What? You are not getting those in between tones on a strat with a tele. A strat can get close enough that a normal person can't tell the difference in the bridge and neck pickup positions.
You can when fitting the Freeway Switch into a Strat and setting it to either the middle position (neck and bridge coil in series) or position 9 (=4, but second "bank" and wiring the neck and middle coils in parallel). Close enough to the middle position on a Tele per my ears. Cross check my demo if so inclined.
I don’t get telecasters at all. I wish I did. I have tried.. I just can’t see the attraction. Every tele I’ve played simply doesn’t sound like anything I’m hearing like the teles played in these videos. Amps and pedals sure do help. I’ll stay with my old Strat and my old 40 w amp and live happily ever after. For all those who love their Telecasters no problem for me go for it. Enjoy!
As an aside, I love how Fender can sell you a custom looking like that for 5 big ones, but if my guitar has a dent on it then the guy on Facebook marketplace wants a 100 quid discount.
True. I think that says more about people into pre-worn guitars than the Facebook guy. I keep a pretty close eye on Facebook and the good deals seem pretty rare, all I see are second hand guitars for almost the same money as brand new ones. People are crazy.
@@nineteenninetyfive My impression is the same, just this morning I saw a first run Player series Tele go up for 600 euros. The only time I think you're going to see a good deal on there is when the seller is under some kind of pressure, i.e making a pretty serious house move soon and they *have* to sell their excess baggage.
I haven't owned a Tele for years, but I just got another one the other day - a Squire 40th anniversary model. It was like coming home again. My Les Paul started crying when it saw the Tele....
A Tele just feels right to me. Just personal preference. Stratocasters are “weird” to me. Horrible tremolo, pickups mounted to a plastic pickguard, volume control and pickup selector switch mounted in the worst possible places, etc.
@@TeleCaster66 fair enough. My complaints about the Strat are my problems. I’m sure if I played one regularly I’d get comfortable with it. I’m just more of a Tele player. ;)
My favorite Tele player right now is Tom Morello. He lives on the neck pick up of his Tele. I own a Vintera 50’s tele that has a thick D shaped neck and a JI Custom Telecaster. Two very different feeling guitars.Lately I’ve been using my Vintera 50’s Tele for band practice.
Growing up I thought they were just too ugly. I didn't come to really appreciate the Tele until later in life. But once I did buy a few, they have become some of my favorite guitars. The tuning stability, overall ruggedness and overall utility of the Telecaster is hard to beat even after 70 years. Truly one of the great workhorse guitars and it's no accident that you'll fine them in almost every genre of music and played by an enormous variety of talented players.
@@johnnathancordy I have several currently Fender, Squier and G&L ASAT and love them all. Ironically my favorite is a Blonde Classic Vibe Squier. Got it used for $250 and it's one of my best ones. My other favorite is a Fender Kingfish Tele, recently acquired. They're all great though. Can't go wrong with a Tele generally.
Your playing is superb! _Any guitar_ placed in your capable hands can't help but sound good, amazing! Thanks for another wonderful demo, I came to appreciate the Tele all over seeing this and listening to you.
I was afraid of Teles because of the super-bright sound most people get from the bridge pickup. But when I got one I discovered that rolling the tone off off that pup to about 7, gave me the best tone ever. I don't think I've played my Strat ten times since.
Recently acquired a 9.5 lb tele (2001). Best sounding tele I've ever played in 50 years. Superb clarity and sustain for days. Was under the impression that lighter = better... not always true.
The early 2000's American Tele's are some of they best ever made, the light Telecasters are bad imho because the wood is less dense and over time gets condensed around the neck joint creating a loose neck joint. The heavier alder is super durable it's from older trees and is more condensed grain.
By "weird", John apparently means there's a lot of variation across different guitars. That's true for Strats, Les Pauls, acoustics, classicals, etc. Everything matters on every musical instrument.
That Fender Custom Shop sounds beautiful!! Off the top of my head, Jimmy Page famously played Tele on Led Zep 1, I believe, and I'm a big fan of Bill Frisell & Andy Summers. Never owned a Tele, prefer Strats. I have played plenty along the way but never clicked . . . when I was a guitar salesman in my teens quite a few came thru the shop and I really loved a classic sunburst Thinliner (1 'f' hole) but before I could talk to my boss about staggered staff discount it was snapped up by a tall, mysterious longhaired and bearded guy the next day. Two years later this chap (known as 'The Phantom') wandered into EMI Studios in Wellington where we were recording our first album (1977) to conduct the Philharmonic String Section on the couple of tracks he'd been contracted by our label to write the string arrangements for . . . naturally he'd already sold the guitar! So it goes.
true. he had been so blown away by Roy Buchanan playing, but loved the response of his humbuckers. Also true that in the '80s, Ibanez developed a strat-like guitar for him, trying to win his endorsement. He loved those guitars, but (his words) they were TOO EASY to play, and they sounded TOO GOOD. He stayed with Fender because he felt he played better if he had to struggle a bit with the guitar - so he stayed with Fender!
