Tele Aficiandos - Some Questions for you

[cancelthesound]

I’ve been jonesing for a Telecaster pretty hard lately. While I’d really like to get my hands on something like a Suhr, Anderson, or Melancon, finances dictate that I’m probably going to end up with a used Fender Tele.

That being said are the newer teles any good?
Are there any particular eras I should look out for (be it positive or negative)?
Is there a huge difference between the ash and alder bodied teles tone?
Are the stock electronics any good or should I expect to change them?
If so any recommended pick-ups? (I’m used to a humbucker in the bridge position, how many of you have put hot rails or a stacked humbucker in the bridge position?)
Any other recommendations for a Tele newbie?

The only thing I’m pretty sure about is that I can’t get one with the ash tray bridge because everyone I’ve ever played did a number on my hands, just my playing style I guess.

[Mark C]

I've built one and I am about to build a second one. I'm getting wood from Tommy at USA custom guitars and using top notch parts. Cheaper way to get a great tele built just the way you want it. In my case, I like vintage features, but hate the 7.5" fingerboard radius.

[george4908]

>>That being said are the newer teles any good?

Sure, lots of them. As well as lots of clinkers out there. Best thing you can do is play a bunch. Don't go shopping your first day out. Go testing. Try to stick to one amp, something decent like a Deluxe Reverb RI. Play clean, not high gain, at least part of the time. Fender makes about 37 varieties of Teles these days, American, Mexican, Japanese and Korean, in all manner of woods and pickup combinations. It's not easy to get a handle on everything out there, but do your best. Research the woods and pickup combinations on the fender website, then try to A/B as many as you can in the shops. Resolve not to buy anything on Day One! Or Day Two, for that matter.

>>Are there any particular eras I should look out for (be it positive or negative)?

The '70s have the most questionable rep, but the fact is great Teles and crappy Teles have been built in all eras. Keep in mind that a guitar that feels crappy might just need a set-up. This is frequently the case at places like Guitar Center, where the instruments are not well cared for.

>>Is there a huge difference between the ash and alder bodied teles tone?

There is a difference, in both tone and feel. Whether it's huge is up to the particular guitars and your ears. Sometimes the difference is obvious, sometimes you have to learn what to listen for. Generally, alder is warmer and fuller in the midrange; ash is tighter on the bottom and twangier on top. But individual woods vary tremendously, so you can find bright alder Teles and warm ash ones.

Also, try to listen carefully for the difference between all maple necks and maple.rosewood necks. Again, there's a difference, but it may or may not be obvious, depending on the guitar.

>>Are the stock electronics any good or should I expect to change them?

The hardware on the American made is good stuff. The Squier stuff at the bottom of the heap is junk. The Mexican and Japanese are in between. But keep in mind that pickups are very much a matter of taste. Just because your American made Tele has Fender's "best" pickups in there, you may or may not care for them.

>>If so any recommended pick-ups?

I'll let others who have done more swapping weigh in on this. The Fender '52 sound pretty good to me, though.

>>Any other recommendations for a Tele newbie?

If you're used to humbuckers, the single coil hum may take some getting used to. Fender's noiseless pickups are pretty good. May not pass the purist's vintage test, but they work.

>>The only thing I’m pretty sure about is that I can’t get one with the ash tray bridge because everyone I’ve ever played did a number on my hands, just my playing style I guess.

If the set screws in the bridge are scraping your palm, you can cut them down with a hacksaw, and cover the tops with a drop of clear nail polish. But it sounds like you'd do better with the modern bridge anyway. Fender makes plenty of Tele iterations with these.

[Ogre]

You will miss out on a lot of the Tele mojo, if you go with humbuckers or high-output single coils. Some of the excellent Tele pickups are made by Jason Lollar, Lindy Fralin and Harmonic Design. Don't limit yourself to a pick. Teles sound great when you use your fingers.(right hand if your'e a righty) Don't overlook rolling back the tone knob,(especially when using the bridge pickup only) as there are a wealth of sounds to be enjoyed.

[lhallam]

Just got my first Tele last Dec. I tried a bunch in the store and they were very different. Be sure to play every note on the neck, turn the volume all the way down and bring it up, same with the tone control and switch the pickups. I found one who's tone control did not work and another that had a scratchy volume control.

[cancelthesound]

Thanks for all the advice guys, those are some great tips. I don't like to go into music stores without any ammo. I pretty much have a good plan of attack for day one of my tele try out. Any recommendations for trying the tele out for distorted tones? I spend 75% of my time playing in either full of distortion or slightly overdriven.

[Shemp]

It's tough to beat a used 52 RI for quality and value. I'm sure there are some dogs out there, but I own one and have played a half dozen others over the years, and they've all been pretty durn good instruments.

[jimmyj]

Give a look at the Muddy Waters tele. It's a MIM but has the pickups, electronics, and bridge of a USA '52 ri. It has an ash body and a '60s style neck but with a flatter radius and medium frets. The neck is just a little chunkier than a American series tele. It has every thing I want in a tele but it only comes in Candy Apple red. I didn't get one for a couple years because I didn't want red but I finally did and it is a great tele. The best band for the buck in the Tele line, IMO.

I love distortion or edge of breakup tone with a tele. I use a Top Hat Club Deluxe and run it cranked up and use the controls on the tele to get about anything I want. Using the bridge pickup with the volume down just a little is a really sweet, smooth distortion tone with that set up. I turn it down a little more and it's a really nice r&r rhythm tone.

[cancelthesound]

Originally posted by Shemp
It's tough to beat a used 52 RI for quality and value. I'm sure there are some dogs out there, but I own one and have played a half dozen others over the years, and they've all been pretty durn good instruments.

I played a 52 RI a while ago at the local Guitar Center. I actually perfered the way the newer american made teles played and sounded. I think it was a number of things. It had the ash tray style bridge and I think it wasn't setup with the modern wiring. Also the setup was horrible (that's GC for you) and I can pretty much guarantee they didn't have any of the case candy that was supposed to go with it. GC is horrible in that regard they loose everything especially footswitches for amplifiers, even new ones. I had a salemen tell me that the VHT they had in stock didn't come with a footswitch and that I could just buy one of the generic ones at GC.

I did see a model a year or two ago that was essentially a 52 RI with the modern bridge and nocaster pickups stock. I never found one in any shop to try though. I think the name on the headstock said Telecaster Custom or Custom Telecaster. I can't remember. Does anyone know anything about that model?

[cancelthesound]

Originally posted by jimmyj
Give a look at the Muddy Waters tele. It's a MIM but has the pickups, electronics, and bridge of a USA '52 ri. It has an ash body and a '60s style neck but with a flatter radius and medium frets. The neck is just a little chunkier than a American series tele. It has every thing I want in a tele but it only comes in Candy Apple red. I didn't get one for a couple years because I didn't want red but I finally did and it is a great tele. The best band for the buck in the Tele line, IMO.


Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely check it out. If I had a choice in terms of looks I'd want a white blonde tele with a black pickguard. I've seen pictures of some killer Suhrs and Andersons. I just don't think I can swing one of those...although I'm sure either one of those would be a keeper.

[rbisherw]

I have an 01 American Ash Tele that is a great guitar.
Completely stock (except for tweed case.)
I prefer it over any 52RI I have ever played.

[cancelthesound]

Originally posted by rbisherw
I have an 01 American Ash Tele that is a great guitar.
Completely stock (except for tweed case.)
I prefer it over any 52RI I have ever played.

I tried a 00 American Ash Tele this weekend. One thing I noticed was that it wasn't very resonant, is this a property of the ash? or was it just this guitar?

It was alright, the setup on it was pretty bad and I noticed a lot of buzzing on the A string (might be the weather my guitars have been doing that a little bit lately but not nearly as bad as this tele). The volume and tone knobs weren't very smooth and they seemed like they needed to be tightened.

Are the nuts typically cut with a radius on them? I noticed it on this tele and it seemed like it had been shaved or sanded down on the side of the higher strings and the action was a little too low.

Despite those things which I think a good set-up would fix, it sounded good, but I took george4908's advice and didn't get it. I'm going to keep looking until I found one that I really like the feel of...I'm willing to replace the pick-ups and other electronics if necessary.

[r9player]

How much are you looking to spend.
I think '52 USA RI's are a good bet for the money but if that doesn't suit you ..
I know Mayes has a Lacewood Tele for sale that should be pretty incredible :)
I also saw that Zachary came out with a Tele style that looks pretty awesome ... different but awesome.

Besides that the usual suspects of course all make great guitars.

As for something that would be cheap, I'd go with a MIJ vs. MIM maybe ...
I have two Vintage Tele's and one sounds super hot and the other a little weak, both play great and are very resonant. I have a current day Tele that is an absolute dog compared to those and I have two Modern interpretations one from Mayes and one from Langcaster which are just totally amazing and seperate themselves in many ways from my Vintage Tele's.

[cancelthesound]

Originally posted by r9player
How much are you looking to spend.
I think '52 USA RI's are a good bet for the money but if that doesn't suit you ..
I know Mayes has a Lacewood Tele for sale that should be pretty incredible :)
I also saw that Zachary came out with a Tele style that looks pretty awesome ... different but awesome.


I was hoping to spend no more than $800 at the moment.
As for the '52 USA RI, I really don't like the ashtray bridges, they just seem to get into the way. But I guess I could always replace the whole bridge. Maybe I'll try one again, it's been a while.

Any links to the other teles you speak mentioned?

[r9player]

For $800 you are probably looking at a Fender (not custom shop)
or a Fender knock off from the bigger companies that get their stuff from Korea and such.
Or you could go for a Parts Caster .. get a body and neck from a place like Warmoth, then put in some Lollar pick ups and a Callaham Bridge ... or other variety.
Personally I am big on Lollar pick ups they are awesome

[cancelthesound]

Originally posted by r9player
For $800 you are probably looking at a Fender (not custom shop)
or a Fender knock off from the bigger companies that get their stuff from Korea and such.
Or you could go for a Parts Caster .. get a body and neck from a place like Warmoth, then put in some Lollar pick ups and a Callaham Bridge ... or other variety.
Personally I am big on Lollar pick ups they are awesome

I'm looking in the used market. I may go as high as $1100 if i find a really good one new.

[KRosser]

Originally posted by cancelthesound
I'm looking in the used market. I may go as high as $1100 if i find a really good one new.

Before you pull the trigger, make sure you try out a G&L ASAT Classic.

[jimmyj]

Originally posted by KRosser
Before you pull the trigger, make sure you try out a G&L ASAT Classic.

Or try the ASAT with the big MFD pickups. I suggested the Muddy Waters Tele earlier in the thread but my other "Tele" is an ASAT.

cancelthesound, you mentioned that you don't like the tele ashtray bridge. That locking bridge on the ASAT is the most solid and comfortable bridge I've ever had. My ASAT does have more natural ring and sustain unplugged than my tele. I attribute that to the ASAT bridge. Otherwise, the tone of the 2 guitars is quite similar but the ASAT is slightly louder and brighter. The controls on the guitar make it able to "calm down" enough to sound about like my Muddy, though.

[cancelthesound]

Originally posted by jimmyj
Or try the ASAT with the big MFD pickups. I suggested the Muddy Waters Tele earlier in the thread but my other "Tele" is an ASAT.

cancelthesound, you mentioned that you don't like the tele ashtray bridge. That locking bridge on the ASAT is the most solid and comfortable bridge I've ever had. My ASAT does have more natural ring and sustain unplugged than my tele. I attribute that to the ASAT bridge. Otherwise, the tone of the 2 guitars is quite similar but the ASAT is slightly louder and brighter. The controls on the guitar make it able to "calm down" enough to sound about like my Muddy, though.

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll definitely check them out.

