You cant hide slop in your playing when you play a......? (any truth) [Archive]

Rock Fella

08-02-2006, 03:09 PM

.....when you play a Telecaster .

I played a USA Fender 52RI Telecaster and it was one of the finest gtrs I ever lifted , you could do strat on it or you could drive it into rich sustaining lead tones Not a thing on it you dont need and everything you do.

Ive read so often if your technique aint up to scratch, a tele will cruelly reveal you and if your playing is on fire, a tele will merely sound sublime in your hands.

I played a custom shop Gatton tele and the 52RI, tell you the truth, I prefered the 52 RI !!

Anybody able to tell the board how they found the 52RI.........?

Jimmy

Tone_Terrific

08-02-2006, 04:25 PM

dkaplowitz

08-02-2006, 04:51 PM

All guitars are difficult IMO. Amen to that!

Unburst

08-02-2006, 04:54 PM

That "Teles reveal the truth" thing is pure BS, imo.
I see a LOT of "not proficient by choice" guitar players playing Teles and they sound just fine.
I think Strats are a lot less forgiving than a good Tele.

Tele's have a certain character to the brige pup that can be a bit strident, but otherwise, there is nothing special about them at all.

I have to disagree with that, the three saddle bridge and bridge plate that surrounds the pup, is unique and special.
No other guitar design transfers so much string vibration through to the body.

I had a '52RI and loved it except for the low frets and sticky neck.
In retrospect I wish I'd kept it and got a refret/sanded down the finish, but I was hankering after a CS Nocaster, so it went.
Funny thing is, like you Jim, I preferred the '52RI.

Thwap

08-02-2006, 04:56 PM

Two words......Keith Richards:D

DaveG

08-02-2006, 05:00 PM

You can hide even less on an Esquire... :D

Dave Orban

08-02-2006, 05:04 PM

A Tele into a clean amp... without distortion or compression.

jimmyj

08-02-2006, 05:12 PM

A Tele into a clean amp... without distortion or compression.

That's what I was thinking, too. The bromide about tele's revealing all your shortcomings seemed to be more from back in the days when many of us just plugged into a twin reverb and played rock without much if any help from pedals, etc... and most of the time you couldn't really turn up the amp to 10 to get a little grind and sustain. With a Les Paul or SG you'd get a fatter tone and some sustain to help make you sound a little smoother. I mostly used an ES-335 back then.
Now that you can use pedals and 2 channel amps with master volumes the tele can fatten up just like anything else.

mybusinessmy

08-02-2006, 05:30 PM

Tele's have a certain character to the brige pup that can be a bit strident, but otherwise, there is nothing special about them at all. Neck, body, SC pups....normal stuff.
All guitars are difficult IMO.

I think they really are special. I never really cared for a Tele until I heard this really neat Country guitar solo. I kept trying to emulate the sound with my strat, using both the humbucker in the bridge and the single coil in the neck, and it really sounded like a mixture of both that I couldn't replicate!

Bryan T

08-02-2006, 06:08 PM

Of all the electric guitars that I've owned, the one that reminds me the most of an acoustic is my Nocaster. I'm not sure about the "doesn't hide mistakes" cliche, but you can certainly get a lot of clarity from a tele if you want it. I use mine for everything from noise to rock to jazz to fingerstyle and really enjoy playing it.

Bryan

lamenlovinit

08-02-2006, 06:26 PM

You want to hear all your flaws? Play a single cone resonator guitar. For your Wife. When she's mad at you:jo

Mr.Hanky

08-02-2006, 07:24 PM

What's so wrong with a little slop from time to time?

whoofnagle

08-02-2006, 07:35 PM

Plugged straight into a Hiwatt

Ooops - guitar section. Ok, tele into a Hiwatt.

rwe333

08-02-2006, 07:39 PM

Plugged straight into a Hiwatt

Ooops - guitar section. Ok, tele into a Hiwatt.

What he said/inferred... ;)

musicmind

08-02-2006, 08:00 PM

I play a strat, so I cant comment about the tele part but I dont think any particular guitar will reveal your sloppiness, but playing clean without any reverb will definitely not sound pretty if you're making mistakes.
I think reverb is an aid most musicians and vocalists use to help make them sound a bit better...musical makeup if you will :D

Tone_Terrific

08-02-2006, 08:10 PM

I think they really are special. I never really cared for a Tele until I heard this really neat Country guitar solo. I kept trying to emulate the sound with my strat, using both the humbucker in the bridge and the single coil in the neck, and it really sounded like a mixture of both that I couldn't replicate!

