Guys & Gals!
Over the years I've owned prolly every type of guitar on the planet except a Telecaster. For some reason I can't seem to get past the body shape and I have a mental thing about Tele's & Twangy country music. SOOOooooo........ Please convince me I absolutely HAVE to have a Telecaster or my life will never be complete (and some suggestions as to which one I need)
Rick C - OldGeezer
What's country music? I've never heard of that... I use mine for Rock and Blues....... I can't do without mine. When I really need super hot lead, that's the only thing that really does it.
Last edited by photoweborama; 02-05-2004 at 01:08 AM.
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If You really want a challenging (unforgiving axe) The TELE is for U
Its bright (lower output than the Humbucker guitars) , jazzy, twangy, etc . ANY Music style is playable on this baby, but tweak your effects, amp to suit and You will NOT regret getting a TELE
There are so many options!!!!
Please read all the posts on the TELECASTER forum
My Epiphone LP Special wit SD pups has gone into semi retirement( exept for the really grunty stuff) otherwise the TELE is my MAIN axe mate
Originally posted by hawkeye2u
The Telecaster has a VERY special sound, nothing else sounds like it.
Once U have played one, nothing will be the same, You will be able to hear from any recording. ---- Thats a TELE ---- !!!
If You really want a challenging (unforgiving axe) The TELE is for U
Its bright , but sweet (lower output than the Humbucker guitars) , jazzy, twangy, etc . ANY Music style is playable on this baby, but tweak your effects, amp to suit and You will NOT regret getting a TELE, if U own a Humbucker guitar take some time to get used to the sweet sounding single coils.
There are so many options!!!!
Please read all the posts on the TELECASTER forum
My Epiphone LP Special with SD pups has gone into semi retirement( exept for the really grunty stuff) otherwise the TELE is my MAIN axe mate
They are really good and versatile guitars. Try some out; if you like one, get it. Otherwise, maybe it's just not the guitar for you. No big deal.
You will be come a better player on a Tele. I did not like mine to start with, but over time, it just took over... You can cheat a lot on a Strat, but it shows up on a Tele. I love it.. If I could afford one of those 60's classics with the Bigsby, I'd have it all.
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Maybe a Tele isn't for you. I've tried for years to like Strats and I still can't warm up to 'em. Different strokes....
Someone once said here that the Strat is the prom queen and the Tele is it's slutty little sister. I like that analogy. The strat gets all of the attention from people in Fender's lineup. It has a very politically correct sound. It's sound is something on the whole that people won't mind. There's not much agression to a strat. It's looks are very "cool", hot-roddish, and futuristic.
Telecasters are rude, brash, and raunchy. They twang, growl, and scream. They're not a mainstream instrument, and not for everyone. They have too much "attitude" and "Personality" in my opinion for some people. You don't have to play country music to play a tele. Just ask Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, Kieth Richards, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Muddy Waters...
Heck, even Angus and Malcom Young shared a '72 Telecaster Custom with a humbucker in the neck as a backup in AC/DC's early days. Angus would use the 'bucker in the neck, and Malcom would use the single coil bridge.
One of my initial misconceptions prior to tele ownership was that with only two pickups you're too limited in the sounds you can make.
Big mistake. There is a wide palette of tones at your disposal with the stock setup. The tele bridge can really snarl and the neck is so very sweet. Put the two together and there's a world of tone in there.
Never being one to leave a good thing alone, I've now got a 5 way switch in my tele giving me a couple more cool sounds out of just two pickups.
Image - the tele makes a statement, man. Everyone and their cousin has a strat. It takes some testicular fortitude to strap on a tele.
OK....lests say I'm convinced (thanks for all the excellent input BTW) and am ready to shop. I currently own a Strat w/singles, a p-90 equipt guitar, and a 2-HB one. What features, pickups/pickup combinatios, wood, etc would you recommend. I usually prefer maple fretboards...but 2 of my guitars have rosewood boards (go figger). OH...and how is the 7.5 radius? Seems like it would be really prone to fretting out with low action. Right or wrong?
Help me out Guys! OH....also Brands? Fender? MIA? MIM? MIJ? Copy? Warmoth?
Pros? Cons?
Rick C - Old
BTW...Ill be plugging into this...
Last edited by TBlewz; 02-05-2004 at 11:39 AM.
Why own a Tele? Because it's pure. It's voice has never been denied or duplicated. It was Leo Fender's first love. It is simple. It let's you be the one to dicatate direction and vibe. It is simply your avenue of creativity.
Yes, it is a block of wood. It is painfully simple in it's concept. It has no frills. It's not fast like a Les Paul. It's not loud, like a Paul Reed Smith, it's not sexy and sleek like a Strat.
And yet, when you walk into a recording studio, and open up your case and pull out a Telecaster....the Producer and Engineers relax...'cause they know EXACTLY what they will get.
And it's all good! :)
Yeah, that's why I have two MIJ 90's Tele Deluxes with three pickups and 5-way switching. I modded both of them with push-pull pots to get the neck+bridge and all three pickups together. They are ultra versatile. For me, I get the best of both a Strat and a Tele. They have the added benefit of Strat contours, which helps accommodate my well padded six pack abs.Originally posted by curtisstetka
One of my initial misconceptions prior to tele ownership was that with only two pickups you're too limited in the sounds you can make.
You could do the same thing with a Nashville Tele, but without the body contours.
Knowledge is the small part of ignorance that we arrange and classify. -- Ambrose Bierce
In all honesty, if you've survived thus far without one, there's a very good chance you could continue to do so.
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
You are also not confined to 'vintage' specs. If you want a wider radius neck, you can find that on the Muddy Waters sig. or the Hwy. 1 series, for example.. If you want to explore different pickups, there is a plethora of choices to achieve the tone you want.
"If you're cool, you don't know nothin' about it. It just is...or you ain't." - Keith Richards
TBlewz--just keep repeating over and over that old Coca-Cola® jingle: "...it's the REAL thing..." and eventually the simplicity of a Tele will equate to REAL-ness of sound and playing!
You'll soon discover WAY more TONE and VIB in your fingertips than ever before...!
The Tele can be used for all styles , as most here will agree. Granted the Strat is versatile, and I love them, the Tele has the uncanny ability of delivering edge,spank, twang ,beef, and sweetness.
Roots to modern rock, - can't beat it.
Blues - all over it.
Country - say no more.
Jazz - far better on the front pickup, than a Strat.
Funk - try neck + bridge together - yeah baby !
Think , Muddy Waters, Carl Perkins,James Burton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, The Kinks, Status Quo, Roy Buchanen, Dave Gilmour, George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen, Albert Lee, Ted Greene ........ countless others, and every serious session player working today,owns one.
I'ts worth a few bone$ to find out for yourself. And there are s many good deals on Teles out there.
Enjoy the Journey !!
Tonedrip
"The shrink said I'm Tonal retentive".
Well said Tonedrip!Originally posted by Tonedrip
...the Tele has the uncanny ability of delivering edge, spank, twang ,beef and sweetness...
I played my Les Paul for 20-some years, even though I had a 66 Strat sitting in the house (which use to suffer from Strat-itis, but no more). One day I made up my mind that I was going to switch to using a Strat as my main axe because I knew I liked the tone so much better. I gota say that it took a little time to make the transition, but now I can't go back to Gibsons.
The Tele may prove to be a similar experience for you Tblews, but it'll be well worth the effort.
Ash is a bit more gibsony. It's brighter tha mahogany, but it has more mids than Ash. Ash has a big bass and treble and it's kinda scooped in the mids. My favorite is Ash/rosewood. You just can't beat the rosewood for rock. It has a bit more Mids I have found than Maple. It fills the mids in an Ash tele wonderfully. For the money, you just Can't beat an MIM Muddy Waters Tele. CTS Pots, Modified CS '63 pups, Ash body, rosewood board, ultra thin poly coating (it ain't nitro, but hey). They're kinda rare, but you can probably order one from Musicians Friend. It's one of Fender's Best guitars, including fit and finish, period. Not quite CS stuff, but as good or better than any of the MIA stuff I've tried. The fretwork is impeccable, too.Originally posted by TBlewz
OK....lests say I'm convinced (thanks for all the excellent input BTW) and am ready to shop. I currently own a Strat w/singles, a p-90 equipt guitar, and a 2-HB one. What features, pickups/pickup combinatios, wood, etc would you recommend. I usually prefer maple fretboards...but 2 of my guitars have rosewood boards (go figger). OH...and how is the 7.5 radius? Seems like it would be really prone to fretting out with low action. Right or wrong?
Help me out Guys! OH....also Brands? Fender? MIA? MIM? MIJ? Copy? Warmoth?
Pros? Cons?
Rick C - Old
BTW...Ill be plugging into this...
That's cool Woody Board !Originally posted by Woody Board
Well said Tonedrip!
I played my Les Paul for 20-some years, even though I had a 66 Strat sitting in the house (which use to suffer from Strat-itis, but no more). One day I made up my mind that I was going to switch to using a Strat as my main axe because I knew I liked the tone so much better. I gota say that it took a little time to make the transition, but now I can't go back to Gibsons.
The Tele may prove to be a similar experience for you Tblews, but it'll be well worth the effort.
I too can't get on with Gibsons, and my #1 guitar is a 66 Strat also. But I feel a void if I don't have a Tele around.
Last edited by Tonedrip; 02-06-2004 at 07:23 PM.
Tonedrip
"The shrink said I'm Tonal retentive".
LOL... My 66 Strat still sits around the house. When I made the switch to using a Strat as #1, I also began dabbling with a Roland synth and found that I was able to add a LOT to the band's sound by using it. Since I didn't want to booger up my 66, I bought a 97 Roadhouse Strat (which eventually got fitted with Bill Lawrence pups) to use as my gigging axe.
I may be doing a trio gig soon, geared for very small venues, and hope to include a Tele in the mix... and I think my Muddy Tele will get the call.
Originally posted by TBlewz
...What features, pickups/pickup combinatios, wood, etc would you recommend. I usually prefer maple fretboards...but 2 of my guitars have rosewood boards (go figger). OH...and how is the 7.5 radius? Seems like it would be really prone to fretting out with low action. ...[/B]
I like maple/ash on Teles, but I also like the mahogany Thinline: it's plenty Tele sounding, with a touch more aireyness.
The HWY 1 Texas ash Tele w maple looks like it could deliver.
I have had no trouble with 7.5 radius guitars.
Maybe the action is a bit higher than you get on a shredder guitar with big frets, but not too much because I tend to like low "power steering" action on most guitars, although with light strings I'll put it a bit higher to eliminate fret buzz because I play hard too much of the time.
I find Tele's to be pretty versatile. They have extra treble if you need crisp tone, but they don't lose all the character when you roll back the volume and tone pots.
I think Leo Fender had ears, and put the neck pickup on his guitars right in a null for most of the high harmonics, so you can get a good Jazz sound, then go all the way the other direction and get twangy rock and country from the steel-guitar-like bridge pu.
You can find anything in between those two extremes (except Strat quack, but the both on pu selection has it's own charm).
I played Tele's pretty exclusively for a couple decades after I discovered them after about ten years of Gibsons. Now I prefer Strats but couldn't tell you why exactly. I think because onstage I can choose the range of brightness more with the switch, and avoid the impedence phasing of pots muddying things.
It's a speed issue I guess. I could do it with a Tele too, but onstage things are happening fast and there's too much goin' on to really focus on knob twiddling too much (for me anyway). I can usually take a stab or two with the 5-way onna Strat and get something happening pretty quick.
Four control Gibson setups give me fits playing out live. Tele's or Strat's work with me under pressure, rather than against me, and I need all the help I can get!
Last edited by Steve; 02-07-2004 at 09:50 AM.
OK guys.....I'm convinced!
I *REALLY* appreciate all your input. I just gotta decide on which version I'll get. Am considering: Muddy Waters, Highway 1 Texas, Thinline (mahogany I think), one of those from Leo's last company, or a cheap copy just to get the feel and see if I can get used to it. Anywas...thanx again and any more ideas will be appreciated. Will keep ya posted on what I end up with and my impressions.
Rick C - Old
tblewz-i have to say youre opening comment grabbed my attention-its how i was thinking for decades-twang and country was how i felt-
and i know about the body-a toilet seat with a neck-just too plain-esepcially compared to a gibson with binding, inlay, etc etc.,
but ive come full circle -theyre simple and workmanlike-utilitarian-minimalist, and offer huge rewards
i am a long time lp guy-still luv em
recently got a really good t and it has a maple capped neck -big and fat-ash body-super light, and nice big single coils
these features are not to be taken lightly-they really give the tele a big full sound-not that thin country thang you may have had in your brain(i did)
a good tele is huge-but still single coil crisp
-i have really taken to mine -it has a 9.5 radius-tried the 7.5 and its indeed different-too much for my hands (i really dont have problems playing different guitars-but the really round board was a different )
i think you might find that a big beefy sounding tele may get you outside the box-its not a gibson and its not a strat-
i have heard the muddy waters offers big bang for the buck too-pay attention to weight and fat stiff neck-apparently these combinations make for great fat tone-just my 2 cents
Steve.....check my other thread! I Did the deed Sat (02-21-04) and picked up a Daphne blue Highway 1 Tele. *REALLY* pumped about it....*LOVE* it so far. Only thing I need to do is go to heavier strings and tweak the setup to my taste. Other than that...its PERFECT (for me)!
Rick C. - Old
Wherever You go...There You Are.
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