$130 Firefly Tele vs $2000 Fender Telecaster Deluxe | Telecaster Comparison and Showdown
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- Опубликовано: 4 сен 2019
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It's time to break out the Firefly and compare it against a Fender American Deluxe Telecaster. For only $130 the Firefly sure holds its own. What do you think?
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I’ve been a gigging musician for many years ( I play a 1987 PRS Custom 24)... If you look away and don’t watch the guitars switch... It’s pretty difficult to tell which is which. For someone that plays out live a lot... These would be great! No worries if one gets damaged, stolen or whatever!
this is exactly what I thought!
Slight differences can be compensated with tone, amp EQ etc. Guitars are simple machines. My wifes $100. kitchen blender is light years more complex. I rarely play my expensive guitars. No real return musically for the money. They just hang on the rack. Thanks!
This is fact but people would love to make you think otherwise
My wife won’t want to stab me for buying the firefly vs the tele lol
is it just me or does the firefly sound brighter?
Michael gaud They do... I have always noticed that with cheaper pickups when recording. I have a Squire Strat that is extremely bright and way to twangy for its own good but it does get used when I need a bright clean tone to cut through everything else.
That is usually a defining mark of a cheaper guitar. With a good set of pickups and pots installed there would likely be very little difference in sound or clarity between the two.
Your right it has the sound of the jazz master tele!
Well, that's a matter of subjectivity. I'd say the FF is "brighter", but on the tinny end of the spectrum, rather than actually being a better brighter sound, if that makes sense. I was a little surprised at the discernibly classier sound of the real Tele. I didn't think it would be that obvious. I guess the real question is: Is it $1,871 better sounding. If you're a full-on professional recording and performing musician, then yeah...I'd say it is, at least to my ears. If you're a beginner or even a weekend warrior/gigging musician, I'd say the FF sounded good enough to get by, especially paired with a modelling amp that could possibly make up for some of the guitar's limitations. To me the Fender had a really classic sound, whereas the FF had more of a wannabe sound. But that's because the Fender is the real deal and the FF is a copy.
It thought the fender was brighter.
Yep. Nothing $20 wouldn’t change.
Absolutely not worth spending the extra money on the Fender. Thank you for this video! I subscribed! Great licks too btw!
Thanks for the kind words, welcome aboard!
Pickups really make a difference
Really, all I am hearing is the difference between a semi-hollow (a tad thin) and a solid body (better sustain). And it ain't worth no $1,800.
I have to agree with Marlon, they just sound different. 920D Custom makes loaded tele pickguards that will fit the Firefly for $300. Their stuff sounds great as I have bought a fully loaded strat pickguard and a firebird wiring harness from them. I have the matt black version of this FFTH Firefly coming tomorrow and I think it sounds good on here. Great video.
The FF sounded brighter on the bridge, and warmer on the neck, both great sound.
I bought a 130 Glarry GTL semi-hollow Coral color. Put in a 62’ Fender custom single coil in the bridge, individual brass saddles, and an Alnico 2 stacked humbucker in the neck. A bone nut. Strings are D’addario 8s. I’m playing through a Vox VT20X amp. Loving the tones. Incredible value for just a few extra bucks. Otherwise I cannot afford a real Fender semi hollow. 🎉
Great video. Awesome playing, too.
First, thanks for doing this video. The Telecaster to me sounded noticeable 'fuller' in the clean mode. The Firefly sounded 'clipped'. I am assuming it boils down to differences in the pickups and electronics used. What shocked me is how close they sounded when going through the pedal. I honestly don't know if I could tell the difference if I hadn't seen which was being played. If you're able to part with $1800-$1900 sure get the Telecaster but, at least for me, that money could be used for much better purposes.
The Fender has a *slightly* fuller sound, but not NEARLY enough to justify that price difference. When I can get a nearly identical sound for $1.8k less, count me in - especially when I can now buy SEVERAL Fireflys, and still not spend near the money. 🤣
I was going to write the same thing you wrote, so I will skip that and just give you a thumbs up.
