Solid body Tele or Thinline Tele?

[kris]

What model of telecaster is the best for jazz?

[Retroman1969]

That's a tough call. Same predicament as humbucker or single in the neck.
It all comes down to what you hear when you play them. If you have a chance, try several different models of both. See what does it for you.
Personally, I lean towards Thinline. A little bit more open sound that mimics an archtop that much more (or maybe it's just the f-hole psyching me out!). But ultimately there's very little tonal difference between the two styles.

[Stackabones]

Jazz is music, not gear. Get the one that sounds best to your ears and play jazz on it.

[fws6]

I love my thinline it definately has a bit more mellowness than a solidbody. Maybe it is subjective. Anyways, the weight is super comfortable on the back too at 5lbs. Mine is an old one so I would never dream of placing a HB in the neck, but for some reason the Tele PU with the highs rolled off just a bit does excellent for jazz too (better than a Strat neck PU in my ears)

[jzucker]

teles are naturally a bit neck heavy and the semi-hollow ones are worse. Plus, you lose some of the big advantages of the tele by hollowing it out.

I like a tele with a neck humbucker. Rosewood FB yields a slightly darker tone but maple works too.

[fws6]

agreed. as you can see I replaced the neck to one with a rosewood fretboard (thinlines originally only came with maple necks)

[Retroman1969]

That's a sweet one fws6! Is that ash?

[amhabz]

If I had the money I'd get this one right now.

[Flat]

There is no best. But I admit that when I went hunting for a jazz Tele, I was seduced by the "f" hole. Heck, "f" holes just look like jazz to me. Like an archtop.

But for my own personal tastes, I found the sound I was looking for came more often from an ash solidbody.

I think a lot of guys will find the sound they like in a thinline with an f hole, and that could be you and that's great. My humble advice is: just don't be seduced by the visual.

[amhabz]

You are of course right, this is my current tele, solid cedar, capped with spalted mayple.

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by amhabz

You are of course right, this is my current tele, solid cedar, capped with spalted mayple.

Beautiful! Have I just overlooked solid cedar Teles or is this one very rare?

[amhabz]

Hand built by Logan's customs, Delevan Wisc. Logan Custom Guitars | Home I bought this a couple of years ago thru e-bay. He first called and asked if he could trade out the pu for a more Jazzy pickups. then a couple of days later called and said he couldn't sell me the one on ebay because he found a crack in the wood, so he made me a complete new one. I use it for everything from jazz to surf leads.

[Doctor Jeff]

I tried every variety of Tele recently in my search for the perfect jazz Tele. Many of the solid bodies were fine, but some were too thin and squawky even in the neck position. I liked most of the Thinlines.

I also liked both the Squier Classic Vibes and was seriously considering pulling the trigger.

Then I came across a MIM Tele on CL that a kid had relic'ed as a project. It has a SD Alnico 2 at the neck and an Quarter-Pounder at the bridge. It has the best jazz tone I have ever heard from a Tele--warm, balanced. I like the neck but have ordered another body from GFS in vintage burst.

I would definitely consider solid body Teles but try them first, as each seems to have its own personality when it comes to a mellow sound.

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by amhabz

Hand built by Logan's customs, Delevan Wisc. Logan Custom Guitars | Home

Aah, another drool site. Very nice!

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

I would definitely consider solid body Teles but try them first, as each seems to have its own personality when it comes to a mellow sound.

That's probably the best advice there is.

[amhabz]

I got it really cheap because originally it was one he had around. He makes the tele bodies from scratch, but buys his strat bodies, harder to carve, i guess.

[Steve Z]

Originally Posted by Retroman1969

... Personally, I lean towards Thinline. A little bit more open sound that mimics an archtop that much more (or maybe it's just the f-hole psyching me out!). But ultimately there's very little tonal difference between the two styles.

I would agree with this statement, at least from my experience. Definitely agree with the "or maybe it's just the f-hole psyching me out!" part.

I am currently using a G&L ASAT Thinline that was routed for a humbucker, which I have installed a Seymour duncan Jazz. The neck is maple, though I would really like to find a similar guitar with a rosewood neck. I am not sure if rosewood is warmer/smoother than maple necks or not... perhaps that "psyching me out" is coming out again as archtops have rosewood or ebony fretboards . I also have the thinlines sister, which is a solid body with belly cut... very comfortable.

Used G&L ASATs are usually a great value since their resale value is for some unknown reason less than a custom shop Fender.









Cheers,
Steve

[kris]

Beautifull guitars.

[mr. beaumont]

I pieced together my "jazz tele" from several different teles, and ended up using the neck from a Fender '69 thinline reissue--really liked the feel.

But the body and pickups were from solidbodies...I didn't notice too much of a difference between the solid body and semi hollow, and liked the weight of the solid body better to counter the "neck heavy" thinline.

Also, a little bit of laziness--the stock thinline pickups were very bright, so rather than change them, I just took the neck off and put it on another body that already had pickups I liked in it.



Here's a pic, because pics always make for better threads, right? I never felt the need for a humbucker--through a amp EQ-d correctly I can almost always get a nice jazz tone with this guitar.

[amhabz]

that's what's cool about tele's, you can make pretty much anything you want out of them

[fws6]

>That's a sweet one fws6! Is that ash

Yup

I think thinline, with rosewood board, and a set of TI 012s got me pretty much where I wanted

I agree on the older USA made G&L's copared to high end Fenders - great value for money.

[Steve Z]

Originally Posted by fws6

... I agree on the older USA made G&L's copared to high end Fenders - great value for money.

The one down side of a G&L that I have found is that I cannot find replacement necks like can be found for Fender Teles so if I want to swap my maple neck with a rosewood or ebony, then I need to find an complete ASAT with the neck I want. It would be nice to find aftermarket ASAT replacement necks offering various scales and fingerboard wood.


Cheers,
Steve

[Space Pickle]

Can't play jazz without f holes.

[heavyblues]

Originally Posted by Steve Z

The one down side of a G&L that I have found is that I cannot find replacement necks like can be found for Fender Teles so if I want to swap my maple neck with a rosewood or ebony, then I need to find an complete ASAT with the neck I want. It would be nice to find aftermarket ASAT replacement necks offering various scales and fingerboard wood.


Cheers,
Steve

This is a question not a rhetorical question( :-P): so you are telling me that even Warmoth necks can not be used as a replacement for G&L's?

I definitely want to know, as I have a G&L Bluesboy classic (seth lover in the neck, that one). I have a rosewood FB, and I am more than happy with it, but in the worst case scenario I would like to be able to swap the entire neck vs. repairing it etc.

?

[Stackabones]

Originally Posted by Space Pickle

Can't play jazz without f holes.

Yet it is often done by s-holes.

[max chill]

A-holes?

[fws6]

well you cant find aftermarket necks but when I check ebay at this moment there are 168 ASATs listed .... so plenty of donor / swap possibilities.

ash body, semi hollow, rosewood board, HB in the neck position, affordable version...

G&L Tribute ASAT Classic Semihollow Bluesboy Guitar New | eBay

[Steve Z]

Originally Posted by fws6

well you cant find aftermarket necks but when I check ebay at this moment there are 168 ASATs listed .... so plenty of donor / swap possibilities.

ash body, semi hollow, rosewood board, HB in the neck position, affordable version...

G&L Tribute ASAT Classic Semihollow Bluesboy Guitar New | eBay

Careful on the Tribute series as the necks are not the same. Tribute series necks are wider and seem thinner than US made ASAT necks. I just played a Tribute and a US ASAT a couple weeks ago in a local shop. The tributes are nice guitars, but the wider neck as you get down to the body joint was a bit too wide for me.


Cheers,
Steve

[Steve Z]

Originally Posted by heavyblues

This is a question not a rhetorical question( :-P): so you are telling me that even Warmoth necks can not be used as a replacement for G&L's?

I definitely want to know, as I have a G&L Bluesboy classic (seth lover in the neck, that one). I have a rosewood FB, and I am more than happy with it, but in the worst case scenario I would like to be able to swap the entire neck vs. repairing it etc.

?

Correct, I have not found a source that sells replacement necks for G&L guitars. Everything I have read also indicated G&L does not sell only necks... just a one for one swap if you have a neck issue.

I have read online that http://guitarmill.com may build necks to fit an ASAT, but I have not contacted them to find out for sure. Since Guitar Mill is about 45 minutes away from me I probably should get off my rear and make a visit to inquire


Cheers,
Steve

[NSJ]

just out of curiosity, what is the best site on how to build a jazz "partscaster"?

[kris]

Originally Posted by NSJ

just out of curiosity, what is the best site on how to build a jazz "partscaster"?

I will stay at my hollow and semi-hollow jazz boxes...