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LOL...Yeah, Lofgren was a pretty good gymnast as a kid. He used to enter the stage in his act with his band (Grin) by doing a big flip over the stack of amps and planting a landing--with guitar--on center stage, while playing. He had small trampolines at strategic points around the stage that he would use to do flips while playing. He also had a setup of twin bass drums that he would play standing up while soloing on guitar. He could play piano and guitar at the same time, too. He was full of tricks. That said, he was a monster on his Telecaster and his Stratocaster. He did yeoman work on piano for Neil Young (After The Gold Rush, Trans, etc.) and in the E-Street Band with Springsteen.
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11-07-2014 02:57 PM
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For sake of providing counterpoint here (and at risk of taking the big flame), I've tried teles backwards and forwards and I really just can't connect. I've built 'em, I've bought 'em, and most of them have moved onto mister ebay.
My entire experience is personal (of course) and my own.
I find the squared off body to be generally uncomfortable. I find most neck PUs to be noisy and thin sounding, and interestingly they tend to get a bit quackier at higher volumes (although Wilde Bill noiseless are pretty amazing, but still have some thin-ness to them).
On the other hand, I find a super strat or thinline 335 style to be more efficient for me. A fixed bridge super strat with humbucking pickups offers greater comfort, silent fuller tone and will likely come with other modern appointments (wax finish neck, fixed 6 saddle bridge, modern wiring, etc...) if you so desire. A thinline offers all of this and more in terms of the "airiness" of a f-hole style guitar.
Oh, I find the LP shape to be uncomfortable sitting down but it's sure got some thick tone to it when needed (although again, I think most of that is the pickup, the scale length, bridge type, etc...)
So there you have it.
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Jazzbow- can you tell us something about the tele thinline that's pictured in your post? What a great looking guitar!
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Ordered me a Vintage Vibes Charlie Christian today (HCC) that fits in a humbucker slot. Got the Alnico II magnets installed with the III's on the side. The one I'm building is similar to Jazzbow's except without the bridge pickup which I wouldn't use anyway -curly maple top with chambered mahogany body.
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I've got the Dimarzio Area T pickups in my Tele. Perfect for jazz- warm, clear and zero noise. My Tele is my quietest guitar between those pickups and good shielding.
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I found the image on the gear page
Originally Posted by Timo
It was made by a dude called John Catto.
This is what he said;
a Thinline Tele with a Gretsch f-hole!
Bridge pup is an old Kent Armstrong, the neck is a Gibson P90 of indeterminate age under that "Charlie Christian" cover. Walnut top/Mahogany body.
John Catto, some of my guitars....
To my mind I'm thinking the 'F' hole looks better placed than the original Fender versionLast edited by jazzbow; 11-08-2014 at 06:07 AM.
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That sounds good. I got the Alnico II and V for a contrast. The V was really bright and brittle sounding but the II suits my ears better, nice and warm. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
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I love the sound of the neck and middle positions on my 2007 American Standard Tele (got a Dimarzio Tone Zone T coil split humbucker in the bridge), but prefer the fit, feel, and scale length of a semi-hollow.
I had a heavily modded a 1999 American Standard Strat, but never bonded with it and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Couldn't get rid of my Studio LP fast enough either and traded it even for that Tele.Last edited by zigzag; 11-08-2014 at 11:44 PM.
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I recently bought a Tele style guitar, customized to my taste, which is not actually a Fender and for the time being with a cheap hardware, that I definitely will upgrade, if I don't decide to buy another Telecaster which caught my eye, which is an ash tele.
What can I say...Up until now I was playing mainly Les Paul type guitars, but the Telecaster definitely's got some clarity and yet a full sound thing going (mine is with two humbuckers), that simply isn't there in other guitars, be it 24,75 or 25,5 neck, and I guess it's the combination of several things: construction, body size, scale length and most of all, its bridge. You can alter the tone just by different position of the right hand and a different attack on the strings.
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It really is the perfect guitar, the desert island guitar (assuming your desert island has electricity and you have a Fender tube amp). How it can go from shimmery acoustic jangle to growly overdriven lead (the solo on Stairway to Heaven was recorded with a Tele) to mellow Jazz bebop is almost beyond comprehension.
I don't think Leo made it, I think one of the music gods came to him in a dream and gave it to him. So simple, yet so versatile and effective.
+1 on the SD Alnico 2 on the neck. Perfect for jazz, maybe not great in a rock context.
As for noise, try an EHX Hum Debugger. It does wonders at getting rid of wiring hum and IMO doesn't have too much effect on the sound.Last edited by Doctor Jeff; 11-08-2014 at 10:48 AM.
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What... you don't like C#? Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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Anybody had any experience with the Gibson scale length conversion necks on a Tele? I doubt that I'd go for it but I'd be interestd in hearing others' comments.
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I do. It's perfect on this guitar (a pretty accidental match, BTW). As to others, I don't know. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
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I'd like to try a short scale tele...but i think overall i like 25.5" scale instruments a bit more...at least on solidbodies...
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My recent trade to become my Jazz Tele. Baja Tele neck they are very similar to the NoCaster neck and ash body. Going to put in a Lollar low wind Imperial (suggested by Tim Lerch), Barton bridge with compensated saddles and have to get some heavier strings. Plays great neck should be fantastic with a set of heavier strings.
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I've owned a few Teles over the years but now my go to guitar is a custom Heritage Prospect. It's a semi hollow, but it has a floating center block which gives it a bit more "woody" sound and the body is an inch smaller than a 335.. Then I removed the humbucking pickups and installed Fralin P-92 pickups. They're a P-90 derivative with a bit more high end, a little less "bark" than a P-90 and are noiseless. Originally Posted by monk
So my custom build has a full profile neck, an ebony fretboard, the pickups that I want and a lot of high end for a 24 3/4 scale guitar.
So can get most of a solid body sound, pay country all day long on the bridge pickup back off the tone control on the neck pickup to warm it up, or use both pickups for funk rhythm sounds. It is by far my #1. I have a Sweet 16, a Strat and a Jazzmaster that sit in their cases and my Prospect gives me all the Tele stuff plus a bit more.
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In addition to the ones in the photo, I have a Carvin SH60 which is tele style semi-hollow with a neck through style. I agree with the majority that it's the optimum combination of simplicity, affordability and versatility that makes me like this style. The thing that bothers me about most teles in the market though is small nut width (many have 1.65" nut width and narrow string spacing) and string spacing which make them less suitable for fingerstyle playing and chord melody. I wish I could add a Soloway Tele style to my collection :-)
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Haha that's funny! Originally Posted by ruger9
What... you don't like C#?
The neck came to me pre-relic'ed, so I take no credit for it.
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Scale length is signficant. You can really hear and feel it on a tele. Guessing the bridge and saddle setup plays a big part in that too. I much prefer the vintage style bridge, 3 barrel saddles. With the right pickups and saddles, you can push that woody twang around to taste. My Baja tele is such a fine guitar to start. Very light, 6.8 pounds, loud acoustically. With stock pickups and bridge, more of a country twanger. I got a set of Rumpelstiltskin blackropes (50s style, low output) and a set of steel saddles. Now it's lower output, but can go from twang to jazz on the neck p/u. Fattens up and magnifies as the volume goes up.
And that right there is what I love best about teles and strats. They generally ramp up to huge sounding with added volume. The tone holds together. Much harder to do with shorter scale and humbuckers. Not impossible, just easier (at least for me) to play loud on a tele.
MD
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Archtop or Tele? How about an Archtop Tele!
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Here's me playing a Peter Bernstein solo I transcribed on my Suhr Antique T.
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Completely agree!And that right there is what I love best about teles and strats. They generally ramp up to huge sounding with added volume. The tone holds together. Much harder to do with shorter scale and humbuckers. Not impossible, just easier (at least for me) to play loud on a tele.
A few years ago I played a rock gig outdoors on a flatbed at the local raceway. I took two guitars...my AmStd Tele
and my Carvin Holdsworth FatBoy. The Carvin was my go to guitar at the time and was terrific sounding and playing but
at stage volume the Tele was so much more controllable.
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Find one if you can. I sold the one in my avatar because that's what I do but it was an amazing guitar.I wish I could add a Soloway Tele style to my collection :-)
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Keef demonstrates one of the secrets of the telecaster...
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I agree on the versatility of the tele. I own a Jay Turser Vintage Series telecaster copy with a top-loader bridge and I only use it for my attempts to play jazz at home...badly. I keep it strung up with pretty light .010 gauge strings on it and it plays wonderfully!
Here it is.
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