The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #101

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    You'd be surprised how good the neck pickup of a Tele with the tone backed off sounds for jazz. I do agree with you that there are probably better solid body guitars out there for jazz. My personal favourite solid body for jazz is the Gibson L6-S. What is nice about the Telecaster compared to something like a Gibson is the fact the Telecaster is so durable. There's no need to worry about your headstock cracking if an accident happens. They're tough and sound good. I too used to scoff at Telecasters, I only saw them as a twangy country guitar. Mine gets a lot of use, particularly when if I'm travelling and don't want to take a more fragile or valuable instrument.
    Last edited by entresz; 12-09-2015 at 01:25 AM. Reason: typo

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #102

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    Quote Originally Posted by Toat
    The jazz guitarist fetish with telecasters is weird and doesn't make sense. There are much better solid body guitars for playing jazz, namely the les paul. It seems that simply because a few prominent players had a personal preference for the telecaster and now every jazz guitarist just thinks "hrmph gotta have a tele to go with my archtops" when teles make horrible twangy tones that suck for jazz, but the jazz guitarist is equally ignorant of solid body guitars and doesn't know how to make a good decision.
    I tend to disagree. I've got a couple Les Pauls, which I love, but with a clean tone don't have the attack or bounce of a hollow body. Great, though, for copping a Rhodes. I also have a couple Teles, which have a more dynamic pick attack. Coupled with adjustments to the tone knob they create a beautiful jazz tone that gets some of that hollow body bounce. I also find the right hand spacing better for fingerstyle. I suppose you might be more interested in ruffling some feathers than someone else's opinion, though. If that's the case, feel free to disregard.

  4. #103

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    Quote Originally Posted by Encinitastubes
    I tend to disagree. I've got a couple Les Pauls, which I love, but with a clean tone don't have the attack or bounce of a hollow body. Great, though, for copping a Rhodes. I also have a couple Teles, which have a more dynamic pick attack. Coupled with adjustments to the tone knob they create a beautiful jazz tone that gets some of that hollow body bounce. I also find the right hand spacing better for fingerstyle. I suppose you might be more interested in ruffling some feathers than someone else's opinion, though. If that's the case, feel free to disregard.
    I have to agree. I know my solid body guitars as well as my archtops. I never could get optimum jazz tones out of a Les Paul. Always too dark and fuzzy. I can quickly dial in any great tone I desire from my Tele. I still marvel at how such a simple layout can be so versatile.

  5. #104

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    Wow- this is one of the best threads I've seen anywhere. Mr. beaumont that is a very cool video of you playing your Tele. I've got a lot of Utube videos to catch up on. Thanks to all who posted here I am reinspired. Maco

  6. #105

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    My buddy was over today to checkout my recent tele deal and I pulled out my old 62 Custom reissue I bought back in 1990. It's on the heavy side but what a great sounding and playing Tele.

    Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-teles-jpg

  7. #106

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    A recent purchase, my first Squier, a J5 for a bargain $345US new for modding.
    DIY’ed a set of SD JB/Jazz, rewired with vol/tone, push/pull split coil, black PG and knobs.
    An amazing transformation……from a good to a great guitar…..lol

    Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-d5-jpg

  8. #107

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    I bought an 1997 American Standard Telecaster new. It played nice, I liked the sunburst, and it was on sale. Mine's identical to this one:
    Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-zjdzo4nf4xyqdwhwl7uk-jpg
    It has a chromed brass plate and steel saddles, which is much different than the traditional tele. Callaham offers a stainless steel plate and brass saddles for the American Standard, claiming that it will make a great difference in tone, closer to traditional Tele. I'd like to hear from anyone who has made that comparison. I'm not unhappy with it though, and the six saddles makes it easy to intonate.
    Last edited by KirkP; 12-10-2015 at 06:03 PM.

  9. #108

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    Pending possible modification I attach pic of my new Harley-Benton (129€ chez Thomann ) Vintage TE52................................

    Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-dsc_3018-jpgTelecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-dsc_3014-jpg The stripes may offend some, but the web page showed a two piece body and mine arrived in three pieces of non-matching ash - so I taped the join. Decided not to return the guitar for a refund/exchange simply because everything else about it is well nigh perfect and the next one along could have a perfect body and dodgy neck. Beyond that, the Wilkinson p/ups are not half bad and to my ears the neck ( Alnico V I am assured ) in the ash body is close to the SD alnico II in my Classic Vibe pine body. May change later - but nothing else. 129€

  10. #109

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    Quote Originally Posted by Toat
    The jazz guitarist fetish with telecasters is weird and doesn't make sense. There are much better solid body guitars for playing jazz, namely the les paul. It seems that simply because a few prominent players had a personal preference for the telecaster and now every jazz guitarist just thinks "hrmph gotta have a tele to go with my archtops" when teles make horrible twangy tones that suck for jazz, but the jazz guitarist is equally ignorant of solid body guitars and doesn't know how to make a good decision.

    Did you ever play a tele?

    I thought the tele-jazz-fetish was over-hyped too, untill I got my Tele and realized they were right...

    (mine's a Fender Modern Player thinline P90 with Squier neck with rosewood fingerboard).

  11. #110

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    Quote Originally Posted by Toat
    The jazz guitarist fetish with telecasters is weird and doesn't make sense. There are much better solid body guitars for playing jazz, namely the les paul. It seems that simply because a few prominent players had a personal preference for the telecaster and now every jazz guitarist just thinks "hrmph gotta have a tele to go with my archtops" when teles make horrible twangy tones that suck for jazz, but the jazz guitarist is equally ignorant of solid body guitars and doesn't know how to make a good decision.

    Oh the twang is killing me LOL!