@@kernjames If you're buying your guitars for the collector value, then the Fender is the way to go. I buy my guitars to play, and, with a few modifications, I have made my Firefly guitars sound as good as most any Fender or Gibson.
@@ragingskeptic9753 Indeed. Spot on.
Recuerda es más cara por la marca que es reconocida ahí lo más caro y lo que te vende es la marca mientras lo electrónico es idéntico no hay diferencia solo por milésima obvio la firefly no es reconocida
It’s all about the pickups. Put in some high quality pickups and it’s really close.
Ok, so l just picked up one of these at a pawn shop for $50. Put in better pots (tho it sounded ok with the old ones) and hybrid strings. Now it sounds amazing! I'd defintely buy one for $130. Good video-thanx
the firefly sounds great but the telecaster sounds a bit smother in sound but for the price the fire fly can not be bet
Amazing! Rondo music also have pretty interesting jewels...
but this, oh! Là, là!
The Firefly sounds awesome. Very good review. 👍
Thanks!!!
Great sounds love to have one
I recently bought a firefly. Different model, the FFDCS, with a set neck construction. Very impressive guitar for $130
Issues I've had with my Ffth. She's a hummer. Probably just a good shielding job will fix it. Had some fret buzz. Truss adjustment. The thing is the finish of the fret boards are so comfortable when you pick up these guitars. Along with the sounds that make me not want to change the pickups. It reminded me of the feeling I got going from my first guitar Sears crappycaster to the Gibson les paul I own .
The Firefly quality is amazing. The FFDCD has, maybe better frets than the FFTH. The reason I say that is because I dressed the frets a little on the Th. Then received the DCD. It looked like they had smoothed edges.
Firefly Les Paul model is on the way. I am very excited for another great firefly. QC no.5 is the best. Intonation on both my guitars is very good.
Three guitars of this quality under 500 bucks is amazing. 338 model will be coming again. I will get one of those too. Waiting for a Stratocaster copy or SG type for them to cover the market in great cheap guitars. PEACE
I suggested an SG copy to them. EVERYBODY has a strat copy, and I believe they 86'ed the idea of any kind of strat-y thing. An SG will be next according to my crystal ball.
Sounds great for the price, I’ll take one in every color 😂
I liked the neck pickup, the bridge pickup sounded to me a little transitory but $120 I can deal with it. Thanks man I’ll keep my eye out for them.
Agreed .. love the neck PU. Plan on upgrading PU anyway.
And...I like them both. Why choose? There aren't enough guitars in the world. As long as you like the guitar you're playing enough to play it, you have a good match. My most valuable guitar, my best tone guitar and the guitar I play most are 3 different guitars and if I had to pick just one it would be the one I play most; a Daisy Rock that has the best feeling neck I have ever felt. I found it at Music Go Round, looked at it half a dozen times (separate visits) before I bought it for $45 because the PO spent maybe 5 minutes sanding the body with coarse sandpaper. I spent a stupid number of hours getting the really thick finish off the body and refinishing it natural but, now I know why some musicians play what seem to be odd choices.
I’d like to see a comparison of the Harley Benton tele vs Firefly and Maybe a Squire tele ... the elite tele sounds deeper , chunkier . Are they the same strings??? The Firefly seems nice for the money and with an upgrade would be great! Good guitar to practice with and for people who can’t afford a high end guitar.
Been hearing a good amount regarding the Harley Benton. I’m going to try to get one and check it out.
I play a 2022 FFLP and like it, the pickups are fine. There were a couple of small issues in QC, but really not a problem. I think half the price difference is QC and half somewhat better parts. In your demo the "real" one sounds slightly better in all styles, not alot better and with the FFLP a drop event or playing out ding is not stressful. Thanks for getting straight into playing without the usual 7 minute talkup.
Sound:
Firefly - HONEST
Fender - CLASS
Look:
Firefly - DECENT
Fender - HANDSOME
Hard to say no for the money. I have a FFLP, and the 335. No complaints. But can hear the real tele for its greatness too.
The FF guitars are really nice for the price.
Thanks man.
I got an orange one. It’s quite good, proves that you’re paying for a name
Yeah that name is going to cost you...
