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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jul 13, 2020 14:14:38 GMT -7
It's a classic sound, countless great songs are done on a Tele. I have and love Strats, 4 of them. I dig Gibsons too, from Les Pauls to V's to Explorers to 335's. I have an Epi Casino that I love. They all have different feels to them but I love each one for it's individuality.
I've owned three Teles and I just can't get into them. I went looking for one about 20 years ago and tried out at least 15 or 20 of them. Everything from a Squire to a Fender Custom Shop Tele. I couldn't get into any of them and ended up buying a G&L ASAT Classic, American made. I traded an amp and some cash for it, it was a $1500 guitar back around 2000. I had it ten years and I just couldn't ever really love playing it. I ended up giving it to a friend who's only Strat got stolen. He's a pro and needed a good electric, and he dug it so I helped out a brother.
I don't understand why I can't get into a guitar that I WANT to get into. I still want a great Tele but what to do? Maybe I'm just not a Tele guy. Love their sound though and I want it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2020 14:24:31 GMT -7
So what's the issue? Just can't get the sound you want, or is it a feel thing, or what?
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Post by Faze on Jul 13, 2020 14:37:24 GMT -7
Join the Club. Im strat all the way. I would say for me its a feel thing related to the body style of the tele. I like that forearm groove on the strat. Nothing against the sound of a tele thats for sure.
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Post by purpletele on Jul 13, 2020 14:54:49 GMT -7
I love the feel of my Warmoth Tele all the way through.
My problem early on with the Tele was the arm contour, or lack therof, as well as the belly contour.
I always felt that a traditional Tele felt like a Plank. My Warmoth Tele has the cool contours and the guitar is really comfortable. The arm contour seems to be the most significant for me.
I was surprised at how comfortable I have become with my Tele.
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Post by nmz on Jul 13, 2020 15:22:21 GMT -7
Is it the feel or the tone? I picked up mine some time ago and it has that S-1 switching. It gives me a good HB tone when engaged. Helped with fattening things up when the need arose.
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Post by helmi on Jul 13, 2020 15:36:14 GMT -7
I’m with you Dave. the first good guitar I owned was a natural 73 Tele in around 1979. had it for a couple of years but never really bonded with it. In the ensuing years, I’ve owned a epiphone Tele, and a G&L Tele. Couldn’t bond with either enough to keep them. For the last 6-7 years I have wanted a Tele again. I have played hundreds of them over the years but have only ever found 1 I really liked. it was a squire Tele that played like a dream, but I figured after I upgraded the pups, the bridge and saddles, the tuner, pots and switch, it wasn’t worth it. thinking back on it, I probably should have bought it, because I’ll probably never find one that played as well.
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Post by Faze on Jul 13, 2020 15:42:25 GMT -7
I love the feel of my Warmoth Tele all the way through. My problem early on with the Tele was the arm contour, or lack therof, as well as the belly contour. I always felt that a traditional Tele felt like a Plank. My Warmoth Tele has the cool contours and the guitar is really comfortable. The arm contour seems to be the most significant for me. I was surprised at how comfortable I have become with my Tele. Thats what I was trying to say the arm contour is uncomfortable to me.
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Post by doctorice on Jul 13, 2020 15:49:38 GMT -7
I owned two or three Teles. Did not bond with any of them and sold them off. Picked up an inexpensive Squier Classic Vibe Custom and it started to make sense. Always loved the '52 blackguard look and eventually bought a used Nash T-52. Bingo! It's now one of my main guitars.
Part of it may have been my path as a guitar player. As I got more into using the knobs on the guitar, the Tele's magic revealed itself.
The Nash is quite light, and the plank shape has never troubled me ergonomically.
YMMV.
