Why Telecasters are the greatest guitars ever made

[Zoso]

1. Versatility. They are eminently suited to almost every style: hard rock, punk, pop and country of course.

2. Simplicity. Two pickups, two knobs, three positions. A Tele is built for utility with no frills added.

3. Learning. I've never made so much progress in my playing as I have when practicing with a Telecaster (not counting acoustics). It is an unforgiving instrument that demands precision.

4. Sensitivity. I've never played a guitar that is so sensitive to control adjustments or playing technique. Roll off just a touch of volume or tone and the sound changes dramatically. Different picking techniques yield radically different tone.

5. Coolness. There's something inherently cool in a Telecaster. It just looks...perfect.

I also own Les Pauls, Stratocasters, and a Rickenbacker, and I'd never want to part with them. There are particular applications where each of those guitars provides something unique and desirable. But if I could only keep one, it would have to be my Telecaster. Even if it isn't better in the areas where the other guitars really shine, it can still do those things in close approximation. The reverse is almost never true.

[CJ Neel]

6. It makes an excellent weapon when fending off muggers.
7. You can throw it out a second story window, and crack the sidewalk with it.
8. I feel taller when I play my Tele.
9. Chicks dig 'em.
10. They rock. Even when they twang.

[Kap'n]

11. Noone will mistake you for a a hair-metal guy...or a member of KISS if you strap one on.

[Wilko]

12. no wiggle stick? Use the tuning keys

http://actionsportsphoto.smugmug.com...135_qy47a-A-LB

[NeoFauve]

11. Noone will mistake you for a a hair-metal guy...or a member of KISS if you strap one on.

That's only those butterscotchy looking ones.
With certain paintjobs all bets are off.

FWIW- In my experience, I only think badly setup Teles are "unforgiving."
I assumed maybe they all were after reading a dozen or so times that Jimmy Page said this regarding his switching to the LP.

[Kap'n]

That's only those butterscotchy looking ones.
With certain paintjobs all bets are off. .

OK, maybe Ace. But nobody will mistake you for Chaim Witz with one.

Unless you use flatwounds.

[NeoFauve]

But nobody will mistake you for Chaim Witz with one.

His parents gave him such a cool name.
I'll never understand why he decided to name himself after a beautiful actress.

[Kap'n]

Maybe he envied her because she didn't require makeup for people to look at her.

[Zoso]

FWIW- In my experience, I only think badly setup Teles are "unforgiving."

Unforgiving in the sense that you can't mask poor playing like you sometimes can on other guitars. Every mistake is front and center.

[sabby]

12. no wiggle stick? Use the tuning keys

http://actionsportsphoto.smugmug.com...135_qy47a-A-LB

Ah, the Tele's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Such is life.

[NeoFauve]

Unforgiving in the sense that you can't mask poor playing like you sometimes can on other guitars. Every mistake is front and center.

It gets repeated in one form or another, but I don't buy that either.
Not playing well is probably a matter of taste up to a point, but doing that on a Tele, and then doing it on a different guitar is only going to change the sound of it, not disguise it as good playing.

Don't get me wrong. I love Teles.

[Offshore Angler]

Well, Tele's are the SECOND best guitars ever made. All they are are Esquires that somebody screwed up.

[Kap'n]

It gets repeated in one form or another, but I don't buy that either.
Not playing well is probably a matter of taste up to a point, but doing that on a Tele, and then doing it on a different guitar is only going to change the sound of it, not disguise it as good playing.

I don't buy it either.

Maybe what was meant when this maxim was first coined was....

There's such a variety of sound that can be pulled from a tele, if you don't have good control and instinctual knowledge of how to get sounds from an electric guitar, it's a lot easier to get an inappropriate sound out from a tele. Especially ones brighter and cutting than one might intend, or get out of a different instrument when handled in the same way.

Couple that with all the single-coil noise generated by the use of excessive levels of gain...

