Which one did you prefer? If I had to choose just one as a player - I'd go with the silver one and just upgrade the pickups! 🟢Both Available at a Discount on My Website: www.troglysguitarshow.com 👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211 🎸New Guitar Day Program: troglysguitarshow.com/ngd/
I purchased both the Tele and Strat MIM models, the Strat didn’t impress me, but I have been playing the tele for about 2 months now. My switch tip keeps falling off of mine as well.
Just an FYI, the term "Toggle" switch refers to the type of mechanism used in a typical Gibson pickup selector switch. The switches used on Fender's Telecaster and Stratocasters utilizes an entirely different mechanical contact operation through the use of sliding contractors. They are as different in operation as an ON/OFF switch as compared to a Dimmer style switch. Great review, both of these are beautiful with the Ash body holding my preference, especially with the Twisted Tele Pickups.
Traditional telecaster bridge pickups are all the grounding they need - pickup ground connects to the steel plate, which connects to the screws, which connects to the bridge! Absolutely elegant design. However not every replacement pickup would do that, so the hole for the bridge ground allows flexibility if you change things up later.
I agree that the MIM Tele has a really cool finish but I like the more traditional look of the USA made one. I also have Josefina HW CS twisted Tele pups on my telecaster and that guitar is hard to put down. I think Fender did a good job making two really nice guitars at different price points. Great video Trogly!
The same thing happened to me in April of this year. I got a Fender Telecaster and I'm blown away with it. I've played Gibson Les Pauls' for the past 20 years.
@@unclefoiley819 yeah! Not that I sold or stopped playing my other guitars, but the tele has something else that I wasn’t quite missing, but I’m very happy to have it now.
Man, I used to love Ibanez guitars with Floyd Rose, now I only dream with a good Tele, so simple, so good, great tone. I used to think were the most ugly guitars, now I love them
That used to be me, fully ibanez, got my 1st mex standard tele years ago, and fell in love, got a better tele after that, 60th anniversary Nashville Power tele, then decided to buy a strat. Ended up finally getting a Gibson les paul, but i keep going back to my Nashville Power tele. So much so its frets need a recrown or a few replaced now lol
I just got the Mexican one ,,,2 months ago and love it ,,,feels and sounds so comfortable, totally recommend it ,,best neck I have ever felt in 30 years
I’m with you on the silver finish Austin, I think it’s pretty cool. As finish’s go though I still have the wants for a Tequila Sunrise finished jazz bass.
I don't really consider gold hardware to be an "upgrade." I think it generally looks pretty gaudy and it often wears terribly. There are some exceptions where gold hardware doesn't look bad, like a black or white Les Paul Custom, but even then, it tends to look terrible when it ages. At least it's easily replaceable.
IMO, it’s not acceptable for knobs to fall off at a $900 price point, Buy the Mexico Fender, buy Twisted Tele Pickups for under $120, The Silver is Bad Ass!!!👍🤘🏼🔥
Really! The first time I touched the switch, it went flying. And almost every time after. I really got tired of looking under the sofa for that damn thing. You mean to tell me a company like Fender can't put a switch tip on their "75th Anniversary" model that will stay on? Luckily, Sweetwater sent me a couple for no charge, but they only had the roadworn ones. Not a big deal, though.
Ironically, I just got mine and the switch cap fell off too, it was too loose. But I put the cap on it from my Elite Tele and that was a good tight fit. So I just ordered 2 new caps for a few bucks. The action out of the box is okay, maybe a tad too high but that's personal anyway. The neck pickup was set too low so I adjusted that 3 mm and now it's equal to the bridge output. Before I set the neck/action I will put on a set of 10's (they comes with 009's). The pickups have great tone, little more vintage and spanky sounding than my 2018 Elite Tele. That has a more rounded smooth sound with it's noiseless pickups. But, I don't mean the vintage pups are bad, just very different, more vintage Tele twang actually (the old treble roll off is needed). So maybe in the near future some uogrades: twisted/nocaster set, bone nut, locking tuners and maybe, maybe a vintage 3-saddle (compensated) bridge. Thinking about a white pickguard as well to get that Don Rich vibe 😁 maybe order one to see how it looks.
I think Austin was saying that the pickguard was on top of the metal control plate. If so, it shouldn't be. On mine, it's tight and I have to have the pickguard and control plate screws loose then force both down onto the body with my thumb before tightening them up! I'm sure it could be easily adjusted with a little sandpaper but I've never bothered. I would bother if the pickguard was on top of the control plate. That's a quality control fail.