Definite sound difference, but for the cost it seems would be closer. I wonder if a change to better strings than what it came with would close the gap more?
Probably would close the gap a little but the pickups are very treble heavy. But a $60 set of pickups would really close the gap.
the bridge pickup on the fender is more like what youd expect a tele to sound like in my opinion, it sounds like quality, but personally i love the neck pickup on that firefly damn, thats a sweet tone
put a fender single coil on the bridge of that firefly and you've got yourself a hell of a guitar
The Fender tele definitely sounds better. Now I have a project guitar I can beat the hell out of.
Can anybody comment on the feel of the Firefly? Does it feel cheap? Is it light in weigh relative to the Fender?
Thanks!
I can't compare, as I don't have a Fender, but I think the fit and finish on the Firefly is good. Just got it a couple days ago. It has a couple of little cosmetic things if you look closely, but it feels just fine to me. I would imagine, in this particular video, that the Firefly is the lighter guitar, based purely on the fact that it's a Thinline, semi-hollow style, and the Fender is a solid body. Totally worth it, and if you don't like it personally, their scarcity tends to keep their value up if you want to sell it off.
Are all of the Firefly guitars gloss necks? Can't find that info online.
Most that I have seen are, although I had a matte black telecaster that was a non-gloss neck.
@@bsideguitar Thanks!
I think so... Nothing a ScotchBrite pad wouldn't fix though. ;)
Prefer the fire fly to fender.120 bucks amazing.did it need any mods?will it play straight from box?was going to buy Harley Benton te-52.
how does it compare?
I have been hearing lately the new firefly are having more quality issues. The one I got in this video was good out of the box. I haven’t played a Harley Benton yet but have heard good things. As far as the firefly, if you buy it from Amazon and it is bad at least it is easy to return.
As all of us guitar snobs know white pearloid pickguards always sound better, so it's Firefly all the way
Good observation 😂
@@bsideguitar and you can use a pearl without killing the oyster fut for the love of the gawds a tortoise shell pickguard causes pain and death man!
Does the Fender sound better? Yes absolutely! Is it multiple times the price better? No. Plus I’m sure you could upgrade the pickups and get closer. A set of the new Yosemite’s goes for less than $100 and that would be a decent upgrade. However at that point maybe consider a squier? Still on the fence about these want to try one but also Think a used thin line squier maybe the good middle ground. Thoughts?
I own both models. The Firefly build quality is lacking in some areas. You won't get perfect frets.. sometimes the pick ups really suck. I also find them to light in weight which throws balance way off.
The FF sounds brighter, but still good.
The first new guitar I ever purchased for myself is the Firefly FF-TH Sunset. I'm glad I didn't buy the Fender. I have since purchased many more guitars including another FF-TH Thinline Tele copy in Dreamcicle orange. I have also purchased a few medium priced guitars (under $1000) and I really don't see any justification for the expense.
For the more recent Firefly guitar you received, how was the quality control? I have been hearing it is getting worse...
I'm not being contrary but honestly, the Firefly has a brighter tone. I was listening to him play the Fender on my while watching the news on TV and was super surprised to see that when I looked back at my phone he was playing the Firefly!😲
I have the identical Firefly but I have never played it. I have 6 other guitars I have never played. I am currently learning to play on my Firefly FFDCD, which by the way sounds beautiful and stays in excellent tune even from day to day. 👌
Sound can be adjusted with a Good amp electronics its a electric duh as long as it feels good in your hand and fingers well upgrade your amp even a 2000 guitar sounds 10 bucks in a crap amp The firefly guitars are awesome the build is crazy great I personally like the the sound of the fireflys
That's true to an extent, but with the original pickups in my MIM Strat it sounded twangy no matter what I did with amp and EQ settings. Once I changed them out for Texas Specials, most of that twang was gone. And for what a Firefly or Harley Benton costs, you're left with more than enough money if you feel the need to upgrade the guitar's electronics.
In my mind, a telecaster is meant to bite. I thought the Firefly had much more attack and jangle in the bridge position. I do think that the Fender sounded better on the neck pick up though.
