needs some improvement.

I can tell just by looking at the saddles, they’re just all over the place down here okay. They’re slightly intonated for a string length but the action across the radius at this point is just… not there – it’s kaki so it’s just destroying the feel so it needs some tweakies and stuff like that.

Checking neck relief

This particular reissue, US made and all that, has slots crews around the the pickguard. Five screw pickguard slot screws – you’ve got to be careful when you’re working with slot screws around the instrument because, you know, one little slip with the screwdriver and… they’re really problematic. So just be careful, exercise some extra attention to your tools if you’re gonna do this okay – slot screws are just nasty.

Anyway, we’ll be able to deal with that. Other than that, the neck angle and everything else seems to be pretty cool. It’s a fairly new instrument so I’m not too worried about wear and tear items. The controls are pretty clean, the jack is not scratchy or anything although I will give it an inspection.

One final thing I’ll have a look at before we bust out the tools, first off this nut is out to lunch – that needs to be recut in the worst way. String installation is okay, there’s a lot of extra string around these posts here which can potentially cause tuning problems – I’ll discuss that as we dive into it

The pickup height is moderate, it could be better and of course, part of this whole process is to go around and “batten down the hatches” and get things in good order

Anyway, that’s my assessment of it. We’re going to have to take the neck off – while we have the neck off we should be able to see some marks where it’s been branded – as far as a date stuff like that.

We’re going to tweak the neck out, we’re going to recut the nut, we’re going to reset the intonation and the saddle height down here, and try to get everything in balance. Of course we will deal with the pickups themselves, that’ll be one of the last jobs.

One thing I want to mention though in terms of this style of instrument, they’re really bare-bones, utility sort of things to work on. They’re actually quite quite a joy to work on because they were designed to be a workingman’s instrument that was affordable – you get replacement parts easily. Let’s say the neck broke, you could put on another neck. But it had to be dependable.

The original intent was to build an instrument that was robust, all things considered, slot screws included. It’s actually pretty cool, they’re a lot of fun to work on and of course play and all that good stuff.

Anyway, I’m going to just take a break for two seconds here and we’ll bust out the tools and have at it. First order is… the teardown. I’ll be right back and we’ll get at it.

Okay, thanks.

Telecaster History

I’ve had the very good fortune of working on a good number of these ’52 Reissues and they never fail to wind up as real charmers. Bullet proof workhorses you can count gig after gig, night after night.

After the launch of the Esquire in 1950 and it’s siblings, Clarence Leo Fender finally had a “Spanish” guitar in form and name that set the bar very high for future iterations. It had also caught the attention of Gretsch, Gibson and others.

With it’s entrance into the market in the summer of 1951, this original and iconic instrument maintained it’s Bakelite pickguard, serviceable bolt-on neck and signature tone cut wiring through 1952.

In this first segment of our six part series, I do an assessment of a mint Fender ’52 Reissue Telecaster and point out some of the intricacies involved in setting up one of these fine instruments.

For a complete detailed guide to eliminating your own guitar problems and maximizing it’s playability, check out our page: How To Set Up A Guitar.

Great Guitars Deserve Great Accessories!

Guitar: Helping Musicians Since 1952 Classic Rock T-shirt

This is a great classic themed rock guitar t-shirt that comes in a multitude of colors. The vintage styling says it all. Inspired by retro cool vibe of the year 1952 when a true rock legend instrument was born.

Makes a great gift for any guitar player who appreciates vintage vibe.

Order Yours Today!

---

not rated $25.97 USD Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Guitar DAD Chord Unisex T-Shirt

You love your kids. And as soon as you have a moment to yourself, you also enjoy the super comfortable feel of this classic Guitar DAD Chord Shirt while you practice and unwind.

Makes a great gift for any father who plays guitar.

Order Yours Today!

---

not rated $25.97 USD Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Jimi Hendrix Guitar Player T-shirt

Absolutely one of the most influential guitar players to ever wield the instrument. Enjoy this awesome custom designed guitar t-shirt for your very own. You find this amazing tee anywhere else. It’s unique, just like you.

Makes a great gift for all guitar aficionados!

Order Yours Today!

---

not rated $25.97 USD Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Recommended Guitar Accessories:

Basic Guitar Tool Kit

26 Pc Guitar Repairing Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Better Guitar Tool Kit

Ernie Ball Guitar Tool Kit

Check Availability!

Best Guitar Tools Kit

27 Pc Guitar Tool Set

Check Availability!

The post How To Setup A Fender Telecaster Part 1 (Introduction And Assessment) first appeared on GuitarNiche.

Gibson vs Fender

And In This Corner…

Gibson lovers – who will nearly go catatonic at the mere hint of a beautifully carved top with just the right stripe and hue.

In the opposing corner…

Fender fans who believe their choice of six string razor is the ONLY choice that qualifies one as a knockout guitar player.

It truly does seem to be a boxing match, and the ongoing Gibson vs Fender debate is an eternal part of our guitar aficionado community.