My main guitar at the moment is a Partscaster Tele. It started its life as a standard Butterscotch Blonde Player Series Tele. I bought a new Fender Roasted Maple Neck with Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Staggered Locking Tuners, a Black Control Plate, a Black Compensated 3 Brass Saddle Bridge, completely rewired it with all new CTS pots, cloth pushback wire, CRL switch, Orange Drop Cap, treble bleed, and installed a set of Fralin Steel Pole 42 Tele pickups. I learned so much from the project. I had to learn how to cut a nut. It was my first time installing a neck and bridge. I even had to learn how to level, crown, and dress the frets. I had so much fun doing it and the experience and knowledge i acquired in the process is priceless. It turned a guitar i never played into my favorite guitar i have ever owned and it has made that i instrument so personal. I couldnt agree with you more on your statement that everyone should build a Partscaster at some point. Its a fantastic experience that teaches you so many invaluable skills that i think every guitar player should learn.
An extension of that thought is that every guitar player should be their own tech, it saves a huge amount of time and money, but more importantly - you can set it up exactly the way you want it, and experiment with different setups. Nuts and frets are so easy that once you do it yourself it seems absurd to pay somebody else.
@@pharmerdavid1432 yea exactly!! Being able to fine tune your own instruments to your specifications is very important. Ive always been setting up my own instruments, but i used to be too scared to mess with the nut and the frets. Now that i have successfully done so, i realized it's much easier than it seems.
How do you like that roasted maple rosewood neck? I’ve got one on the way for an old beat up squier I’ve been rebuilding. Replaced the pickups, all wiring and electronics with fender parts. Now I’m replacing the neck, bridge, and putting locking tuners and strap locks on it
@@matthewwoodard9810 it is my favorite neck i have ever played, but u do have to cut the nut slots. The nut comes slightly grooved, so u dont have to mark out the spacing, but u do need to cut the slots to the appropriate depths. The frets are either only installed into the fingerboard without any leveling, or shifted over time in the warehouse. I had somewhere around 10 high spots. which was ok and i was able to play it just fine as is with the action a little higher (1.8mm), but in order to get the action where i wanted it (1.5mm) i had to level, crown, and polish the frets myself. After putting in the work the neck feels and plays like a dream. The rolled edges are a nice touch and the satin finish is so silky smooth. I really love it!
I'm working on my own parts. But I wanted to post that I did learn to make my own amps (with MOJOtone parts). I love playing in a jam session with my own amp and it is a conversation starter. I started on a champ and worked my way up to a bassman.
The Broadcaster was the first mass-produced solid body guitar, debuted in 1950. In 1951 It name became Telecaster a ND the Tele has been with us ever since. It's true, it is weird. Strange, for it being the first one, but that's what made it so special. They're so versatile from so much simplicity. I love early blackguard ones, but I want a slab rosewood board just like Robin Ford's. So Fender, WTF?, make one, please.
That's the key to getting a great Tele bridge pickup sound. I wired mine so the tone control only affects the bridge pickup, because the neck pickup was ok without it. Backed off about 90 degrees, you get that classic Tele tone.
I've got a Brad Paisley Esquire - the body is a Spruce/Paulownia/Spruce 'sandwich'. Mine weighs 2.3kg. I was initially skeptical about the guitar but quickly got over that. I love how it sounds and how it feels to play. The Tele version has a more conventional neck pickup but the body's made of the same combination of woods (I liked that too, but the Esquire just appealed to me more).
My quest for the perfect Telecaster was concluded a couple of months ago. A 50s JV Modified Tele with a basswood body came in at 6 pounds, 7.9 ounces. While the light weight, hotter than usual pickups, additional series & out of phase pickup selections, and stellar MiJ fit and finish are top-shelf attributes, the real kicker is the neck. Although I'm normally not a fan of thicker necks, the 'Soft V' shape has all the extra depth in a perfect spot, at the crux of the bases of thumb and index finger, making it the most comfortable neck I've ever played while improving thumb support effectiveness when forming chords. With most guitars, one wants to change something about them. What makes this Telecaster weird is that I don't want to change a single thing about it.
The one like creamy colored and golden pickguard? I saw it and fell in love with it (weird, because I was searching for the opposite, something classic, butterscotch maybe... and this one reminds me.of Prince 😅). So you mean that one? I'm still doubting cause the stores around me dont have it and I.dont know bout the soft V neck... It would be buying without trying
@blaseuropa That's the one; and the Soft V neck is an utter delight. However you defined the word 'playable' before, this gem of an instrument will prompt a redefinition of the term.
