So I want buy my first tele.....

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robelinda2

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2,648
Been a fan of country guys for so many years, I need a tele! Problem is, every Fender tele I play I just dont like, but Ive played a few variants lately and need some opinions. The contenders are a G&L ASAT Classic, a Peavey Omniac ( Great neck!), and maybe a NAsh relic. I really only want a nice Hiland/Mason/Albert Lee kinda tone, nothing groundbreaking just a nice biting classic tele bridge tone. I did like the ASAT, but wasnt a huge fan of the neck itself, the Omniac is the best I think, but I wasnt able to play it through a nice tube amp in the store so I couldnt tell if it really had the tele thing happening.
 
BadAssBill

BadAssBill

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7,683
I have an American Standard Tele, and it's got that vibe going on big time. If you go to Nashville, that's what a majority of the guys are playing. I'm not saying the other guitars are bad...I'm just saying, if it ain't broke.
The way I test it is Bridge pickup, clean fender amp, treble down mid way. Try some Travis or finger picking...
 
P

Phoebe

Senior Member
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1,723
I have, among others, an American Standard Tele which I like very much. But it's not gonna give you the classic Tele twang with the flat bridge plate and cast saddles they're using these days. For that, be sure to get one with the ash tray style bridge plate and brass saddles of your choice. The heart of the Tele sound is in that old bridge......
 
G

guitarmook

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3,072
Personally, if I bond with the neck and the 'unplugged' resonance of a guitar, I can change pickups to bring that guitar more to 'life'. Of course, I also know I can't use pickups to turn a strat into a les paul

What is it about the teles you've played that doesn't work for you?
 
5E3

5E3

Member
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5,053
There are so many Tele and Tele variants that you should have no trouble finding "the one." the biggest problem might be finding time to drive around and play all of them that you find. Then again, some folks enjoy the hunt as much as the final find :)

Good luck in your quest.
 
jimmyj

jimmyj

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5,607
As was said in another thread there are so many variations of tele these days that it takes some shopping around to find what is the best variation for you but I have 2 thoughts.

I currently have 2 teles and they both are very good, clear and lively but do sound slightly different;

A MIM Muddy Waters tele with a Duncan Jerry Donahue bridge pickup (rosewood FB but ash body and 3 brass saddles)
an AV thinskin '55 tele (maple neck, ash body, 3 brass saddles.

I once went to all the stores in the Twin Cities I could in get to in 3 days and played every tele I could find from MIM to Fender Custom shop models and ended up buying a MIM Nashville model and taking out the middle pickup. It was the one that I liked best out of the whole ordeal.

The G&L ASAT Classic won the "Best Bang for the Buck" award in the Guitar Player tele shoot out a few years ago. It's a pretty darn good guitar.
 
J

Jellecaster

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184
I have a couple ASAT's, a couple Omniacs, a Nash relic and more Teles than I can count.

I personally would never choose anything over a Tele. If I had to pick just one to be my everyday player, I'd probably go with an American Standard.

If you really want to go non-Fender, I would say the following...

The ASAT's feel awesome, are beautiful to look at and are extremely well put together. The only thing I don't like is the pickups. They just don't sound anything like a Tele to me. Of course, they can be easily changed.

The Nash has a cool vibe if you really want a relic. They feel pretty cool and the quality is good. But you are paying for the looks more than anything else. I like my Nash, but it would be my last choice of the guitars you mention.

The Omniacs are just AWESOME. The neck is about the best feeling that I've ever played. The pickups/wiring really do give you a bunch of Strat tones while still delivering that classic Tele twang in the bridge position. The fit and finish and construction are top-notch. IMHO, if they were shaped like Teles they might be the perfect guitar. I have the blueburst and three tone sunburst models. Hard to choose between the two!
 
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robelinda2

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2,648
I must say the best Fender tele ive played has been an American Standard! Didnt like the USA Deluxe, the Road Worn tele feels very cheap ( needed a GREAT setup), I didnt care for the custom shop stuff either. I think i'm just going to have to buy a Standard Tele, an Omniac and an ASAT, and just live with them for a year or so and give them some good twangin!
 
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robelinda2

Member
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2,648
One thing which I dont like about Fenders in general is the glossy necks, I love EBMM guitars and they have wonderful necks. I played a MIM standard tele today and liked the satin neck, surely I would like the USA standard tele you'd figure. i'll try and find a road worn tele and have a play too.

The Omniac is mighty tempting!
 
B

Boris Bubbanov

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23,985
I don't know if there's a good way for you to put into words what your reservations with Teles are. I've read these posts and I'm not sure what elements attract you and which ones repel you, other than neck sheen.

Still, the easiest thing to do is to keep going to stores and check them all out in person, over and over, but do so under amplification. You can put a piece of sandpaper to a guitar neck to change its tactile effect but the individual sound of the guitars you reference is here and there and over here. Ultimately if the guitar sound under amplification is wrong - you'll need to fix it or you'll just be stranded.

Being able to adapt or change the guitar's sound depends on interchangeability of parts. The MusicMan stuff can't do it, the Peavey stuff sure can't do it and the G + L can do it only to an extent. Nash ( American Vintage/MIM platform ) custom partscasters are very interchangeable but awful expensive to be changing around. The American Series/Standard/Deluxe line touted here is hamstrung since the bridge is not interchangeable with the vast supply of aftermarket bridge parts out there - and the aftermarket pickups are engineered around the American Vintage/MIM platform, not the "modern" American Standard one.

The AV/MIM blueprint for a Tele type guitar is as crucial to you, navigating anew through the world of Teles, as the English language is crucial to your success in commerce and communicating with people from around the world. It is the best place to be, at the very least it is the best place to get started.
 
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robelinda2

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2,648
HoboMan said:
oops!
Click to expand...

They are magnificent guitars, I will always play them such high quality, tone is huge, but tele's they aint! Ive always played country with that Albert tone, but I'd really like the rip out a solo with that classic twang, just for the thrill!!
 
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robelinda2

Member
Messages
2,648
jimmyb1911 said:
That's really funny, telling Rob to look at the Albert Lee!!

Sorry, no offense meant, but Rob is famous on the EBMM forums for being a really avid user of Albert's.

Anyway Rob, what's your game?
Click to expand...

Ah just really wanting that classic tele twang, which the AL just cant do, i'll never stop playing AL's, they are awesome! Still want many more AL's!

I played the Road Worn Tele today, felt nice actually, and sounded good, I even played it against a custom shop relic, and for $4k less the Road Worn was very appealing.
 
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ESPLTD200FM

Member
Messages
353
robelinda2 said:
I played the Road Worn Tele today, felt nice actually, and sounded good, I even played it against a custom shop relic, and for $4k less the Road Worn was very appealing.
Click to expand...

I'm really contemplating adding a Roadworn Tele to my collection. I have a Roadworn strat and it is fantastic.......
 
R

robelinda2

Member
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2,648
Foggy's busted me!!!!!!!

Anderson's are really nice, Ive never even seen one before, pretty rare here in Oz.
 
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