Ok, it's difficult to completely tell, but at about 8:55 he talks about it. He's saying "on top" like you said, but just looking at what he's pointing out, it looks like any normal telecaster to me. So idk. Maybe? But yeah, if that's the case, some light sanding would easily sort it out, and if left alone, it looks normal regardless. I can't visually tell what he's pointing out.
Ive owned many US, MIJ, and MIM models teles and Strats over the yrs. Just bought the MIM 75 anniversary Strat. It has the Mojo! I have Elite teles and Ultra Strats. I like this 75th Anniversary Model more then the American Ultra.
The plate on the bottom of the bridge pickup is earthed and the plate attaches to the bridge via its screws, so it doesn't need the wire to the bridge as it's done via the pickup
@@jasonbates2687 The Fender is $1800. That is double the price of the $900 Squier. The Squier is $900, which is half the price of the $1800 Fender. If that doesn't make sense, how do you live?
Great review. I bought the MIM Diamond metallic in February. My first Tele; I’m enjoying it immensely. The finish is marvelous. I did have to add shielding to deal with hum, which has worked well. I also installed a Free-way 6-way switch. You ought to look into those. I also bought the silver/blue hard case separately.
Got the 'murican burbon burst one since a few weeks. Bought it only to complete my guitar collection, because i had no Fender Tele yet, but it became my favourite guitar. Never expected that.
Great video. I have the American-made 75th Aniversary Tele in Burbon Burst and the bridge pick up is HOT. They are no longer using Ash because the species is becoming extinct and impossible to source due to the beetle... Rolled edges are great to play. Love that guitar.
Yes and no. They stopped using Swamp Ash for that reason. They are still using regular Ash but because it is heavier, the bodies made of that are chambered for weight relief.
I bought both and changed the MIM pickups to the same as the USA version, Twisted Tele. It plays wonderfully and sound great. My two favourite guitars. 👍
6:58 probably just there for redundancies sake. Typically, the metal back plate of the bridge pickup gets grounded. Therefore, the screws in contact with it also get grounded, as does the metal bridge that also touches the screws. Source: have solved many grounding issues with a multimeter (every guitarist should have a NICE multimeter).
I gotta say, honestly, the silver ends ups being the coolest one, only for the unique finish. Either of those are just parted together with off-the-shelf parts, so it's nice to have anything actually truly unique.
I love how whenever you have two guitars and "decide" to only review one you end up opening them both up anyway! Absolutely love it, keep up the amazing content!
Good thing both of these were set to that baroque tuning, so the compression could be so close. Two models that are scarcely used for hard rock are the Telecaster and the Gibson ES series. That has to change. My own current Tele has dog-ear P90s, a stop bar, f-hole cavity, a similar sunburst to that burbon burst and individual pickup controls. I've used it on several hard rock parts and been more than satisfied by it.
I actually like the silver/gold finish. And as far as the selector tip, they always come off. One of guitars is a. Custom Shop and the tip always came off. A tiny piece of tape in the tip slot seems to work great, in fact I had forgotten about it until you brought it up. I put the tape there at least 10-12 years ago. ✌️🤪🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶
The MIM version wins with me...Agreed, Austin, that silver body is grand! The 1 thing I love over the USA axe is the headstock medallion. That's kool but overall, the MIM stole my heart, especially at that price. I have the $500 MIM J5 Telecaster Gold which has double binding, gold body, gold hardware and the toggle switch is in the upper bout position. The neck is satin and the frets are very smooth. I've never liked the tele toggle switch down low by the knobs...Great demo and comparison!
That silver to gold finish is nice. Both finishes are nice really. 👌 I'm not a huge fan of the headstock matching the body finish, would prefer natural wood.
I'm pretty sure you can make a better guitar by performing modifications. Trogleys show is about collecting and value. Original from the factory is always a better investment than modding and from that perspective the extra $1,000 will be rewarded in the future vs. the Mexico version. And because of that original sound, to me it's a far better buy.
@@richardahmyt8683 I feel like I'd rather have the expensive factory version or a total partscaster. The 'fix an import' strategy doesn't appeal to me as much.
Tremendous or different? I actually think the Mexican sounds more vintage Tele, more clean and the US sounds a lot more modern and thicker with some gnarl. Just two completely different sounding Tele's. On the other hand, I'd choose for finish, pickups can be changed out rather easy.
I actually liked both. I'd personally buy the MIM guitar. I seem to like guitars that make me work to pull tone. Lol. I mean the U.S. model was certainly more refined, but I'm just digging the MIM.
The MIM is the winner for me. The finish is cooler, the back pickup plate doesn’t have the ridges. And has a six saddle bridge. Gold finished hardware looks horrible when it starts to fade.