Almost bought the firefly ffth but after seeing the fflp they're putting out imma wait...already have the 338 in red and it works for me...that's what counts in the end...still eventually going to get the orange ffth...hate that they went to red pick guard, but it's a easy fix.
I have the LP copy and it is amazing! Heavy just like the Les Paul!
my honest opinion is that if it would have been a blind test i probably would have thought The firefly was the real deal beside when you did put some Dirt in to the game.
Hmmm! So I bought 10 different firefly guitar models for the price of that fender and now I am really having fun!
I like that you play chords and dynamics, and don't just try to show off ripping scales.
Thanks man. I appreciate you saying that. I’m trying to review gear so the average guitar player can get a sense of what it would be like and there isn’t always much love for that but I think most people can align with it.
the firefly is a touch brighter colder than the fender but a swap of the pups would aleviate that and the firefly doesnt have the god awful "dirty foot" headstock point and match goes to the firefly
if you put Fender pickups on it ,it would still be great buying
Fenders neck p.u. is better defined. The FF neck p.u. muddy, like there's a movers blanket covering the speakers.
The fire fly in bridge mode seems bright and in neck pickup seem muddy compare to $2k tele how's playing action and feel ? similar? If I where doing chicken picking I like the Firefly,maybe some Amazon pick-ups would make guitar close to $2k fender,did Firefly tuners hold up for you doing your leads/riff? Every time I go on Amazon guitar gone and seeing Firefly on eBay for 2x the Amazon price! Thanks for demo! The big ? And answer do I want to gig in bars and clubs with a $2k fender hell no! The Firefly a good work horse guitar for the$
WANT THE FENDER!
The fender does sound a little better but not very much. I think the difference in sound between the two can be made up with some amp adjustments. I have several Firefly's and I like them.
I've been playing since 1984, the Sound is very close so the only concern would be how long will it hold up. But hell for 130.00 if it doesn't hold up just buy another one. Buy one every year. 😁
Did they give you the guitar or money to review the firefly?
Nope bought it with my own money.
I played this FF today. Fun guitar. Worth $175.
The bridge pickup on the Firefly seems brighter than the Telecaster.
The FireFly sounds more like a 50's tele. You just gotta love single winds. The $2k tele does not have the same tele chunk sound that Leo Fender designed. I own a FireFly and gig with it. Best $150 I ever spent.
Should I buy a squire tele or a firefly?
The recent Fireflys I’ve played have not been as good as the earlier ones. I would go with the Squire at this point.
@@bsideguitar so they're nothing like the firefly you played in the video?
Perhaps a better comparison would have been the Firefly against another Thinline Tele.
There's definitely not $1900 difference between the two. And unlike it's lower price contemporaries the Firefly is basically stage ready. You don't have to switch out the pickups.
Fender does not sound 15 (2000/130) times better
And some new pickups in the Firefly would close the gap even more!
I agree 100%! These Firefly guitars will surprise you.
A $2000 Tele will outlive me and is going to be great out of the box. There is a lot of love for the cheap guitars (Harley Benton, Firefly, etc), but next time I see one being played at a concert or music venue will be the first. There’s a reason musicians of all levels stick to brands like Fender, Gibson, or PRS...they’re consistently better. These are hobbyists guitars, that’s it.
Great video though!
i will go to firefly and change the existing pickups from DiMarzio/EMG-T or SeymourDuncan :)
I feel that the firefly guitar sound is a little bit lower , but also the same as the fender . Not much of a difference.
I promise you that at club ear-bleed volumes with gain and compression you will not be able to tell the difference and your audience won't even care. Both sound like rock and roll.
Pickups in the fender are better. A much better collected tone. Swap the FF pickups for equal pickups.
