ashtray and tone?

[minorseventh]

this is kind of a dumb question but I havent owned enough teles to know...
does a cover on an ashtray bridge affect the sound at all?

and also can a cover fit on any barrel-type tele bridge?

[bluesrules]

It effects tone by NOT being able to do any palm muting stuff while playing. I would never like to use an ashtray Tele. I need more control than the tray offers.

[Dana Olsen]

The ashtray bridge itself affects the tone a lot (it's the ferrous qualities), but the cover does not. As Bluesrules wrote, the cover DOES make a Tele really hard to play.

I've never seen anyone playing a Tele actually using the cover live except for some very old TV performances, and I'm talking black and white TV. The cover clips to the outside of the ashtray, so the type of saddles shouldn't matter.

Hope this helps, Dana O.

[minorseventh]

thanks for the replies.. i thought the cover might make it more twangy, but the lack of muting never crossed my mind. ok, no cover for me!

[gkoelling]

The ashtray bridge itself affects the tone a lot (it's the ferrous qualities), but the cover does not. As Bluesrules wrote, the cover DOES make a Tele really hard to play.

I've never seen anyone playing a Tele actually using the cover live except for some very old TV performances, and I'm talking black and white TV. The cover clips to the outside of the ashtray, so the type of saddles shouldn't matter.

Hope this helps, Dana O.

I always thought the cover was the ashtray. No one used it so it got turned over and used as an ashtray. No?

I'm not trying to be picky.....just a little Tele trivia.:)

[RMstrat]

Ive seen Videos of Albert Collins with his tray on...And yes he was jamming!!!!!!!!!!

[Dana Olsen]

I always thought the cover was the ashtray. No one used it so it got turned over and used as an ashtray. No?

I'm not trying to be picky.....just a little Tele trivia.:)You may be right Greg. I think of an 'Ashtray bridge" as the common Tele bridge, 3 saddles, distinctly different than the new American Tele 6 saddle bridge with no sides on it. I agree, the 'ashtray' part probably refers to the removeable cover, but I still call those bridges 'ashtray' types, even if the cover is (hopefully) gone.

Thanks, Dana O.