Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed

[MarkRhodes]

I don't know if this has been posted before or not, but here's a nice interview with studio legend Louie Shelton playing a 52 Tele.

So glad this was posted. Love the way Louie played ""Tiny Dancer"---never expected to hear it sound that way on guitar! Shelton seems like a nice guy too. Great stories.

[Tcaron20]

Just put a Rose Bourbon neck pup into my 50 year old white Peavey Tele. What a bargain!
lots of other Telecasters but this one was my first real electric and still plays amazing.

[jrapp]

I have gone through lots of neck pickups over the years and the best I have found are a Franz P90 (low wind, dinky magnet), old Gibson Melody Maker single coils, and I just installed a CC that sounds pretty good. It was too loud to match the bridge pu so I removed one of the two magnets---a little less output, a little less bass. Sounds fine...

[Robertito]

I just installed a TK Smith Charlie Christian pickup in my Telecaster, along with the matching bridge pickup, and they sound sublime.

[jrapp]

Yes...I do use the bridge pu on occasion and it's nice to not have to adjust the amp when switching. There's also a little trick you can do with small value caps to knock down some of the bridge pu highs---helps match the neck EQ a little better. It costs about 5 cents---similar to the 'Eldred mod', but much more subtle.

[jzjazz]

Hi guys,

just wanted to share that I bought a Performer Telecaster (I think it's the cheapest made in USE) two or three months ago - it's my first solidbody for the last 20 years or so.

Long story short - love it. Here's a quarantine/covid remote recording with it with a new project I'm working on.
Tele was recorded through a '76 deluxe silverface.

Take care!

[zcostilla]

This article is worth the read. Came for the quote, stayed for the content. And found good music that I hadn’t heard before too!

Greg Koch: "At the end of time, there will be cockroaches and Telecasters - and the Teles will be in tune" | Guitar World

[rhl-ferndale]

Attachment 71243

Thought I was done with Teles—with heavy solid body guitars in general...

Then this hollowbody showed up in the neighborhood. Light and acoustically resonant. Even has a nice oval soundport in the upper bout.

Fralin steel guitar single coils, middle knob blends the pickups, and —the final delightful surprise for me—the bridge pickup is wound out of phase. Strat quack instead of ice pick.

[Esport]

This CV Tele has become my #1. It’s so easy to play, sounds great, feels great and can cover lots of bases. Such a good value.

[jumpnblues]

This CV Tele has become my #1. It’s so easy to play, sounds great, feels great and can cover lots of bases. Such a good value.

I had a "Frankencaster" with the same exact color scheme. It had all top shelf components. The Don Mare pickups were awesome. That was my pre-bluegrass era go to guitar. I got bit big time by the bluegrass bug. Sold all my electric gear and didn't play anything but bluegrass for the next 10 years. Well, I got bit big time by the jazz bug. Lots of bug bites. So, I'm a bluegrass/jazz connoisseur. But I needed some electric gear for jazz so I recently purchased a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb and a Fender Vintera Tele '60s Modded and some pedals. Also picked up an Eastman AR580CE jazz archtop that sounds incredible. So now I'm all set for both jazz and bluegrass (I like blues too).

[TheProgJR]

I have a J5 tele that I want to strip and convert.

Does anyone have and recommends humbuckers for jazz?

[jumpnblues]

I have a J5 tele that I want to strip and convert.

Does anyone have and recommends humbuckers for jazz?

Not a Tele but my Eastman AR 580CE came with a (single) Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup and it sounds gorgeous. Very smooth. Nice, velvety attack. Drips tone. I also really like the underwound Lollar Imperial. Very sweet sounding.

[lammie200]

I have a J5 tele that I want to strip and convert.

Does anyone have and recommends humbuckers for jazz?

You could get dozens of answers. I like Fralin P92s.

[citizenk74]

I have a J5 tele that I want to strip and convert.

Does anyone have and recommends humbuckers for jazz?

Seymour Duncan Li'l '59s.

[LiggettGuitars]

Attachment 71243

Fralin steel guitar single coils, middle knob blends the pickups, and —the final delightful surprise for me—the bridge pickup is wound out of phase. Strat quack instead of ice pick.

Maaaan, that’s a sweet pickup configuration! I’d love to hear it.

[Stefan Eff]

Just started my next project:
early 50‘s Blackguard Esquire.

[lammie200]

Nice. Who did the finishing?

[Doug B]

Attachment 71243

Thought I was done with Teles—with heavy solid body guitars in general...

Then this hollowbody showed up in the neighborhood. Light and acoustically resonant. Even has a nice oval soundport in the upper bout.

Fralin steel guitar single coils, middle knob blends the pickups, and —the final delightful surprise for me—the bridge pickup is wound out of phase. Strat quack instead of ice pick.

Why are the pickups on such an extreme angle?

Thanks

[Stefan Eff]

Nice. Who did the finishing?

All by myself, thank you!

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Why are the pickups on such an extreme angle?

Probably so they don't stick out so much side-to-side

But I have the same question in the end -- where did those pup come from?

[Kentano2000]

Here are mine:

A MIM Fender Baja w/ Round 12s:


A MIJ '62 Custom Reissue upgraded w/ CS '62 Tele PUs, a BCS wiring kit w/ 4 way switch, and Vibramate bridge and saddles. The 12th fret "inlay" is a sticker I found on eBay. TI 11 Flats.


Uh oh, is this cheating? Fender Parallel Universe Jazz Tele! TI 11 Flats on this one as well.

[cosmic gumbo]

Probably so they don't stick out so much side-to-side

But I have the same question in the end -- where did those pup come from?

The post said Fralin steel guitar pups, assume for a steel guitar?

[rhl-ferndale]

The post said Fralin steel guitar pups, assume for a steel guitar?

Yes, steel guitar pickups.

But I bought it second hand from a person who did not know the builder, nor is the guitar signed, so it’s a lovely little mystery.

They’re not noiseless though! I can’t get armchair cozy with the Henriksen Bud without the old single coil hum. One day maybe I’ll pop the top and check the shielding.

Such a light and acoustically resonant guitar—I find myself using it to work out almost every new idea just now. Then of course the archtops require extra warmup to transfer those ideas to their fretboards and very different girths.

[va3ux]

This CV Tele has become my #1. It’s so easy to play, sounds great, feels great and can cover lots of bases. Such a good value.

Couldn't agree more. I have exactly the same one and I feel the same way.

[rintincop]

They were white in the 60's, not faded yellow.