Squire Tele vs Ibanez Artcore - any opinions?

Jeff Strouse · From: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

I'd like to pick up a good little electric guitar. I tried some out at my local music store, and both of these guitars were in stock:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SQU0327502
http://www.zzounds.com/item--IBATM71

I thought both had a good sound for the money. I like a "warmer" tone sometimes, and I was able to dial in a pretty good tone on both. Both also have independent tone&vol controls for each pickup.

Has anyone tried either of these guitars? I'm kind of leaning toward the Ibanez...it's visually a very nice guitar, too...the one I played was black with a sleek ivory trimline around it. The Tele also sounded pretty good...I like the light-maple fretboard on the Squire Tele.

Any opinions? $199 is about all I want to spend, while still being able to obtain a quality instrument.

Thanks for any replies!

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I would say that for $199..if you find one you are pleased with..just buy it..they are both Korean born axes which initself is not a bad thing.

Historically I have found the edges of the frets on all of these entry level priced guitars to be very ruff..actually sharp....just keep that in mind..

On the otherside keep this in mind..

They are related to the upper family members only by the decal on the headstock .

I have 2 Epiphone Korean Electrics that sell new in the $400 range ..they are well made and and I like them just fine but they spend more time in the rack than in my hands, neither have ever made it to a gig or recording..that time is designated for the LEO guitars..

My band pal had a brain disfunction one day and came home with one of the Korean $190 Tele's..he thoguht it was great ..but when he sat it down side by side with his gigging Tele'...........................

For $199 , if you are pleased, then thats really all that matters..if it fills your purpose and meets your demands then its a win situation..

t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 02 January 2005 at 03:07 AM.]

Bill C. Buntin · Posted 2 Jan 2005 5:52 am

I agree with Tony, if it suits your needs for that price range, go for it. I've some experience with both. Years ago, my cousin and I kept trying to use this one squire strat that he picked up. We finally gave up at trying to get it set up to play like the other american guitars we were used to.

Recently, a friend of mine showed up with an artcore Ibanez. I was very impressed with it. For the money, its really pretty good. I thought it played well and had great warmth and sustain.

For my money, I'd go with the Ibanez. Just my 2 cents worth. Regards.

Bill Moore · From: Manchester, Michigan

Jeff, you might check out the Rondo Music web page: http://www.rondomusic.net/electricguitar.html

I bought a SX strat copy and a bass from them. They are very good, expecialy considering the price. Check the reviews at Harmony Central. Comparing the quality of the strat copy I bought to a Squire "vintage" tele copy a friend has, the SX is much, much nicer, has a better finish and cheaper too. I needed to adjust the neck a little and that's all.

D Schubert · From: Columbia, MO, USA

It may not be a primary consideration, but the solid-body bolt-together Tele will a lot easier to work on, upgrade with new pickups, electronics, pickguards, bridges, even exchanging necks, etc. because of the way it's constructed.

Kenny Foy · From: Lynnville, KY, USA

Jeff, Let me throw another chunk into the equation. I purchased a Jay Turser Tele and found it quite nice out of the box. When I showed it to friends who had been playing, some for 30 years, they liked it so well that 6 of them ordered one. And for 150.00 it was cheap enough. Might want to check one out.

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

Those Tursers' ARE something, aren't they? I've only played a couple, and they felt real good. The Squire guitars , IMHO, are next to nothing. A buddy of mine brought one over for me to set up, the frets would slice your hans, the bridge felt like pewter, the guitar just felt, I don't know, groady.
And sure, new pickups, a new bridge, a new neck, or at least a fret job, would have helped the guitar---but so would have spending the extra 3-400.00 on a better ax to begin with.

Webb Kline · From: Orangeville, PA

I've never tried the Talman, but the other Artcores that I have tried, the fat jazz box and the thin hollow body with the vibrato bar are incredible guitars for the buck. The former can be had for about $315 and the latter for $379. I wouldn't be ashamed to play those guitars anywhere.

I hear that the new generation Squires are not that good. I had a Mexican Tele that was very nice, but not cheap.

My new favorite Tele is the G&L Tribute with the big pickups. I've heard several of them and they all sounded fantastic. Not for $199 though.

Maybe you should just look for used guitar of a better quality.

Larry Robbins · From: Fort Edward, New York

An imitation is just that.I have owned a few and although they were not bad, there was allways something lacking IMHO. Its kind of like "you get what you pay for"
Yes ,I believe that you can get a pretty good axe for a little money but, if you want a Tele,buy a Tele.If you want a Strat,buy a Strat.Save up!

Like a fine car or a fine women. the cheap ones dont last!