[Wilko]

another problem is that they force a certain type of playing in order to sound the way they are expected to sound. If you can't wrangle all the dynamics necessary to get those sounds, it ain't gonna happen.

[cherrick]

Muddy Waters
Steve Cropper
Roy Buchanan
Danny Gatton
Prince

[demioblue]

Because Avril Lavigne plays one...

[elicross]

12. no wiggle stick? Use the tuning keys

Wilko, how can I convince you to introduce me to the girl with the dress and the acoustic?

[Wilko]

Wilko, how can I convince you to introduce me to the girl with the dress and the acoustic?

well, she lives with the drummer.

You can go watch her play, meet her at a show.

sarapetite.com

[elicross]

The drummer. Doesn't it figure?! I hate drummers!

[hippiebob01]

Hey Rick, I checked out the site, and couldn't help but notice that you are one of her Sugar Daddies

Also, Todd Snider is badass.

Rick, what year is that cream Tele again?

[Wilko]

That's a 1973 tele.

About the Sugar Daddies... I've got a baby at home and have had to pass on this gig to another player. He uses a 50s Esquire.

[Schtang]

Every true bloodied guitarist in the world should have tele in the toolbox to strap around their neck.

[NeoFauve]

13. Because you can look at the whole range of Teles in production and say, "Hmmm... Well, here's what they should do," and put one together yourself.

[clayville]

They're nicely balanced...

[NeoFauve]

And they keep you looking young and vital.

[hippiebob01]

I wonder how long and how many paramedics it took to get Keef out of that position.

[fancychords]

Please exuse this if it's deemed politicaly incorrect..A respected player fom my neck of the woods once said " A telecaster is a mans guitar"
I also heard G.E.Smith once say that a tele is the main guitar it's like when someone says" Do you drive a motorcycle or do you drive a Harley"...

[Kap'n]

" Do you drive a motorcycle or do you drive a Harley"...

That phrase has been slightly diminished in the past decade or two, with the advent of the 'logo shop rider' and the folks who go to 'trailer week.'

[NeoFauve]

I wonder how long and how many paramedics it took to get Keef out of that position.

I think that's just how he stands now, until the guy up in the rigging pulls up on his cable.

[NeoFauve]

That phrase has been slightly diminished in the past decade or two, with the advent of the 'logo shop rider' and the folks who go to 'trailer week.'

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[Kap'n]

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[NeoFauve]

.[/LEFT]

Ya' know, every phtot I could find of Pat Boone in a Harley jacket™ was from the same site.

I'll substitute this.

[Don]

The ultimate reason-

Because I can express myself on one like I can with no other guitar!

My blackguard style USACG T-Style does it all well and allows me the freedom to be me even with it's simplistic Broadcaster style blender pot wiring scheme.

As an added bonus, it plays like butter with it tall skinny 6105 frets. Tele's are unforgiving, but they don't have to be hard to play!

[refin]

Unforgiving in the sense that you can't mask poor playing like you sometimes can on other guitars. Every mistake is front and center.

For some reason I feel that way too-----which is why teles used to itimidate me.
I was a stone-cold Gibson guy back in the '70s,and would only pull out my strat during 4th set,and that was if none of my music buddies were in the house.
Yet,teles scared me and I wouldn't go near them,nowhere to hide.
Now my current fav is my Esquire---go figure.

[Kap'n]

Ya' know, every phtot I could find of Pat Boone in a Harley jacket™ was from the same site.

I'll substitute this.

I was kind of hoping for that pink leather jacket phtot.

[Offshore Angler]

refin, it's funny - with my Esquire I can play less and say more. I'm becoming more and more of a minimalist in my solos and enjoying it more.

[refin]

refin, it's funny - with my Esquire I can play less and say more. I'm becoming more and more of a minimalist in my solos and enjoying it more.

Me too!

[Conrad]

Pound for pound, no finer guitar ever made.