Favorite tele players -Danny gatton, Roy Buchanan, Greg Koch, Julian lage, Jimmy page during his tele days, Daniel donato. That smattering shows how versatile the tele can be
Telecaster rings like an acoustic, it is so loud and perfect as an acoustic instrument that when you plug it in it is amazing, of course it’s a 1964 Esquire, but I’ve got other nice guitars to this one just kills the rest
Currently I'm playing what I believe is MY ultimate Telecaster; a PRS NF53 in "Black Doghair." It's everything I loved about my old '52 Reissue, without the things I didn't like about it. True the PRS is not a period correct Tele, but it's my ideal Tele ;) Favorite players? Joe Walsh, Zac Childs, Tom Petty & Mike Campbell, Kieth Richards...
Telecaster is a very simple guitar, but it can produce a wide range of sounds, from sweet to sharp. I play Tele with a thumb pick. My first favorite guitar player was Nokie Edwards. I play American Performer with blackguard, new circuits and a vintage look, with jumbo frets, and I love them. My best working horse.
I put a VegaTrem VT2 on my Tele and it completely changed the playing experience. Not just the ability to do the tremolo thing but it became so much easier to play. For some weird reason, which I don’t really understand, I was able to get the action much lower and the sustain improved so much! I was also able to get it much more in tune. Highly recommend one, even if you never put the wammy bar in it!
I have owned several Telecasters. I put a string through bridge at one time on one of them and based on that one experiment, I did notice that it lost maybe 25% of it's sustain. But I realize there are other variables to consider.
I made my first Telecaster in 1971. Mahogany body and Stratocaster neck with TWO SG Standard humbuckings from that era and the usual Fender Telecaster lead PUP. Maybe the third "custom shop" electric guitar on the planet, after the two rosewood Telecasters, which I knew nothing about at the time.
I built my first tele as well (stewmac parts, late 80's)! It was a fantastic project. Somewhat influenced by Steve Morse and Pete Townsend's LP Deluxe, dropping a Dimarzio dual sound between the tele PUs (Schallers). I've chopped it several times over the years. Great platform for experimenting.
What’s weird is people paying crazy $ for T style guitars. Totally agree with John’s suggestion that it’s not a bad idea to build a partscaster. That’ll likely adjust your sense of what they should cost. Personally, these days I only play 80’s Japanese stuff. Sadly, it’s getting precious, too. But I’d be perfectly happy with a squire price point Tele.
I have a stack of '80s Fujigens that I love, but I will say that the Japan-made Allparts necks that are available new for quite affordable prices are in the neighborhood quality-wise.
Even though it's barely a tele, I like Marty Stuart. And Kenny Vaughan as a chaser, I don't think there's any two people who could more easily start a fire with a straight-in telecaster and some hay.
at 62...never bonded with T or S-style until last year...just picked up Tele #12 yesterday. It's become an obsession. Tele's sound amazing with the right pups...and amp (e.g., ToneKing with Cream Backs, or a Hamstead). Picked up a LSL Saticoy earlier this month (an amazing Strat by all accounts!!), but it's STILL inferior to most of my Teles tone wise...to me. Glad Tele's are easy to acquire even for us lefties. Nice K-Line. Can't go wrong with Lollar Special Ts in a tele.
Favorite tele players: Bill Frisell & Julian Lage. I didn’t enjoy the tele feel and sound until I came across a 52 reissue hot rod deluxe. Mini humbucker in the neck position and the neck was nice and big ☺️
The Baja is a one of the best you can get for your money. The vintera 50's Modified is the sequel of the Baja (has other colors, alder body and satin neck on the back, bt rest is the same) I have the Vintera a the guitar is very good.
I'm lazy. I get a cheap tele and put a single bridge pickup wired straight to a volume pot to the output jack. Fewer things to think about when playing. I also put the output jack on the control plate, where the tone knob typically goes.
I own a BP esquire and the neck is really nice, as are the pickups and the weight is only 5lb 10oz. Very nice guitar for the money, yes it's Mexican but it plays as well as any CS fender i have used or owned.
I got a Paisley Esquire because I was completely won over by the neck shape and the light body. It delivers. I did change out the neck "secret agent" pickup to try a filtertron style.
Very interesting to hear your thoughts on them differing so much.....During lockdown I weakened and bought an American Original 60's Tele... Tried so hard to love it, but it's just really unenjoyable to play.
The design and setup are from another time. I'm always surprised by the tones that can be achieved on different amps. Usually go for the Telecaster with the bridge saddles.
I like modern teles with vintage pickups, 22 frets, contoured neck heel and body, nashville pickup configuration, pre-intonated 3 barrel saddles ... the original design had a lot of flaws since it was designed to be cheap to manufacture, i don't understand why most of them still follow the same flawed recipe but we guitarists tend to be a nostalgic/aestetics bunch.
Yeah, Julian Lage for me. Absolutely love the guy. Partscasters are great too. My daily player is a 7lb swamp ash MJT body with a fat Alllparts maple neck, a Gotoh compensated 3 saddle bridge and a pair of Monty’s Retro Wind pickups. It’s a killer blackguard style guitar.
