I really wanted a case or "Hang 'em High"

That Champion 600 is very cool. Not loud, but it sounds great. Enjoy!

Well there are plenty of Tele players who'll agree with you 100% - and plenty of Strat players who'll disagree 100%! I have played a Strat - my friend Stu, who I regularly jam with, has one which I've tried. I'm just not keen - I much prefer the Tele, it just seems so much more versatile. It all boils down, purely and simply, to the guitar that suits YOU best!

If you want a different viewpoint, ask CitiZenNoir - he's a Strat man, and could probably give you a couple of dozen GOOD reasons why Strats are better. For me, there's only one way to find out - pick a guitar up, try it out for yourself!

There was a post not so long ago about which guitar you'd have if you were limited to one electric - if I was limited to one guitar and had to pick, I'd have MY Tele. It feels like we've been together forever, not just a month - and in that month, I've seriously neglected my other guitars. Hardly touched acoustic, played a little slide on the Squier, hardly touched the bass.

Hey Nuno - I remember you saying your next guitar was going to be a Fender! I'm guessing - a Telecaster?

:D :D :D

Vic

I agree! I agree! The Strat is a great guitar. My favorite player or one of them is Eric Clapton. He started with Tele, and continued with LP, SG, Dot, etc. He plays also L-5 but his main guitar is a Strat. Why does Clapton play Strat? More names: David Gilmour, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy... Buddy Whittington (great performance in the Mayall 70th Anniversary), I don't know, a lot of names and different styles, Hendrix! I really like the aspect of the Strat. But I don't know each time I play one of them... I can not describe the feeling, perphaps the weigth, the size, the shape... Obviously my fingers are not able to get the best sound possible, but there is a "gap" between the Strat and me.

However, I don't know how to put the idea in English: "I'd like I like the guitar." My head says "it is a great guitar and it is your favorite guitar" but heart has another opinion.

And I agree, too. Usually I read the CitiZenNoir posts and he is "the" Strat man. I agree with the majority of his posts (all of you are teaching me a lot). I probably know some of that reasons and I'm trying to autoconvince of it. But I'm not able!

Now I was re-reading your thread on your new Tele. Today I felt the same! I didn't remember the details of your posts in the store but, for example, you also did a comment on the neck! But how one of the most possible simple guitar can be produce all those tones?
Hey Nuno - I remember you saying your next guitar was going to be a Fender! I'm guessing - a Telecaster?
:mrgreen:

i have a strat AND a tele...and i must say...the tele wants to be played, whereas the strat sings nice if you have the skills. still the tele is my choice from the two...i also have an ibanez that has the same 'get up and go' impulse as the tele :D

Nuno said Now, the second mistake.

I really thought that story was gonna end with 'so I bought the Tele AND the amp.' Ah well - that's a sweet amp, and I think the Tele's gonna call your name until you go back and make it your own!

David

I really thought that story was gonna end with 'so I bought the Tele AND the amp.'
:lol:

It is not a cheap guitar. I asked the price: over 1400€. I could afford it but I must think twice. But, David, I completely agree with you, probably I met my guitar yesterday.

I don't know if the mistake was don't buy the Tele! :lol:

On the amp. It has a very nice sound. It was easy. I mean, I used a lot of time this summer comparing different tones with my multi-effects unit, YouTube demos, GearWire demos, DVD live concerts, CD recordings, and also reading all your posts. Yesterday I knew what I wanted (I mean, more or less): a tube amp, simple, clean and with good dynamics. I live in a flat so I can not afford (really my neighbours :wink:) a big amp. The Champ is good because, as Mitch said, "it is not loud but sounds great." Other alternatives were the Epi Valve Junior and the Vox DA-5 (solid state but with good emulations in the web page, I didn't check it but I'll do).
i have a strat AND a tele...and i must say...the tele wants to be played, whereas the strat sings nice if you have the skills.
Exactly Coleclark! Great description! The Tele has that impulse. The salesman agreed the same feeling on the Strat. He plays a Parker (a "top" Parker). He commented the same. It is his favorite guitar and he can do whatever with it but the Tele is special, the others are... could we say "neutrals"? And that neutrality requires a high degree of skill and knowledge about that instrument.

We finished kidding because usually we like the same guitars. I already bought "his" Martin and now I like "his" Tele.

Has anyone besides me noticed how many Tele threads there have been lately??? I'm not complaining, but it's making me want either a white or a butterscotch blonde one all of a sudden. Admittedly, it doesn't take much to give me that desperate feeling of desire for a certain guitar, but the Tele fans around here are driving me nuts! :wink: I already have a sunburst 60th anniversary one and my new spalted maple HH, but it seems too cool all of a sudden to own one of the colors I mentioned above.