Some guitars, like these telecasters, are used for blues music. In these cases I would go for a review with a lighter distortion let's say a more crunchy sound, rather than the metal distortion. Btw I go for the American. Glitter is Just not my think and I prefer the sound.
With the Vintage style bridge pups, a ground wire to the bridge is not necessary due to the fact it's grounded on the back plate! Great review as always! Thanks again, cheers!
Looks a bit odd to me that the neck pick-up cover on the US one isn't gold like the rest of the hardware!? I love Teles, and they both are cool guitars, but I too prefer the MIM one; Also because it reminds me of the 25th Anniversary Strat's colour scheme, which I've loved since I was 9 years old! 😀 Greetings from NZ!
@@Punki001 - Weird... To me, it's definitely not as golden as the rest of the hardware, and that pick-up's mounting screws look extremely golden by comparison, too! 🤔
@@mightyV444 Sometimes the Tele neck pickups seem to look different to the other stuff, even in reality, cos they are so smooth, shiny and even. They are like small mirrors and affected by the surrounding light and stuff. All the other stuff has different angles on it, so you always have parts of it with shadows or where the light doesn't shine directly on it. Then it looks darker and therefor more golden. But as I said, I could clearly see that it was golden.
I thought it was a nickel cover too lol. I think the plastic that's still on the cover might be messing with how the color is appearing to us. If it was nickel Austin would have 100% said something.
Yes! A shallow tray, then place it up near the wall to get a clear work area. Also one of those light foam surfaces not the faux marble. But Austin's not a tech and is doing a great job!
@@bushcry1 I like the neck on the 75th better and I like the vintage sounding pickups. Think they're 50's modelled. I just think it's a really solid Telecaster that plays really nicely. I don't care for the push/push on the AP2 and there were a few blemishes on the body and neck, more than you would expect for the price.
How do you like the pickups? I have the Mexican as well and I'm thinking about swapping the pickups for a Twisted Tele set or the Seymour Duncan La Brea set. Especially the neck pickup is a little muddy and lacks definition I found.
Another great video. What I wish is that guitar makers would do like lighting companies. With lights, you can get high-CRI at a budget price. The higher-end lights might have a case and additional software support - non-essential for most needs. The guitar equivalent would be make the cheaper guitars sound as good as the premium models. Just leave out the case, give a cheap pickguard, cheap knobs and maybe even cheap tuners. All of that is easily replaceable. With all their laser-scanning, tone-profiling machinery, I’m almost certain they could do it.
You're right, I'm not fond of gold hardware. And the twisted tele pickups are 199,00. So upgrading over time would sure be an option if you wanted to. I'm getting mine this week, but I'll play the stock pickups for a while first. Maybe these will be great as well and can hold up with my 2018 Elite.
I have the Mexican precision bass. It sounds great and plays fine, but I was a bit disappointed in the fit and finish. I liked the paint color, but there is a small blob of black paint on the neck. Disappointed that the QC wasn't any better than that. I had ordered a Tele also, but when it came it was smashed up. Big dent in the bottom of the body. The American Performer series from this year have a 75th anniversary decal , which I really like. The American Performer series is pretty underrated.
They seem about equal - I hate gold hardware but love trans ash; I love the silvery finish but I'd 100% change the p'ups and add locking tuners, maybe even change the bridge to a more traditional ashtray...? And the Mexi necks are always very good. Hardshell cases take up too much space as well, so that's not a selling point.
That American guitar sounded amazing. Like you said, though, easier to get the pickups and put them in than pay the price of the full guitar. For 75th anniversary models, though, I feel like Fender phoned it in. Utility-routed body and a ho-hum burst finish? Big fat meh.
I love the USA one. Not that I’m against sparkle finishes and stuff. I love some of the crazy finish teles that John 5 plays, but for me personally I love the traditional look
Pictures dont do justice to the USA model because it is a gorgeous looking guitar. The Stratocaster was a knockout too. In fact a guitar outlet i went into recently had the Telecaster, Stratocaster and a Precision Bass on display, all with gold hardware. They are fantastic looking guitars.
The bottom of the bridge pickup is metal so the screws ground it to the bridge but the channel is for if you switch the pickup for one that doesn’t have the metal plate on the pickup.
finally I know how that measuring neck tool works,he would show it so fast i would think wtf until I saw it on the work bench.I've asked about it before.
As far as I know the 75th Anniversary is Diamond or Platinum. (My 1st wife's great grandparents were married for 75yrs, yes true. They were both in their 90s when I met them.) Me I'll take the USA version. But both look nice.