I used to think they were the funniest looking things… Like a big freaking cutting board. With the ugliest headstock, I’m still not entirely in love with the headstock, but I just love a good telecaster. It’s like a caveman tool, but you can do anything with it. And they’re so much fun to play.
I like teles more than strats. I find all current strat players end up sounding the same....with the exception of Nick Johnston. His tone and playing are different than the average strat player.
I have the Brad Paisley signature Telecaster, and it’s super light. It’s been a couple of years since I got it, and I’m loving it more and more each week.
You mentioned the Brad Paisley telecaster. It's definitely my favorite telecaster, even over the American standard I own. Plus, it weighs under 6 pounds.
I love the Telecaster. It’s my favourite electric guitar design. Not just because of the sheer versatility, but the history of the instrument too that gives it a certain mystique. It’s a pioneering design for something new and exciting. Leo Fender back then was like the Wright Brothers if they’d have been designing guitars and hoping to find one that flies. Well, it fucking flew alright.
Love tele’s. Simple and just fall into your hands. Jazzers love em and I prefer the sound of jazz on them as to arch tops and hollow bodies. One size fits all and I even saw an amazing video of a guy playing Vai’s love of god one for gawds sake. They are fun. Everyone should have one by law.
So I’ve played the Paisley Esquire with the silver finish. I actually love the weight and feel of the guitar, it has a really nice V shape to the neck. The hidden neck pickup is also cool, but I absolutely hate how it looks. It genuinely looks like a photocopier finish glued to the guitar. If it didn’t have that, I’d probably seriously consider buying it.
You can make a Tele sound like Strat, you CANT make a STRAT sound like a Tele.
What? You are not getting those in between tones on a strat with a tele. A strat can get close enough that a normal person can't tell the difference in the bridge and neck pickup positions.
@@aanders1990middle tele pickup sounds close enough to my ears 🤷🏻♂️
You can when fitting the Freeway Switch into a Strat and setting it to either the middle position (neck and bridge coil in series) or position 9 (=4, but second "bank" and wiring the neck and middle coils in parallel). Close enough to the middle position on a Tele per my ears. Cross check my demo if so inclined.
put a metal base plate under the bridge of a strat pick up and you are 90% of the way there
When I blend the neck pickup in with the bridge pickup it get real close. My Tele never exactly nails Stat tones either but gets in the territory.
Weirdly wonderful, I’m reminded of 5-watt Keith saying “at some point, you’ll find yourself playing a Telecaster.”
I don’t get telecasters at all. I wish I did. I have tried.. I just can’t see the attraction. Every tele I’ve played simply doesn’t sound like anything I’m hearing like the teles played in these videos. Amps and pedals sure do help. I’ll stay with my old Strat and my old 40 w amp and live happily ever after. For all those who love their Telecasters no problem for me go for it. Enjoy!
Telecaster weird? Them’s fightin’ word….
On hood.😂
The only guitar that will play every genre. Could’ve just stopped with the Tele.
As an aside, I love how Fender can sell you a custom looking like that for 5 big ones, but if my guitar has a dent on it then the guy on Facebook marketplace wants a 100 quid discount.
True. I think that says more about people into pre-worn guitars than the Facebook guy. I keep a pretty close eye on Facebook and the good deals seem pretty rare, all I see are second hand guitars for almost the same money as brand new ones. People are crazy.
@@nineteenninetyfive My impression is the same, just this morning I saw a first run Player series Tele go up for 600 euros. The only time I think you're going to see a good deal on there is when the seller is under some kind of pressure, i.e making a pretty serious house move soon and they *have* to sell their excess baggage.
My favourite Telecaster player is Graham Coxon from Blur - diverse, sometimes weird, with wide-ranging influences and styles.
I haven't owned a Tele for years, but I just got another one the other day - a Squire 40th anniversary model. It was like coming home again. My Les Paul started crying when it saw the Tele....
A Tele just feels right to me. Just personal preference.
Stratocasters are “weird” to me. Horrible tremolo, pickups mounted to a plastic pickguard, volume control and pickup selector switch mounted in the worst possible places, etc.
Yeah teles are the one.
My Strat trem stays in tune, the controls have never gotten in the way for me. Love my Tele, and love my Strat.
@@TeleCaster66 fair enough. My complaints about the Strat are my problems. I’m sure if I played one regularly I’d get comfortable with it. I’m just more of a Tele player. ;)
It’s all about the middle position on a tele
That’s where the funk lives…
My Nashville Tele agrees.
Just flipped the control plate on my Tele. Tone swells ftw :)
favourite tele player, Danny Gatton, sadly missed.
Gotta be Danny, just incredible!
My favorite Tele player right now is Tom Morello. He lives on the neck pick up of his Tele. I own a Vintera 50’s tele that has a thick D shaped neck and a JI Custom Telecaster. Two very different feeling guitars.Lately I’ve been using my Vintera 50’s Tele for band practice.
Growing up I thought they were just too ugly. I didn't come to really appreciate the Tele until later in life. But once I did buy a few, they have become some of my favorite guitars. The tuning stability, overall ruggedness and overall utility of the Telecaster is hard to beat even after 70 years. Truly one of the great workhorse guitars and it's no accident that you'll fine them in almost every genre of music and played by an enormous variety of talented players.
What's your #1 tele now?
@@johnnathancordy I have several currently Fender, Squier and G&L ASAT and love them all. Ironically my favorite is a Blonde Classic Vibe Squier. Got it used for $250 and it's one of my best ones. My other favorite is a Fender Kingfish Tele, recently acquired. They're all great though. Can't go wrong with a Tele generally.
The neck pickup on a Tele is way underrated. Yes, the bridge pickup is famous for a reason, but the neck pickup really is wonderful.
Fave tele players: Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, Robin Ford, Mike Stern, Andy Summers, Johnny Greenwood… Jimmy Bryant.
Brad Paisley, and Richie Kotzen
Guthrie Trapp
@@nikverschuren4291 John 5 too.
Robben Ford is my favorite. Also Josh Smith.
Bruce Springsteen
Your playing is superb! _Any guitar_ placed in your capable hands can't help but sound good, amazing! Thanks for another wonderful demo, I came to appreciate the Tele all over seeing this and listening to you.
Spot on about building your own “parts caster”… built 3 during Covid. I enjoyed every moment and learned SO much
I was afraid of Teles because of the super-bright sound most people get from the bridge pickup. But when I got one I discovered that rolling the tone off off that pup to about 7, gave me the best tone ever. I don't think I've played my Strat ten times since.
Favorite Tele player - Roy Buchanan. I bought my Nashville player Tele a couple of years ago because of Roy
Once you get used to the contours of a Strat-type of guitar, it's hard to play a Tele or Les Paul comfortably.
Not weird, just simply awesome. Playing my K-Line Truxton daily.
I really like the Jason Isbell tele. It has what I need and it’s a signature model that is unpretentious
Yes! And the Chrissy Hynde tele looks incredible too?
Recently acquired a 9.5 lb tele (2001). Best sounding tele I've ever played in 50 years. Superb clarity and sustain for days. Was under the impression that lighter = better... not always true.
The early 2000's American Tele's are some of they best ever made, the light Telecasters are bad imho because the wood is less dense and over time gets condensed around the neck joint creating a loose neck joint. The heavier alder is super durable it's from older trees and is more condensed grain.
By "weird", John apparently means there's a lot of variation across different guitars. That's true for Strats, Les Pauls, acoustics, classicals, etc. Everything matters on every musical instrument.
A Telecaster, suitable for all genres, supplier of all sounds ....... and the ultimate customisable guitar, I love 'em.
Guthrie's primary Tele is a Danocaster, made in Nashville.
His main blue tele is a Floyd Cassista
My Danocaster is the best Tele I've ever owned.
That Fender Custom Shop sounds beautiful!! Off the top of my head, Jimmy Page famously played Tele on Led Zep 1, I believe, and I'm a big fan of Bill Frisell & Andy Summers. Never owned a Tele, prefer Strats. I have played plenty along the way but never clicked . . . when I was a guitar salesman in my teens quite a few came thru the shop and I really loved a classic sunburst Thinliner (1 'f' hole) but before I could talk to my boss about staggered staff discount it was snapped up by a tall, mysterious longhaired and bearded guy the next day. Two years later this chap (known as 'The Phantom') wandered into EMI Studios in Wellington where we were recording our first album (1977) to conduct the Philharmonic String Section on the couple of tracks he'd been contracted by our label to write the string arrangements for . . . naturally he'd already sold the guitar! So it goes.
best "tele" player imo : greg koch
Andy Wood recently said "Greg Koch is in the top 5 all-around guitarists in all styles, and he ain't #5"....
He rips on everything, not just teles
Guthrie Trapp is a beast too.
Does Greg have a giant tele to go with his giant strats.
Bill Frisell, Roy Buchanan, Julian Lage
I read that Jeff Beck played his Tele with the Gibson pickup on Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
true. he had been so blown away by Roy Buchanan playing, but loved the response of his humbuckers.
Also true that in the '80s, Ibanez developed a strat-like guitar for him, trying to win his endorsement. He loved those guitars, but (his words) they were TOO EASY to play, and they sounded TOO GOOD. He stayed with Fender because he felt he played better if he had to struggle a bit with the guitar - so he stayed with Fender!
I'n new to tele but love the simplicity, clarity, and resonance. It rewards attention to technique and lets you know when your playing is sloppy.
It's like saying: 'acoustic guitars are weird'. To say a Telecaster is weird YOU are weird..
