Telecaster Questions

[wizard3739]

Ok, all you guys who chose Telecaster as your "guitar of choice" for jazz please elaborate on your reason(s) for this choice. Why is it better than the other solid body guitars? Why not choose a Stratocaster or Jaguar or Les Paul or ???. (many, many others to choose from). This is a very serious question that has been puzzling me for many years. I know many great guitar players (Ed Bickert, Ted Greene, etc...) played Telecaster guitars but I am more interested in the reason they chose the Tele over the many other choices available to them.

wiz

[m78w]

I like the thicker neck, the weight and since I put humbuckers in mine I like the tone better than other solid bodies.

I think Tele's just have that "jazzy" quality to them. They tend to just have a naturally warm tone compared to the Strat or Les Paul etc.

MW

[wizard3739]

Thanks Matt, that is exactly the kind on info I am looking for. I am in the process of buying/building a backup guitar for local gigs. I still need to learn about the type of neck (radius, nut width, scale etc...) and the best kind of pickup for a good jazz tone. There are many to choose from but not much info from the guys who actually use them for jazz sounds.

thanks again,
wiz

[Banksia]

Wizard good luck with the p/up search. I thought the range of guitar brands and models available these days was confusing enough before I even looked at the number of pickups. As if tone wasn't already difficult enough to define. My own experience doesn't even help: my best jazz tones have come from an Ibanez Artcore and an old Fender Jag!! Where's the common thread there?

[wizard3739]

Matt, what kind of humbuckers did you put on your Tele?

wiz

[m78w]

I have a Gibson mini on the neck and a Bill Lawrence on the bridge.

MW

[JorisFun]

Hi Matt,

I have an old Tele and I'd like to experiment a little with a humbucker. Do I need a (new) wiring scheme? Or do I just use the same form as on the old puck up?

Cheers, J

BTW: great website you have

[m78w]

Hey J,
I'm not sure, I didn't put the pickups in myself. BUT I did have some work done on it and they said it had all of the original wiring in it.

MW

[wizard3739]

Thanks Matt, I need that kind of info to tell the Warmoth guys how to rout the body they will be building for me. My current thoughts are to buy a high end neck that matches my Sadowsky neck for feel and size and a low end Warmoth body (Ash or Maple). Thanks again,

wiz

[wizard3739]

Which Tele body style do you like best for jazz and why: 1) Older standard solid body Tele style or 2) the newer semi-hollow thinline Tele style body with an f hole?

wiz

[wizard3739]

no answers on my last question?

wiz

[m78w]

I like the look of the new F-hole tele's, though I've never owned one. My tele is the older solid body version, and I like it because I can bang it around, or drop it, or whatever and it'll never even go out of tune!

MW

[emmadet]

Anything tele will be fine with me I think. Thinlines, 70ies customs or deluxes, setneck models, gattons, I like them all.
I'm using a sunburst '67 a lot these days. It had the neck humbucker rout when I got it, so I've switched back and forth a bit between singlecoil & hb. The hb is full, broad, warm, but with less shimmer than the singlecoil; it also has a bit less of that nice dry tele bite. Maybe I just need to screw the pickup a bit further down away from the strings, that'll usually provide a bit more of that great airy shimmering.
Both versions are cool. I have a '68 too, with stock singlecoil pickups.
I love these sturdy nononsense things, and not only for the Ted & Ed vibe. I dig the new nashville stereoid country type players too, cats like Johnny Hiland, Redd Volkaert & Brent Mason. Never knew what to think about Mike Stern though...too many stock bebop phrases and BB King on coke type shit. Oh well. He has a nice clean sound though. When he doesn't drown it in chorus


www.myspace.com/madsthorsen

[Stackabones]

Just on an aesthetics level, I'd go with the thinline. Restaurant managers and other serious jazzethes will see the f-hole and know that it's a real jazz guitar.

I use a solid body (a Peavey Reactor telecopy) and love it, but the thinlines definitely have a vibe about them ... though I'm not a fan of the volume/tone knob configuration. Trad tele has them horizontal; thinlines tend to angle them a bit and place them a little too far away from my picking hand.

Another thing to consider, some teles/thinlines have the old ashtray style bridges with the three-piece bridge trees (can't remember what these are called). The ashtray bridge can feel odd if you're not used to it. You may want to take a trip to your local guitar retailer and try a few with that kind of bridge.

[derek]

Originally Posted by wizard3739

no answers on my last question?

wiz

Mr. Beaumont has both I believe. My Nash Tele has a bucker in the neck, but is solid. Were I to get another Tele, I would definitely go with the thinline style. Good luck

[mr. beaumont]

hey, i missed this thread...

yes, i have both solid body teles and a semi hollow. the semi hollow is actually the brightest sounding of my teles, but it's the pickup/pot combo, i think it has little to do with the body. the body is nice and light, and the neck on the MIM '69 thinlines is fantastic--i liked the neck so much i got one for my american tele!

i always post these links to my site, so if you've heard this before, ignore it. but i'll give you a little guitar info...

ezFolk: Jeff matz

autumn leaves and rainy day are the thinline

stella and blue bossa are a tele with a neck humbucker

quiet room and tis autumn are a regular tele single coil neck pickup (solid body tele)

truth is, i can sound pretty similar on all of 'em. the key is to find the combo that makes YOU the happiest. to me, as much as i like the single coil neck pickup, a humbucker in a tele neck slot makes for a ridiculously versatile instrument. always worth a go.