The USA vs Mexico-made is a joke. Fender ships parts 70 whole miles across the border to be assembled. The result still remains a very fine product. Too slight to remark about. Had about 7 MIM Fenders in about as many years with ZERO issues, included this diamond 75th Tele (which came in at a very stout 8lb 10oz!) - very well-constructed, tuneful instruments.
I love the American one cause i have a twisted tele pickup in my Baja and can vouch for how awesome it is. Also i wanna see the wood grain in my guitar. But the finish on the MIM is stunning!
I'm hoping to pick up the 75th anniversary nos Ltd edition .. Will you be getting one .. would like to hear your opinion b4 picking one up.. cool show 😎 Thanks man 😎
Cool custom paint on body and head stock with hardware equal quality or better than American model more than double the price. It's a no brainer. I just bought a MIM strat and love it!!! Fender has the MIM and Asian guitars dialed in. Wish I could say the same for Gibson which are more hit or miss.
Which one did you prefer? If I had to choose just one as a player - I'd go with the silver one and just upgrade the pickups!
🟢Both Available at a Discount on My Website: www.troglysguitarshow.com
👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211
🎸New Guitar Day Program: troglysguitarshow.com/ngd/
Silver
The silver one is definitely more unique.
I purchased both the Tele and Strat MIM models, the Strat didn’t impress me, but I have been playing the tele for about 2 months now. My switch tip keeps falling off of mine as well.
Just an FYI, the term "Toggle" switch refers to the type of mechanism used in a typical Gibson pickup selector switch.
The switches used on Fender's Telecaster and Stratocasters utilizes an entirely different mechanical contact operation through the use of sliding contractors. They are as different in operation as an ON/OFF switch as compared to a Dimmer style switch.
Great review, both of these are beautiful with the Ash body holding my preference, especially with the Twisted Tele Pickups.
I would own them both if i had the cabbage.
Traditional telecaster bridge pickups are all the grounding they need - pickup ground connects to the steel plate, which connects to the screws, which connects to the bridge! Absolutely elegant design. However not every replacement pickup would do that, so the hole for the bridge ground allows flexibility if you change things up later.
I agree that the MIM Tele has a really cool finish but I like the more traditional look of the USA made one. I also have Josefina HW CS twisted Tele pups on my telecaster and that guitar is hard to put down. I think Fender did a good job making two really nice guitars at different price points. Great video Trogly!
Hard to beat Josefina pickups.
To me, the 75th anniversary USA tele is the most beautiful guitar Fender has put out in a while.
I finally got a tele. I was playing gibson, epiphone and PRS. And a tele is a indispensable beast, I wonder how I took so long to get one.
The same thing happened to me in April of this year. I got a Fender Telecaster and I'm blown away with it. I've played Gibson Les Pauls' for the past 20 years.
@@unclefoiley819 yeah! Not that I sold or stopped playing my other guitars, but the tele has something else that I wasn’t quite missing, but I’m very happy to have it now.
Wait until you get a Stratocaster my friend
Man, I used to love Ibanez guitars with Floyd Rose, now I only dream with a good Tele, so simple, so good, great tone. I used to think were the most ugly guitars, now I love them
That used to be me, fully ibanez, got my 1st mex standard tele years ago, and fell in love, got a better tele after that, 60th anniversary Nashville Power tele, then decided to buy a strat. Ended up finally getting a Gibson les paul, but i keep going back to my Nashville Power tele. So much so its frets need a recrown or a few replaced now lol
I just got the Mexican one ,,,2 months ago and love it ,,,feels and sounds so comfortable, totally recommend it ,,best neck I have ever felt in 30 years
I’m with you on the silver finish Austin, I think it’s pretty cool. As finish’s go though I still have the wants for a Tequila Sunrise finished jazz bass.
6:47 The bottom plate of the bridge pickup is grounded, the pickup screws connect that ground then to the bridge.
With a multimeter, you can check the grounding by testing all parts (tuners, strings, bridge, cavity) for continuity
I don't really consider gold hardware to be an "upgrade." I think it generally looks pretty gaudy and it often wears terribly. There are some exceptions where gold hardware doesn't look bad, like a black or white Les Paul Custom, but even then, it tends to look terrible when it ages. At least it's easily replaceable.
Gold hardware and black finishes get used looking fast.
That first tele is absolutely gorgeous, what a lovely and super metallic looking finisg
Just sat down and it’s Trogly time
Both guitars are nice, I just ordered bourbon burst, its beautiful and sounds so good to me.
Used to be in the 60's any custom color came with the matching colored head stock. At least on Jazz Basses they did.
Silver finish for me, lower output pickups yum. If only it had a B bender
I thought thats what the extra hole was for.not sure tho.
Trogly's in the HOUSE!!!
