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There are a lot of diferent Tele models and Tele style guitars. is there any most comfortable to play? I mean not too heavy, well balanced,contured body etc...
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05-31-2015 03:20 AM
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A little while back I made one up with a friend. He wanted something really playable and humble and I thought "Why not make the best available from scratch?" so we got parts from Warmouth. Used Duncan pickups. They make parts so you can really create a custom designs. His was chambered walnut for the body, a sculpted body contour (comfortable corners like a strat) and a walnut neck with ebony fingerboard. The neck has medium frets and I did the fret dressing so the action is really straight. We thought we'd make it the best tele he could get but it turned out to be the best guitar he's ever played. And everyone that plays and hears it falls in love.
Another friend wanted it so he built himself one with a mahogany neck, similar body. Also a really great player with great sound good for jazz and versatile too.
So custom route is also an option. Takes time and work but it's definitely doable. And the satisfaction is enormous if you're into it. The instrument is not like any other you can buy stock.
David
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Did anyone ever try a Nokie Edwards Tele ?
Lightweight, contoured, ebony board, neck thru, fixed bridge, humbuckers. going on those specs at least , it could be a fine jazz-teleLast edited by fws6; 05-31-2015 at 06:36 AM.
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Originally Posted by fws6
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+1 on warmoth! This is my tele. Swamp ash body, maple neck, body contours, ebony fretboard, bareknuckle broadcaster pickups. Lovely guitar!
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Just got this from Benford Guitars in Milwaukee area. Comfortable, light and balanced.
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be careful because a 7lb tele is going to be slightly neck heavy so when you start carving the body for tummy routes and arm routes it makes it more prone to not being balanced. Originally Posted by kris
I've seen lots of guys make custom teles with exotic woods that just didn't sound good. There's a reason an ash or alder body and maple neck (optional rosewood board) is the standard.
Check out the Ron Wood tele.
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Agreed. Originally Posted by jzucker
As iconic as a Tele is, it's really not a very well balanced design and is prone to neck dive or balancing in a true horizontal position with no angle up on the neck. And the idea of an ebony fingerboard on a guitar as bright as a Tele strikes me as an invitation to a really thin shrill tone. I've owned and played bunch including one as my main guitar for several years and the one that worked the best for me had a Warmoth 24.75" conversion neck with a rosewood board. It balanced better, the lower frets were easier to reach and it sounded great. It was one of those many guitars that I sold for no particular reason and I've regretted it ever since.
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Nice appointments on that tele (I'm a sucker for block inlay). Nice woody tone too. How's the weight distribution from neck to body? Solid or chambered? Originally Posted by FrankLearns
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Excellent advise here...I like an ash plank personally... Originally Posted by jzucker
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I liked the idea of the custom route (USACG, Warmoth), but I didn't know who could put it together -- I couldn't -- so I ordered an ASAT from G&L and got to choose from a long list of options. G&Ls tend to be heavy (mine is 4kg even = 8.8lb) without body contours. Contours would make it more comfy, but I bet it wouldn't neck dive since you're not going to end up at 7lbs. G&L also has another weight-saving option: you can order a thinner body -- Original Leo Spec Body Depth Returns to the G&L ASAT and there's always the semi-hollow option.
For what it's worth, since I play sitting down, I don't mind the weight and I play it in sort of a classical position, and I don't have balance issues.
ps: I have an ebony fingerboard and I don't think it's too bright, but I roll the tone down on the guitar and EQ the amp to not be trebly; that's my usual setup with any guitar.
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I think the fingerboard is pretty far down the list of things that affect a tele's overall tone. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
I think franklearns has a dead sexy lookin' tele!
Were I to build another, which I'll probably do at some point, I'd get an ash body, maple neck and ebony board again, and a neck humbucker only with a strat hardtail bridge. Probably have to come up with a fun custom pickguard...
teles are fun.