😂
My main guitar at the moment is a Partscaster Tele. It started its life as a standard Butterscotch Blonde Player Series Tele. I bought a new Fender Roasted Maple Neck with Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Staggered Locking Tuners, a Black Control Plate, a Black Compensated 3 Brass Saddle Bridge, completely rewired it with all new CTS pots, cloth pushback wire, CRL switch, Orange Drop Cap, treble bleed, and installed a set of Fralin Steel Pole 42 Tele pickups.
I learned so much from the project. I had to learn how to cut a nut. It was my first time installing a neck and bridge. I even had to learn how to level, crown, and dress the frets. I had so much fun doing it and the experience and knowledge i acquired in the process is priceless. It turned a guitar i never played into my favorite guitar i have ever owned and it has made that i instrument so personal. I couldnt agree with you more on your statement that everyone should build a Partscaster at some point. Its a fantastic experience that teaches you so many invaluable skills that i think every guitar player should learn.
An extension of that thought is that every guitar player should be their own tech, it saves a huge amount of time and money, but more importantly - you can set it up exactly the way you want it, and experiment with different setups. Nuts and frets are so easy that once you do it yourself it seems absurd to pay somebody else.
@@pharmerdavid1432 yea exactly!! Being able to fine tune your own instruments to your specifications is very important. Ive always been setting up my own instruments, but i used to be too scared to mess with the nut and the frets. Now that i have successfully done so, i realized it's much easier than it seems.
How do you like that roasted maple rosewood neck? I’ve got one on the way for an old beat up squier I’ve been rebuilding. Replaced the pickups, all wiring and electronics with fender parts. Now I’m replacing the neck, bridge, and putting locking tuners and strap locks on it
@@matthewwoodard9810 it is my favorite neck i have ever played, but u do have to cut the nut slots. The nut comes slightly grooved, so u dont have to mark out the spacing, but u do need to cut the slots to the appropriate depths. The frets are either only installed into the fingerboard without any leveling, or shifted over time in the warehouse. I had somewhere around 10 high spots. which was ok and i was able to play it just fine as is with the action a little higher (1.8mm), but in order to get the action where i wanted it (1.5mm) i had to level, crown, and polish the frets myself. After putting in the work the neck feels and plays like a dream. The rolled edges are a nice touch and the satin finish is so silky smooth. I really love it!
I'm working on my own parts. But I wanted to post that I did learn to make my own amps (with MOJOtone parts). I love playing in a jam session with my own amp and it is a conversation starter. I started on a champ and worked my way up to a bassman.
The Broadcaster was the first mass-produced solid body guitar, debuted in 1950. In 1951 It name became Telecaster a ND the Tele has been with us ever since. It's true, it is weird. Strange, for it being the first one, but that's what made it so special. They're so versatile from so much simplicity. I love early blackguard ones, but I want a slab rosewood board just like Robin Ford's. So Fender, WTF?, make one, please.
Leo got it right the first time !!
In Zac Child's interview with Vince Gill, Vince says Teles are too bright, and he turns down the Tone Knob.
That's the key to getting a great Tele bridge pickup sound. I wired mine so the tone control only affects the bridge pickup, because the neck pickup was ok without it. Backed off about 90 degrees, you get that classic Tele tone.
@@1man1guitarletsgobrilliant.
All single coils are bright and should be played at 5-7 on tone and adjusted from there.
I've got a Brad Paisley Esquire - the body is a Spruce/Paulownia/Spruce 'sandwich'. Mine weighs 2.3kg. I was initially skeptical about the guitar but quickly got over that. I love how it sounds and how it feels to play. The Tele version has a more conventional neck pickup but the body's made of the same combination of woods (I liked that too, but the Esquire just appealed to me more).
My quest for the perfect Telecaster was concluded a couple of months ago. A 50s JV Modified Tele with a basswood body came in at 6 pounds, 7.9 ounces. While the light weight, hotter than usual pickups, additional series & out of phase pickup selections, and stellar MiJ fit and finish are top-shelf attributes, the real kicker is the neck. Although I'm normally not a fan of thicker necks, the 'Soft V' shape has all the extra depth in a perfect spot, at the crux of the bases of thumb and index finger, making it the most comfortable neck I've ever played while improving thumb support effectiveness when forming chords.
With most guitars, one wants to change something about them. What makes this Telecaster weird is that I don't want to change a single thing about it.
The one like creamy colored and golden pickguard? I saw it and fell in love with it (weird, because I was searching for the opposite, something classic, butterscotch maybe... and this one reminds me.of Prince 😅). So you mean that one? I'm still doubting cause the stores around me dont have it and I.dont know bout the soft V neck... It would be buying without trying
@blaseuropa That's the one; and the Soft V neck is an utter delight. However you defined the word 'playable' before, this gem of an instrument will prompt a redefinition of the term.