No
MIM all the way. I'll do my own upgrades for the personal touch 😊
IMO, it’s not acceptable for knobs to fall off at a $900 price point, Buy the Mexico Fender, buy Twisted Tele Pickups for under $120, The Silver is Bad Ass!!!👍🤘🏼🔥
The switch tip falling off is part of the charm of a Tele and is easily fixable
Agreed, Mark! I have the MIM J5 gold tele and it's a killer! No flaws and Mexico's Fender staff members are underrated.
Really! The first time I touched the switch, it went flying. And almost every time after. I really got tired of looking under the sofa for that damn thing. You mean to tell me a company like Fender can't put a switch tip on their "75th Anniversary" model that will stay on? Luckily, Sweetwater sent me a couple for no charge, but they only had the roadworn ones. Not a big deal, though.
Ironically, I just got mine and the switch cap fell off too, it was too loose. But I put the cap on it from my Elite Tele and that was a good tight fit. So I just ordered 2 new caps for a few bucks. The action out of the box is okay, maybe a tad too high but that's personal anyway. The neck pickup was set too low so I adjusted that 3 mm and now it's equal to the bridge output. Before I set the neck/action I will put on a set of 10's (they comes with 009's). The pickups have great tone, little more vintage and spanky sounding than my 2018 Elite Tele. That has a more rounded smooth sound with it's noiseless pickups. But, I don't mean the vintage pups are bad, just very different, more vintage Tele twang actually (the old treble roll off is needed). So maybe in the near future some uogrades: twisted/nocaster set, bone nut, locking tuners and maybe, maybe a vintage 3-saddle (compensated) bridge. Thinking about a white pickguard as well to get that Don Rich vibe 😁 maybe order one to see how it looks.
I can’t buy twisted tele pickups for 150 anywhere lol.
Also specifically at Austin, as a fender main, especially teles, most of them have a taller pickguard than the control plate. Thats common.
I think Austin was saying that the pickguard was on top of the metal control plate. If so, it shouldn't be. On mine, it's tight and I have to have the pickguard and control plate screws loose then force both down onto the body with my thumb before tightening them up! I'm sure it could be easily adjusted with a little sandpaper but I've never bothered. I would bother if the pickguard was on top of the control plate. That's a quality control fail.
Oh really? I'll have to rewatch that part then.
Ok, it's difficult to completely tell, but at about 8:55 he talks about it. He's saying "on top" like you said, but just looking at what he's pointing out, it looks like any normal telecaster to me. So idk. Maybe? But yeah, if that's the case, some light sanding would easily sort it out, and if left alone, it looks normal regardless. I can't visually tell what he's pointing out.
Ive owned many US, MIJ, and MIM models teles and Strats over the yrs. Just bought the MIM 75 anniversary Strat. It has the Mojo! I have Elite teles and Ultra Strats. I like this 75th Anniversary Model more then the American Ultra.
I totally agree with you on this model.
I prefer the USA one in all aspects to be honest. The screws spoiled it for me though and I kinda prefer a rosewood board as well.
The plate on the bottom of the bridge pickup is earthed and the plate attaches to the bridge via its screws, so it doesn't need the wire to the bridge as it's done via the pickup
The pickups in the MiM tele sounded pretty decent. I could be wrong, but I’m fairly certain they’re the same pickups found in the 50’s Vintera Tele.
They are exactly that.
"one is half the price , the other one double": uh huh, that makes sense.
Well, _yeah._
There is a reason it’s half price …. I own 2 of them with crappy frets I get to fix at my expense on two new guitars
it doesnt lol
@@jasonbates2687 The Fender is $1800. That is double the price of the $900 Squier.
The Squier is $900, which is half the price of the $1800 Fender. If that doesn't make sense, how do you live?
@@ALTDOK667 I understand the price diffential, that is simple math but the way he worded the statement was cryptic and nonsensical
Great review. I bought the MIM Diamond metallic in February. My first Tele; I’m enjoying it immensely. The finish is marvelous. I did have to add shielding to deal with hum, which has worked well. I also installed a Free-way 6-way switch. You ought to look into those. I also bought the silver/blue hard case separately.
Got the 'murican burbon burst one since a few weeks. Bought it only to complete my guitar collection, because i had no Fender Tele yet, but it became my favourite guitar. Never expected that.
Same here but coming from a Prestige Ibanez! Thinking about selling it already even... 😁
The Trog burning up the fretboard! Finally practiced on one of his two thousand guitars!!
Great video. I have the American-made 75th Aniversary Tele in Burbon Burst and the bridge pick up is HOT. They are no longer using Ash because the species is becoming extinct and impossible to source due to the beetle... Rolled edges are great to play. Love that guitar.