[Banksia]

I don't know how many of you guys are familiar with the rock guitarist John 5. I'm not but he is a notorious Tele fanatic. I read he paid $135,000 for an original Esquire, I think it was, in original case in mint condition.Here's a link to his collection. This vid originally came out with one of the guitar magazines.
John5: The Ulitmate Guitar Collection - Truveo Video Search

[wizard3739]

Thanks very very much to all of you for the candid answers to my questions. I am very close to being able to order the parts (Warmoth) for my Tele project. Mr. B, all of your guitars are great and I listened to all of your songs and again found them to be really beautiful. After listening to your three guitars, I concluded that they all sounded very similar and that tells me the sound is more truly your own tasty feel and not so much any particular Tele guitar.
I am leaning toward a solid body Tele with a good humbucker in the neck. I will probably try to order a neck that will be physically similar to my Sadowsky neck so my fingers won't have to adjust to a different scale and nut width. I will buy a finished Warmoth neck but will probably do a natural or see-through finish on the body (Alder or Ash) myself. The body will have a tummy and forearm cut for comfort fit. I can easily handle the wiring and electronics (retired electronic engineer). Building this guitar will be a labor of love and will satisfy my urge to build a guitar.
Since my funds are very limited, I hope this approach will give me a tough Tele I can use for my jazz gigs. Thanks again to everyone for helping me with the Tele info.

wiz

[bobnes]

is it just me, but why is it that I have the feeling that most Jazz tele players opt for a rosewood fretboard? Is it because they are known to be warmer in tone? Maybe I'm wrong, does anyone else notice this?

[mr. beaumont]

i think it might have more to do with look and feel. as a tele afficionado, i am also a member at a telecaster message board--where it's been discussed into great depth whether or not there is a difference in sound.

i can't hear it. i think the fact that rosewood "looks" darker creates sort of a mental illusion that it sounds darker. my main jazz tele has a maple neck, only for the fact that i prefer the feel.

rosewood is a softer wood than maple, so there definitely seems to be a connection to a softer sound. but a lot of high end jazz guitars are made with ebony boards, which is harder than maple! no one complains about them being too bright.

i think feel plays in the most though--if a cat got his start on a rosewood board archtop and then switched to a tele for whatever reason, he may like the feel of that wood and the look visually--not just for aesthetics, either, but for seeing his way around.

JMHO.

[bluemood]

What do you tele guys think of the Fender 52 RI .:: Fender®.com ::.

[zz5555]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

i think it might have more to do with look and feel. as a tele afficionado, i am also a member at a telecaster message board--where it's been discussed into great depth whether or not there is a difference in sound.

i can't hear it. i think the fact that rosewood "looks" darker creates sort of a mental illusion that it sounds darker. my main jazz tele has a maple neck, only for the fact that i prefer the feel.

rosewood is a softer wood than maple, so there definitely seems to be a connection to a softer sound. but a lot of high end jazz guitars are made with ebony boards, which is harder than maple! no one complains about them being too bright.

i think feel plays in the most though--if a cat got his start on a rosewood board archtop and then switched to a tele for whatever reason, he may like the feel of that wood and the look visually--not just for aesthetics, either, but for seeing his way around.

JMHO.

It's nice to hear someone with more experience (and talent) say that. Except for my Les Paul, all my guitars have maple fingerboards as that's always felt best to me. I was afraid I'd have to give that up in search for the elusive jazz tone.

[Musically Mr M]

For me, my 98 Nashville was the perfect platform to do jazz type stylings. Mine has Warmoth neck (poly finish) on it (9.25 radius, modern U shape) one piece quartersawn maple/w maple fretboard. Medium jumbo nickel fret wire and that neck is smooth as butter. The body is Malachite Green, with a White pearloid guard, Traditional 52 style 3-brass saddle setup. It's definitely a looker, very classy looking and looks very nice for playing jazz at the club, dinner clubs, small venues etc. Sound wise, I didn't go for humbuckers (although a stack in theory could be considered a humbucker I guess) when I was redoing the electronics because I knew this guitar would do double duty somewhere along the line so my pickup choices were at the neck, a Seymour Duncan Classic Stack which can be dialed up plenty dark for that jazz tone and can overdrive enough to keep me happy playing fusion stuff or blues as well. At times that I still need some Tele spank, there's a Seymour Duncan 52 Broadcaster at the bridge. (I love the sound of that pickup running through a Bassman) I also use a very conventional, modern wiring schematic using 250k CTS pots and Orange Drop Caps. Low to no noise in operation and can go from syrupy sweet to loud a raucous at the drop of a hat. That set up had impeccable jazz manners If you go over to the showcase section of the forum and click on the song link to "Creepin", you'll hear that guitar in action.

