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Tele experts and jazzers - I need your advice


Zetor

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Hey guys & girls, I apologize for the essay, but here goes:

 

I am hoping to save up enough money during the next year to buy my first "nice" or "real" guitar. Originally I considered buying a Yamaha SA2200, but I fell in love with Telecasters during a jaunt in guitar shops. An American Standard Tele really impressed me, so I tallied up my options:

 

American Standard, American Deluxe or Vintage Hot Rod

 

The

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Teles are very often mentionned as excellent jazz guitars and indeed used by many great jazzers. They seem to be good for everything, in fact. :)

 

I can't help you as I don't know the subtle differences between those teles. Good luck! and Happy new year! :thu:

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If you already tried and liked the AMS why not go with that? I have one and think it does a very nice jazz sound.

 

I like the Idea of the VHR - you mentioned Bickert and like Keef and Summers he used a humbucker in the neck position which might be easier to approach with the mini hb than a straight singlecoil. OTOH the AMS are routed for humbuckers in the neck position so you could always mod.

 

I have no idea about the deluxe

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Cheers, your posts about the SA2200 were one of the main reasons I got interested about it in the first place. I admit that my GAS for the Yammy has been replaced with a desire for Teles, but you never know, especially as a salesman at a local store mentioned they might be getting an SA during 2010...

 

Happy new year!

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If your looking for Tele-tone then check this out about the Tele bridge plate material....http://www.tdpri.com/resources/tele-bridge-base-plate-materials/

 

 

I thought my Blackout Tele sounded very cool in it's stock form but the bridge pup seemed "off". I found out that it lacked a bottom pickup plate. Switched it out for one with a plate and was like....."hey now...there it is".

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Cheers, your posts about the SA2200 were one of the main reasons I got interested about it in the first place. I admit that my GAS for the Yammy has been replaced with a desire for Teles, but you never know, especially as a salesman at a local store mentioned they might be getting an SA during 2010...


Happy new year!

 

:thu:

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I am kind of in an interesting spot as I have both a SA2200 and a 60th anniversary MIA Tele. I will never get rid of either one. Both do great jazz type sounds and are both extremely versatile guitars. I do have a lil'59 in the bridge of the tele as a standard single coil there did not really interest me. The SA2200 is the "better" guitar but I play the tele much more. The tele is just a workhorse that I can play on the couch leave out and don't worry about it too much(a 3 and a 6 year old). The SA2200 is just beatiful and in my opinion the better option. How about a HWY 1 tele? Saves you some money and then you can start saving for the Yamaha.

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Hey guys & girls, I apologize for the essay, but here goes:

 

I am hoping to save up enough money during the next year to buy my first "nice" or "real" guitar. Originally I considered buying a Yamaha SA2200, but I fell in love with Telecasters during a jaunt in guitar shops. An American Standard Tele really impressed me, so I tallied up my options:

 

American Standard, American Deluxe or Vintage Hot Rod

 

The

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The only regularly gigging jazz guitarist I know plays a Thinline Tele with standard pickups. I knew this is what he played for a couple years and one day we were talking about his history. He's a smaller guy and said he was never comfortable with anything larger than a 335 and that he wasn't really very comfortable with that either. For a number of years (20-ish) he played a solid body Tele with either an HB or a mini-HB (I forget which) and always played on the neck pickup but for the last 15 years or so, he'd been playing with the standard setup, either on the neck pickup for the mellowest tones or on both pickups but he said for Jazz he preferred the tone of the neck HB for 'his tone' but liked the versatility that his current guitar gave him.

 

He always sounds pretty great to me. It's a different kind of tone from a big hollow body.

 

I don't play much jazz and when I did (quasi Jazz in Jazz band in high school) I played a Jackson Soloist so I have very little to contribute of first hand information other than to say that I personally prefer a big hollow body tone, but I also feel that you can cop very decent Jazz tone with almost any decent guitar with a nice neck position pickup.

 

And for what it's worth, I think I'd go for the Hot Rod if it were me or something similar with a neck HB.

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My teacher plays an Ibanez George Benson model and gets gorgeous tones out of it. This clip of the late, great Ed Bickert is a good demonstration of the kind of tone I am aiming for. Of course, I lack his skill, touch and fingers, but that

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I have a American Standard Deluxe in Butterscotch Blonde. I have had many guitars but not one that moves me like this one. The SCN pups and the S-1 switching are very nice. Its screams when driven and shimmers so beautiful on clean. It is the perfect git for me. If one thinks a Tele is only good for country and jazz then check this vid>>

Everything about Teles, for me, the balance and feel of the neck is perfect. The are inspiring gits.

 

On a side note I just ordered a black and white Zoot, I figure I should have both ends of the sonic spectrum covered now.

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