What telecaster to get?

**citizenk74** · 11-13-2016, 09:50 AM

It sounds like you've got a plan. Excellent! Concerning the three-barrel bridge, I replaced the stock dreaded threaded steel barrels on my '66 Custom Telecaster with a set of intonated brass barrels from StewMac for less than twenty bucks. They gave an already fine-sounding Tele an even richer tone with exellent intonation with the plain G I prefer on solidbodies.
I look forward to seeing (and hearing) your NGD!

**boatheelmusic** · 11-13-2016, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by AlainJazz

I love my American special Tele. To me it's the perfect Tele. I love it for jazz,but use it for pretty much everything:

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Alain,what strings are you using?

Thanks!

**Frank67** · 11-13-2016, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by citizenk74

It sounds like you've got a plan. Excellent! Concerning the three-barrel bridge, I replaced the stock dreaded threaded steel barrels on my '66 Custom Telecaster with a set of intonated brass barrels from StewMac for less than twenty bucks. They gave an already fine-sounding Tele an even richer tone with exellent intonation with the plain G I prefer on solidbodies.
I look forward to seeing (and hearing) your NGD!

thank you! It'll be a few weeks but I came to enjoy the waiting time (we have a saying that "anticipated joy is the purest form of joy").

The ABM bridge I will use has compensated brass saddles and nicely carved grooves for the strings. It is also massive and heavy. IMHO a real nice quality product that does good things to a tele in terms of tone, intonation and tuning stability. I like it a lot better than the six saddle gotoh that I had before.

**AlainJazz** · 11-13-2016, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by boatheelmusic

Alain,what strings are you using?

Thanks!

Hi boatheel, I change and experiment all the time with different stings. I currently have these on the Tele:

DAVID GILMOUR SIGNATURE - GHS

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**Skip Ellis** · 11-13-2016, 11:10 AM

Very wise move, IMHO. After many years of building my own Teles, both from parts and from scratch, I've been able to own exactly what I wanted at any given time and save a lot of money in the process. Warmoth is first rate - I think they're a little pricey but their quality is unbeatable. Enjoy!!!!

**Cavalier** · 11-13-2016, 12:01 PM

If you have to put on a finish anyway you can always put in your own body contour if you enjoy wood working.

**Frank67** · 11-13-2016, 12:23 PM

I guess I could but then I would be afraid to sand into the chambering of the body ... and I have pretty much two left hands when it comes to manual precision work.

**Cavalier** · 11-13-2016, 12:27 PM

Well then you should tell yourself you are not bothering because of the neck weight! Much better to practice on scraps if you are a newbie. This thread has been educational for me, I had know idea there was so much going on with teles.

**Hammertone** · 11-14-2016, 01:02 AM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

... - the funky blue strat in the picture above is similar in this respect at it has a featherlight chambered body and a maple neck with double expanding trussrod as well as Schaller tuners. I just checked it again and it hangs hangs just fine on a leather strap provided it is not too slippery. Sitting there is not an issue at all. So I would be hoping that the tele would be fine. I guess it would be difficult to switch now since the headstock is drilled for Schaller tuners. Would the Gotoh's fit as well?

The balance of a strat is very different from that of a tele because the strat has the extended horn on the bass side. That horn, which the tele does not have, completely changes the balance of the instrument and prevents neck dive.
But balance on your guitar may simply not be an issue. If it is, then luthier's supply houses do sell "conversion bushings" that would allow you to replace modern tuners that require bigger holes with old-style tuners that use smaller, press-in bushings. Very simple to install.

Is this the bridge?

**Frank67** · 11-14-2016, 01:16 AM

Dear Hammertone,

again, good point! I guess I could install the strap pin at the same position in a tele, right? Let us see how it turns out first. I am greatful for the advice.

yes, this is the ABM bridge I was thinking about.

**jads57** · 11-14-2016, 01:52 AM

Money an issue? Build it yourself from used parts, but make sure the neck pocket is correct!

