I’m thinking of getting my 2^nd guitar and thought why not try Prince’s favoured axe. So, any guitarheads out there that could recommend where to get a good Telecaster copy at a good price here in the UK?

It's not a Fender Telecaster, it's a Hohner model called the "Mad Cat". Hohner does not make that guitar any longer, but about 10 years ago (?) they did reissue a similar guitar called the "Prinz". I'd check eBay, etc. for a Hohner "Prinz" but be forewarned - the Prinz model didn't get particularly good reviews for playing.

Now, if you want a Telecaster, you can find finishes that are kind of like the Hohner but you won't find one (that I know of) that's really very close to the Hohner. And the Telecaster won't have the dark ribbons that go down the headstock, and around the headstock.

And, of course, you'll have to find a copy of the pickguard and the bottom piece if you really want to turn a Telecaster into a Hohner.

All that aside, I play a blonde Telecaster exactly because it was what I thought at the time to be close to what both Prince and Springsteen played. I had no idea what a Hohner was when I bought my Tele back in '84, LOL.

I did a little looking and guess what? Here's a Prinz for sale in the UK! There are no bids, and the starting bid is GBP 650 (about $850 US). I don't know if it will sell for that price, but it sounds pretty reasonable to me. This particular guitar looks to have been played a LOT, judging by the neck. To me, that is a good sign because it probably means it was owned by a real player. Which, in turn, means that it's been set up to play well. I'd definitely check this out:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1...SwhOVXf2wP

If you buy it, and you want to go all out, here is a link where you can buy the "Mad Cat" decal, and use it to replace "The Prinz" decal. Do that, and you'll really have a Prince replica! (But please, if you ever sell it, make sure you disclose that it's a "Prinz" and not an actual "Mad Cat".)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/H...SwQItUFgyp

But you know what's even cooler than THAT? THIS!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/P...1243185439

Last and probably least, here's something called a "Bill Lawrence Guitar TE". It looks like a copy of thd Hohner/a Telecaster, and it does have the carved headstock, although the carving looks a little over-the-top. It only has one of the tortoise-shell pick guards, though. It's currently at $115.50 US which is extremely low. Here's the link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B...2132249841

And, here's a link to someone selling the tortoise-shell material. You'd have to cut the bottom pick guard yourself. If you bought the Bill Lawrence guitar, this would give you that missing bottom pick guard:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/M...2132249841

Good luck, and have fun!

I have been lucky enough to play a few of the prince replicas from hohner and h.s. anderson.

The best copies for the price are the Hohner The Prinz from 1984-1988. the prices for these guitars are very resonable and would cost you about the same as building your own guitar. The Hohner Prinz copies sound petty good and have a nice twang sound to recreate that Controversy Groove.

Otherwise seek out a mad cat, of any year if you have the budget for it.

Lordy said:

Thanks for your help chaps. Much appreciated.

Are you the lucky winner of The Prinz? That looked like a really good bargain.