Who Has Superiority?

Anyone who gets bitten by the guitar bug will develop a burning fever for a particular manufacturer. It’s an entirely subjective and intensely personal choice that resonates with their musical senses.

In this case we’ve singled out the two most prominent players specifically in today’s guitar market.

Who’s Guitars are Better – Gibson or Fender?

These two massive brands have been as much a part of the history of rock and roll as the iconoclast guitarists that played them. But overall, does Gibson or Fender win this age-old fight?

This article will examine the differences between the two brand’s most iconic models that have made each the go-to guitar for many of rock’s most famous personalities and inspired guitar enthusiasts for decades.

Tone Wars – Fender vs Gibson

One of the biggest topics in any Gibson vs Fender debate are the signature tones that emanate from two guitar brands. And of course, any discussion on their respective tones wouldn’t be complete without reference the type of tone woods used to construct the instruments.

In the very early 50s, Fender started using pine and ash. By 1952, the Telecaster had come into it’s own and can be purchased, basically unaltered in design to this day.

One of the best values on the market today that still captures the essential sound that first originating from a small factory in California is the Squier Classic Vibe 50’s Telecaster. Take this modern descendant, make some modest upgrades and you have a killer tone time machine.

Read our full Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster review here.

While pine was certainly light and cost effective, ash gave Fender guitars its signature sound: light, bell-like and relaxed, yet twangy when the player desires that effect.

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This is due to the malleability of ash wood, which added to the easy feel of Fender guitars. In the 50s and 60s, Fender also experimented with alder wood.

Gibson, on the other hand, primarily uses mahogany for its solid bodies, a much denser wood. This contributes to the thicker, warmer tones of models as the Les Paul Standard.

Gibson also uses maple tops on these guitars which imparts a crisp, light sound. When mixed together, they produce the familiar Les Paul sonic footprint.

As with their Fender counterpart, the Epiphone Les Paul has taken up the reigns as the more affordable version of the classic Les Paul.

Read our full Epiphone Les Paul review here.

Build Quality

Both companies were built on the backs of their namesakes who came from an entirely different era of manufacturing.

While Gibson may have been first of the two to be an instrument builder, time, production methods and market stratification have levelled the playing field for both companies dramatically.

Whether we like it or not, corporate decisions now reign supreme when it comes to continually producing instruments, or developing new products, or determining what gets to market and what does not.

With the now infamous, and very hard to watch, Firebird X destruction video released, you have to wonder why a major manufacturer would do such a thing. Especially hot on the heels of their Chapter 11 debacle.

Is it really quality control? Or a publicity stunt to create a new “buzz” for the company.

Orville Gibson’s original vision was to create an aesthetically beautiful superior built instrument, a mandolin, that reproduced the sound he wanted.

What would he think of his beloved company today?

Leo Fender on the other hand needed to sell amplifiers so he developed a guitar that was cost effective, serviceable and user friendly for the average working musician of the day.

Structurally, the major difference would be Gibson’s set neck design compared to Fender’s bolt on style. Obviously one is more mass production friendly than the other.

Conversely, a more hands-on approach to marrying neck to body will require more attention to detail, but at a higher cost.

Here’s a really cool vintage video tour of the fledgling Fender Plant in Fullerton:

The two brands use very different approaches to instrument structure, and yet the build quality of each company’s guitars remain more or less on par with each other by today’s production standards. Using state of the art machinery, they are both capable of producing stunningly superior guitars.

Typical Fender and Gibson Pickups

You can’t have a good Gibson vs Fender debate without discussing pickups, the engine of any electric guitar.

The two companies differ in the type they use.

Fender Telecaster Pickups

Fender uses single coil pickups which give the user a raucous sound heavy on the treble. These guitars are great at showcasing the instrument’s natural bell-like tone for which it is famous.

The Fender Telecaster was descended from Leo Fender’s Esquire model, which featured a single coil pickup in its bridge slot.

PAF Inspired Humbucker Pickups

Gibson guitars are known for their humbuckers, a pickup that features two coils attached by a magnet. They “buck the hum” by not picking up nearly as many stray frequencies and unwanted tones as the single coil variety.

The signature Gibson humbucker tone is a dark and relaxed sound that help give the Gibson Les Paul Standard its warmer, thicker tone.

For more on choosing a great pickup for your own guitar, read our helpful Best Guitar Pickups Guide here.

The Guitar Body

Typical Gibson Design

Gibson models such as the Les Paul Standard and it’s more affordable Epiphone sibling only have a single cutaway. Some players will find access to the upper frets a bit of a challenge because of the massive neck joint. The benefit is in solid sustain, but you have to work for it.

Typical Fender Design

In terms of weight and feel, the Fender Standard Stratocaster is lighter than your typical Gibson which conversely, tend to be considerably heavier due to the mahogany.