Tele's, in the classic sense, can get you somewhere that others can't if you take them that way, but the revealing thing is more about technique, application and ability to play well within that genre.
Turn it up loud and od'd enough and they all sound about the same!:D :D

lowendgenerator

08-02-2006, 09:39 PM

I think it's more of a playability issue than anything else. I love my Tele, but it can be a bear to play, especially after playing a silky Strat or one of my PRSi.

1959burst

08-02-2006, 10:24 PM

A Tele into a clean amp... without distortion or compression. or a strat, fenders are very unforgiving......the nature of single coils .....not that playing a gibson will make your mistakes any less known, just fatter.;)

mybusinessmy

08-03-2006, 12:46 AM

or a strat, fenders are very unforgiving......the nature of single coils .....not that playing a gibson will make your mistakes any less known, just fatter.;)

Well, a single coil has more of an open sound, so that might explain that.

riffpowers

08-03-2006, 01:05 AM

I play a hamer P90 jr into a matamp, which is about the fastest clearest responding setup you can get.It heras everything and mistakes are amplified with alarming clarity!!Even decent musicians often sound like crap through my rig.It kinda amuses me though when some says wow that sound sgreat can i have a go then they're gutted when they sound like crap!!

mybusinessmy

08-03-2006, 01:50 AM

Tele's, in the classic sense, can get you somewhere that others can't if you take them that way, but the revealing thing is more about technique, application and ability to play well within that genre.
Turn it up loud and od'd enough and they all sound about the same!:D :D

My technique was right on for that style. Different guitars nail different styles better, IMO. Obviously those things really count though, you could never argue having great technque, skill and ability.

Shemp

08-03-2006, 04:57 AM

I have a late 90s 52 RI with Harmonic Design S90 bridge (Think P90 in a tele bridge pup body) and Vintage Plus neck pups (overwound). The neck has never been sticky and the HD pups sound like classic vintage Tele X 10. No ice pick, no harshness at all. It's an outstanding guitar, but through a clean amp you have to be on your game.

johneeeveee

08-03-2006, 05:09 AM

Two words......Keith Richards:D
I hope to play as "sloppy" as Keith Richards someday. He is one of the best rock n' roll tele players ever to me.
Peace - jv

harryjmic

08-03-2006, 06:19 AM

Jimmy Page played a tele and it didn't stop him. ;)

I played my tele last night and as usual it was killing...or was that me. The wax is still coming out of my ears from all the high end, man are those things bright.

I have a 52 reisuue with Kinman Broadcaster pu's, a most excellent combination.

WordMan

08-03-2006, 06:51 AM

While the reputation is with Tele's - mainly due to their use for clean sounds - I think any simple, really well-made guitar played through a touch-dynamic, tube amp is very demanding. When I made the switch to boutique amps, the nuance that the amps provided forced me to raise my game. It is stunning how forgiving lower-end amps are - they only seem to pump about 50% of what you are doing to the speakers!

DonW

08-03-2006, 07:23 AM

I was told solid state covers up clams better than anything. I don't think anything will hide my slop. For that, I'm proud. It's kind of like a dare. "Ok amp guy, build an amp that hides my slop!" It can't be done. If there was a guitar that covered up slop I'd own a bunch of them. My Red '65 Tele was about the easiest playing guitar I ever owned, it reflected only the mistakes I made. I have a feeling those mistakes would have been showcased as well on any other ax I would have played. The only thing that hides slop is consistent, proficient technique.:D

sosomething

08-03-2006, 07:30 AM

Plug into any modern amp running on KT88s or 6550s and your mistakes will be served up to all around on a silver freakin' platter.

VHT, Pro Mod, various Marshalls... you'd better be practiced up.

John Phillips

08-03-2006, 10:08 AM

I was told solid state covers up clams better than anything.
It's the exact opposite. Why do you think so many players find it hard to get a good tone and play well through a solid-state amp? Tube amps - especially overdriven - are much more forgiving, and sound good more or less independent of how you play them, that's why we like them :). The natural compression and soft progressive overdrive make them much easier to control than most SS amps, which are usually more uncompressed and touchy until the point they distort and then go very distorted and touch-insensitive very quickly, which can make them hard to control - they're either too spiky or suddenly not dynamic enough.

Teles are the easiest, most forgiving guitar to play that I know of as well. Play anything on one (especially with that sweet tube-amp overdrive) and it sounds good. Anyone who goes on about how 'hard' they are to play and how 'hard' it is to play an expensive tube amp is probably someone who uses both ;).

urizen

08-03-2006, 10:14 AM

That "Teles reveal the truth" thing is pure BS, imo...
I think Strats are a lot less forgiving than a good Tele.....