I recently saw ZZ Top, The Pretenders and Stray Cats in concert and Chrissie Hynde was playing a white Tele (and her lead guitarist Adam Seymour, too). Maybe that's where it started. (I also want a Gretsch Billy-Bo, so yeah...I can't blame you guys... :lol: )

Congrats, Nuno, on the amp and on the Tele (I just wanted to be the first...I know you haven't gone for it yet...)! :D My favorite is a Strat (though I love Teles and SGs!). I have 2 -- one with the S-1 switching system and 1 with the noiseless (not vintage) pups -- so maybe they aren't completely traditional sounding. Maybe that means I need one that is...??? Maybe I'd better stay off this forum for a while. :roll: Btw, my favorite Strat player (and all-around favorite guitarist, period) is Jeff Beck. My avatar kinda tells that story, I guess...

Have fun, Nuno!!!!! :D

Hey everyone :D

Well, thankX Vic for thinking of me when you think of Strats.
Either that's quite a compliment,
or I need to change my style :shock:

And yes, I do love Strats....
If you remember though, when asked what ONE guitar I would choose if I could only have one....
I picked the tried and true Tele tone machine over the vaunted/venerated Strat.
And if you check a lot of my recent posts... You'll find I have been singing the praises of the Tele.

In fact, THE ONLY guitar I have GAS for is the Fender Custom Shop '63 Tele with ash body (in WHITE blonde).

And while I have played many a Strat, I haven't thought highly of them all.

While with the Tele - I have yet to run across one that I haven't liked.

And I agree completely Nuno - With just those two stock pups and two Knobs....
How can it have SO MANY different voices...?
Remarkable.

Why right now, I'm so into the sound of Tele's, that I'm mostly listening to Mike Bloomfield's stint with the Butterfield Blues Band. (He played an early 60's Tele)
Unfortunately, he plays it through a (higher watt) Fender tube amp (which can sound cold and brittle, especially with Tele bridge pups).

When he plays on the neck pup.... :mrgreen: 8) 8) 8)
A nice, dark, mysterious sound not unlike that of Robbie Robertson's days in Ronnie Hawkins' Hawk's (Also an early 60's tele).

I myself struggle with why there aren't that many famous Tele players (as opposed to Strat players).
It is interesting to note that SO MANY famous guitarists started with Teles. (Switching to either Strats or LP's after they got
to be stars)
A large reason being that they needed a TOUGH, inexpensive, and superior sounding instument, as at the time....
They were lucky to be able to afford ONE guitar.
And then after they made it, gave in to their GAS pains.

Though, Clapton did switch back to the Tele immediately after leaving Cream.
And Hendrix did use the Tele for some studio cuts - It is rumored that he used Noel Redding's Tele on the studio recordings of 'Hey Joe' & 'Purple Haze'. (Believe it or Don't!)

I say, you can't go wrong with a Tele... Everybody should have one :D

Ken

Well, thankX Vic for thinking of me when you think of Strats.
Either that's quite a compliment,
or I need to change my style

Well - there's a lot of Strat lovers about, but you've given well-thought out, well reasoned arguments stating not only the pros but also the cons, whereas a lot of people just think Strats are THE guitar because Jimi had one, and Stevie Ray had one, and that's their argument for, full stop. You've gone into some detail about the p/us and the wood used, etc. That level of information really helps. Made an impression on me, anyway!

It'll be interesting, at the weekend, to try my mate Stu's Strat - he's had a set-up done on it, and although he uses 10's instead of the 9's I prefer, it'll be nice to do a comparison between the Tele and the Strat. I'm biased towards the Tele, of course - but I'll try to be objective!

:D :D :D

Vic

Thank you for the compliments Vic. :oops:
I'm so glad that people like you and Nuno have gotten something from my posts.
I was really starting to feel that I was becoming something of a Bore!

Sounds like you have a fun weekend planned!
I'm sure you'll still favor the Tele when it's all said and done....
I think you have the right attitude though.
Keep an open heart and look for the positives.

And don't go overboard on the 10's....
We don't want you to hurt yourself. :(

As far as Strats go....
I think the thing that really makes or breaks the sound on them, is if the pup height is properly adjusted.
I have such a hard time playing any other Strats and thinking that they sound good, purely for that reason.

And they can be quite a bear to handle if the string height and neck bow aren't there either.
The fretboards can seem to literally fight you if the neck warp is off just slightly.
Very touchy, finicky guitars.

On the other hand, (and some of you have probably heard me tell this tale)....
Mike Bloomfield used to walk around Chicago and New York in the winter with his TELE, holding onto the neck just behind
the headstock with it resting on his shoulder, collecting snow.
After showing up at the club of his choice, would swing his Tele by the neck, rapping the body against the wall to knock off
the snow, plug it into an amp and it was good to go! :twisted:

Ken

Congrats, Nuno, on the amp and on the Tele (I just wanted to be the first...I know you haven't gone for it yet...)! :D
You are welcome! LMAO!

+1 on the latest Vic's comments on the CitiZenNoir's post. Usually I read your posts (both, Vic and Ken). You always offer an interesting point of views.