Yes and no. They stopped using Swamp Ash for that reason. They are still using regular Ash but because it is heavier, the bodies made of that are chambered for weight relief.
Swamp ash is going the way of Brazilian rosewood and Honduran Mahogany…
Chinese beatle killed ash trees in North America. The ash is coming back in Canada. But that’s a heavier ash.
I bought both and changed the MIM pickups to the same as the USA version, Twisted Tele. It plays wonderfully and sound great. My two favourite guitars. 👍
6:58 probably just there for redundancies sake. Typically, the metal back plate of the bridge pickup gets grounded. Therefore, the screws in contact with it also get grounded, as does the metal bridge that also touches the screws.
Source: have solved many grounding issues with a multimeter (every guitarist should have a NICE multimeter).
In the '80's I swapped my tuners with Gibson Explorer pearl pegs! There was no such thing as locking turners!
I loved the B-rolls under natural light! As for the guitars I'd take the MiM, as I'd feel less guilt when dropping a humbucker on the neck
I gotta say, honestly, the silver ends ups being the coolest one, only for the unique finish. Either of those are just parted together with off-the-shelf parts, so it's nice to have anything actually truly unique.
I love how whenever you have two guitars and "decide" to only review one you end up opening them both up anyway! Absolutely love it, keep up the amazing content!
Take all that beautiful gold and the pickups off the custom and put it on the silver. Keep whichever neck was better. Best of both worlds
Good thing both of these were set to that baroque tuning, so the compression could be so close. Two models that are scarcely used for hard rock are the Telecaster and the Gibson ES series. That has to change. My own current Tele has dog-ear P90s, a stop bar, f-hole cavity, a similar sunburst to that burbon burst and individual pickup controls. I've used it on several hard rock parts and been more than satisfied by it.
I actually like the silver/gold finish. And as far as the selector tip, they always come off. One of guitars is a. Custom Shop and the tip always came off. A tiny piece of tape in the tip slot seems to work great, in fact I had forgotten about it until you brought it up. I put the tape there at least 10-12 years ago.
✌️🤪🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶
@@bushcry1 -Yeah, sometimes people are stupid. For example:
(See your question)
The MIM version wins with me...Agreed, Austin, that silver body is grand! The 1 thing I love over the USA axe is the headstock medallion. That's kool but overall, the MIM stole my heart, especially at that price. I have the $500 MIM J5 Telecaster Gold which has double binding, gold body, gold hardware and the toggle switch is in the upper bout position. The neck is satin and the frets are very smooth. I've never liked the tele toggle switch down low by the knobs...Great demo and comparison!
I love both of them. I don’t need another Tele. I don’t need another Tele. I don’t need another Tele
I’ve got a 2018 baja tele that has a twisted tele custom shop neck pu. Love it! I play it more than my American tele.
That silver to gold finish is nice. Both finishes are nice really. 👌 I'm not a huge fan of the headstock matching the body finish, would prefer natural wood.
Ash changes the resonance frequency . It’s lower. You can knock the body to compare it.
I’d rather have an Esquire. But I like the top loader feature on the American one. Top loader teles & esquires are killer sounding and feeling.
Fender is King. That metallic job is sweet! I appreciate that my Indonesian Squier CV Tele is made of pine which I think is the most "historic" spec.
Ash is better in every regard.
Not even close, the USA sounded tremendous in relation to the other.
I really wish it was closer
@@TH-camHandlesAreMoronic On the contrary. Any guitar I own belongs to a pimp.
I'm pretty sure you can make a better guitar by performing modifications. Trogleys show is about collecting and value. Original from the factory is always a better investment than modding and from that perspective the extra $1,000 will be rewarded in the future vs. the Mexico version. And because of that original sound, to me it's a far better buy.
@@richardahmyt8683 I feel like I'd rather have the expensive factory version or a total partscaster. The 'fix an import' strategy doesn't appeal to me as much.
Tremendous or different? I actually think the Mexican sounds more vintage Tele, more clean and the US sounds a lot more modern and thicker with some gnarl. Just two completely different sounding Tele's. On the other hand, I'd choose for finish, pickups can be changed out rather easy.
I actually liked both. I'd personally buy the MIM guitar. I seem to like guitars that make me work to pull tone. Lol. I mean the U.S. model was certainly more refined, but I'm just digging the MIM.
The MIM is the winner for me. The finish is cooler, the back pickup plate doesn’t have the ridges. And has a six saddle bridge. Gold finished hardware looks horrible when it starts to fade.