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Post by lowbudget on Jul 13, 2020 16:07:39 GMT -7
I owned two or three Teles. Did not bond with any of them and sold them off. Picked up an inexpensive Squier Classic Vibe Custom and it started to make sense. Always loved the '52 blackguard look and eventually bought a used Nash T-52. Bingo! It's now one of my main guitars. Part of it may have been my path as a guitar player. As I got more into using the knobs on the guitar, the Tele's magic revealed itself. The Nash is quite light, and the plank shape has never troubled me ergonomically. YMMV. I was gonna say, if you can’t bond with a Tele try a Nash. There’s just something about them. The sound is terrific and they just feel right. Like an old friend. One of my E types is 6 pounds 8 ounces and my new 69 Thinline is 5 pounds 13 ounces. And they sound exactly like they’re supposed to.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2020 16:12:18 GMT -7
My first electric was a Tele, a stunningly heavy mid-70s natural finish job that had a twang you could hear in the next county. I currently own 3, and have dealt off two or three others over the years. The current crowd are a CS '69 Thinline with humbuckers (Lollar Imperial in the neck, Li'l '59 in the bridge), which weighs a shade under 6 lbs and took a fair amount of fiddling to get it where I wanted it; a CS '68 pank paisley, which I swapped out the pickups and saddles on but is otherwise stock, and a gold Nash T-2HB, which was perfect the day it arrived, and gets the most playing time of the three. All great guitars, all here for the duration, most likely. What I really like about Teles is the simplicity, and also the flexibility of the design--they can really be tailored to suit just about any pickup configuration you can think of, and guitar makers like Charvel, Suhr and others have done some pretty forward-thinking stuff with the basic, awesomely retro body shape. If I was in the market for another one--and I'm not saying I am--I'd get one with a b-bender of some sort--I'd like to learn how to wangle one of those critters.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jul 13, 2020 16:29:00 GMT -7
I've always wanted to try a Thinline. Never have gotten to, I like their looks and sound. I'm not really a country style guy, more blues and classic rock is where I come from. I dig the tone of regular Teles too. They sure worked for Pagey and Beck back in the 60's!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2020 16:37:31 GMT -7
I've always wanted to try a Thinline. Never have gotten to, I like their looks and sound. I'm not really a country style guy, more blues and classic rock is where I come from. Yeah, I'm more in the blues/rock camp myself, though I definitely appreciate what the chicken-pickers can do. One thing I've figured out about Teles for my playing style is that pickups and settings are super important--I like a bridge pickup that's not too spiky at the top, so I gravitate toward Lollars--usually the Special, which is more rounded and Strat-like than a typical, super twangy Tele bridge pickup (Bill Nash uses a set that's basically a Lollar special in the bridge, and a Lollar Vintage in the neck). Also, I usually roll the tone off about 1/4-1/3 when I'm on the bridge pickup, since I'm usually running some gain, and it just sounds a little warmer and fatter than if I had it turned all the way up. It's really simple and obvious, but it made a big difference for me in my relationship to the whole Tele vibe.
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Post by digs57 on Jul 14, 2020 7:49:12 GMT -7
Like picking up a hammer...
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Post by Faze on Jul 14, 2020 8:47:23 GMT -7
I think another reason for me is all my favorite guitar players played strats. So maybe it’s physiological thing after all. It’s been embedded in my mind.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jul 14, 2020 9:49:25 GMT -7
I think another reason for me is all my favorite guitar players played strats. So maybe it’s physiological thing after all. It’s been embedded in my mind. Me too, but that hasn't kept me away from Gibbys!
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Post by Andy 67 on Jul 14, 2020 11:34:39 GMT -7
I've always been a 'Gibson Type of Guy' (and still am), but I really wanted a good Tele (never bonded with Strats, though I used to play one for a long time long ago). I'm lucky enough to have a great local store where I can try guitars without any problems. After trying lots of Teles (CS, Am. Standard, AVRI,...), I finally got a CS 52 with a humbucker in the neck, a real 'Micawber type', swamp ash and maple fretboard, no cap, brass saddles, a real twanger (and veeeeery light). I'm in love with it since then. I wanted to get an Esquire, really like the simplicity of it. A luthier friend of mine built me a ' 65 Tom Petty inspired' Esquire: Alder body, thin neck with a rosewood fretboard, Lindy Fralin Blues Special pickup and compensated steel saddles. It has become my second go-to guitar after my ES 335 Rich Robinson. I'm a very lucky guy having the chance to play them through a Wreck. Tons of tone!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2020 4:58:59 GMT -7
I don't know what you're talking about...I've played a tele since day one...almost 35 years. HAHA! I wouldn't have anything to do with other guitars until last year. I had the opportunity to buy a Strat for a hell of a deal. I play it each and every gig, at home and whenever I can...I still feel I am getting used to it. I love the tones I can get with it but it will never be my desert island guitar...only a Telecaster will do in that situation.