I'm sure that the pickups are the real tone difference between these two., but the fact that the Fender is a completely solid body "chunk of wood" guitar vs the Firefly being a semi-holo bodied guitar is messing with me. I'm not wanting to start a stupid "tonewood" debate...but it just seems to me that this isn't really a fair comparison until Firefly releases a solid-bodied tele style... Do y'all think that makes a difference? From my ears, the Fender does sound...chunkier? I actually own the firefly in the baby blue version :). I love it, but haven't actually played a "real" tele to see the difference. I've picked one up and they feel HEAVY to me. Heads up, the Firefly has a bit of neck dive to it. I would be interested to see a comparison between the Firefly that you have here vs a Fender thinline tele.
It definitely makes a difference but I had the tele in the studio and thought it would be fun. The pickups are the biggest contributor so generally speaking if you like one over the other it is the pickups. The semi hollow can add an “airy ness” to the sound that is more a supporting role not the main event.
@@bsideguitar Cool. Yeah, it was fun! Thank you for the perspective, and for doing the video. It's cool to see them compared, and also cool to think that Firefly can pretty much hang with the big dogs. I am happy to see such an affordable option for people. IMHO, Firefly just keeps getting better and better!
Becsuse it will always be a USA Fender. But for sound its its whatever you keep your paws on.
But serioulsy, is it worth having a $800 usa tele or the amazon special.
Where can you find an 800 dollar American tele?!
@@leviwilliams3471 Reverb right now has one for $799.
@@georgewaggener9825 got a link?
@@leviwilliams3471 if you really want it......its out there.
@@georgewaggener9825 lol not what im finding like I figured lol
funny how the fender pickups cost more than the entire firefly guitar, sick stuff tho i might get the firefyl
Damn a little late for the Matte black giveaway! :(
It would have helped if he played them the same way with his strumming pattern and attacks.
The firefly might be a little brighter because it uses alnico 5 magnets, the 2,000 tele is using noiseless pickups not a true comparison.
Lol, how is it a non comparison ? They're comparing the 2 guitars as they come. .lol. ..your comment is dumb.
More accurately, it's not an even comparison... But that's only if you want to know if Firefly's tele pickups sound like Fender's pickups. However, as OchoMarvo said, these are just being compared as two stock guitars. In order for this to be an even comparison, the Firefly would also need to be put against a Fender Thinline rather than a solid body. It just depends on what you are looking for in the review. :) I think this was just done more as a value for money comparison.
lol it looks like your trying like hell to give the fender the edge it’s funny! 😂 great video firefly gets my money
Firefly, better Pick ups and Fender spec (uF) matching caps.. indistinguishable afterwards..
Of course the fender has a bigger sound put in some pots and wilkinson pickups on the firefly even Steven in my opinion.
Not a heck of a lot of difference I own a Fender Tele musicans model with a bridge humbucker, strat midlle and a Tele neck pickups standard equipped so I cannot make a fair comparison I paid around $700.00 new and watching this video I could have saved $500.00 but I was unaware of Firefly at the time.
The fender seems to sound slightly fuller. But vs the prices it’s a moot point. The sound is very close. Also as we can all see and hear the Firefly in the hands of a skilled player it doesn’t matter that it’s only a $130 guitar. Out side of the feel of chairmanship between the two. It’s really hard to justify a $2000 purchase of a guitar. If this was a club or a small venue or even a large one. I don’t think anyone other then the player would know any difference.
I know is all personal choices.
Firefly was brighter, but, interestingly, a little muddier. The Fender had better clarity. Bright, but less crisp... not sure I'd have ever thought that about pickups. So, maybe, as a word, that makes the Fender sound richer.
Conclusion:
Do they sound different? Yes.
Does the Fender sound better? Yes. To me. But better is subjective. Some may like the Firefly better, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Is it $1800 better? Well, that's really up to the musician. For me, it's not worth the price difference. I'll take the Firefly. :)
Of course, I only play at home. Perfectly fine for at home.
On a side note, I just got one of these Firefly FFTH in a light blue. Strings left my fingers black straight from the box, and it needs to be intonated just a touch, but the build quality is nice, and it sounds good to me. I'm not picky.
At times each one sounded better. The FF had more quack in some samples and the Fender had more power in others. At other times they were pretty even. Go figure.
Firefly was a bit brighter overall. Fender had fuller mids. Nothing some dialing in on a good amp/EQ couldn't address.