Some guitars, like these telecasters, are used for blues music. In these cases I would go for a review with a lighter distortion let's say a more crunchy sound, rather than the metal distortion. Btw I go for the American. Glitter is Just not my think and I prefer the sound.
With the Vintage style bridge pups, a ground wire to the bridge is not necessary due to the fact it's grounded on the back plate! Great review as always! Thanks again, cheers!
That US one sounds awesome in the middle position
They both sound even better with Nashville wiring and a middle pickup :)
Looks a bit odd to me that the neck pick-up cover on the US one isn't gold like the rest of the hardware!? I love Teles, and they both are cool guitars, but I too prefer the MIM one; Also because it reminds me of the 25th Anniversary Strat's colour scheme, which I've loved since I was 9 years old! 😀 Greetings from NZ!
Not on *my* laptop screen! @Nikki Magnusson 🙂
@@mightyV444 Nikki was right. On my screen it was as golden as the rest of the Hardware.
@@Punki001 - Weird... To me, it's definitely not as golden as the rest of the hardware, and that pick-up's mounting screws look extremely golden by comparison, too! 🤔
@@mightyV444 Sometimes the Tele neck pickups seem to look different to the other stuff, even in reality, cos they are so smooth, shiny and even. They are like small mirrors and affected by the surrounding light and stuff. All the other stuff has different angles on it, so you always have parts of it with shadows or where the light doesn't shine directly on it. Then it looks darker and therefor more golden. But as I said, I could clearly see that it was golden.
I thought it was a nickel cover too lol. I think the plastic that's still on the cover might be messing with how the color is appearing to us. If it was nickel Austin would have 100% said something.
Is there a way to turn down the exposure on the gopro? It seems to be washing out the colors of guitars and cases
Does a CNC machine know if it's in Mexico or if it's in the States? Mexican tele all day!!!! Awesome video Trogly!
Esthetically, the american anniversary Tele and Strat are gorgeous.
yay its a fender episode !
you need a little table or shallow tray for your tape/knife, etc. that stuff looks like its always in the way
Yes! A shallow tray, then place it up near the wall to get a clear work area. Also one of those light foam surfaces not the faux marble. But Austin's not a tech and is doing a great job!
I would prefer the Mexican to look at, but for sound the American version is a lot better. Thanks a lot Austin.
Well, the Twisted Tele pickups are not that expensive, change them would be easy. I actually like the sound of the 50's pickups.
Own the MIM, it's a great guitar, prefer it to my Am Pro 2.
Really? Why?
@@bushcry1 I like the neck on the 75th better and I like the vintage sounding pickups. Think they're 50's modelled. I just think it's a really solid Telecaster that plays really nicely. I don't care for the push/push on the AP2 and there were a few blemishes on the body and neck, more than you would expect for the price.
@@czechplastik Neck feel can be such a determining factor when buying compared guitars... Thanks for sharing!
@@bushcry1 you're absolutely right. That's why we're so lucky to have the choice and affordable options we have now.
How do you like the pickups? I have the Mexican as well and I'm thinking about swapping the pickups for a Twisted Tele set or the Seymour Duncan La Brea set. Especially the neck pickup is a little muddy and lacks definition I found.
Wooooo trogly time!
Another great video.
What I wish is that guitar makers would do like lighting companies. With lights, you can get high-CRI at a budget price. The higher-end lights might have a case and additional software support - non-essential for most needs.
The guitar equivalent would be make the cheaper guitars sound as good as the premium models. Just leave out the case, give a cheap pickguard, cheap knobs and maybe even cheap tuners. All of that is easily replaceable.
With all their laser-scanning, tone-profiling machinery, I’m almost certain they could do it.
It's a shame Fender didn't upgrade the three-saddle bridge on the American made. It's really just silly to put up with those.
Id love to see that Bourbon burst in 50 years with natural relicing.
But it with some sandpaper 😜
The US one looks so nice. The burst and the gold Hardware perfectly fit. Thats how a Tele should look.
Damn that thing sounds nice with some distortion, as always more Fenders Trogly!
I love the silver/gold finish!
Silver and Gold? That guitar’s name should be Yukon Cornelius.
Childhood nostalgia. Thank you Sir. :)
@@tinystar3010 yeah man, glad someone gets it. 🤘🏻
Bumbles bounce (my favorite line from that show)
I bought the MIM - looks and sound amazing - definitely stands out and really modern! The USA version doesn’t do it for me. Looks like any other Tele.
You're right, I'm not fond of gold hardware. And the twisted tele pickups are 199,00. So upgrading over time would sure be an option if you wanted to. I'm getting mine this week, but I'll play the stock pickups for a while first. Maybe these will be great as well and can hold up with my 2018 Elite.
