Picked up the new Telecaster today with some of my tax return money.
First thing I did was exactly what I planned to do: I swapped the neck with my other Telecaster. I prefer the colour, feel, and finish of the older neck, so I wanted it on what I plan to be my new main tele.
It was a bit odd. I put the new neck on the old body first, and it was really difficult. I was just using a hand screwdriver, and it took me about 20 minutes and plenty of blood, sweat, and tears to get it on there. Putting the old neck on the new body took about 3 minutes and almost no effort at all. But luckily it was just a good clean swap, so my gamble paid off.
I also swapped the knobs, because I like the ones on the old body better.
The new guitar is great. It is so much louder and punchier than the old one. This is great, because it means they are both useable for different sounds. The best comparison I can make is to compare the sound of a '57 strat to say a '65. Both great, but just... different.
Another thing is that it is amazing how much the older neck sets off the new guitar. The difference between the new pale white maple, and the older brownish maple is suprprising. I tried to photograph the difference, but it's hard to spot on the photos.
I have a couple of plans for mods, as I have pointed out before. I wouldn't mind swapping the bridge for an ashtray, but it's not a priority. Before long a Classic Vibe bridge will pop up on the Bay and I will make my move. I also struggle to get much use out of the tele neck pickup, so I might swap it out for something with a bit of personality. Maybe a cheap hotrail of some kind. But that's a fair way down the track...
edit: The coulour is AWESOME! The Squier site and the box calls it "Metallic Red", but I would swear it's actually CAR. Maybe Metallic Red is just a name designed to appeal to 'young people'...
