Best Basswood Body Telecaster Style Guitars in 2023
Here you'll find the best Basswood body Telecaster style guitars. This is a soft type of wood that is very light and easy to work with. It's cheaper than many other kinds of wood used for guitar building, but it doesn't mean it's low quality. In terms of sound, it accentuates the mid-range, which matches the frequencies that a Humbucker produces.
Out of the more than 2000 guitars in our database, these are the best scoring ones. You can use our filters to the left to narrow down these results, or click on "Compare" to get a deep comparison between them. Our automated scoring system takes into account the ratings from ours users who own the guitar, and dozens of parameters to determine the build quality, playability, pickups quality, value for money, and more.
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1. Chapman ML3 Pro Modern
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Player Feedback
- Neck access to high frets: Easy (1 vote)
- Fret edges: Smooth (1 vote)
- Tuning stability: Holds tune well (1 vote)
- Weight: Lightweight (1 vote)
- Neck profile shape: C (8 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (6 votes)
- Pickups noise: Noiseless (6 votes)
- Pickups power: Slightly Hot (6 votes)
- From Chapman's 2021 Pro series
- Made in South Korea
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 13.78" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Roasted Maple – Dark Colour neck
- Roasted Maple – Dark Colour fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Pegasus (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Sentient (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Chapman String Through hardtail bridge
- C Shape Neck-Through neck
- 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Hipshot Grip-Lock Open (18:1 Gearing) tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Chapman ML3 Pro Modern
Chapman ML3 Pro Modern
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Black Tusq XL Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Luminescent Inlay
- Strap Lock
- Made in South Korea
- No Expensive Woods
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
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2. Cort MBM-2 Sustainiac
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Player Feedback
- Neck profile shape: V (2 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (2 votes)
- Pickups noise: Slightly Noisy (2 votes)
- Pickups power: Slightly Hot (2 votes)
- From Cort's 2022 META series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 15.75" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Hard Maple neck
- Laurel fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Manson Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Fully Adjustable & Tailpiece bridge
- Soft V Bolt-On neck
- 22 Medium frets
- Cort Staggered Locking tuners
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Strengths & Weaknesses
Cort MBM-2 Sustainiac
Cort MBM-2 Sustainiac
- Locking Tuners
- Top Brand Pickups
- Killswitch, Sustainer Pickups
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
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3. Dean NashVegas Select Floyd
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Player Feedback
- Neck profile shape: C (2 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (2 votes)
- From Dean's 2020 Select series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- 3 Piece Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan TB-5 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan APH-1N (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose 1000 (Korean) bridge
- C Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Grover tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Dean NashVegas Select Floyd
Dean NashVegas Select Floyd
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
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4. Fender JV Modified '50s Telecaster
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Player Feedback
- Neck access to high frets: Normal (1 vote)
- Fret edges: Smooth (1 vote)
- Tuning stability: Won't get out of tune (1 vote)
- Weight: Lightweight (1 vote)
- Neck profile shape: V (4 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (4 votes)
- Pickups noise: Slightly Noisy (1 vote)
- Pickups power: Clean (1 vote)
- From Fender's 2022 JV Modified series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 9.5" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fender Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fender Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 4-way Switch
- 3-Saddle Vintage Style Tele with Barrel Brass Saddles bridge
- Thick Soft V Bolt-On neck
- 21 Medium Jumbo frets
- Vintage-Style Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender JV Modified '50s Telecaster
Fender JV Modified '50s Telecaster
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Phase Out Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
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5. Fender JV Modified '60s Custom Telecaster
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Player Feedback
- Neck profile shape: V (4 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (4 votes)
- From Fender's 2022 JV Modified series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 9.5" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fender Custom Shop Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fender Custom Shop Vintage-Style Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 4-way Switch
- 3-Saddle Vintage Style Tele with Barrel Brass Saddles bridge
- Thick Soft V Bolt-On neck
- 21 Medium Jumbo frets
- Vintage-Style Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender JV Modified '60s Custom Telecaster
Fender JV Modified '60s Custom Telecaster
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Phase Out Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
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6. Fender Aerodyne Special Telecaster
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Player Feedback
- Neck profile shape: C (31 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (28 votes)
- From Fender's 2022 Aerodyne series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fender Aerodyne Special Single-Coil Telecaster (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fender Aerodyne Special Single-Coil Telecaster (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Babicz Z-Series FCH-Tele bridge
- Modern C Bolt-On neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking (all short posts) tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Aerodyne Special Telecaster
Fender Aerodyne Special Telecaster
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
7. Dean NashVegas Select
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Player Feedback
- Neck profile shape: C (2 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (2 votes)
- From Dean's 2020 Select series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- 3 Piece Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan SH-5 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan APH-1N (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Tune-O-Matic (Hardtail) bridge
- C Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Grover tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Dean NashVegas Select
Dean NashVegas Select
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
8. Fender James Burton Telecaster
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Player Feedback
- Neck access to high frets: Normal (1 vote)
- Fret edges: Smooth (1 vote)
- Tuning stability: Holds tune well (2 votes)
- Weight: Heavy (1 vote)
- Neck profile shape: Baseball / U (1 vote)
- Neck speed (thickness): Chunky (1 vote)
- Pickups noise: Noiseless (1 vote)
- Pickups power: Clean (1 vote)
- From Fender's 2006 Artist series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 9.5" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil/Passive)
- Bridge pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fender Specially Designed James Burton (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- 6-Saddle American Series Strings-Thru-Body Strat with Block-Style Saddles bridge
- James Burton U Bolt-On neck
- 21 Vintage frets
- Deluxe Cast/Sealed with Pearl Buttons tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender James Burton Telecaster
Fender James Burton Telecaster
- Made in United States
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Series Split Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
9. Cort MBM-1
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Player Feedback
- Neck access to high frets: Normal (2 votes)
- Fret edges: Smooth (2 votes)
- Tuning stability: Holds tune well (2 votes)
- Weight: Slightly heavy (2 votes)
- Neck profile shape: V (2 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (2 votes)
- Pickups noise: Slightly Noisy (2 votes)
- Pickups power: Slightly Hot (2 votes)
- From Cort's 2020 META series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 15.75" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Hard Maple neck
- Indian Laurel fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Manson Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Manson Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Fully Adjustable & Tailpiece bridge
- Soft V Bolt-On neck
- 22 Medium frets
- Cort Staggered Locking Machineheads tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Cort MBM-1
Cort MBM-1
- Locking Tuners
- Killswitch Pickups
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
All Prices
10. Cort MBM-2
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Player Feedback
- Neck profile shape: V (2 votes)
- Neck speed (thickness): Balanced (2 votes)
- Pickups noise: Slightly Noisy (2 votes)
- Pickups power: Slightly Hot (2 votes)
- From Cort's 2022 META series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 15.75" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Hard Maple neck
- Laurel fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Manson Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Bridge pickup: Manson Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Fully Adjustable & Tailpiece bridge
- Soft V Bolt-On neck
- 22 Medium frets
- Cort Staggered Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Strengths & Weaknesses
Cort MBM-2
Cort MBM-2
- Locking Tuners
- Killswitch Pickups
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