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Post by sharkboy on Jul 15, 2020 6:27:16 GMT -7
I always felt the same way. Lots of players sound great on them, but I’ve never gotten the same playing response joy from them that I got from a Ric or another semi hollow or even a Stratocaster until I chatted up a guitarist in a 3-piece band I heard several years ago.
He got a great tone with a _Squier_ tele and just a couple of pedals into a Clubman clone. Lots of classic rock tunes with authentic tone.
He said, basically, it’s like a Les Paul. You have to turn it up and get used to how it works and react more to how it plays. That was a lightbulb moment for me.
Because I rarely play loud, this strategy hasn’t been without challenges, but I can get a good sound out now. The truth is, I definitely prefer the tones and playability of several other guitars, but with an attenuator and a little bit of work, that tele has a fairly wide range of tones and expression.
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Post by Seńor Verde on Jul 15, 2020 15:17:02 GMT -7
I'm a Gibson/PRS-type guy and really had trouble with Teles. Had a few and they sound great, just awkward to play. A few years ago I ordered everything for a Warmoth tele that is as good as it gets for me, Tele-wise. I don't play it often, but I do enjoy it when I do. Maybe something like that is the ticket. Pick your neck profile, frets, bridge, whether or not you want arm or tummy cut... Plus it's a really fun project.
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Post by GuitarZ on Jul 15, 2020 15:47:21 GMT -7
I basically only had one guitar, my Gold Top P90 Les Paul, from age 15 to 40. At 40, I decided I really wanted a Tele. And, not just any Tele, but the American Deluxe model. I stopped in at a friend's shop. He said he had to pull it from the warehouse. In the meantime, I plugged in a Strat and was immediately like "Wow! That's the sound!" I checked out that Tele and probably a few others and never went "Wow". I ended up buying a Strat. I'd say it's whatever works for you. I hear other folks playing Teles with rock, blues, and country and love the sound. I'm okay not being a Tele dude. I'll listen.
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Post by kenjazz on Jul 16, 2020 18:46:23 GMT -7
My guitar history has been as follows: hagstrom 1 gibson les paul gibson Barney kessel Gibson L5 Ces gibson es 335 Guild Acoustic super weight heavy Strat Suhr pro series strat Parts Stratocaster carvin Hf2 fatboy Takamine acoustic
My favorite guitar which I currently use is my Tom Anderson Classic T. It’s like best sounding and versatile guitar I have owned. It did take me a little time to bond with it, however it is an amazing guitar for all the styles I play...jazz, funk, pop, country. I pair it with my favorite amp ...Dr Z cure.
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Post by detuned on Jul 17, 2020 6:08:44 GMT -7
I'm with you. The best "tele" I ever owned was/is a G&L ASAT Classic. It's the only one I've ever picked up and went "whoa!". And that was really for the way it played, I've never loved the sound plugged in. That said, I used it as my main guitar for a year or so, then switched back to my strats. Just a better fit for me.
Strats have a great neck pickup, and I love those 2 and 4 positions - plus I can use the vibrato arm for added texture. You *can* do that by bending the neck on the tele, but its not quite the same.
Different strokes...
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Post by Patrick B on Jul 17, 2020 6:12:30 GMT -7
I have no desire to play or own a Telecaster because I feel they are ugly, uncomfortable to play and sound thin and weak all when compared to a Stratocaster.
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Post by Russell B on Jul 17, 2020 11:58:37 GMT -7
Eh!!!