I have the Mexican precision bass. It sounds great and plays fine, but I was a bit disappointed in the fit and finish. I liked the paint color, but there is a small blob of black paint on the neck. Disappointed that the QC wasn't any better than that. I had ordered a Tele also, but when it came it was smashed up. Big dent in the bottom of the body. The American Performer series from this year have a 75th anniversary decal , which I really like. The American Performer series is pretty underrated.
Ill check some reviews on American Performer then...
Trogly your getting down right pretty jiggy and agressive with your playing from a couple years ago. Nice Jam!
My new silver tele came with the 75th decal like your player, plus yours has a nick. Maybe yours was second hamd?
They seem about equal - I hate gold hardware but love trans ash; I love the silvery finish but I'd 100% change the p'ups and add locking tuners, maybe even change the bridge to a more traditional ashtray...? And the Mexi necks are always very good. Hardshell cases take up too much space as well, so that's not a selling point.
That American guitar sounded amazing. Like you said, though, easier to get the pickups and put them in than pay the price of the full guitar. For 75th anniversary models, though, I feel like Fender phoned it in. Utility-routed body and a ho-hum burst finish? Big fat meh.
Would go with the MIM . I'm a sucker for matching headstock.
75th anniversary is the 'diamond ' one I think. I was thinking about getting a 75th anniversary commemorative usa strat with case like this one
Trogly, just imagine an antigua burst on that diamond metallic finish...
Fell in love with MIM anniversary model.
I agree bout the sound ... but the mim is pretty cool ...
I love the USA one. Not that I’m against sparkle finishes and stuff. I love some of the crazy finish teles that John 5 plays, but for me personally I love the traditional look
Pictures dont do justice to the USA model because it is a gorgeous looking guitar. The Stratocaster was a knockout too. In fact a guitar outlet i went into recently had the Telecaster, Stratocaster and a Precision Bass on display, all with gold hardware. They are fantastic looking guitars.
The bottom of the bridge pickup is metal so the screws ground it to the bridge but the channel is for if you switch the pickup for one that doesn’t have the metal plate on the pickup.
finally I know how that measuring neck tool works,he would show it so fast i would think wtf until I saw it on the work bench.I've asked about it before.
As far as I know the 75th Anniversary is Diamond or Platinum. (My 1st wife's great grandparents were married for 75yrs, yes true. They were both in their 90s when I met them.) Me I'll take the USA version. But both look nice.
The USA vs Mexico-made is a joke. Fender ships parts 70 whole miles across the border to be assembled. The result still remains a very fine product. Too slight to remark about. Had about 7 MIM Fenders in about as many years with ZERO issues, included this diamond 75th Tele (which came in at a very stout 8lb 10oz!) - very well-constructed, tuneful instruments.
It's an expensive trip 😏
I love the American one cause i have a twisted tele pickup in my Baja and can vouch for how awesome it is. Also i wanna see the wood grain in my guitar. But the finish on the MIM is stunning!
I got the USA Tele bourbon burst 💥 and I’m Loving it ✊
That silver finish is pretty cool. But C S pickups definitely sounded better.
It's a 200 bucks uograde, so why not.
i'd choose the US version. simply because i'm not a fan of metallic finishes. the tobacco burst with the gold hardware and frets looks great
I’ve tried MIM and Custom Shop and preferred MIM on necks
pretty soon they'll have to start making the headstocks bigger to fit that giant logo
God I hope not. They did that in the 70s and looked awful
You could use single coil sized rails or a stacked HB in the tail too
Never met a Telecaster I didn’t like!
I'm hoping to pick up the 75th anniversary nos Ltd edition .. Will you be getting one .. would like to hear your opinion b4 picking one up.. cool show 😎
Thanks man 😎
Now you can increase the value of the Mexican tele because it is a light relic model.
@@johnnyola2205 the packaging is actually quite good, so I think he just had a bad luck one that slipped through.
I'd take that MIM Tele any day of the week, that thing is sweet
Hey Austin. Are you going to do the 75th anniversary strat next? Also you need to adjust your amp that distortion sounded terrible.
He has never been that great with amps
Cool custom paint on body and head stock with hardware equal quality or better than American model more than double the price. It's a no brainer. I just bought a MIM strat and love it!!! Fender has the MIM and Asian guitars dialed in. Wish I could say the same for Gibson which are more hit or miss.
The first Tele looks Platinum to me!
Maybe an upcoming color?
How about compare them against G&L? Or Gibson against Heritage?
Is the mex under the hood the same with the USA? Does it have the mid pup & hum pup option?
Twisted Tele pickups... Didn't they come stock on the John 5 signature model?