beginenrs tele question

Hi, I'm looking for a telecaster to buy, and now and then I come across Tele's that have the top of the bridge plate and the pickguard a bit 'uneven', as if it isn't well aligned. There's an even an example on de fender site: http://www.fender.com/products/search.php? partno=0101702703 I wonder if there is an explanation for this and if I could buy such an instrument, especially because the Tele I'm interested in, an American Standard, has such a slight unevenness. Thanks in advance,

Otto, from the photo, it looks about 1 or 2 mm off. If you're not heavily into it and you play standing up, it would probably go unnoticed. But, if you notice it immediately every time, it might end up driving you nuts. So, you need to take it into consideration, even though, as the misplacement is so slight, people might not even notice it. In fact, if you look hard enough, you'll find a lot of nice guitars that are 'a little bit off.' It's a personal choice, but if you look long enough, you'll find plenty that are perfect. BTW, the pic that you linked to is a beautiful guitar......nice. You have good taste, my friend.

James, thanks for your kind answer. I think it's a typical 'new guitar trauma', everything needs to be perfect. Probably the most important thing is, that when I started playing this particular Tele in the shop, I couldn't put it down for an hour, so good was it Btw, I saw the Telecaster book by A.R. Duchoissoir in the library this afternoon and what did I see on page 70....the American Standard Bridge....at least 2 mm off! Otto

You are spot on, again. Many players, including very high-end collectors, use the A.R. Duchoissoir books for everything from dating guitars to finding reference materials for vintage guitar shows. It's been awhile, but used to live outside of Paris. Like others (including Clapton), he came to America to check out the music and/or the guitars. His series on the Stratocaster is still used to rate vintage instruments, etc., and the photos are 11 x 14' on heavy stock....beautiful. Before we had the internet's huge data base, guys like Duchoissoir were digging up those small details that we almost take for granted now. You've got to be a solid guitar guy to be digging up the Duchoissoir books. Don't worry, the research will pay off when you go searching for a nice axe.

Its just shitty workmanship. It shouldnt affect how it plays unless the bridge is crooked and not the pickgaurd
http://www.fender.com/products/search.php? partno=0101702703

I thought that gap was part of the telecaster designs