Interestingly enough, Keith Richards made the same assertion about Strats years ago, and it's always stuck w/ me, partly because (aside from the various "Micawber" reduxes) he's SUCH a guitar whore (Deusenberg, Chandler, Zemaitis, etc.)---not to say he chose less-than-classy/fun/"remarkable"/idiosyncratic guitars, but----how many mental images do you have of Keef w' a Strat?

Todd Lynch

08-03-2006, 10:22 AM

I love Teles, I hate Teles; between the strident tones and the very straightforward bridge arrangement, mine kicks my ass on a nightly basis - wouldn't give it up, though.

BBQLS1

08-03-2006, 11:09 AM

I had an epiphany about the difference in playability of Gibsons verses Fenders in general.

The picking dynamics of each are at two opposite ends of the spectrum. Fenders really show small changes in picking dynamics when picking fairly hard. Gibsons are less responsive when picking hard. Picking soft, gibsons seem to be more responsive to slightly softer picking.

Griz

07-26-2007, 08:16 PM

sonvolt

07-26-2007, 08:37 PM

I think that Tele's are the most raw, mean, and aggressive sounding guitar Fender ever built. "That mid-range growl". I guess that's why I have three.

:drool:D:AOK (the expressions of the three tele's)

Izy

07-26-2007, 08:48 PM

.....when you play a Telecaster .

Ive read so often if your technique aint up to scratch, a tele will cruelly reveal you and if your playing is on fire, a tele will merely sound sublime in your hands.

Jimmy

I don;t know about the above.

IMHO, as long as you are playing clean then all the flaws that you have will reveal itself. Playing clean and having flawless technique is not easy. One person that comes to mind that have this is Tommy Emmanuel - To me he has flawless technique - on an accoustic guitar!

Dang! He is good! :D

Tom CT

07-26-2007, 09:24 PM

You cant hide slop in your playing when you play a......?

An acoustic

John Phillips

07-27-2007, 03:36 AM

You cant hide slop in your playing when you play a......?

An acoustic
Not if you mean a flat-top. Totally forgiving and anything/anyone barely competent sounds good on one. A flat-top (especially a Dreadnought) and a Tele are very similar to me in that respect. That's why both are so popular...

Now an archtop, I'd agree with you.

Teh RedWizard

07-27-2007, 03:58 AM

Plugged straight into a Hiwatt

Ooops - guitar section. Ok, tele into a Hiwatt. EXACTLY what I was going to say.

fierce_carrot

07-27-2007, 05:41 AM

Want to know how sloppy you really play?

plug your guitar directly into your amp, no pedals, and then set your amp for clean....the better the amp, the greater the individual note defination and the more your bad notes will be revealed.

You don't hear too many sloppy country pickers and there's a reason for it.

buddastrat

07-27-2007, 07:29 AM

It's any bright, cutting guitar that will carry that tag. Because it's clear and cuts, you can hear everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

My nocaster tele is very chunky and probably on the warm, full side. It's so easy to play. I have a strat that has so much snap and spank and aggressiveness. It shows every detail. I usually find strats the easiest of all to play, but this one can fight you. It gives back an awesome tone, but it fights for it.

SW33THAND5

07-27-2007, 07:33 AM

HHB

07-27-2007, 08:40 AM

This is an old topic but always an interesting one to me. The tele brings out such fervor, never fails to amuse me. I got tele fever a few weeks ago and bought a Baja, cool tele, then I really went Gatton and played a gig w/ my instrumental trio using the Baja straight into a deluxe reverb and I tell ya our bass player put it best when he said "you played a weirder chord to make it heavy instead of using a pedal" a proud moment for me LOL. There is something about the tele that lends itself to playing straight into a tube amp and getting a wide variety of tones, I feel part of a tradition and am proud to dip me toe into the tele waters cause there ae some big fish swimming in that pond Having said that I'll be torquing the Baja throught a Barber direct drive and Tophat CR for big rock posuer fun latter tonight! LOL

googoobaby

07-27-2007, 09:00 AM

...a mandolin.

To me, all guitars seem much more tolerant of slop than the mandolin. The lack of sustain means one has to be on time every time or it sounds like crap. Guitar, especially electric, feels so luxurious to me by comparison.

Miles

07-27-2007, 11:06 AM

I think it's different for everyone. For me, a tele was a very natural and blissfull guitar to pick up after years of gibsons, but I don't think a tele hides your flaws anymore than any other guitar with lower to moderate pickup output. A tele with a higher output PAF will hide flaws on hammer-ons and slides just as well as an LP or SG.

I think the bigger factor in this is the amp you are playing.

A tele through a bassman leaves you pretty naked in the sun though.