Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed

[Hammertone]

musikraft builds very high quality stuff...out of nj usa!...the neck pictured looks like a beauty..with the grain running straight parallel..beautiful...and louisville slugger beefy for them that likes 'em like that...
glad your back in tele-ville...looking forward to this build - cheers

Yeah…sigh….it was time to share the joy. It was so similar to my Monty tele, there was no point. The existing hardware is all going onto a tele that will look sort of like this Fiesta Red example, with a very odd mystery neck (1 7/8" at nut, 1 1/8" deep, no truss rod). I'll post pix of it when it's up and running:

[Greentone]

1-1/8" deep at nut and no trussrod. Sounds a lot like the original Esquire necks (the first 50) that Leo Fender made.

Coolio!

[Greentone]

Okay...so anyone with ANY knowledge will know that it's not a Fender. Boy, howdy...I can't tell you how many non-Fender guitars I have played over the last 30 years that said Fender on the headstock. LOTS!

[lammie200]

Okay...so anyone with ANY knowledge will know that it's not a Fender. Boy, howdy...I can't tell you how many non-Fender guitars I have played over the last 30 years that said Fender on the headstock. LOTS!

I had my Warmoth Jazzmaster neck modified for 12 strings. When I got it back from the guy that did it it had a Fender decal on the headstock. I took it off. Also, I noticed that Musikraft will accommodate almost any decal that you want to send to them, but they specifically say that they won't put Fender decals on anything.

[neatomic]

musikraft is a lic fender parts dealer..they pay to be able to make exact repros of fender headstocks..why cheapo x brand tele's usually have weird headstocks...



musikraft has to disavow use of fake fender decals..though they and fender know whats being done!!..and why fender makes up for it with the lic fee


cheers

[Hammertone]

As I said, the builder is a clever guy.
Perhaps one of the Fender experts can spot why he is so clever?

[50Hz]

As I said, the builder is a clever guy.
Perhaps one of the Fender experts can spot why he is so clever?

No string tree? The weird "Calif" bit.

I'm no expert but it is bugging me.

[Hammertone]

50Hz - thanks for humouring me.
Plenty of Fender-style necks don't need string trees.
The decal belongs on another model of Fender guitar - one with an even bigger neck.

[Greentone]

Ahh! Fender Champ steel guitar logo from the 50s. D'oh!

[Greentone]

The Wulff guitars are very nice. Slick designs.

[Boston Joe]

I'm unfamiliar with Lace sensor beyond the observation that there are strong opinions on both sides: some hate them, some love them.

Years ago, I bought a Strat Plus that had sensors (gold, I think). I did not like them at all, because the guitar did not sound like a Strat.

Having said that, there are some plusses to the sensors. 1. They're very quiet. 2. There are several varieties with various tonal profiles. 3. Even though they don't sound very "stratty" the sounds they make are not BAD sounds. They can sound quite good in the right contexts. So if what you're after is a guitar with a Strat form factor, but you're looking for different sounds, the Lace Sensors are worthy of consideration. They're not my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it's terrible tea.

[Groover1999]

a lot of people say that about guitars that have been modded. so if the guitar looses it´s originality, why do the modders "mod"?

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

a lot of people say that about guitars that have been modded. so if the guitar looses it´s originality, why do the modders "mod"?

It's like an addiction! If a mod is reversible (like swapping pups) often the owner will put back the original parts before selling it.

[Boston Joe]

a lot of people say that about guitars that have been modded. so if the guitar looses it´s originality, why do the modders "mod"?

Usually, when I mod a guitar, it's for a specific purpose. I changed out the neck pup in my Tele because I was looking for something a little beefier. I shielded and rewired the cavity on my Strat because I wanted to make it quieter.

Resale value has never been a consideration for me. I don't buy guitars with the intention of selling them. If I do sell them, I'll get what I can get for them. I'm not dealing in vintage instruments so the integrity of the original equipment isn't much of a consideration.

The only mods I would ever make to my Ibby or my archtop would be different pickups. The Fenders, though - I'll do just about anything to those if I think it'll be cool. Strats and Teles are the Model A, and '32 Ford Coupe of the guitar world. They just kind of beg to be hotrodded.

[Greentone]

I have never been into modding guitars. I have purchased modded guitars--but wish that they would have been original and was glad that the original parts were included.

When I _have_ modded guitars it has been to partscasters that already began their lives as parts guitars. In that instance the sky is the limit. You aren't messing with a "branded" guitar, so do what you like. I will and have taken an All Parts neck and body to use as the bed for unusual pickups, bridges, etc. There's no harm in this and you can end up with something that plays and sounds quite special.

I am not against modding Gibsons, Fenders, etc. Do what you like. It's just that in my case I have always found that untouched guitars bring more at sale, including cases without stickers on them. So, I leave things alone.

Heck, you could have an engraver inlay a big pearloid heart on the top of your L-5, but unless you are Wes Montgomery it's going to drag the value of your guitar down.

[m_d]

I think the mutation of country into pop has a lot to do with the waning of rock and the ascendence of hip-hop and electronica. People who are interested in tuneful music with non-obscene lyrics turn to country to find it.

What are some good present day country bands? Not strictly country, but I like Jason Isbell a great deal. And a few Nashville players I heard on YouTube. Robert Cray is putting out one great album after another. Not country but qualifies as tuneful w/out obscene lyrics.

are japanese made teles as good as US made?

I've asked before in this thread but does anyone know about the $700, made in Japan FJN Iliad?