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Post by LT on Jul 18, 2020 12:48:51 GMT -7
I'm with you Dave. I have a late-80's Am Std, but in reality I primarily bought it as a match to my same year Strat (both in the fairly rare Gun Metal Blue). I also had a G&L ASAT Classic and it was a fabulous guitar, but I found it in the closet one day with 3 yr old strings on it, telling me I just wasn't playing it. I also just sold a Squire Classic Vibe Thinline that was pretty fun, but it needed constant truss rod adjustment. Here's my matching pair:
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Post by Don A on Jul 18, 2020 13:32:14 GMT -7
I didn't like Teles at all. I even built a great sounding and playing USACG T-Style (actually, more of a Broadcaster/nocaster) with Fralin pickups and great hardware about 17 years ago. I was considering routing it for humbuckers. Then a friend built me a 5E3 tweed Deluxe clone. That amp gave me the fat and lightly dirty sound that I wanted from a Tele. That was over 10 years ago. Since then, that Tele has become my favorite guitar with every amp!
I love that a Tele bridge pickup is fatter and louder than a Strat bridge pickup and that the neck pickup is warmer and smoother than a Strat. Plus the bell like tone of the two pickups combined is pretty great! I find more versatility in a Tele then in a Strat (though I love Strats).
With a Princeton Reverb clone that I built from a Mojotone kit-
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Post by arafel on Jul 20, 2020 2:16:38 GMT -7
I have no desire to play or own a Telecaster because I feel they are ugly, uncomfortable to play and sound thin and weak all when compared to a Stratocaster. Led Zeppelin I and the solo for Stairway to Heaven were recorded on a Tele. I don't think you can say that a Tele sounds thin and weak compared to a Strat. The rest is personal preference
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Post by Patrick B on Jul 20, 2020 5:51:16 GMT -7
I have no desire to play or own a Telecaster because I feel they are ugly, uncomfortable to play and sound thin and weak all when compared to a Stratocaster. Led Zeppelin I and the solo for Stairway to Heaven were recorded on a Tele. I don't think you can say that a Tele sounds thin and weak compared to a Strat. The rest is personal preference It's ALL preference and opinion so I certainly can say that. People have made great music on Tele's. Some of my favorite players play them. I'm just saying I'd like it even better if it was a Strat. It's even more than that I'm sure. Strats seem cool to me. Tele's do not. When I see a Strat I think of Jimi Hendrix. When I see Tele I think of Bruce Springsteen.
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Post by arafel on Jul 20, 2020 20:52:14 GMT -7
Led Zeppelin I and the solo for Stairway to Heaven were recorded on a Tele. I don't think you can say that a Tele sounds thin and weak compared to a Strat. The rest is personal preference It's ALL preference and opinion so I certainly can say that. People have made great music on Tele's. Some of my favorite players play them. I'm just saying I'd like it even better if it was a Strat. It's even more than that I'm sure. Strats seem cool to me. Tele's do not. When I see a Strat I think of Jimi Hendrix. When I see Tele I think of Bruce Springsteen. Famous tele players: Jimmy Page Eric Clapton Jeff Beck Mike Campbell Albert Collins Bill Frisell Michael Houser Brad Paisley Keith Richards Joe Strummer Andy Summers I have no problem with you caling a Tele ugly. That's asthetics. But thin and weak is in no ways accurate. Teles are great because you can't hide when you play them. Listen to Bill Frisell's solo Hard Rain's Gonna Fall right here. It's magic
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Post by Patrick B on Jul 21, 2020 6:24:13 GMT -7
It's ALL preference and opinion so I certainly can say that. People have made great music on Tele's. Some of my favorite players play them. I'm just saying I'd like it even better if it was a Strat. It's even more than that I'm sure. Strats seem cool to me. Tele's do not. When I see a Strat I think of Jimi Hendrix. When I see Tele I think of Bruce Springsteen. Famous tele players: Jimmy Page Eric Clapton Jeff Beck Mike Campbell Albert Collins Bill Frisell Michael Houser Brad Paisley Keith Richards Joe Strummer Andy Summers I have no problem with you caling a Tele ugly. That's asthetics. But thin and weak is in no ways accurate. Teles are great because you can't hide when you play them. Listen to Bill Frisell's solo Hard Rain's Gonna Fall right here. It's magic Please allow me have and express my opinion. I'm not trying to convince anybody.
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