I just looked at the G&Ls online, alot of them come with the "traditional boxed steel bridge." Are those basically the same as the ash tray bridge with the raised sides? Are they lower then fenders? I always seem to scrape my hand on those style bridges.

[aeolian]

The steel ashtray bridge is an important part of the Tele sound. Without that ferrous material affecting the magnetic field of the pickup, it gets that icepick in your ear thing. This can be mitigated somewhat by the copper plated steel plate on certain upscale pickups. A better way is Callaham and a couple of others make an ashtray with the lower part cut away where your little finger would hit it. Also, they make shorter screws for the bridge that won't stick up and cut your hand. I deburred mine with Cratex (a rubberized abrasive that's great for taking the edge off metal pieces). If you get an American Standard or something with the "modern" brass flat plate bridge, Callaham also makes a steel replacement for this (the vintage ashtray doesn't line up with the string holes though the body). Single biggest improvement I made to my AS Tele. No more icepick. Now I get real Tele bark.

[Lucidology]

The steel ashtray bridge is an important part of the Tele sound...

Very true ... :YinYang

[michael.e]

I've built one and I am about to build a second one. I'm getting wood from Tommy at USA custom guitars and using top notch parts. Cheaper way to get a great tele built just the way you want it. In my case, I like vintage features, but hate the 7.5" fingerboard radius.

That is EXACTLY what to do for a Tele that is a cut well above the standard Fender Tele imo.....

the trick is that it is possibly a bit riskier.

for me, the reward was WELL worth it.

Emee

[dkbmusic]

If so any recommended pick-ups?

Some great tips here. I've got a Nashville tele with Bill Lawrence pickups, and I've got to say they are pretty stinkin' awesome. Also, I've heard great things about Amalfitino pickups.

[smorgdonkey]

Lots of great advice and suggestions so far...however...I feel that you should try a used G&L Tribute before spending any more money than they are selling for at the moment. A member here noted that the ones from a few years ago are Korean made and that they have now moved their operation elsewhere...maybe Indonesia-I don't recall.
I got one about a year and a half ago...what a deal!!! $305 US including hard case!! In NEW condition but previously owned.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/smorgdonkey/G%20and%20L/ASAT.jpg
...and that was a lot less than my USA Fender Tele (great guitar...but dollar for dollar...)
It's actually a brighter red than the pic would suggest.

[teleman1]

Now, if you want to be a man. Get an Esquire! The bigest and best secret in Fenders arsenal. Few who have ever had the experince, won't disagree!

[tone slave]

make sure to try the fender classic player baja tele. MIM but custom-shop designed and custom shop pickups. plus a 4-way switch and in phase/out of phase switch, making it very versatile and great for heavier tones as well as clean. does have the ashtray bridge, but, as was mentioned above, this is a pretty critical requirement for a "real" tele. $799, so it's in your price range, and it's available in blonde.

[Kyle vs. Guitar]

I have a sixties-style Tele with two good 'ol fashioned single-coil pickups, pretty low output, and it SCREAMS when overdriven or distorted. Don't bother with rail pickups; most players I know who have used them regret it, because regular Tele single coils drive much better than most people realize, and you'll eventually want to achieve some sweet clean tones that a rail pickup simply can't deliver.

When trying out Teles, make sure you try the position where both pickups are on - in my opinion, this is a Tele's heart and soul, probably the most versatile pickup position, and a nice middle sound is indispensable.

[ASATClassic]

Another vote for an ASAT Classic. For $800, you can have your pick of used ones.

[go7]

Personally, I would not limit my search to Fenders only. I ended up with an ASAT Classic. An open mind is a good thing. Good Luck!

[aram]

If you can muster up $1400, I'd get a Rick Kelly Kellecaster.

His guitars are all hand made using old woods. They sound magical.

There's a six month wait, but it's well worth it.

I'd buy a cheap used Fender, and then sell it once you get your kellecaster.

[Chuck King]

At the risk of turning this thread into a broken record...the best Tele I've ever played was a G&L ASAT Special. Although a 52RI was pretty damn close (but substantially more expensive).