Money not an issue? Suhr Vintage Tele w/ a large V or 50's Round neck. go w/ a radius you like 9-12 as well as frets you like Med/Lg

There are way too many good ones out there as well, but the Suhr combines the best of the original Tele feel w/ well thought out improvements including building a dummy coil into the actual body to reduce the hum!

**Frank67** · 11-14-2016, 05:56 AM

Thank you very much jads!

I did have Suhr on my shortlist when it is time to buy a modern telecaster. I have read many good things about them. For the time being, I went with a more budget conscious Warmoth solution (that I think will turn out really well).

Cheers,
Frank

**jazzbow** · 11-20-2016, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

Dear Hammertone,

again, good point! I guess I could install the strap pin at the same position in a tele, right? Let us see how it turns out first. I am greatful for the advice.

yes, this is the ABM bridge I was thinking about.

Does that bridge come with a centre bridge saddle that's compensated for a wound G or are you just gonna fall in with those unruly rock and roll yobs using that new fangled banjo string idea for bending the notes like a pedal steel?

Lol.

Seriously though, I bought those brass Entwhistle compensated saddles only to realise they would not work for a wound G.
I ended up buying two sets for wound G and promptly discovered an annoying overtone.

I considered Callaham saddles but ended up finding the Kluson harmonic Tele saddles. You can flip the centre saddle for wound or plain G, all you have to do is reverse the height adjustment screws.

**Frank67** · 11-20-2016, 02:41 PM

I checked again today. The intonation is not impeccable at D an G with a plain G - but close enough IMHO to justify having hat great sounding bridge.

**jazzbow** · 11-20-2016, 06:20 PM

I gotta say though the Kluson harmonic saddles are far superior to those Entwhistle ones. They look better too.
And to have a guitar intonated as well as it can be with brass saddles and that 'Channg' on a Tele, well, just juicy and wow.

**qblue** · 11-23-2016, 02:06 PM

I have a Baja Tele, since 2007, and it has all the perceived problems of a Tele, but none of them mean anything as to how it sounds.

The three barrel bride was intonated well by my tech in 2007. It's still dead on.

The thick poly finish is reassuring to me and it is proving it's built to last.

The pickup set of twisted Tele neck, and Broadcaster bridge are hard to beat. So Fender put them in their MIA models around 2010. The 4 way switch and S1 phase switch makes this guitar a tonal chameleon.

It comes with medium jumbo frets and 9.5" radius maple fingerboard neck. I recently had the same tech adjust the truss rod and level and crown the frets, this year. This is the only maintenance outside changing strings.

And this costs less than a Road worn or American Standard.

joaopaz · 11-25-2016, 10:02 AM

Recenty I bought a second hand G&L Strat. It was an instant winner over everything I played before from Fender Strats. It exudes quality from every angle I look at it, and it is not a top of the line.

I have/had some 9 teles, mid range, including an American Special and Road Worn... my favorites are a low buget SX that I completely changed, the American Special is super (but the truss rod is giving me headaches), the Road Worn sounds amazing (but the frets need work now, and whatever 3-saddles I put on it I never can get it to tune properly)...

I never tried the Classic Vibe series on Teles (had a Start, great guitar, but with a so lame tremolo...!) but I had a few Vintage Modified Teles, all of which were great (but the poly on the neck started cracking on both...)

My point is, comparing my other guitars in the same mid range, I never feel at ease, assured, with Fender stuff. Maybe it's just me, but I don't trust their stuff.

...back to top, for a new Tele I'd *definitely* would check G&L first!

joaopaz · 11-25-2016, 10:54 AM

...forgot to mention: G&L, in particular, because it is another company started by Leo Fender, where he remained working until his final days.

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**MaxTwang** · 11-25-2016, 11:03 AM

Leo's widow, Phylis Fender, still signs every G&L COA.

ASAT's are great guitars and the MFD pickups are outstanding for jazz and everything else; I prefer MFD's for everything except the grittiest bridge pickup twang.

joaopaz · 11-25-2016, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by MaxTwang

Leo's widow, Phylis Fender, still signs every G&L COA.

ASAT's are great guitars and the MFD pickups are outstanding for jazz and everything else; I prefer MFD's for everything except the grittiest bridge pickup twang.

