NGD: Wildwood 'Thin Skin' '52 Telecaster

[LookerBob]

Went down and played a bunch of guitars at Wildwood this morning... picked the best of the bunch.

Up front - this shop always impresses me every time I go in there - good, friendly, knowledgeable staff... I gave them a list of SNs from their website and they pulled them all out and left me to my own devices to try them all out... no high pressure, no attitude about the time I spent. They are having their tech set it up with my preferred gauge of strings and shipping it to me for free... it is experiences like this that will make people customers of a business for the rest of their lives.

I played a CS Wildwood '10' they had used, which was fantastic, but I didn't like the neck - too flat of a profile, and I didn't like the finish being completely removed from the back. However, the twisted tele bridge pickup in it (and maybe combined with alder vs. ash?) sounded unreal... though not $1500 unreal.

I felt like this '52 had a more comfortable neck and was more resonant acoustically, but I'd like to get my hands on one of those twisted tele bridge pickups... sounded more open.

Greg Koch video for this specific guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB41ZCeR1qY

Stoked. It is being shipped, so I won't see it until the end of the week, sadly. Though $ wise it's a benefit to living out of state... while close enough to make the drive down and back with time to spare.

 

[kracdown]

Sweet and congrats!

 

[iahawk36]

Great dudes at Wildwood....one of the best shops going IMHO. Congrats!!!

 

[samdjr74]

Very nice, congrats!

 

[deadletteroffice]

I've also been looking at these but the grains on many of them are a little wacky for my taste. The one that had tight, straight grain, I emailed and found out it's 3 piece body. I've heard all the arguments (mostly from people who have a 3 piece body guitar that is in their opinion the best guitar they have ever played), but that's generally a non-starter for me. Cool specs though. I'd love to pick up one of the humbucker neck models, but so hard to blindly pick a guitar online.

 

[stratman89]

Congrats on the new '52 Thin Skin'!

I have one of the '52 'Thin Skin's' with humbucker that I bought from Wildwood back in 2009.

I recently acquired a '51 Nocaster and while it is a killer Tele, the '52 is definitely my #1.

 

[LookerBob]

deadletter... I tried one of the humbucker ones as well, and while it was specifically a nice guitar, I liked the sound of the single coil in the neck better. I already have a tele with a humbucker in the neck (and in the bridge, for that matter).

One of the reasons I went down and played a bunch of them was that I knew I wanted to find one that felt right and that I knew was the right fit for me.

 

[deadletteroffice]

deadletter... I tried one of the humbucker ones as well, and while it was specifically a nice guitar, I liked the sound of the single coil in the neck better. I already have a tele with a humbucker in the neck (and in the bridge, for that matter).

One of the reasons I went down and played a bunch of them was that I knew I wanted to find one that felt right and that I knew was the right fit for me.

There is certainly something special about the neck single coil pick up sound in a Tele. I generally play the neck pick up on all my guitars. I guess now that I think of it, I should stay traditional and go for a single coil neck pick up Tele.

 

[jimmyj]

Congrats on the '52 TS Tele. I have the '55 Thinskin version, more or less the same guitar in blonde with parchment pickguard. Great guitars.

 

[jpftribe]

I was at a local shop in Asia this week and played a bunch of guitars. They have a partnership with Wildwood and get some of their special run models in.

I am a humbucker, set neck kind of guy. I've always heard about the majic of tele's, but have never felt the love.

They had one of these hanging up, same color, make everything. I picked it up and plugged it in. Wow, I was just blown away. Started in the middle position, awesome chimey, ringy tones. Switched to the bass pup, beautiful, crisp deep tones. No mud whatsoever, but also nice low end.

Of course the treble pup was a screamer as well. I loved this guitar. I was going to pay cash on the spot and take it home. Turned around and ask what they wanted for it and was told, sorry, it's on hold, deposit taken this morning.

Uhhggg.....

Congrats on the buy, fantastic guitar.

 

[Racehorse]

That is beautiful! Congrats and happy NGD.

 

[m.e.]

Congrats. I really miss my '52 AVRI, and have been thinking about buying one of the Wildwood Thin Skins.

My wife was just in Colorado for work. I tried to talk her into stopping at Wildwood and bringing a souvenir back for me . . . no luck there.

 

[Shnook]

Congrats on a great looking Tele! WW are great to deal with. Enjoy!!!

 

[gmann]

Great lookin' guitar!

 

[DWB1960]

Congrats. Huge fan of Wildwood here.

 

[LookerBob]

So I got this home today... and I just don't know. Acoustically it sounds great, it plays well... plugged into my AC30 I am really not liking it... almost a stratty sort of sound off of the bridge pickup (which is the pickup I'm going to use 95% of the time)... I've messed around quite a bit, and it's sounding harsh to me.

Anyone using a tele and an AC30 (mine is the recent HW w/ blues) and have any suggestions?

I'd hate to send this back. Am I just too used to humbuckers to be giving this a chance?

I want a nice dirty sound with some body and no trebly harshness - open... I'm not running a ton of gain (top boost channel I'm at about 1 o'clock, though I've tried it all over).

In the store through a Fender Deluxe it sounded nice, and more like what I'd expect. I plugged into my Tweed Twin (5E8A) w/ a JHS double barrel for dirt, and it sounded better there, but my humbucker tele through the AC30 certainly sounds much better than what I've gotten out of either amp with this so far...

 

[LookerBob]

You know, I think I figured it out.

Since I played it, they set it up with 11s for me, and I was playing it acoustically and comparing it to my other tele, and thought 'man, the action is really low comparatively'.

I put a full turn on each of the saddle height adjustments and bam - warm, full, resonant, and lost that stratty thinness... I think my style and the low action just weren't getting along.

I will play more tomorrow to be sure, but the sounds I just got were warm and full, and exactly what I had been expecting to get through the AC30.

Crisis averted.

 

[Groberts]

Congrats on the new '52 Thin Skin'!

I have one of the '52 'Thin Skin's' with humbucker that I bought from Wildwood back in 2009.

I recently acquired a '51 Nocaster and while it is a killer Tele, the '52 is definitely my #1.

What are the main differences between your Nocaster and '52? Neck profiles? PU's? What is it about your '52 that you prefer? Thanks!

 

[mysticaxe]

I keep looking at these guitars on Wildwood's website and saying to myself "I don't need another guitar, I don't need another guitar." So far, I've been successful in staving off some "explaining..."

Great shop though - I've only bought one guitar (an Anderson) through them, and my brother lives about a half an hour away. Love that place.

 

[C-4]

I love Wildwood Guitars. Totally first class people there.