Favorite tele players -Danny gatton, Roy Buchanan, Greg Koch, Julian lage, Jimmy page during his tele days, Daniel donato. That smattering shows how versatile the tele can be
Telecaster rings like an acoustic, it is so loud and perfect as an acoustic instrument that when you plug it in it is amazing, of course it’s a 1964 Esquire, but I’ve got other nice guitars to this one just kills the rest
If you're looking for a Telecaster with loads of sustain, get your hands on a Fender Aerodyne Telecaster. The Babicz Bridge gives it a whole bunch.
If you think the tele ashtray bridge hardware is weird, you might like Leo Fender’s reinvention of the tele better (G&L ASAT Special).
G&Ls just suck though. Sorry Leo had his best ideas with tele and strat.
I love my G&L, bought it used, they do not have a high resell value so getting a clean used is a bargain. They're great guitars.
@@BeefNEggs057The mid to high end ones do not suck at all.
The tele is my favorite guitar ever made so simple
I love that you describe the Telecaster as having a "Tele bridge".
Who would have imagined...
Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, Ted Greene, Julian Lage and Tim Lerch!
Currently I'm playing what I believe is MY ultimate Telecaster; a PRS NF53 in "Black Doghair." It's everything I loved about my old '52 Reissue, without the things I didn't like about it. True the PRS is not a period correct Tele, but it's my ideal Tele ;) Favorite players? Joe Walsh, Zac Childs, Tom Petty & Mike Campbell, Kieth Richards...
I’ve had my K Line Truxton for 12 years now and every time I pick it up I’m in love all over again. It’s just fantastic.
Telecaster is a very simple guitar, but it can produce a wide range of sounds, from sweet to sharp. I play Tele with a thumb pick. My first favorite guitar player was Nokie Edwards. I play American Performer with blackguard, new circuits and a vintage look, with jumbo frets, and I love them. My best working horse.
You mentioned Brad Paisley and Vince Gill. I also think of Mike Stern. And Dan Steinhardt.
Tim Lerch as well.
I quite like that John Cordy bloke, he's a good tele player
That butterscotch tele that said Jake on it is freaking gorgeous.. Wow.
The Telecaster is the original parts caster.
I put a VegaTrem VT2 on my Tele and it completely changed the playing experience. Not just the ability to do the tremolo thing but it became so much easier to play. For some weird reason, which I don’t really understand, I was able to get the action much lower and the sustain improved so much! I was also able to get it much more in tune. Highly recommend one, even if you never put the wammy bar in it!
I have owned several Telecasters. I put a string through bridge at one time on one of them and based on that one experiment, I did notice that it lost maybe 25% of it's sustain. But I realize there are other variables to consider.
I made my first Telecaster in 1971. Mahogany body and Stratocaster neck with TWO SG Standard humbuckings from that era and the usual Fender Telecaster lead PUP. Maybe the third "custom shop" electric guitar on the planet, after the two rosewood Telecasters, which I knew nothing about at the time.
Beautiful playing. And sound.
I built my first tele as well (stewmac parts, late 80's)! It was a fantastic project. Somewhat influenced by Steve Morse and Pete Townsend's LP Deluxe, dropping a Dimarzio dual sound between the tele PUs (Schallers). I've chopped it several times over the years. Great platform for experimenting.
Will Ray
Favourite Tele player? Julian Lage
What’s weird is people paying crazy $ for T style guitars. Totally agree with John’s suggestion that it’s not a bad idea to build a partscaster. That’ll likely adjust your sense of what they should cost. Personally, these days I only play 80’s Japanese stuff. Sadly, it’s getting precious, too. But I’d be perfectly happy with a squire price point Tele.
I have a stack of '80s Fujigens that I love, but I will say that the Japan-made Allparts necks that are available new for quite affordable prices are in the neighborhood quality-wise.
Always love Tele's bridge PUPs, but not the neck. Strat neck pups is my fav.
Gotta try a top-load Tele if you haven't before. Different ball game.
Even though it's barely a tele, I like Marty Stuart. And Kenny Vaughan as a chaser, I don't think there's any two people who could more easily start a fire with a straight-in telecaster and some hay.
You sure make that weird guitar sound great.
Roy Buchanan is my favorite all time master of the telecaster...
Love your playing.
My fav tele players are Ed Bickert and Julian Lage. Great video by the way 🙂
Ted Greene
My favourite telecaster player is probably Richie Kotzen
The Kotzen signature Tele is a great guitar too.
@@mikecito1717 yeah it's amazing, but it's a different kind of tele. It's pretty wild
I know there was some strattage as well but Andy Summers is my fav Tele player
Weird is the spice of life. I currently have 4 of those weirdos.
I’m drawn to weirdos.
@@JamesAllen-xk8bc - they seem to be drawn to me...I currently own about 3/4 I think..and I play bass...🤔
at 62...never bonded with T or S-style until last year...just picked up Tele #12 yesterday. It's become an obsession. Tele's sound amazing with the right pups...and amp (e.g., ToneKing with Cream Backs, or a Hamstead). Picked up a LSL Saticoy earlier this month (an amazing Strat by all accounts!!), but it's STILL inferior to most of my Teles tone wise...to me. Glad Tele's are easy to acquire even for us lefties. Nice K-Line. Can't go wrong with Lollar Special Ts in a tele.
I keep jonesing for a Brad Paisley, given the pauwlonia / spruce body and the fact they are typically around 6lb. One day ill pull the trigger!
Favorite tele players: Bill Frisell & Julian Lage.
I didn’t enjoy the tele feel and sound until I came across a 52 reissue hot rod deluxe. Mini humbucker in the neck position and the neck was nice and big ☺️
Weird? No way, they’re magnificent!
The Baja is a one of the best you can get for your money. The vintera 50's Modified is the sequel of the Baja (has other colors, alder body and satin neck on the back, bt rest is the same) I have the Vintera a the guitar is very good.
I'm lazy. I get a cheap tele and put a single bridge pickup wired straight to a volume pot to the output jack. Fewer things to think about when playing. I also put the output jack on the control plate, where the tone knob typically goes.
I own a BP esquire and the neck is really nice, as are the pickups and the weight is only 5lb 10oz.
Very nice guitar for the money, yes it's Mexican but it plays as well as any CS fender i have used or owned.
The tele neck pickup is where all the magic happens
Graham Coxon, Joe Strummer and Black Francis/Frank Black (in no particular order)
Greg Koch, Guthrie Trapp, Daniel Donato, Richie Kotzen
Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, the hellecaster guys, James Burton, Richie Kotzen!!!
I got a Paisley Esquire because I was completely won over by the neck shape and the light body. It delivers. I did change out the neck "secret agent" pickup to try a filtertron style.
Very interesting to hear your thoughts on them differing so much.....During lockdown I weakened and bought an American Original 60's Tele... Tried so hard to love it, but it's just really unenjoyable to play.
The design and setup are from another time. I'm always surprised by the tones that can be achieved on different amps. Usually go for the Telecaster with the bridge saddles.
I like modern teles with vintage pickups, 22 frets, contoured neck heel and body, nashville pickup configuration, pre-intonated 3 barrel saddles ... the original design had a lot of flaws since it was designed to be cheap to manufacture, i don't understand why most of them still follow the same flawed recipe but we guitarists tend to be a nostalgic/aestetics bunch.
Yeah, Julian Lage for me.
Absolutely love the guy.
Partscasters are great too. My daily player is a 7lb swamp ash MJT body with a fat Alllparts maple neck, a Gotoh compensated 3 saddle bridge and a pair of Monty’s Retro Wind pickups. It’s a killer blackguard style guitar.
Grown to love teles .
I used to think they were the funniest looking things… Like a big freaking cutting board. With the ugliest headstock, I’m still not entirely in love with the headstock, but I just love a good telecaster. It’s like a caveman tool, but you can do anything with it. And they’re so much fun to play.
I like teles more than strats. I find all current strat players end up sounding the same....with the exception of Nick Johnston. His tone and playing are different than the average strat player.
I LOVE my Tele. I'm going to make one to my specs soon.
I have the Brad Paisley signature Telecaster, and it’s super light. It’s been a couple of years since I got it, and I’m loving it more and more each week.
I think the Telecaster feels weird to you because a Telecaster is a real man’s guitar. So, that explains a lot about you, doesn’t it?
Syd Barrett, favorite Tele/Esquire player.
You mentioned the Brad Paisley telecaster. It's definitely my favorite telecaster, even over the American standard I own. Plus, it weighs under 6 pounds.
What amp are you using in this video? it sounds amazing
Roy Buchanan!
You should have also played the middle position-- that classic Steve Cropper tone.
I love the Telecaster. It’s my favourite electric guitar design. Not just because of the sheer versatility, but the history of the instrument too that gives it a certain mystique. It’s a pioneering design for something new and exciting. Leo Fender back then was like the Wright Brothers if they’d have been designing guitars and hoping to find one that flies.
Well, it fucking flew alright.
I voted for Super Strat... But I would prefer a Tele over a Strat, AKA single coil LP.
Great sound, particularly on the bridge pickup on the blue K-line. Whats your amp/modeler for this?
Love tele’s. Simple and just fall into your hands. Jazzers love em and I prefer the sound of jazz on them as to arch tops and hollow bodies. One size fits all and I even saw an amazing video of a guy playing Vai’s love of god one for gawds sake. They are fun. Everyone should have one by law.
So I’ve played the Paisley Esquire with the silver finish. I actually love the weight and feel of the guitar, it has a really nice V shape to the neck. The hidden neck pickup is also cool, but I absolutely hate how it looks. It genuinely looks like a photocopier finish glued to the guitar. If it didn’t have that, I’d probably seriously consider buying it.
Just picked up a Sire T7TV Sunburst. 6.5 pounds. Definitely a keeper.