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the fender American delux tele may be a way to go..its contoured-nice radius neck..low hum pickups check review..
can be found used for 1200/1300
american deluxe telecaster review - Bing Videos
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i just bought one of these , will review in a few days when I receive it. Under $700
LTD Ron Wood Signature Electric Guitar | Yandas Music
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thanks :-) It is solid. When I did that one I did not want to stray away too much from the proven recipes. Later I built a Strat that is chambered and that is one lovely guitar as well. I would not hesitate to do a chambered tele. At some point I may do one with a neck humbucker (btw - this one meanwhile got a Strat middle pickup and I love it). I do not recognize any problems with the weight distribution. It hangs nicely balanced on its strap when I am standing and is comfortable on the lap when I'm seated (unlike, e.g. a Les Paul which feels 'wrong' seated). Originally Posted by BigToe
To me Warmoth is the real deal. I dislike most Fender finishes and I dislike their neck radius - Warmth makes these nice compound radius necks that are super comfy to play on. Also, I am sucker for ebony fretboards ... all these things are so easy to get there in whatever combination floats your boat. Not cheap, but not outrageous either. I really do have two left hands and know next to nothing about electronics but putting these things together is not too hard.
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I keep hearing that from people about all guitars but it's not my experience. I realize that most people disagree with me on this but I think the fingerboard is one of the fundamental influences on the tonal of a guitar with ebony producing a faster attack than other woods. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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I can buy that (the attack part). But do you think the clip i posted sounds thin and shrill?
Last edited by mr. beaumont; 05-31-2015 at 03:20 PM.
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Thin? Maybe a little bit. Shrill? Not at all. Ultimately the most important ingredient in the tonal receipt is the player and you did a wonderful job of committing to the tonal pallet of the guitar and making some wonderful music with it. I always like your playing. You've got a really nice touch and a well conceived approach. This recording, like most of what you've posted was a pleasure to listen to. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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One more comfort angle: the bridge. It's more when I'm rocking out and chugging out chords -- the standard Tele bridge plate and barrels (with their screws) can chew up your hand. I like other style bridges better.
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P.S.
I recently bought a fender hot rod tele. It had the mini humbucker in the neck and was a nice guitar except...
It had teeny little frets and a 7.25" radius. I found it ridiculously hard to get a nice vibrato or do any string bending on it.
It's weird because when I look through older ads for this (it's been discontinued so nothing recent) some say 9.5" and some say 7.25".
The ESP Ron Wood is now made in korea or vietnam . It seems to be made really well and has real seymour duncan pickups in it. I decided to take a chance on it. It sports alder body, seymour duncan 59 humbucker in the neck, rosewood board, jumbo frets, 12" radius. All for $600(ish)
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Jack, I have an American 52 Hot Rod Tele and it has the 9.5 radius and jumbo frets. It is a joy to play and at 7.5 pounds has no neck dive at all. Is that the model you tried?
The problem with buying used Fenders is the modular nature of these guitars means that often times you get non-original parts. Buyer beware!
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this had all original parts. It had vintage frets and radius. Total bummer. It did have some neck dive. All teles have some neck dive unless they get to about 7.5lbs which is actually heavy for a tele. A real vintage swamp ash tele will be under 7lbs IMO.
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Before I bought my current Tele, I tried a regular American 52 Tele. It was 7 pounds even and had the vintage frets and radius. It reminded me why I did not like Fender guitars in the 70's. Skinny frets and a vintage Fender radius just do not work well for me at all.
Lately I have been playing a lot of gigs on my American 62 Hot Rod Stratocaster. The 57/62 neck pickup uses up more of my amp headroom than the Duncan mini does in my Tele, but at 8 pounds even, it is quite comfortable and balanced. It has a great jazz tone and with the body cuts, it is easy on my ribs! I know for some guys the three pickup configuration and pickup selector switch placement of a Strat are deal killers, but I am not bothered at all by those considerations.
The Tele, Strat, Les Paul and 335 were all designed as jazz guitars and IMO, with the right strings and pickups are all fine jazz guitars. There have been great straight ahead jazz guitarists who used the 335, Les Paul and Tele, but the Strat seems to have mostly found favor among fusion players and Western Swing players. Bireli Lagrene is using a Strat style guitar with P-90s these days for his fusion band and his Gypsy jazz band. He sounds great on it, but Bireli would sound great on a Squire Strat played through a Pignose!
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i think with the hot rod tele they must have made some with the vintage radius fingerboard and small frets and later switched to the 6105 frets and 9.5 radius. In any event, looking forward to getting the ron wood tele. No reason it shouldn't be a great tele.
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was tracking your tele shopping thread a while ago and you were pretty adamant about Ash/maple if I recall ... any particular reason for the switch? Originally Posted by jzucker
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