What I like most about the Tele for jazz is that the guitar is as simple as simple can get so I don't have to really get caught up in tweaking it in performance and just play. I think Teles have their own unique "sex appeal"

[bobnes]

Hi Jazz tele fans,

I have an american standard fender tele with stock single coils and a maple fretboard. I usually use ernie ball power slinkys (11's), but I'm thinking of upping the guage to Ernie Ball 'not even slinky' (12's). I like to play Jazz the most, but also like to play rock/blues, and therefore like to bend notes every now and then. Whilst not having tiny hands, I definately do not have monstrously large hands, so considering all this, do you guys out there think this is a good idea to go to that guage? Also, are tele's suited to this guage, and how do the tele necks react to them etc. Anyone out there done somehting similar? If so, is there anything else I would need to consider?

[mr. beaumont]

the necks are pretty thin on american standard teles--it might move a little, but considering you already have .11's on there, shouldn't be much. i assume you already needed to widen the nut slots to get the .11's on there?

personally, i don't hear much of a difference on a solid body guitar between .11's and .12's. i think if you really want to go jazzy, forget gauge, change type--put some flatwounds on there. you can always sub a plain G string if you really gotta bend that one.

[bobnes]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

the necks are pretty thin on american standard teles--it might move a little, but considering you already have .11's on there, shouldn't be much. i assume you already needed to widen the nut slots to get the .11's on there?

personally, i don't hear much of a difference on a solid body guitar between .11's and .12's. i think if you really want to go jazzy, forget gauge, change type--put some flatwounds on there. you can always sub a plain G string if you really gotta bend that one.

would flatwounds be suitable for rock and blues as well? would there be much of a difference in tone between 11's and 13's? could you reccommend a decent flatwound manufacturer?

[mr. beaumont]

.11's to 13's? maybe a little. i've never been one to macho about strings...i always laugh when i talk to some stevie ray vaughanabee about strings...

now on an acoustic archtop--definitelymakes a difference, but on a solid body guitar, i just can't hear that big of one. i like elevens because i can bend the B and E no problem, but i also really like the wound G for jazz chords--better intonation. I should say that i'm not big ino bending, and that i play 99% jazz...i don't use a plain G on any guitar anymore--o you can tell that bending just isn't that important to me...

i have another guitar (another tele) set up with rounds for rock and blues, when i'm called on to do it, but most of the time, i just take my main tele with the flats. i don't think anyone knows the difference (you just can't do pick scrapes!)

i use d'addairo chromes, .11--.49. i've used a set or two of Thomastik-Infields, which are really nice, but they cost too much and my local shop doesn't stock 'em, so i go with the chromes. I've always felt tht folks who are cork sniffers about strings usually can't play for shit, so i better shut up and use what i can (but i'll say again, the TI's were really nice, and probably brighter than the chromes, so if you're worried about flatwounds being too dark, go for it)

[John C. Smith]

It's a Warmoth Eric Clapton v-shaped neck. A compound radius, it allows excellent access when playing (rarely) above the 12th fret. At the first few frets, it's nice and meaty without being cumbersome.

The body is an old solid tele, nothing special. Barden bridge. The pups are a Voodoo PAF at the neck, and Voodoo Broadcaster at the bridge. I also have a little switch hidden in a cavity that can put the pups out of phase if I want a bluesy Peter Green tone.

All around, it's very much a Swiss Army Knife type of guitar, capable of many things. For jazz, just on the neck pup delivers a warm and lush, but not muddy, tone. Easy to overdrive if required. I tend to play with just a little hair on the tone all the time.

fwiw I use a '91 Vox TBX 15 watt all tube amp.

Cheers all

John

[bluemood]

Originally Posted by bobnes

would flatwounds be suitable for rock and blues as well? would there be much of a difference in tone between 11's and 13's? could you reccommend a decent flatwound manufacturer?

I would not use flat wound for blues or rock but I do use gibson L5 pure nickle round wounds 11,14,(19/w)30,41,52 on my Hofner Very thin Classic semi hollowbody I use the wound G for Jazz, and on my tele I change the wound G for a plain 18 and it's still very jazzy deep and warm tone... I can still bend the high E ,B and G two or three steps up.

[John C. Smith]

Originally Posted by bluemood

I would not use flat wound for blues or rock but I do use gibson L5 pure nickle round wounds 11,14,(19/w)30,41,52 on my Hofner Very thin Classic semi hollowbody I use the wound G for Jazz, and on my tele I change the wound G for a plain 18 and it's till very jazzy yet I can still bend the high E ,B and G two or three steps up.

fwiw I'd endorse this approach. I use pure nickels too (11-50), and they fit blues, rock and jazz. Sometimes GHS Nickel Rockers, sometimes DR Pure Blues. One could almost call them 'semi-flats'. I use a plain G on everything (I really only use the tele....I have a strat but it's simply not as good a guitar as the tele, and so stays under the bed a lot).

Cheers, interesting thread

John