When the heck will amazon have them again
You can get them on guitarsgarden.com right now
@@jamesdennis5651 Beat me to it. ;)
I just got one. Right under $150 after shipping.
I true test would be to hear both at stage volume. Play the same song on each live with a band. Youll hear the differance
Bob Pugliese probably not enough difference for the average listener to notice
@@TH_WLD_RVR your right! Im just trying to convince myself my gibson r8 sounds better than my chibson.
put better pickups made by Fender in that Firefly then it should sound better
The Fender sounds much better and more alive, but you can't go wrong with the Firefly.
For 130 if I was drunk and knocked it over and broke it no problem, a 2g guitar I'd be pretty upset. From what I heard minor difference in sound, for a hack like me the firefly sounds great...now to find one
GuitarsGarden.com They're in stock right now. Just got one for just under $150 after shipping.
Older tele's sound the best , for a cheap guitar the fire fly is a good tool for a learner . Couldnt you see Nash stepping on stage in front of 50k people with a fire fly lol .or SVR with a fire fly . LoL
Mexican Telecaster (Player Series) is every bit as good as the American made. That's $699 but die-hard people still splurge on the Amerian made. Saving even more by going with Firefly is the best option for beginners or intermediate players that aren't ready to fork up the dough for higher tier
Agree with you on the Player series tele. I had the chance to review a few recently and they are amazing guitars! I just got a limited edition one in that I am reviewing (video will be out soon) that takes it to another level!!!
Well, if I was going to buy a guitar for my child who was about to start taking lessons, there would be NO SHAME in the Firefly from a tone perspective. They would get a decent guitar sound out of that thing - albeit a little less fat, a little less round than tha Fender (which is 100% to do with the hardware). I would be interested in seeing the set-up between the two compared and a check of the Firefly after a year of use to see of the neck holds up and if it can maintain a decent action over time.
Shame
Of course your going to have to modify. I wish it wasn't a semi hollow body!
I can't believe I'm saying this, but that Firefly sounds better. The Fender sounds a bit overpowered, and a bit harsh to my liking. The Firefly sounds like a proper vintage guitar, brighter, and mellow at the same time. Some of that could be the semi hollow.? Thank you for the comparison.
The FireFly sounded like a nice guitar. The Tele sounded like a Tele.
I wish you wouldn't film these in the dark so we could see the guitars better. I think a white background would really help a lot.
I’ve thought about that. I’ll play around with some things and see what I can do.
@@bsideguitar thanks. Really enjoying your videos, best of luck and keep up the good work.
Thanks, really appreciate it!
The Fender does sound better, but not enough to justify an extra $1,800 extra. I can easily add better pickups and be happy as a clam.
The pickups on the Firefly has less output than the Fender.
A pickup upgrade would solve that
The Fender pickups are much better. Mod the firefly and you have a winner
Firefly. All the way!!!!!
I have to agree with Micheal Gaud below, the firefly sounds brighter, but if the top was backed off there would be virtually no difference. this is only noticeable because of the demo between the two, but in reality who cares. value for money the firefly wins hands down, $2000 is only the name Fender
I bought one of these, I think it needs better tuners . It wont stay in tune at all
Dress the nut with some 400 sandpaper, and use graphite in the string slots.
I preferred the Firefly its got more body.. and I own a JA90( which is 1K$) axe, it's hard to believe this can be accomplished for such short $. they must b from somewhere the labor is virtually nonexistent or its awfully talented slave labor...lol but whatever they are doing its done well and I want 1 of each at least... just 4 plinking or Moding
(just hope no one's getting abused in the manufacturing)...
Comparing the firefly to the Fender is like comparing the gong show to the Kiss World Tour, in sound and in quality!
I can't really tell any difference. The firefly might sound alittle better actually. The Fender sounds better on the dirty😁 the fender also has alot more sustained from my ears.
Does the fire fly sound as good as the fender? No. Does it sound pretty damn good? Absolutely. This would make a great starter guitar for a young player. If it plays half as well as it sounds, it’s a bargain at twice the price.