  12. #111

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    my favourite tele player is frisell. What a sound he gets out of it.

  13. #112

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    Since I got my Tele, I have been teaching exclusively with it. I teach pretty much all styles and the Tele works for all of them. The jazz sound is so sweet and well defined that I am seriously considering selling my Emperor Regent. (In case anybody is interested)

    It is a standard MIM and the only changes I made was the more traditional three saddle brass bridge and an Electrosocket to replace the cheesy input jack. I also requre all my guitars to have Schaller straplocks.

  14. #113

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    Years ago, I stopped playing Les Pauls and got into Telecasters. For jazz, IMO, it's the Tele...hands down.

  15. #114

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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay
    Did you ever play a tele?

    I thought the tele-jazz-fetish was over-hyped too, untill I got my Tele and realized they were right...

    (mine's a Fender Modern Player thinline P90 with Squier neck with rosewood fingerboard).

    I'm guessing he hasn't.

    Everybody talks about twang. Yup it's there. There's also a neck pickup


    Nobody sticks with a tele because "so and so" used one. It's one of those things...it's black licorice. Not every body likes black licorice, but those who like it really like it.

    (With apologies to Jerry Garcia on the licorice simile)

  16. #115

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    The Tele really is the perfect guitar Leo got it right the first time. It's shape and size are so comfortable. The bridge plate combined with the pickup, picks ups so much of the string. Then the neck pickup has a big dynamic range. Then no matter what your neck shape or fretboard there are models and years that cover them all. The guitar is pure functionality. I've even had buddies that were hardcore strat player after spending some time with a tele the tele because their first choice. The all the mod possibilities you can make it into your dream guitar. Last unlike a Les Paul if a Tele takes a tumble don't worry about the head-stock hanging down swinging from the strings afterward.

    Tele's are the musically equivalent of your dog, they become your faithful friend.

  17. #116

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    I love my Tele by Fender Japan factory 52 reissue 2013 limited ed FST Very good for blues and also great for modrn jazz

  18. #117

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    hey tele fiends,
    is there a cheap good tele
    with a rosewood board , a neck hb
    and a contoured back like a strat
    (a 335 sticks in my ribs when sitting)

  19. #118

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    I know the thread title is no Archtops, but thought this my be okay.....

    Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-telegretch02-jpgTelecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-telegretch03-jpg

  20. #119

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    Here's a Bravewood tele I just sold they are "fender repro" a guy makes everything even the hard wear.

    One of the nicest teles I've played too, but I felt I only needed one! Worth looking out for they sometimes come up for sale on eBay, there is a long waiting list to get one made, but they are less than half the price of a custom tele, and imho far superior to the ones I've owned.
    Last edited by 55bar; 12-13-2015 at 12:49 PM.

  21. #120

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    Although I haven't played this one much, here's a korean-built Squier Tele that you don't see very often : set neck, 24 3/4" Gibson scale, chambered mahogany body and mahogany neck. Part of the Master Series from the mid 2000's :

    Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-p1060155-1-jpgTelecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-p1060160-1-jpgTelecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-p1060163-1-jpgTelecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-p1060157-1-jpg

  22. #121

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    Here's my main Tele, with a McNelly T-Bar neck pup. Currently there is a Lollar J-Street in the bridge, but I've got a bridge McNelly T-Bar coming to replace it. Not that the Lollars aren't stupendous pickups, I just really, really need to be able to adjust the pole pieces and the McNelly sounds just as special as the Lollar Special T it replaced.

    Telecaster Love Thread, No Archtops Allowed-num-1-tele-sm-jpg

  23. #122

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    Quote Originally Posted by 55bar
    Here's a Bravewood tele I just sold they are "fender repro" a guy makes everything even the hard wear.

    One of the nicest teles I've played too, but I felt I only needed one! Worth looking out for they sometimes come up for sale on eBay, there is a long waiting list to get one made, but they are less than half the price of a custom tele, and imho far superior to the ones I've owned.
    This really looks like a classic!

    I even checked his web site. There he says he does not do Fender decals for copyright reasons. This beauty has the F-decals... Maybe it is from the era that caused the 'copyright reasons'?

  24. #123

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    here's another tele player. Very sonic vibe

  25. #124
    A telecaster has been my main axe for almost two decades, so I'm about as qualified to speak as anybody.

    There are so many things that I appreciate about tele's. I like the scale, the body size, the bolt-on neck (which I wish archtops had), and the tonal versatility.

    But no way do I think that Leo got it 100% right. Beauty is in the mind of the beholder, and this beholder thinks that tele's are ugly. I also don't appreciate the absence of body contour cuts (not that archtops have them, but strats do), and have always hated string trees. I would have appreciated block inlays and binding on the neck and headstocks. And did I mention that nothing is cheesier than decals on a headstock.

    And did I mention that Mr. Fender loved to obscure the beauty of the natural grain of wood with opaque paint and big plastic pickguards.

    I bought my tele when I still played rockabilly. These days I play only jazz. If I had to buy a guitar today, it certainly wouldn't be a tele.

  26. #125

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    My two favorite guitars at this time are my Tele and my Epi Dot Deluxe Flametop. If I were to make a canine comparison, I would liken the Tele to a Bull Terrior like Spuds MacKenzie. I LOVE that breed and if my wife would allow it, I would have one. I consider them beautiful in an ugly sort of way. I consider the Tele as beautiful in a very plain, utilitarian style. No frills no fancy appointments; just plain tone.

    My 335 is more like Lassie. Beautiful in every way and very useful in any situation. Some days when it is "dog-walking" time, I take Lassie for a walk, other days I am in a Spuds mood. They both serve me very well.