[Boston Joe]

What are some good present day country bands? Not strictly country, but I like Jason Isbell a great deal. And a few Nashville players I heard on YouTube. Robert Cray is putting out one great album after another. Not country but qualifies as tuneful w/out obscene lyrics.

I don't listen to a lot of country. Of the stuff I have heard, I think Lyle Lovett is pretty good. He kind of colors outside the lines (i.e. not everything he does would be strictly considered "country"). I've heard a little bit of Trace Atkins, and he's pretty amusing.

[Greentone]

Brad Paisley is a good successor to a lot of the great guys who came before him. Check out his album "Play," an instrumental album of good stuff. "Les is More" from the album is a tribute to Les Paul, Tal Farlow and some of Brad's other jazzy influences:

"Cluster Pluck" features Brad playing along with the great guys who influenced him--Brent Mason, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, James Burton, etc:

[neatomic]

dig those eugen wulff guitars ^..teles with airline guitar stylings

"dean" zelinsky has some nice new tele lookers as well..and at fair $$$






cheers

[jazzbow]

Anyone seen Palir Teles?

http://www.palirguitars.com/

Nice bunch of features

[Greentone]

I will be wiring up the Tele that Hammertone sold me later this week--thanks HT. I had a bit of time last night so I did some reading on the 'net about what people are doing in this area. Wow...there's a bunch of hoary myths out there. Mainly, they center around whether or not you should ground the bridge plate.

There exist several good reasons to do so. Chiefly, they center around giving you the opportunity to subsequently swap bridge pickups that aren't grounded via a bottom bridge plate like most Tele pickups in the bridge position (since the Broadcaster). Or, if you wanted to use a Duo-Sonic bridge (a la G.E. Smith) you'd need that ground wire.

It should be noted, however, that Tele bridge pickups that have a copper, steel, or other conducting bottom plate, and a ground strap between the bottom plate and the negative terminal to the coil of the pickup, will be grounded to the bridge via the three pickup screws. That's grounded.

Some people seem to think that the grounding system is to prevent the player from being electrocuted. Not so. It is to reduce noise/hum by permitting the additional capacitance of the player's body to become part of the system via string contact. If the house mains has a faulty ground, or if the polarities of the PA and the guitar amplifier are reversed (what are you guys doing playing with two-wire amps and PA's in the 21st century?), then electrocution is a distinct hazard--even if the strings are grounded through the bridge. If you have an old Fender (or other) amp with a two-wire plug, have that attended to. Otherwise, your heirs may be doing the job of putting three-wire plugs on what used to be your cherished Fender amps. (Remember in the old days all those zaps you used to get when you stepped up to the mic? They could have been lethal!)

Meanwhile, everybody enjoy their Teles. They are the best all-around guitars, ever. Can't wait to get my Fat-C neck Tele up and running.

[Greentone]

Wow! You might want to get some equipment and check the grounding in the house wiring at your house. You can purchase a very inexpensive ground fault indicator from Lowe's or elsewhere for less than $10. If your house wiring isn't grounded properly, then when you run between a guitar amplifier and a second appliance, when you make contact between them--if the polarity is reversed (as it could be with a two-prong appliance like a Mac computer)--then you _could_, in fact, be getting shocks. Ordinarily, stray stuff should run to ground through the easiest path--the ground system in the house mains. If that's faulty, then your body _could_ suffice. Ouch!

[Herbie]

I will be wiring up the Tele that Hammertone sold me later this week--thanks HT. I had a bit of time last night so I did some reading on the 'net about what people are doing in this area. Wow...there's a bunch of hoary myths out there. Mainly, they center around whether or not you should ground the bridge plate.

There exist several good reasons to do so. Chiefly, they center around giving you the opportunity to subsequently swap bridge pickups that aren't grounded via a bottom bridge plate like most Tele pickups in the bridge position (since the Broadcaster). Or, if you wanted to use a Duo-Sonic bridge (a la G.E. Smith) you'd need that ground wire.

It should be noted, however, that Tele bridge pickups that have a copper, steel, or other conducting bottom plate, and a ground strap between the bottom plate and the negative terminal to the coil of the pickup, will be grounded to the bridge via the three pickup screws. That's grounded.

Some people seem to think that the grounding system is to prevent the player from being electrocuted. Not so. It is to reduce noise/hum by permitting the additional capacitance of the player's body to become part of the system via string contact. If the house mains has a faulty ground, or if the polarities of the PA and the guitar amplifier are reversed (what are you guys doing playing with two-wire amps and PA's in the 21st century?), then electrocution is a distinct hazard--even if the strings are grounded through the bridge. If you have an old Fender (or other) amp with a two-wire plug, have that attended to. Otherwise, your heirs may be doing the job of putting three-wire plugs on what used to be your cherished Fender amps. (Remember in the old days all those zaps you used to get when you stepped up to the mic? They could have been lethal!)

Meanwhile, everybody enjoy their Teles. They are the best all-around guitars, ever. Can't wait to get my Fat-C neck Tele up and running.

Has everybody seen the most enlightening series of columns of Telecaster wiring, history and possibilities that was published in Premierguitar in some 2012-2014? By Tele Guru Dirk Wacker.

I was and still am amazed how much there is to write about. Great stories!

Here is the first one:

Fender Esquire Basics

[Groover1999]

Fender, household name. Anyone know any quality guitar straps to recommend?

[Greentone]

Levy's is close to a household name and is a good, comfortable strap: