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Gradutating from music school this semester with a B.M. performance, I am planning to grab a new whip or two for my pat on the back.... I know the craftsmanship is there... but i googled trying to find a single video of someone playing any standard on a M.T. guitar and for the life of me I can't seem to find anyone playing any jazz on a Michael Tuttle guitar. Can anyone help me out here these are expensive instruments for solid body guitars regardless of craftsmanship so it'd be cool to hear somebody playing anything from the real book or any notable American Songbook type of tune on one of these instruments. Im gonna go test a few out in a week or so i guess. Maybe ill post a video of one or two and a standard or at least some rhythm changes...
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TheloniousLast edited by Thelonious1; 08-19-2018 at 03:05 PM.
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08-19-2018 02:43 PM
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Maybe you should try "Buttle" instead?
SCNR (confusion could be solved by "Brazil") :-)
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What?
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Firstly, congrats!.
Can I just ask why the focus only on MT's guitars? Are you open to other boutique tele builds known for their fit/finish?
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Yeah, ive just heard amazing things about the fretwork fit and finish. Im also not too hip to teles (or any guitar build) that has the fake vintage beat up thing... i dont remeber what thats called, however its prevalent among the kelton swades.. i am hip to a solid body that may be jazz tone like but can also branch into funk/neo-soul/blues/etc etc... my es 175 has the jazz bit down so thats in the bag. Also my 175 is a vos 1959 which is the top of the mountain as far as jazz guitars go for me. Ill never sell that one or own another lam. Archtop less be a super400 (is a super 400 laminate? ) or an eastside deluxe. But as solid body teles go i figured the new (non "fake vintage") michael tuttle was the way to go... im open to other recomendations though!
-T
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A Tele from Fender? Save yourself a lotta money and they are good enough for Bill Frisell, Ed Bickert, etc. It's a slab of wood with a neck and a couple of pickups. Boutique Teles are just a silly notion at boutique prices IMHO. For up to $1000 US you can get a great guitar. Above that and you're looking for something else besides a great guitar (which, if you can afford it- go ahead. You only live once and all that. If it inspires you to pick it up and play it, that's what counts).
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This is really just presenting the conflict of "are they better or worth the money." Its not what you play man, its how you play it... that said, i was interested in these guitars as they are from a renowned luthier... as well, they are in fact, better by my experience than a fender elite, or arguably a custom shop fender in some cases, and with that argument, you should check the fender custom shop prices... theyre in the same ballpark. Not to be combative, but i meant for this to be directed toward people who wanted to help me possibly with new luthiers i didnt know of, or information i didnt have. I like your videos and again appreciate anyones insight, hopefully directed at individuals making guitars in smaller numbers than fender.
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T
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Give them a year or two with me and they end up looking that way anyway.
Originally Posted by Thelonious1
Distressed guitars are for those without any gigs, who wish they had them :-)
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On the tele front, I would say get a Suhr?
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These are all from Sound Pure.
Bill Frisell plays a couple of boutique teles one of thme is a Kelly I believe (snake head, rosewood neck)
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Congratulations on your graduation !
Good luck with that Telecaster idea.
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Thanks for all the responses! That is some tele in that soundpure vid! Thanks for all the positive remarks about my grad. As well fellas... means a lot! Christianm77, no idea why i didnt look at/consider them as well..
Cool ideas from all around!
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Yeah I think Suhrs are far and away better than Fenders of the same asking price.
Dansocaster is also meant to be great, but they reliced - brilliantly so though
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I get the impression that you've convinced yourself that more $$$ means a better instrument - not necessarily true, especially with Telecasters. Why is a boutique ash body better than a Fender ash body or an ash body that I build in my garage - same wood, same kiln drying, same thickness, same weight (+/-), same nitro finish? Building a Telecaster is not some esoteric, magical art form - it's Woodworking 101 - do you think Leo Fender went into some kind of trance to invent the 'best' guitar in the world? Nope - just wanted to make something for journeyman players that was easy to play and repair. He was not a player at all. I, personally have played nothing but Teles since about 1972 and love them over all others. Played the same 1968 for 35 years then started building my own - trust me, there's not much to it. You'll always find people out there who take something simple and hype their version as the 'best of the best' and there are some who fall for it. Yes, there are techs out there who do great fretwork and setups - there's probably a couple in every medium to large city out there - some get known more than others, but, again, it's not alchemy and a good tech should be able to take a $400 Squier and make it play like a CS or Suhr or whatever - the basic guitar is just not that much different. Trust me, buying the most expensive Tele out there will not make you a better player.
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Derailment! I do not want to chat you up about wether they are "worth it!" (Truly no offense) I have played lots of guitars too skip, from lots of eras, and my simple question may have been placed unclearly.
So let me reiterate:
1) " what are some comperable companies to michael tuttle, and why do you like them over each other?"
