Had a bit of time to kill and stopped off at GC today. I have not looked at or lusted for any guitars for quite a while. Two caught my eye today. One, maybe, enough to make me consider moving some stuff around to get it. With a mod. Here are the candidates. I welcome your thoughts.

Candidate #1: Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline deluxe.

Pic: http://static.musiciansfriend.com/de...urst_maple.jpg

The Modern Player Telecaster® Thinline Deluxe casts an already distinctive classic Telecaster model in a whole new light with a full-throated pair of single-coil Modern Player MP-90 pickups. Other features include a mahogany body, C-shaped maple neck, maple fretboard with 9.5” radius and 22 medium jumbo frets, three-way toggle pickup switching, three-ply pickguard (parchment on Sunburst model; black-white-black on other models), four skirted amp knobs (two volume, two tone), vintage-style Stratocaster® string-through-body six-saddle hard-tail bridge, vintage-style tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.

Features

Series: Modern Player
Body Shape: Telecaster®
Body: Mahogany, Gloss Polyester Finish
Neck: Maple, "C" Shape
Neck Finish: Gloss Polyester
Fretboard: Maple
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Frets: 22, Medium Jumbo
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Pickups: Modern Player MP-90 Pickup (Bridge)
Modern Player MP-90 Pickup (Neck)
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and
Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge
Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
Tuning Keys: Vintage Style Tuning Machines
Bridge: Vintage Style 6-Saddle Strings-Thru-Body Hardtail Bridge
Control Knobs: Skirted Amp Knobs
Pickguard: (500) 3-Ply Parchment, (539,541) 3-Ply Black/White/Black
Strings: Fender® USA, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)
On sale for $399.

Screaming deal! I liked this guitar a lot, and loved the control layout. I really like being able to blend the volumes and tones of the bridge and neck. The p90s sounded good too. But, I wanted a little more fat in the tone. Though I really liked the weight of the thinline, and the controls, the pickups lacked some depth and fatness that I want in my next guitar. I think it needs a humbucker, and have single coils only guitars covered. So, . . .

Candidate#2:

Pic: http://static.musiciansfriend.com/de...unburst_rw.jpg

Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster HS

The most affordable humbucking pickup-equipped Jazzmaster ever made.


The Blacktop Jazzmaster HS delivers monster dual-bucker tone without breaking the bank. A vintage-style Duncan-Designed alnico humbucking pickup delivers the hot high-gain power of today's most aggressive sounds while the Duncan-Designed single-coil supplies the bite and twang; other distinctive touches include skirted black amp knobs, and one lean and mean three-way toggle switch rather than the customary barrage of Jazzmaster controls, Features include an alder body, maple neck, 9.5"-radius rosewood fretboard, 21 medium jumbo frets, gloss urethane finish and nickel/chrome hardware.

Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.

Features

Series: Blacktop
Body shape: Jazzmaster
Body material: alder
Colors: (500) 3-Color Sunburst, (506) Black
Neck: maple
Neck finish: gloss urethane
Fretboard: rosewood
Position inlays: white dots
String nut: synthetic bone
Bridge pickup: 1 Duncan Designed Humbucking Pickup
Neck pickup: 1 Duncan Designed Single-Coil Jazzmaster Pickup
Pickup switching: 3-Position toggle:Position 1. Full bridge pickupPosition 2. Full neck & bridge pickupsPosition 3. Full neck pickup
Controls: master volume, master tone
Hardware: nickel/chrome
Tuning keys: standard cast/sealed tuning machines
Bridge: American Vintage Jazzmaster Tremolo with Adusto-Matic Bridge
Strap buttons: vintage style
Control knobs: skirted amp knobs
Pickguard: 3-ply black (500 3-Color Sunburst), or mint green (506 Sonic Black)
Strings: Super 250L's, NPS (.009-.042 gauges)
Included accessories: truss rod adjustment wrench
$499

I loved this one! I have single coils covered. The jazzy sounded more complex, a bit warmer, and I liked the jazzy pickup in the neck combined with the humbucker in the bridge. Plus it has the trem. If I had the tele, I would want to add a trem. On this one, the only mod I would think I would want would be to add a blend pot of some kind to balance to pickups to taste. I think that could be done. But even as is, it was tempting.

I am tempted to sell my CV tele, and save some extra dough and give it a go. The Hagstrom Vik semi stays, and so does my 60th MIM strat. It was my first, I like the neck just that much better than my tele, due to the semi vs. gloss finish.

so what do you guys think?