My Strat has MFDs and I can only agree with you

**qblue** · 11-25-2016, 01:22 PM

To me jazz guitar is about playing the right notes and rhythms to evoke a mood. I was playing (more like attempting) to play jazz on an acoustic Epiphone and later a Gibson SG junior with one P90 in the bridge, when I was younger. Now that I know more guitar minutiae I still think it's possible to sound good with just about anything with 6 strings. A good amp may account for a certain evocative sound, but for jazz it just has to amplify.

I actually think Wes Montgomery spoiled future guitarists by showing up with (albeit within 10 years of his untimely death)a Gibson L5 with a Classic '57 in the bridge. This was his dream guitar! I often wonder what he played before that particular model, but it doesn't matter because it would still sound like Wes. The attitude of this thread is all about cork sniffers and posers posing. I know it won't matter if you have Schaller tuners or Ping vintage tuners because both keep the strings in tune. I know the functionality is the same because I have Schaller tuners in 3 different guitars and they are the best, but those Pings are as good or better, especially on behind the nut bends on a Tele, and maintaining tune.

Ed Bickert played a boatneck Tele and sounded great. Countless others have done the same. My guitar hero John Scofield sounds the same on his Ibanez AS 200 as he does on an Ibanez Tele copy.

I realize there are a lot more models and DIY solutions out there, and I feel this is a golden age of guitar choices including cheaper alternatives for similar tonal options. Given that my love of music will never give me the income I need for the exorbitant guitar pricing I've seen lately, I would tend to explore the used market, and probably for unmodded guitars, leaving it open for future mods. I have played a few Squier CV models including the CVC model, and they sound great. But the thin necks drove me crazy. The Roadworn is pretty good, but vintage frets are nutz. Also I'd like to wear it out myself, as I am not a fan of faux wear.

Just remember jazz playing does not need inlays, binding, special tuners, tremelos, thicker strings, bigger necks, nitrocellulose finishing, large bodies-semihollow or hollow or solid. All it needs is you and your vision of what it should sound like. In fact, I would like it if jazz expanded its vision of sound, so it could once again assume its lead in acceptance to the music loving public, in reference to country, rap, and pop. Remember Wes influenced pop and was hated by critics because he did. That's the spirit we need.

**Frank67** · 11-25-2016, 02:55 PM

Hey, chill man! You are absolutely right of course. I don't think anyone here thinks he becomes a better musician through fancier, more blingy gear. We're just having a good time talking guitars and gear and all these things - just because ... no evil intentions ... just boys and their toys :-) Why not?

**Lobomov** · 11-25-2016, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

Why not?

Why not indeed .. Music is my hobby and collecting guitars is a big part of that. I like how my guitars look. Some buy art ... I buy guitars. Cork sniffing is a pleasure in itself and one that I deserve

If I made a living playing guitar, then it might well be different. Then one guitar might suffice (and maybe a good back up).

**qblue** · 11-25-2016, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

Hey, chill man! You are absolutely right of course. I don't think anyone here thinks he becomes a better musician through fancier, more blingy gear. We're just having a good time talking guitars and gear and all these things - just because ... no evil intentions ... just boys and their toys :-) Why not?

Yeah I apologize. But still I wish I'd be able to play better, instead of having collector GAS. I have gotten two more guitars since my acquiring my Tele purchase, both used, though. I still use my Tele more often than not, and all these guitars just make the decision to use a particular guitar even harder. Also, the cheaper alternative of a mid-priced guitar, in the $700-1000 range make these used guitars even cheaper.

So excuse me, I'm going to practice now. My used hollowbody Ibanez AFJ95 and the P90 equipped LP 60's tribute are sitting next to my Tele and they are beckoning.

**christianm77** · 11-25-2016, 10:54 PM

Re: cork sniffing, well if you have the dollar why not?

Some people are really interested in nailing a particular sound as well, I know some terrific players who are really into that. Doesn't interest me in the slightest.

Always interested in playing good instruments though. Talking about them seems a bit pointless. I don't want to be read the menu.