The Joy of "Plank/Slab"

NSJ · #1 10-13-2011, 07:02 PM

Sometimes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I decided to break out my Tele ('52 RI) just now, plugged it in to a Fender Twin, pedal-less, just guitar, amp, and cable.

Neck pup only. Ash tray cover on the unnecessary appendage. Charlie Christian, via Jason Lollar, front and center.

Finger-picking these makes a HUGE difference in terms of that clean, warm, tone. "Digging in", I find to be, in my opinion, TOO LOUD. But finger style, volume set to 3-4 on the amp, bass =0, mids all the way up, Treble 5/6, a smudge of the onboard reverb. Plus the greater sustain of the notes! to go along with the warm, mellow tone. I think you can get a very 'singable' tone out of this, not just a mere 'jazz' sound.

What are your thoughts on plectrum picking on a Tele and it' s affect on tone vis-a-vis fingerpicking?

I also think the neck on a Tele is SO nice to play. I usually rotate my small stable of guitars. I've neglected this cheapo but wonderful guitar for too long.

morroben · #2 10-13-2011, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NSJ

I think you can get a very 'singable' tone out of this, not just a mere 'jazz' sound.

I heard Ted Greene compare Tele tone to an organ. Works for me! My '69 Thinline RI is my #1 guitar, and probably always will be. It's stuck around longer than any other electric I've owned in last 20 years. I play fingerstyle exclusively and almost always stay on the either the neck pickup or the "series" position on the 4-way.
For me, it's just the perfect guitar...

Tom Karol · #3 10-13-2011, 07:47 PM

I find Teles respond best to a light touch with the right hand whether using a pick or fingers. I don't know why, but it works well for me. I always find it amusing when decent players who are used to other guitars pick up a Tele and over-play on it, getting a relatively crappy sound, and then decide that Teles aren't any good.

coolvinny · #4 10-13-2011, 07:56 PM

This is my main guitar. I love how I can string it with 10's to be easy on my hands, but still get a fat tone through an amp, and best of all the darn thing is bullet-proof. It survived a nasty spill once (caused in my absence...and I did not even notice for 12 hours) with only a tiny nick. I honestly only have to tune it about once every two weeks....the damn thing just refuses to go out of tune (even though the strings, TI "Swing" series 10 gauge, are probably 9 months old...). I have never even had it set up by a luthier. To be fair, when I picked it up used it did cost more than the average 'plank', but still far less than most archtops (and no archtop would have survived the spill this one took!).

NSJ · #5 10-13-2011, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morroben

I heard Ted Greene compare Tele tone to an organ. Works for me! My '69 Thinline RI is my #1 guitar, and probably always will be. It's stuck around longer than any other electric I've owned in last 20 years. I play fingerstyle exclusively and almost always stay on the either the neck pickup or the "series" position on the 4-way.
For me, it's just the perfect guitar...

Boy, that sure is a pretty guitar. I like that simple color and the F hole. Thanks for posting the pic.

NSJ · #6 10-13-2011, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

I find Teles respond best to a light touch with the right hand whether using a pick or fingers. I don't know why, but it works well for me. I always find it amusing when decent players who are used to other guitars pick up a Tele and over-play on it, getting a relatively crappy sound, and then decide that Teles aren't any good.

I think that's the secret--use a light touch, and it will sound wonderful!

I decided to get a CC on the Tele after watching Tim Lerch demo it on youtube. I was very much stunned by the clarity and sweetness of the sound when he played it finger style, lightly. When he dug in and used a pick, that sound did not appeal to me at all. But I have an acutely profound contempt for loud playing, I was perhaps being too sensitive, it's not like he was banging away.

I still have a preference for treating it like a jazz box--neck pickup, heavier strings, soft dynamics, clean, uncluttered tone. I think it, as we all know, give you singing lines that are a bit different than the quickly decaying archies.