What I was really looking for in a Tele was TWANG, and not all Teles deliver it. A lot have a rounder, smoother tone, which is probably more versatile, but not, IMO, the classic, trademark Tele tone. I spent an afternoon at GC playing every Tele variant they had, from Squiers up to Custom Shop exotica, and only the G&L and the 52RI really had "it", although another variant that got pretty close was a Deluxe Nashville Tele, an up-market MIM model with a Strat pickup in the middle. It had good twang but I like the middle Tele position, and with the extra pickup it didn't have that.

[rkymtnhi]

I love my tele--it is my number one guitar. Almost every component on that tele has been altered or replaced. It's a great tinkering guitar. It started out life as a stock MIM Fender, but now has a Duncan humbucker in the neck, an Antiquities p-90 in the mid, and a new Frailin bridge pickup. The neck, nut, bridge, saddles, electronics have all been replaced (and re-installed in the pots/knobs cases). I've tried different wiring techniques, different bridges, different saddles, etc... all to figure out what works best for me. It's all a part of the game--just buy a good tele and start figuring out what works best for you!

[smorgdonkey]

Personally, I would not limit my search to Fenders only. I ended up with an ASAT Classic. An open mind is a good thing. Good Luck!
Particularly when G&L could be argued to be 'more Fender' than Fender...it was Leo's last company and the Tele was his design...so the ASAT is the 'refined' version from Leo's original design. I bought my Fender USA Tele after being nudged-out narrowly in an auction for a USA ASAT Bluesboy. Sorrow...sorrow...

[cugel]

you can find some very cool japanese lawsuit teles from greco, tokai and others for well under a thousand dollars. quality is top notch all the way and you can spend a could of bill on some duffs or lollars or whatever suits you.

i had warmoth build me a tele and I am pretty satisfied. very lightweight ash with callaham parts and a lollar vintage T. that will put you over a grand though.

[backaxe]

Thanks for all the advice guys, those are some great tips. I don't like to go into music stores without any ammo. I pretty much have a good plan of attack for day one of my tele try out. Any recommendations for trying the tele out for distorted tones? I spend 75% of my time playing in either full of distortion or slightly overdriven.

I use a Voodoo Labs Sparkledrive with my MIM Tele....sounds killer, to me, anyway.....

[woof*]

I was hoping to spend no more than $800 at the moment.
As for the '52 USA RI, I really don't like the ashtray bridges, they just seem to get into the way. But I guess I could always replace the whole bridge. Maybe I'll try one again, it's been a while.

Any links to the other teles you speak mentioned?
Seriously, about the bridge....that bridge design is one of the most important things about a tele and tele-tone. if the sides bother you .. Glendale(killer parts) makes em with the option of one or both sides cut down like this one:
http://www.glendaleguitars.com/nmplate2.jpg
as for what tele to buy, in the 1000.00 and under range, you cant really go wrong with an american 52RI. for a few dollars less the 50's mexican ones are good too. something to keep in mind about tele's if you dont have alot of experience with them is the tone control is more important and has alot more of an impact than most other guitars. when i was first starting to learn guitar in the 70's, i had a tele and hated it because of the sharp tone.. i always left it full on back then. when i returned to the telecaster many years later i didscovered how to use it and get great tones of of a tele. the best place i know of for tele info is http://www.tdpri.com/
whatever you decide, best of luck to you!

[hangten]

plus callaham stuff is great...

i have a '62 reissue MIJ with harmonic design pickups and a callaham bridge that sounds great....people comment on the tone all the time...the bridge makes (for me) a pretty audible improvement in tone...brass saddles and cut down on bottom for access...

[wader]

Got this from a MF scratch and dent email the other day.........been wondering if anyone had any comments on it........hope this isn't hijacking but it seemed to fit.....

James Burton model ..red flame paisley....
I actually prefer blond finishes .....
I'm curious about the pickups in this thing as it isn't a standard tele setup....anybody have any experience with this model?


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-James-Burton-Telecaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=517583X