Fender Telecaster Question
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weatherbox
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Freakmagnet451
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Why is Fender a Magic Word?
OK, my first good guitar was a '65 Tele, this was in 1972 or so. Along the way I've also owned a boogered 52 (real one!). As a guitar tech I set up and played more Teles than would fit in my condo. So here is my two cents:
When you buy a Fender Telecaster, there is substantial value in the decal on the headstock that does not relate to how good the guitar actually is or isn't. Among the "Teles" that give great value for the money are the G&L ASAT, the Peavey Generation series, some of the German made copies - Framus and Hoyer both made some nice Teles.
When you buy a Tele you usually end up upgrading hardware and electronics to some degree. Two approaches to this. One is to buy a cheap Tele knock-off that is still to spec - a Squier fills the bill nicely. Plan on replacing the neck first and go first quality. I like the Warmoth stuff, there is every variation to suit your hand and the quality is good. Personally, I don't feel a Tele is truly a Tele unless the fingerboard is maple, it is brighter than rosewood and not as bass heavy as ebony. I like the Compound Radius necks, easy to chord, easy to wail up high on the fingerboard. OK, new neck. Might as well put the Sperzel locking tuners on there, you can thank me later.
Next comes a pickup upgrade. I cannot tolerate the amount of hum a single coil picks up and feeds into the signal. I hate having to find that one spot at that one angle you can play and not be noisy. What if you want to rock out and have FUN (isn't this supposed to be fun?)? Personally I like the EMG pickups but you have to disobey the instruction to adjust the pickups as close to the strings as possible. That sound is too harsh, lower the pickups WAY down and they sweeten up nicely. They are quiet even when I am sitting near my 20" monitor, try that with a single coil. There are lots of great passive choices too, I especially like the Fender Noiseless stuff designed by Bill Lawrence. Either way, replace the pots, switch and jack with good old AB, CTS and Switchcraft stuff. Get those cheap crappy components out of there!!
Time for a better bridge. Here too, there are lots of options. Those intonated 3 saddle vintage style are nice, so are the 6 saddle type with heavy saddles. Not a big fan of the stamped saddles or the lightweight stuff myself. At this point, you can get a lightweight swamp ash body and a pickguard etc. screw everything onto that and you made your way a piece at a time to a full custom Tele. Put the Squier back together and sell it for what you paid for it (you did buy used I hope).
The other way of going about this is to just buy the good components in the first place and build your own guitar. It is stupid easy to do this and all you need is a drill and a screwdriver (and some common sense!). Of course some times you can find one that somebody else has already done the hard work on and swoop like the buzzard on ebay for it. Just beware of counterfeit Fender decals, they are EVERYWHERE! There is more to say but this is a good starting point.
Good Luck,
Michael
When you buy a Fender Telecaster, there is substantial value in the decal on the headstock that does not relate to how good the guitar actually is or isn't. Among the "Teles" that give great value for the money are the G&L ASAT, the Peavey Generation series, some of the German made copies - Framus and Hoyer both made some nice Teles.
When you buy a Tele you usually end up upgrading hardware and electronics to some degree. Two approaches to this. One is to buy a cheap Tele knock-off that is still to spec - a Squier fills the bill nicely. Plan on replacing the neck first and go first quality. I like the Warmoth stuff, there is every variation to suit your hand and the quality is good. Personally, I don't feel a Tele is truly a Tele unless the fingerboard is maple, it is brighter than rosewood and not as bass heavy as ebony. I like the Compound Radius necks, easy to chord, easy to wail up high on the fingerboard. OK, new neck. Might as well put the Sperzel locking tuners on there, you can thank me later.
Next comes a pickup upgrade. I cannot tolerate the amount of hum a single coil picks up and feeds into the signal. I hate having to find that one spot at that one angle you can play and not be noisy. What if you want to rock out and have FUN (isn't this supposed to be fun?)? Personally I like the EMG pickups but you have to disobey the instruction to adjust the pickups as close to the strings as possible. That sound is too harsh, lower the pickups WAY down and they sweeten up nicely. They are quiet even when I am sitting near my 20" monitor, try that with a single coil. There are lots of great passive choices too, I especially like the Fender Noiseless stuff designed by Bill Lawrence. Either way, replace the pots, switch and jack with good old AB, CTS and Switchcraft stuff. Get those cheap crappy components out of there!!
Time for a better bridge. Here too, there are lots of options. Those intonated 3 saddle vintage style are nice, so are the 6 saddle type with heavy saddles. Not a big fan of the stamped saddles or the lightweight stuff myself. At this point, you can get a lightweight swamp ash body and a pickguard etc. screw everything onto that and you made your way a piece at a time to a full custom Tele. Put the Squier back together and sell it for what you paid for it (you did buy used I hope).
The other way of going about this is to just buy the good components in the first place and build your own guitar. It is stupid easy to do this and all you need is a drill and a screwdriver (and some common sense!). Of course some times you can find one that somebody else has already done the hard work on and swoop like the buzzard on ebay for it. Just beware of counterfeit Fender decals, they are EVERYWHERE! There is more to say but this is a good starting point.
Good Luck,
Michael
"There is never enough time to be in a hurry"
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tonewoods
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"The other way of going about this is to just buy the good components in the first place and build your own guitar. It is stupid easy to do this and all you need is a drill and a screwdriver (and some common sense!). Of course some times you can find one that somebody else has already done the hard work on and swoop like the buzzard on ebay for it. Just beware of counterfeit Fender decals, they are EVERYWHERE!"