NSJ · #7 10-13-2011, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolvinny

This is my main guitar. I love how I can string it with 10's to be easy on my hands, but still get a fat tone through an amp, and best of all the darn thing is bullet-proof. It survived a nasty spill once (caused in my absence...and I did not even notice for 12 hours) with only a tiny nick. I honestly only have to tune it about once every two weeks....the damn thing just refuses to go out of tune (even though the strings, TI "Swing" series 10 gauge, are probably 9 months old...). I have never even had it set up by a luthier. To be fair, when I picked it up used it did cost more than the average 'plank', but still far less than most archtops (and no archtop would have survived the spill this one took!).

Wow. Now THAT's a beaut! I love the lack of inlay and dots, a clean fingerboard. Thanks for posting!

coolvinny · #8 10-14-2011, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NSJ

Wow. Now THAT's a beaut! I love the lack of inlay and dots, a clean fingerboard. Thanks for posting!

Thanks. Despite the clean fretboard, it has substantial abalone (I think) side dots and the rosewood fingerboard is a lot thicker than usual. As a result, when the lighting is low, the side dots are super easy to see. It's actually easier to 'see' my way around this fretboard in the dark than when there is a lot of light. Designed for smoky clubs I guess (and, given its resiliency, for rough crowds...).

jmstritt · #9 10-14-2011, 08:05 AM

The beauty of the Telecaster is that it will basically give you what you give it. By that, I mean that if you have poor technique the Tele will amplify that, but if you have good technique the Tele will sing! I do argee that it is best with a light touch a la Ed Bickertt! ;-)

cosmic gumbo · #10 10-14-2011, 10:44 AM

I have a Yamaha pac120 that I've had for years, and I still can't keep my hands off of it. It's got the best vibe of any guitar I've ever owned. Jazz, funk, blues, and even big band sound great with those humbuckers. But the curse of chronic GAS still has me jonesing bad for a fender, even though I have a strat in the arsenal. When it happens, Mrs. Gumbo will not be amused...

Meggy · #11 10-15-2011, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmstritt

The beauty of the Telecaster is that it will basically give you what you give it. By that, I mean that if you have poor technique the Tele will amplify that, but if you have good technique the Tele will sing! I do argee that it is best with a light touch a la Ed Bickertt! ;-)

I do agree with everyone who has made the point about the light touch - I've just started playing on my parts-built tele, and am finding this already. The instrument has a real resonance, which somehow is best tapped into with a more delicate approach. Which is interesting - you might think given the tele's basic, "plank/slab" construction, that the opposite would be true - not so...

edspyhill01 · #12 10-15-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

I have a Yamaha pac120 that I've had for years, and I still can't keep my hands off of it. It's got the best vibe of any guitar I've ever owned. Jazz, funk, blues, and even big band sound great with those humbuckers. But the curse of chronic GAS still has me jonesing bad for a fender, even though I have a strat in the arsenal. When it happens, Mrs. Gumbo will not be amused...

There isn't a significant other any guitar player who is ever surprised with what we "need" to buy. 8-0

coolvinny · #13 10-15-2011, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edspyhill01

There isn't a significant other any guitar player who is ever surprised with what we "need" to buy. 8-0

If you meet resistance, tell 'em nobody can tell the difference between diamonds and cubic zirconia... (and what is the purpose of jewelry again anyways???).

stevedenver · #14 10-17-2011, 01:52 PM

as to the original post
hwile both pick and fingers make a difference in tone
so do pick ups
dramatically

some have the bright country aspect, and others, notably the older flatpole style with higher output, can sound very humbucker-ish

not to mention actually having a humbucker in the neck

i think teles are amazingly versatile, and can be made more so with attention to pups and pots and caps to get the sound you like

=DK= · #15 10-19-2011, 04:45 PM

How's that Lollar CC sound on an alder body? I'm very much a fingerstyle player, and I received an old affinity Tele as a gift, and I'd like to refurbish the electronics, and replace the neck with a Warmoth I have laying around. I solder and everything. So how is it? Worth the price?