2) worthwhile videos of any bebop style playing on aforementioned instruments of choice in the vain of teles style instruments?
Thanks-
Thelonious
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Otoh this might surprise and disappoint people but I can say from personal experience musicians on sessions etc often judge how professional you are the name on your headstock from before you play your first note, from - among other things -. A pro has good gear. Seeing Fender, Gibson or even Suhr or Collings on a headstock can be reassuring.
You are sending the message, I have invested in my craft and I take it seriously. I have good gear that is professional grade and won’t suffer from buzzes and dodgy electronics and crap out halfway through a session or high profile gig.
It might be bs, but there is some logic in that, I think.
For jazz I don’t think anyone gives a ****. Eyebrows may be raised if you turn up with a Jem I suppose.
Guitar brands are famous. I probably couldn’t tell a Selmer from a Yamaha at a glance, but everyone knows a Fender strat.
If you play a squier, however good a guitar it is, sends a message. You start on the back foot a little. As you will often be depping for someone else at the start of your career, you have to be a bit aware of this type of thing.
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(BTW I play Fender Teles, American deluxe. They’re what I could afford, and perfectly good.)
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Imo teles sound great through AERs
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Cunamara's point is well taken - Teles are extremely minimalist instruments, so if I were looking for a high end Tele style guitar, I'd be looking at the fretwork, the hardware, and the electronics, and just attention to detail over all. A $600 Fender will get you 90% of the way there, so you're really just looking at that last 10%.
As far as comparable companies, I think Suhr is the one to beat. He's well known for high-end S and T styles, and a lot of pros use his stuff. (The late Walter Becker for one.) But as was mentioned above, Fender Custom Shop is also in that mix. (My bass player recently bought a Custom Shop "Jaco" bass. The thing is incredible. The attention to detail is amazing.)
On the other hand, I've got a Fender Highway 1 Tele that I bought used for something like $500, and I think it's tremendous. It's not as "polished" feeling as some I've tried, but it feels and sounds great.
One thing to keep in mind: I'm fond of saying that one of the reasons I like Teles is that they're practically indestructible. My Fender Tele is the guitar I take if, e.g., it's going to be sitting in the car all day. I don't do that with my Warmoth Tele. It's probably equally indestructible, but because it was more expensive, and because I put a lot of my time and work into that one, I tend to baby it.
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Daisy Rock for the win! Originally Posted by christianm77
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Man! You know what? You actually have a point there! Believe it or not, i have had people guage me on the type of gear musicians carry. It is b.s. but if you look at some of the best players, they do maintain a high standard of gear, perhaps not botique, but that can totally be a thing. I do know a guy with a fender he built, gets tons of gigs and plays a "fartocaster" which he had the label printed for on a cheap strat. Hes a session guy who plays rhythm behind horns more often than not... hilarious dude and great musician.
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I guess the thing is, being that im sort of hitting a personal milestone, and i turn 31 at the same time... i wanted to treat myself to something.. grad/birthday gift to myself. So in this case, i dont mind dropping a few stacks on this guitar... it still needs to be a good deal, and probably used in great condition, but im willing to shell some extra coin to really get something kind of one off that will sort of be a reminder of success.
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Wow! The big box retail store jazz gig is a ring of purgatory, to me. I did a gig like that once. It was the grand opening of a children's park--swing sets, monkey bars, etc. The soccer moms wanted my jazz trio, I guess.
After a blues in Bb, and a couple of standards and diaper changes, we switched to cruise ship stuff--with a big lift in the soccer mom/dad smiles.
Ugh!
Let me add, the trio in the clip sounds great.
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Do it. I started taking my gear more seriously a couple of years back and now playing gigs is just a joy. Modding cheap gear to pro spec is fun for some, but I'd rather play guitar. Originally Posted by Thelonious1
It sounds superficial, but a pro photographer would drop a few grand on a set up, I think a pro anything would. You can write off against tax.
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A couple of other things - buying from other players is a good idea. That's how most of the purchases made by my colleagues seem to go, but used is generally a good idea.
If you buy a used good guitar you have something you can trade in on another purchase if you want to upgrade or aren't happy.
Anyway, cheap guitars - every single one I've had, and I've gigged a lot of cheap guitars and they've been generally fine - but - now they have problems with electronics, corroded hardware etc, and obviously I can't shift them. A Squier or an Ibanez artcore is a student guitar - it's great for a few years - but it won't stand up to heavy gigging for a lifetime. (Even Fenders I think are borderline. The input jack is a known issue (solved on some models) and I have crackly electronics issues I don't have on my old Gibson.)
They are just hanging around taking up space. I may have to give them away to education, which is fine, but with the money I punted into these cheap instruments I could have had something nice sooner.
Buy cheap, buy twice.
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