Teles. That's it.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Ron Vogel

I'll never sell mine...(the stand I made to do work on the guitars)

Block saddles? No lip on the bridge? And that bridge pickup?

Sorry, but thats not a Telecaster.

[Macky]

I was contemplating putting EMG T pick ups in my partscaster a while ago.
Went off the idea.
Here are two files i got when i was looking into it. The guy demos the EMG T and then his American Strat with a set of Van Zandt as a comparison.
Anyone using EMG T on their Tele ?

http://soundcloud.com/jjsilver/emg-t-demo

http://soundcloud.com/jjsilver/strat-vz

[Melgueil]

Gheez, I happened to be tracking last night. Picked up my Strat ....ran back to my Tele. Yes...my crappy little Road Worn Tele feels like home. Either I picked up an exceptional instrument (sometimes we get lucky off the shelf - lot of us have seen that) or Fender just nailed that series. Road Worn Tele way, way underrated if I may say so. Yes, Tele, that's it...

Cdlt

[Lenzo]

If you're any kind of guitar player you need one of every kind of guitar made. End of story. Love tele's...love pauls...love lap steels..love the $90 junk from Taiwan with 5 pounds of inlays on it.
L.

[Ron Vogel]

Originally Posted by Todd

Block saddles? No lip on the bridge? And that bridge pickup?

Sorry, but thats not a Telecaster.

don't harsh my mellow man....


It did have several P/U and bridge configs since I bought it...this one stuck

The bridge pup looks like a hot rails...it's def not; the hot rails sounded baddddd in there. I also had the lil '59 in there too. I honestly can't remember the pups model #, but it hasn't been made for awhile. I did try several single coils, but at the time I was gigging heavy, and the band I was in forced me to use a variety of processing that introduced a lot of noise out of the single coils. It's a bit hotter than stock, but cleans up nice with a roll off of the volume. I also have a HUGE selection of vintage caps (like in the hundreds), I ended up using a '58 Good-All based on sound; not value. I have black-beauties, bumblebee's, orange drop's, original fender's, mica molds, etc to choose from...nice to have options

[RedTuxedo]

I have my Copper 51 re-issue. Please tell me if I'm wrong.

It weighs as much as a Les Paul.

The neck is like butter.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by WB1984

I am starting to believe that I will never play another type of electric guitar. I used to think I needed my Les Paul, too. Now I'm thinking....no.

Anyone else feel this way?

No.

But I am starting to think that maybe I only need a Les Paul & a Telecaster, rather than those plus a half dozen other guitars.

[ivansc]

I have a partscaster and a G&L ASAT. The original sort with BIG pickups.

Love both of them for different things, but I still would never be without at least one of my strats.

And I have never really cottoned onto that squarish D shaped neck on everything but the real early Teles....

So I guess my favorite tele would have a strat triangular profile neck. Which it has! (grin)

[Jim Williams]

Originally Posted by doorknocker

There is no 'Tonebender' sound because there are so many variations. I owned several 'reissues' which were wildly different frpom each other. Currently I have a D.A.M Sola Sound Tone Bender MK II which is great but even then a MK I (or 1.5....) is very different again.

But the MK II has a very interesting character that sets it apart from many other fuzzes: Less gain, a 'rolled off' hi-end and generally a very thick sound that can bring a Tele in Les Paul territory if you so desire. I think that the Tele's tonal emphasis of fundamentals and the 'sturdiness' of the design makes this possible whereas a Strat always will be more bell-like and 'phasier' sound if you will no matter what you put it through. YMMV.

It's common knowledge that Page used the Mk1 Tonebender, the silicon version. It's a harder sound than the Mk2. I built my own Mk2 here using original AC128 germanium transistors and 1N270 germanium diodes. It's a classic 60's fuzz sound, sort of like a controlled Fuzz Face. The tone control has more effect than any other of the collection of vintage fuzz tones I built, it cuts tops to the left and boosts lows, cuts the low end and boosts tops to the right, all the way to frizzyland. It's a pretty brite fuzz if you set the tone pot 1/2 way or more up. If I turn my Tele way down and switch it I/O, I don't hear any top end roll-offs like some other fuzz tones do.

[Jim Williams]

Some confessions from a certified Teleholic.

I've played them since the 1960's. I was a Strat man for many years, but kicked the habit when I figured out how to make the Teles cover that sound.

I have several here. There is an alder body sunburst Custom with binding, a mahogany thinline, an ash Muddy Waters "arteest" model, a custom made birdseye maple 12 string, a figured ash body/mahogany glued in neck Jim Akins model with P-90 pickups and my prized solid Rosewood "Let it Be" Telecaster.

They are all active, no maple fingerboards here. The 12 string weighs a ton and rings forever, it has an original Fender 1969 "Shennadoah" 12 string neck fitted to a 150 year old dense birdseye maple body with all brass hardware. The pickups were custom wound in 1979 for me by Seymour Duncan at 2k ohms per coil, that set resonant peak to 32k hz for a nice acoustic top end. It has a preamp with a bass and a mini treble control fitted between the original volume/tone pots.

The P-90 loaded Gibson styled Akins model has the classic Les Paul Special tone. The preamp circuits have a 3 band EQ, treble, middle, bass and volume.

The rest are standard tele bridge pickups, some staggered, some flat. All spec at about 6.5k~6.8k ohms, where I want it. All of them have that copper plated steel pickup mounting plate underneath removed. That removes a source of feedback and I don't need the resonance changes it does with my active preamps, the guitars are brite enough. All of the cavities are shielded with copper tape. The string ground is connected through a .022 uf cap to prevent live stage shocks. The pickups are mounted with 6/32 locking nuts under the pickup and I use surgical latex rubber hose instead of springs. That removes another source of feedback and shock mounts the pickups. The bridges are glued down with silicon glue to prevent feedback/ringing. The pickups are wired with shielded cable, no buzz here.

The neck pickups all have their metal covers removed. Those filter out all of the top end from the pickup so it's a useless pile of mush. I'm suprised none of you do that. Most Tele neck pickups are overwound at 7.2k ohms. That makes them too dull for me and the bridge pickup match is off. I use Tele neck pickups wound to 5.5k ohms or so. That get's me the classic 1965 Strat neck pickup sound, IF the cover is removed. I wrap them in black tape if they are not already wrapped and then run a layer of copper tape around them. That is grounded to control buzzing. I also use the latex hose to shock mount them.

The preamps are a design with a clean boost and a hum canceling circuit. It uses a dummy coil made from a jap strat plastic pickup bobbin with the magnets and pole pieces removed. It's soaked in wax, wrapped in copper foil tape and screwed down with latex hose to shock mount it. It's fed to the preamp and is filtered and phase reversed, then mixed in with the two Tele pickups to cancel out the hum. There is a trim pot to center the hum null. It gets up to a -80 dbu S/N ratio with that design, pretty much silent with that classic Tele sound.

The output is high, about 10 db of clean gain is used. The output impedance is very low, it will drive a mile of cable and drives headphones well for silent practice. There is no buzz and if you take your hands off the strings, it's quiet.

I like the hot levels, it drives amps hard and thick. I play loud and feedback is my thing, that's why all that shock mount stuff, wax dipping, plate removal, etc. I use Hendrix like feedback in my playing so that's why I used Strats back in the day. My Tele's do that thing well now, very stable, no hum, no squeals, even in front of my 120 watt Basson Sound stack. Tele tone, strat control, best of both worlds.

My Tele's go to "11".

[vintagelove]

does this count....... she is my first tele

[Oldone]

Originally Posted by vintagelove

does this count....... she is my first tele

Yes that counts but the picture is backwards (sic).

[Jules]

Originally Posted by Melgueil

Funny thread. Been playing 36 years now. I've had more guitars than I can count - all kinds. Always "sort of" wanted but never had a tele. You know - friends had them and such. Well - I just bought a Fender "Road Worn" Tele as a sort of knock around the house while watching TV guitar. Guess what ? It's...where you been all these years ? I am in love with this thing - I am a long time lover of strats - love this Tele. I am a bassist by trade - only have a strat and tele - and - in keeping with the thread - I may sell the Strat. Indeed this damn Tele may just be all I need ! Long time hold out and Telecaster convert here.
Cdlt

Just go one today! V excited me and a Tele enthusiast chum tried about 10 different guitars in and around $500 upwards of the Road Worn and a 2006 Mexican model with a thinner neck came close but the Road Worn beat em all.

5 strings - open G.

Great!

Can't wait to play it in

May put in a hotter neck pick up

It's blond and I have ordered a black scratch guard.

[Dervish Riff]

I've had six Teles over the years, starting with a slab board '60--along with a '65 Strat and a National steel body, I had Rory's sound covered. Over the years, Teles came and went but Strats are always my main guitar.

Now my Tele is a Kimaxe copy I got for $60.00--pretty good quality, and the neck is more like a Strat. Eventually I'll change the pups.[IMG]IMG_0013.JPG[/IMG]

[Dervish Riff]

I've had six Teles over the years, starting with a slab board '60--along with a '65 Strat and a National steel body, I had Rory's sound covered. Over the years, Teles came and went but Strats are always my main guitar.

Now my Tele is a Kimaxe copy I got for $60.00--pretty good quality, and the neck is more like a Strat. Eventually I'll change the pups.[IMG]IMG_0013.JPG[/IMG]

[pinkheadedbug]

I've got a bunch of guitars but the MIM Tele with the Bigsby I put on it is currently the one I pick up. The Bigsby has quite an effect on the sustain, in a good way.

[RobFlemingMusic]

Lifeson's go-to guitar in the studio on Rush's past few records has been his sacred Tele.

[Blast9]

Yes indeed! I know he has used it here and there since Grace Under Pressure

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by Blast9

Yes indeed! I know he has used it here and there since Grace Under Pressure

Earlier even! A Tele shows up on Signals at least once ('New World Man')... and I've heard but can't verify that the guitar on 'Vital Signs' from Moving Pictures may also be a Tele...