Built for comfort, the Strat also has a tummy cut, nicely rounded contours plus two cosmetic cutaways on its body which allows for easier access to the guitar’s higher notes.

View the Latest Fender Guitar Models >>

Weight of the Instrument

For guitarists who are uncomfortable with the extra weight, Les Pauls are a huge turn-off but…

Regarding (over) weight issues, the seventies were renowned as a decade for putting out substandard product on both accounts.

Fender was using body material which was not within it’s normal specific gravity tolerances. Some of the instruments were so heavy they could stay in the ring with a Les Paul any day.

The Neck

Neck feel can be very subjective. But one constant remains a critical determining factor – fretboard radius.

Many players who have smaller hands like the thinner neck profile of the Fender Precision Bass, Telecaster or Stratocaster, and related Squier models.

Some players also like Fender’s old school vintage 7-1/14″ radius fretboard which has a tight curve, or the updated 9-1/2″ and 10″ radiused counterparts.

The typical Fender type neck being made of maple also adds a particular brightness to the overall tone.

Fans of Gibson and Epiphone models such as the ES-335 design, like the increased width of the neck, the woody tone from the neck’s mahogany construction and the flatter 12″ radius which makes for easier note bending.

Modern Manufacturing

It’s important to note that original 50’s necks, particularly Gibsons, were not just pumped out of a CNC machine. They were each hand carved by very skilled craftsmen who were careful to stay within tolerance but still imparted that random human element.

The resulting neck profiles still had a wide range from instrument to instrument. Do yourself a favour and keep that in mind the next time you’re discussing a specific “50’s” style neck profile :)

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Fender vs Gibson Guitar Price Points

With respect to the original incarnations, the advantage has to go to Fender whose models such as the Fender Precision Bass and the Fender Strat can often be less than half the price of a Gibson Les Paul or a Gibson 335.

Genuine Fender products can be in the range of the the high hundreds, whereas traditional Gibson products easily breach the mid-teens.

But the times do change.

Realizing they had to produce more cost-effective instruments, Gibson released it’s dressed down Les Paul Studio series in the 80’s, subsequently re-released in 2013, in an attempt to keep prices more in line with the competition.

Subsequent releases such as the “Faded” series have helped to level the playing field for Gibson in general.

Speaking of maintaining a good balance, guitar t-shirts are always an affordable alternative, and help you look good at the same time:

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Vintage Aged T-Style Electric Guitar T-Shirt

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Furthermore, entry level instruments from the Epiphone and Squier brands respectively, and highly commoditized, often cost less than a couple hundred dollars or so.

They do serve their purpose as not all players wanting to pick up the instrument can afford the best right out of the gate.

Historically, both companies have tinkered with budget friendly, cost effective models to capture market share.

What’s Old is New

More recently, Fender has released a “new” line of instruments under the VINTERA label. But aren’t they really the same instruments with new lipstick?

What really hasn’t changed is the learning curve for the instrument. To one-up Gibson, Fender now offers an online guitar lessons lessons service to help foster new players – brilliant.

Historically speaking, both companies are guilty of trying to sustain their presence by re-introducing tried and true iconic instrument designs over time – but at what cost?

Which Guitar is Better to Learn On?

To put it simply, it will very much depend on who you admire as a guitar player and your taste in music. We are definitely influenced by our guitar idols.

For instance, if you’re a devoted David Gilmour or Eric Clapton fan you have more of an affinity towards Fender Stratocaster style guitars. On the other hand, a Les Paul may be your weapon of choice if you enjoy Jimmy Page, or Zakk Wylde, or Slash.

The reality though, is that any fine Gibson or Fender guitar will certainly be able to cover your needs if you’re at the beginning your guitar playing journey.

Either way, you should also take advantage of some guitar lessons to help you along.

How Much, is Too Much?

Have a few bucks to spare? Both brands have put out plenty of extraordinary instruments at the top end of their manufacturing capabilities:

At the high end of the spectrum, there’s Custom Shop and signature models like Gibson’s Custom Aged Ace Frehley “Budokan” Les Paul Custom – only $10,000.00 plus…

or Fender’s Custom Shop David Gilmour Stratocaster Signature Series that will command considerable premium dollars – only $5000.00 and up.

Hey, wants a couple of bucks between brands right? You can’t take it with you.

So Which Brand is Better, Gibson or Fender?

Whoever you want it to be.

I know, how anticlimactic is that…

The better guitar is determined by what you’re looking for in your axe. If you want the bright, bell-like, powerful sound that has catapulted legends such as Hendrix, Clapton and Ritchie Blackmore to stratospheric heights, go with Fender.

If you want the mellow tone that has defined the sound of rock and roll since its inception, go with Gibson. Jimmy Page and Tony Iommi sure did.

Whichever corner of the Gibson vs Fender ring you stand in, just know that the right guitar is whichever one makes you a better player.

The post Gibson vs Fender [Who Makes the Better Guitar?] first appeared on GuitarNiche.