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Sho-Bud ProII, Pro III custom,
Fender Steelking,Hilton pedal,Tut Taylor "Virginian"

[This message was edited by Larry Robbins on 02 January 2005 at 12:11 PM.]

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

I'll chime in about the Tursers- they come in about every possible flavor of style and setup, very nicely finished and play very well. (I'm guessing they must be made by laborers getting 9 cents an hour somewhere, but that's another thread). I have a Turser Jazz box that's a pretty fine guitar for the money. Also when you go to resell, the whole Squire line has a pretty low-end reputation. Another choice would be the Ravens which have been selling on Ebay lately. Mike Perlowin has a bunch of 'em and loves them.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Jeff Strouse · From: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Jay Turser teles?...Interesting...with an even better price! I'll go back and see if they have any Tursers I can test drive. Looks like there are many models out there:
http://www.jayturserguitar.com/testelgu.html

What's the difference in having a semi-hollow body?

I assume it has something to do with tone. The Ibanez Artcore is a semi-hollow body, and looks like there's also a Jay Turser tele model with an F-type hole.

Also I was wonderin'...Would it be better to have vol/tone controls for each pickup; would it give me more control? Or, is this not a necessary feature?

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

I looked at a few Squier Teles when I was in Nashville,
I got an Mexican Tele, and I am glad I spent a little more.

The Squiers felt low end like what you get your kid to learn on,
the MexicanTele felt, and still feels and sounds like a tele.

I only want to change the bridge pickup to a Brent Mason split pickup.
I would want to do that to a full American built tele too.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

If you can swing more $$$ - I will strongly recommend getting a G&L Tribute. Korean-made on CNC's c/w standard (USA) pickups. The Korean-mades sound as good as the USA mades that are 2x the price (except you'll need to have it set up...and maybe have G&L send you new pots to exchange...not a lot of work either way).

If fact, I'm beginning to believe G&L's are some of the best sounding gear out there at any price. The "L" is for Leo Fender.

My next guitar will probably be a Korean-made G&L S-500 (or if I save more - an Ibanez AS 200).

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I've never played the Talman. Is it made in China? I have one of the Ibanez Artcore single cutaway thinline with the vibrato and I love the thing. It got a rave review in Guitar Player magazine in July of '03 I believe. I got mine to use on a gig I do with an Elvis impersonator. I use it for the 50's Scotty Moore type things (Mystery Train, Good Rockin' Tonight, Baby Let's Play House, etc.) and it really cooks and has that retro sound when played through a tube amp with only delay. If you're really interested in saving a dollar, Guitar center sells those Squire Bullet hardtail Strats for $99.00 and they set up very easily to play well and they sound pretty darn good.....JH

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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Kenny Foy · From: Lynnville, KY, USA

Jeff, Let me tell you a little deal that happened to me. When I bought the Turser Tele I also bought a red 335 w/ white binding, and black pick guard. I carried it to one of our jam sessions. A friend of mine had a 1963 Gibson 335 same color, binding and all. A friend of mine was playing the 1963 335. The other friend who owned it went to the bathroom. While in there the buddy playing the 63 picked up my 335 and started playing. When the owner of the 63 335 came out of the bathroom he remarked how his 63 sounded good. Then he seen it was the Turser 335 and couldn't believe it was the Turser sounding that good. They raved about how good it sounded and looked to be make in China. And by the way he carried the 1963 335 to Gruehn's and had it appraised for over 10000.00. So apparently the Chinese have there stuffs together. Just over 200 bucks, go figure.

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

There are some really excellent guitars coming out of the orient lately, and some bad ones.

Best thing would be to take someone who really knows guitars with you to check them out at Guitar Center or wherever.

As for the difference between hollowbodies and solids, they're apples and oranges, two different beings. Both are good but one might fit you perfectly and one might drive you nuts. Play at least one of each in the store and get the one that feels and sounds "you", or if you have a favorite guitarist's tone, you might consider what type of guitar he uses. I've played both solids and jazz-boxes all my life, love them both, but the solid has been the most popular for some time.

Here's a quick example of hollow vs. solid sounds: Tele: James Burton, Albert Lee, Danny Gatton, Brent Mason, Roy Nichols, Roy Buchanan to name a few. Hollowbody: Chuck Berry, Barney Kessel, Joe Pass, Chet Atkins, Larry Carlton.....the brightest sounding hollowbody would probably be Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats with his Gretsches. Ted Nugent and George Thorogood even played hollowbodies and sounded great, the hollowbodies feedback at high volume and can be a nuisance or an advantage, depending on what you want.

Maybe that will give you some idea of the differences. Play whichever turns you on.

[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 03 January 2005 at 09:10 PM.]

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