RMD wrote:
I've never owned an expensive guitar, but do have a very cheap Tele, so I know what you mean about liking and enjoying such a thing!
It's a Harrier Mistral, which cost £39.99 from ebay. Although this guitar isn't perfect by any means, what it has done has made me appreciate the Tele as a guitar - very simple design, comfortable to play and some great tones too!
I have fitted a Trev Wilkinson bridge and tuners and (with help!) done a fair bit of work on the neck and frets. At first I thought it would need a replacement neck, but things seemed to have settled down and I'm reasonably happy with it now. As the guitar was £40 (they usually sell for about £100), with the bridge and tuners coming in at about £35, even with a new sets of strings I'm still well under £100! I'd still like a decent Tele, but I see the Harrier as a "project" guitar which I would like to get to a reasonable standard and then keep for a few years (I've had it over 6 already!). At some stage I might look at different pick ups, although I don't think there's anything wrong with the weedy (and probably original sounding) ones it came with, particularly in this age of guitar processors.
It's a lesson I've learned over time.
Inexpensive doesn't always mean bad.
The oldest guitar that I own is an old Memphis (brand name) from around 1980.
I was inexpensive then. And there is nothing that sounds or plays like it for certain things.
It has old Demarzio pu's in it. The super distortions. I had no clue back then what that even was.
A bronze nut. And the neck is a baseball bat in size. Through body.
I don't think I could replace it with anything else and get the same sound and playability.
And I'm used to it.