macken_nz

Wow Bill Nelson.. Guessing it's not the former astronaut/politician lol Just found out about him and watched a recent youtube video. Nice stuff!

yes so many great players.. so much excitement for a common instrument.. it's a shame contemporary music doesn't have the same strive for technical ability.. it's not a must for great songwriting but it sure can add something.

I like his arrogant quote from the 'Who Do We Think We Are' sleeve.. "I think I can wipe the floor up with most guitarists" - 1971

Why do I never tire of his playing?.. Such an inspiration who's value never wanes. 1970-74 producing six albums of quality and legendary playing.. Tone was perfect through those big Marshall Majors and his Ash Strats wielded with such authority. 'Maybe i'm a Leo' to 'You Fool No One' their several line up changes really gave their audience exciting developments in styles and mood. Oh and he looked so damn cool and was such a joy to watch perform.. Gushing I know but I think he deserves the praise. Thanks Ritchie!

I used to own the Squier Tom Delonge Strat.. A single bridge humbucker model with a hardtail bridge. It didn't really sound like a Strat OR a Tele.. Somewhere in between i think.. definitely a good tone.. but again not like a Tele. I think that tele style bridge is the real factor.. Also I've noticed the thinner ashtray bridge plates seem to have a more traditional tone than the thicker more recent models. The barrel saddles I think add something too.

No not traditional at all.. Sadly this example from 2011 doesn't have the CuNiFe magnets that made the original 70's pups unique. The test I performed though was an acoustic one and just wanted to determine what was going on with the hardware attributing to the tone. When I play the G string on both instruments the traditional bridge has all the bitey charachter and the standard bridge is more neutral.. definitely doesn't have the twang but sounds nice all the same. The steel saddles are more trebly I reckon.. I heard a tone comparison between the brass and steel and a couple of other materials I forget right now.. but the effect was surprisingly pretty pronounced. The brass was nice and maybe more traditional sounding next to the bitier steel saddles.. I sometimes think of swapping them out but I'm cautious of changing such a great tone.. Maybe one day though. Cheers for your input!

One last point to make is I have two 70's tele's, a custom and deluxe, Both Alder bodied and maple neck/boards. The custom has a traditional ashtray bridge plate and 3 steel barrel saddles where as the deluxe has a standard 6 saddle bridge. When comparing the sounds unplugged you can hear the traditional tele tone of the custom easily where as the deluxe doesn't sound the same. Given the materials and construction of these two guitars are identical except for the bridge, the thin ashtray plate dramatically changes the tone of a tele.. I'd go so far to say it is perhaps the defining quality of the instrument. It's tough to determine this stuff without having the luxury of comparing two almost identical instruments. I feel in this case i can make the distinction here about the contribution these two different pieces of hardware make towards altering the tone. Thanks for your banter guys.. didn't get my head bitten off once! phillip philington - YouTube

There's a debate whether a tele is a tele without the large bridge plate & bridge pup.. I own a tele deluxe and it does have something in common with a standard tele but it's really something else due to the conventional bridge plate and bridge humbucker. The purist in me is cautious to label anything but the original designs a Tele or Strat.. As soon as you alter a component it retracts from the standard sound, sometimes dramatically in the tele's case, especially when you take away the bridge and pup.. In my opinion you simply can't get THAT tone without those two components.

Glad to hear the place has improved on the head biting Like any subject people are passionate about, you can get worked up pretty easy if you disagree with something.. Then put anonymity behind a screen in the mix and you have a volatile situation. Yeah that big slab plate must transfer the vibration in a unique way compared to other type bridges. I reckon that and the 3 bridge saddles have alot to do with the tone. You can hear a tele's tone unplugged so the hardware must contribute significantly I reckon. The pickup will add it's thing to that and then boom you have an iconic instrument. So humbling to think all these classic designs emerged from one decade.

Back in 2006 I bought my 1st Tele.. I asked how the bridge pickup is any different than a strat bridge.. The two replys I remember were irritated at best. I think one was that I didn't space my paragraphs well & the other was a frustrated "Look it just is alright!?" A few temperamental attitudes that left a ill feeling. Anyhow, it's 2021 baby and have two teles now! look mum i'm flying!

Yeah good point.. I think you are right.. That vibration is going right through the springs.. definitely part of the magic. Never thought of dampening them with foam but know it's a thing to reduce unwanted noise issues. Anyway I truly believe there are alot of factors at play to end up with the iconic strat tone.. It's just not one I hear thrown around much. Cheers for your input man

Not many people refer to the idea that a strat's sounds is in part due to the large cavity route underneath the guitar. I feel you can hear a hollowness to the sound unplugged that transfers to the amplified sound.I used to have a hardtail strat and although it sounded strat like it simply didn't have that airy and mid scooped tone that a traditional strat has. I'd go so far to say it may even be the determining factor of the tone.In the same way a Tele's large area bridge will determine a large part of the tele sound. I play these two fender guitars unplugged and you can hear the instruments differences distinctly even with the same woods used for each.The area and density of wood where the string resonance hits the body is an often unmentioned factor next to wood types and electronics and feel it doesn't get the attention it deserves. If anyone has played a hardtail Strat next to a Vibrato fitted one would have to admit the one with the vibrato has a classic sound where the hardtail has more in common with a tele. When you break down the factors/components in the tones it seems obvious where a large part of the sound is coming from.When you strum a tele unplugged next to a strat you can tell the tele right away.. If it's done with two guitars with the same woods the only factor that could possibly be at play here is the bridge design no?..Anyways 1st post.. please don't bite my head off.. just some musings i've gathered over the years.Gooo Fender! phillip philington - YouTube