"Yep" on all that Michael says....
Here's a pic of a Bill Nash Tele that I just love to play. Can't put it down, actually. Isn't that what it's all about?
Voodoo pickups and a baseball bat neck....
Feels, plays, and sounds like a real-deal 50's Tele (I've owned and played quite a few), for 1/40th the pricetag...
Since this pic was taken I've replaced the decal and put it in the correct place, done some additional wear on the fingerboard for "that" look and feel, and added a ciggie burn or two....
it's just a great guitar....
I'm gonna build one of these myself as it's easy and fun to do.
Quality parts can be found very easily these days, and there are cool websites with some great antiquing tips.....
You should be able to whip one of these up for 600 bucks or so, or grab one that someone else has done and fix it up to your needs...
The Fender Mexican Classics are also great platforms to start with. Ash bodies and authentic parts (it is a Fender), but the finish is this ridiculous resin-like stuff that looks and feels like crap.
Strip it, and butterscotch it.
Antique away, and you're happening....
"Yep" on all that Michael says....
Here's a pic of a Bill Nash Tele that I just love to play. Can't put it down, actually. Isn't that what it's all about?
Voodoo pickups and a baseball bat neck....
Feels, plays, and sounds like a real-deal 50's Tele (I've owned and played quite a few), for 1/40th the pricetag...
Since this pic was taken I've replaced the decal and put it in the correct place, done some additional wear on the fingerboard for "that" look and feel, and added a ciggie burn or two....
it's just a great guitar....
I'm gonna build one of these myself as it's easy and fun to do.
Quality parts can be found very easily these days, and there are cool websites with some great antiquing tips.....
You should be able to whip one of these up for 600 bucks or so, or grab one that someone else has done and fix it up to your needs...
The Fender Mexican Classics are also great platforms to start with. Ash bodies and authentic parts (it is a Fender), but the finish is this ridiculous resin-like stuff that looks and feels like crap.
Strip it, and butterscotch it.
Antique away, and you're happening....
"You see, the whole thing about recording is the attempt at verisimilitude--not truth, but the appearance of truth."
Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
I got a mid 80's MIJ Custom a couple of years ago, cheap. $250 It's a great guitar. My other Tele is also a MIJ standard... without the string thru the body. It's a nice one too. That one fell off the wall at the shop, so the owner let me have it for $125 or something. That one is a maple neck, the other is rosewood. I can't say enough about Japanese made Fenders.. My Jazzmaster is also a mid 80's vintage. They couldn't sell it at the same local shop, and marked it down to $285!
I don't find many deals like that anymore, but that's ok, there isn't room in the vault.
I don't find many deals like that anymore, but that's ok, there isn't room in the vault.
the country that rules magnetism, rules the world
http://www.donovans-brain.com
http://www.donovans-brain.com
tonewoods- that's a sweet-looking tele (and a clean deluxe, too)! when you say, 'butterscotch it', what exactly, stain-wise, did you use (assuming you did the work yourself)? and what about a clearcoat (does anyone do nitro anymore)? that got me thinking about doing the same to my japanese '50's RI (with which i'm happy on all fronts except for the 'blonde' finish, which does have a bit of a plastique quality about it...). i always thought the '52 RI looked a bit...'manufactured' in terms of its finish (like, artificially aged), but yours looks like a genuine, old slab of ash...hm...
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tonewoods
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"okay, pays to do a little research- i've just hipped myself to bill nash's deal- nice stuff! but since i've already got a good guitar to base a project on, i'd love to find out more about what tricks go into getting that finish to look so authentic..."
OK...
Guitar ReRanch has cans of butterscotch waiting for you, and tips on how to go about applying it at their website....
Relic Masters has cool parts, including aged parts for Teles...
And Relic Deluxe has tips for antiquing a Tele....
That should keep ya busy on that Tele for awhile...
OK...
Guitar ReRanch has cans of butterscotch waiting for you, and tips on how to go about applying it at their website....
Relic Masters has cool parts, including aged parts for Teles...
And Relic Deluxe has tips for antiquing a Tele....
That should keep ya busy on that Tele for awhile...
"You see, the whole thing about recording is the attempt at verisimilitude--not truth, but the appearance of truth."
Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
As an LP Junior is different than a Special set on the bridge pickup, so is an esquire different from a tele.
I use mostly bridge pickup and have a 1980s Fernandes tele-copy esquirized with an early 70s bridge pickup. The tone and volume controls are as useful as those on a Junior and you can even simulate a neck pickup.
A vintage-sounding pickup can sound radically different (dare I say better) with no neck pickup. Try both. I did and will never go back on this guitar. I think one-pickup guitars (and basses) do sound better.
Also, try using the ashtray bridge cover. It changes things. While you can't mute, you have somewhere to rest your palm while pickin'.
I use mostly bridge pickup and have a 1980s Fernandes tele-copy esquirized with an early 70s bridge pickup. The tone and volume controls are as useful as those on a Junior and you can even simulate a neck pickup.
A vintage-sounding pickup can sound radically different (dare I say better) with no neck pickup. Try both. I did and will never go back on this guitar. I think one-pickup guitars (and basses) do sound better.
Also, try using the ashtray bridge cover. It changes things. While you can't mute, you have somewhere to rest your palm while pickin'.
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