And I'm ready for reading a new Vic's comparative! :D

Ken, I always remember your comments on my Martin. Everyday it sounds better. I've learnt a lot on Strat building, components and woods. Thanks. :D

And, it is true, I remember perfectly, you chose a Tele in the "only one guitar" thread.

Page is other example of initial Tele players. He used Teles in some of the initial recordings with Led Zep.

Clapton used the Tele in the Yardbirds era (around 1964) and a Vox AC30. Then he went to Blues Breakers with Mayall and used a Gibby LP with Marshall. In the Cream era he used LP and also the famous "psychodelic" SG, and also Firefox and an ES-335 (I think it was a Dot, he play it sometimes "recently", for example, in the Hyde Park concert). Clapton changed to Strat with the "Blackie" story and because Hendrix recommended the Strat to him. As you know Hendrix was as a brother for Clapton.

I don't know, somebody said if your first guitar isn't a Strat, then it will be the second. My first electric is a LP... As I said I like very much the visual aspect: a black Strat with a maple neck is one of the most elegants guitar to me. The trouble is when I play it. Probably I must learn to play first.

PS. I'm playing guitar a year. I don't know if I've learnt to play but I've learnt (you all teach me) a lot of guitar technology! (And also some theory, too. :wink:)

When I grasped the neck... that is a neck! It fills your hand! I played slowly an open chord... and remembered to Vic. You can feel the vibrations in your left arm and not only in the hand (I'm not lefty), in your body... The sound is indescribable. Just two pick-ups, the switch, the volume and one of these phase inverters for the bridge pick-up and more than one million different sounds there!

PS. I always apologize for my poor English but today also for the post length! :(

Nuno -

First off, I'm really glad that everything has/is working out for you and 'Martina' :wink:
I'm sure you're both growing and maturing well together.

As far as the neck on the Tele goes, I don't know what model you played....
Though lot's of Tele's had a 'U' shape neck on them, which is rather beefy.
I don't know if that's the neck profile you are refering to, or if that is exactly what it is you find attractive about the neck on that Tele -
If it is, and you wanna try that on a Strat.... Try the 70's Strats (if you can find any).
They make RI's of them now in both the 'Classic Series' (MIM) and the 'American Vintage Series' (MIA).

And as for you feeling the vibrations of the guitar in not only your hand/arm, but also in 'your body'...
That is the ONE thing that I cannot stress enough.
That is THE thing that I look for in a guitar.
If it vibrates through your body and into your soul!
That is a special guitar.

It's hard to explain to anyone that hasn't yet experienced that feeling.
Mostly because ALL guitars vibrate....
Precious few of them vibrate in that magic way though.
And that is the sign that all the acoustic components have come together perfectly.

No need to apologize for your lengthy posts - You have an exuberence about you that is infectious.
When I read your posts, they are all usually expressions of pure joy.
Hopefully you wont ever lose that, or allow it to be replaced by knowing too much about technology or other trivial things.

And your English is just fine.
We can all understand what you are saying.
In fact, I envy your grasp of language.
As with the obvious joy that music gives you, you seem also to be able to interpret the written word with your heart.
And that is very special indeed.
I have no doubt that you will mature into a very fine musician.
And for the short time you have been playing, I myself have been very impressed with what I have heard.

Keep up the good work and Great talking to you :D

Ken

Ken, this is a perfect example of my poor English, I have a lot of thoughts but I only can tell you: Thank you very much! :D

As far as the neck on the Tele goes, I don't know what model you played....
I don't know the model. The salesman told me it was an artist signature model but I don't remember the name. Yesterday and also today I was reviewing the Fender website (the "normal" and also the Custom Shop) and the guitar is not there. I also reviewed the main online stores and it doesn't appear!

The guitar is not of this world! :shock:

The guitar is a sunburst model but you can see perfectly the wood under the varnish, very delicate varnish. It has the golden hardware (I'd prefer the usual silver or chrome hardware). The neck pick-up is normal (normal for Tele) but the bridge pick-up is a mini-humbucking, possibly Seymour-Duncan or a similar brand. The usual Telecaster tone knob is not a pot, it is a switch to change the phase of the bridge pick-up (I think the salesman told it or I understood it).

It is possible it had a 'U' shape neck. I never play one of those necks before. You can feel your hand 'full' when you grasp it. It is not like the other guitars I played. I'm sure it is not a 'V' shape neck because I asked for any Strat with 'V' shape neck and they didn't have any in the store. There are several 70's Strats in the store. Once the salesman and I were speaking about the head stock size. I prefer the other models but probably because they are more used for famous players. I'll check it. Thank you very much again!

The Custom Shop and Merle created this beauty. A modified Thinline guitar, with laminated top of figured maple, set neck with deep carved heel, Ivoroid pickguard and binding, gold hardware, abalone "Tuff Dog Tele" peghead inlay. The Merle Haggard Telecaster has a Texas Special neck pickup and custom wiring of a 4-way Tele switch - just the way Merle likes it. 2-color sunburst.

That's from Musician's Friend. If it's the right one, you don't want to know the price. Or at least I wouldn't. :twisted: