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So - talk to me about Telecasters


Tat2bluez

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I've been playing guitar for a little over a year (an acoustic - Taylor 310ce); have released a CD with my group (3 piece acoustic) and have been writing like crazy. My most recent song is the first dipping my toe into the electric arena (patched the Taylor through some Line 6 software to dirty it up and loved the result - http://soundcloud.com/lauracollins/red-dirt-highway if you want to hear...).

 

So - now that I've sipped the Kool-aid, I'm thinking about doing this for real. I've always been in love with Telecasters and don't know much about the differences between them. - Plus it would be a bonus to suggest an amp that would give me help as I want to write more dirty/bluesy/rockabilly-ish tunes.

 

Thanks, as always~

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IMO it's pretty tough to go wrong with any Telecaster, but if you are wanting a great bang for your buck you might want to see if you can find a Squier Classic Vibe tele. They aren't a ton of money and play really nice.

 

Even the lower end Squier Affinity Tele gets some love if you play it first. A number of people have had great luck with them, especially after a pickup replacement (a preference, not necessity).

 

Those are the only real thoughts I can offer on teles as I haven't tried many more than that.

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I concur. CV Teles are very good inexpensive guitars that lend themselves particularly well to upgrading/modding as time/resources permit. They play/sound great stock though.

Of course, if thats not your objective you could go straight to something higher-end outta the box, like say a Fender Baja tele which has its own diehard following.

for an amp i would suggest any blackface fender you can afford (dont get me wrong, I LOVE tweed!), or a modeler with a good blackface model. I'm partial to the roland COSM offerings and the fender DRRI or Princeton RI amps.

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After 30 years of playing, I'm realizing that Teles are the only guitars I need. I agree with the CV Teles. You might also look for a used MIM Tele. If you want to go with a semi hollow, look at the Thinlines. They are awesome.

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Go play a bunch - you'll figure out what you like pretty quickly. I found I like the traditional 3-saddle bridge and vintage type pickups, but don't like the small frets and highly curved fretboards that most of the reissue guitars have. I ended up custom ordering from a smaller builder (K-Line)

 

Teles are known for the twang and bark from the bridge pickup, but they can get some very smooth jazzy tones from the neck position. The guy who built mine recommended the alder body/rosewood fingerboard combination if you're looking for more of a rock and blues Tele than a straight up chicken picking' machine. As a general observation, I've found upper fret access isn't as good as that of a Strat, so a Tele probably wouldn't be my first choice for lots of higher register lead work.

 

They're simple guitars, but quality is quality and simple or not, high end fretwork, finish, and parts don't always come cheap. That said, a top notch Tele is definitely a less expensive instrument that a top notch Les Paul or ES-335.

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My 2 cents.

 

Go light weight. Go alder. If you want to drop some bigger bucks for some premium woods (well over $1K) then and only then consider ash.

 

A good Tele has some significant depth to its tone. And that's easier to get with alder. With some of the cheapies, pine is not a bad idea to get a more classic tele tone without the bigger investment. (Not talking the 100 year-old pine bodies here ;))

 

I think a good alder body is a more versatile tone, and a very good ash body is the more classic Tele tone.

 

For an amp, go with a Fender Bassman, Super Reverb, or a Peavey Delta Blues, 15 or Classic 50 410. Something with some "thunk".

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They're bulky and uncomfortable as they have no tummy cut or forearm cut.

 

 

Compared to a Taylor 310ce, they're slim and comfortable and have nice rounded edges.

OPs experience is far more relevant than your prejudices.

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Ash vs Alder

Maple vs Rosewood neck

Butterscotch vs Bound Sunburst/etc.

Alnico II vs III vs HB

Vintage tuners vs modern

Vintage bridge vs modern

Normal body vs Thinline

...

 

My choice: 90s American Thinline

Natural bound, maple neck, tortoise pickguard, modern hardware and custom modified neck pu (SD Seth Lover), hotter bridge pu (Harmonic Design)

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'52 RI Telecaster

Vox AC15


You will not be unhappy with this combo.

 

I bet you're right. I'm probably going to want to keep the guitar purchase under $900 my first time out, though... I do love the '52 RI~

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The great thing about a Telecaster is that it always sounds like a good Telecaster. Even a Squier CV Tele is a good guitar because it's what a Tele is supposed to be: A plank of wood with strings on it and 2 pickups. My favourite one is the Baja Tele though because it offers you great sounds combined with a modern S-1 switching and the soft-v-neck for a decent price. :thu:

 

 

 

 

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Yup, can't go wrong with a good tele.

 

My personal taste: '52 AVR, only with a slimmer neck. So basicly a baja tele, which I haven't tried yet.

 

Totally digging my mim '60s telecaster though, snappy biting tone, super smooth slim'ish necks...For a very very reasonable price impo. A PU upgrade wouldn't hurt I suppose, but the stock ones are far from junk impo.

 

I honestly prefer it to my old '74 tele deluxe, which was as heavy as a boat anchor, and well...just not very telecaster-y.

 

You probably want to steer clear from the MIM HB equiped teles if you're after a 'true' telecaster. Those so-called wide range humbuckers aren't exactly true the orignals, and the frets on the '72 I tried are just waaaay too tiny. Just mpo though.

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Be forewarned.

A Tele with a Vox AC 15 or a Deluxe Reverb will sound very sweet and good.

But once you plug in to a Super, or a Bassman, or a Twin , or Showman, ,,, you're gonna want that.

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