eggpl@nt
Roadie
- Messages
- 972
The Telecaster bug has long nibbled at me, and I finally resigned myself to it. This is my first Telecaster in 15 years or so of playing, and it’s the only guitar I currently own that isn’t an EBMM.
I was at my local Guitar Center, and I saw a few of the 40th Anniversary Squires hanging on the wall—one in Dakota Red, one in Cream, and one in Mocha. I’ve read good things about these, so I decided to try them out. Long story, short—I bounced between the three for 15 minutes, then spent another 45 minutes bouncing between the Red and Mocha. I eventually settled on the Mocha because it seemed a bit more lively acoustically. The Red and Mocha played, more or less, equally well, but neither was perfect. Both had finish imperfections, and the Mocha maybe even had a slightly worse setup, but what can you do for $390? I’ll give it as solid setup when my shipment of strings arrives.
I brought the guitar home and plugged it into my Axe Fx. I loaded up a basic ODS Clean preset, and there it was—the sound I expected from a Telecaster. I like it. I played around with a few other presets, and in general, I think I prefer the Tele sound to the Strat sound. (FWIW, I’m using my EBMM Cutlass as my Strat point of reference.)
All in all, this is a fine guitar. I’m relatively impressed with it. I like the satin finish on the body and neck. The pickups and tuners are fine, though I’ll probably use this guitar as an opportunity to dabble in modifications.
Compared to my EBMMs, the nut width feels significantly wider. I know the EBMM nut width is divisive, and after picking up a non-EBMM, I understand why they might be really weird for folks in general. The EBMM Valentine is often compared to a Telecaster, but I don’t immediately hear the similarity. I’ll have to spend more time comparing them, especially as I put “better” components in the Squier.
And here it is, for your viewing pleasure:
I was at my local Guitar Center, and I saw a few of the 40th Anniversary Squires hanging on the wall—one in Dakota Red, one in Cream, and one in Mocha. I’ve read good things about these, so I decided to try them out. Long story, short—I bounced between the three for 15 minutes, then spent another 45 minutes bouncing between the Red and Mocha. I eventually settled on the Mocha because it seemed a bit more lively acoustically. The Red and Mocha played, more or less, equally well, but neither was perfect. Both had finish imperfections, and the Mocha maybe even had a slightly worse setup, but what can you do for $390? I’ll give it as solid setup when my shipment of strings arrives.
I brought the guitar home and plugged it into my Axe Fx. I loaded up a basic ODS Clean preset, and there it was—the sound I expected from a Telecaster. I like it. I played around with a few other presets, and in general, I think I prefer the Tele sound to the Strat sound. (FWIW, I’m using my EBMM Cutlass as my Strat point of reference.)
All in all, this is a fine guitar. I’m relatively impressed with it. I like the satin finish on the body and neck. The pickups and tuners are fine, though I’ll probably use this guitar as an opportunity to dabble in modifications.
Compared to my EBMMs, the nut width feels significantly wider. I know the EBMM nut width is divisive, and after picking up a non-EBMM, I understand why they might be really weird for folks in general. The EBMM Valentine is often compared to a Telecaster, but I don’t immediately hear the similarity. I’ll have to spend more time comparing them, especially as I put “better” components in the Squier.
And here it is, for your viewing pleasure:
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