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Tele advice needed

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(@roundi)
Estimable Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 98
Topic starter  

I recently bought a Hagstrom Viking. Very nice guitar btw But while I got it setup (2 week wait). I decided to rent a MIM Tele. Renting a guitar for a month is a 30 day sales pitch I think.

Well the tele goes back tomorrow and I am thinking I really like Teles. So now I am looking into getting one but there are some varieties and I don't know much of anything about them.

The one I rented has vintage frets and I find them a little small, I assume one can get a MIM Tele with Med Jumbo Frets.
I was looking at Highway One Teles, Highway One Texas Teles (new this year I think), US Special Teles (glossy HWY 1 with Texas Special pups I think) and Used US Std Teles. The Hwy 1 teles seem to have older style Barrel type saddles where the MIM and US Teles have more modern type Saddles. What are the pros and cons of each type?

Also what is the difference btw Ash and Alder tonewise?

I am sorry I know this seems like I am asking a lot but if anybody here is can give me a little info on their experience with some of these guitars it would be very helpful. I have agreed with She Who Must Be Obeyed to limit my guitar purchaces to one electric and one acoustic so I have been swapping out my electrics every 6 months or so looking for the perfect one.

I have been playing for two years and I enjoy the blues rock type of stuff. My amp is a Super Champ XD

Thanks


   
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 Nuno
(@nuno)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 3995
 

Telecasters are great guitars. I don't have a Tele and I don't want or need a new guitar but I know I will buy a Tele, perhaps next year, perhaps five years.

When I bought my Strat I was playing many different guitars and many different Teles. I like very much the Hwy 1. If you have a chance, play a Baja Tele. A friend has a Richie Kotzen Tele (CIJ), the neck is awesome.

If Vic Lewis reads this thread, he will recommend other Teles and also he will give his opinion. (After reading one of his posts I decided I'd buy a Tele.)

There is a difference between ash and alder. I remember an old thread with many comments about it. Try to search the comments by CitiZenNoir (BTW I don't read new posts from him, does anybody know about him?).

Concerning the saddles. It is harder to achieve a good intonation with the old type because you must adjust two strings with the same saddle (or by operating the same saddle). I think it will not make a great difference in the sound although I did read it also modifies the tone.

It is perfect for blues rock and many more styles (practically each style).


   
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(@joehempel)
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Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2415
 

Telecasters are great guitars. I don't have a Tele and I don't want or need a new guitar but I know I will buy a Tele
+1, I want one too, love those things.

In Space, no one can hear me sing!


   
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(@dogbite)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 6348
 

I have a Hwy 1 tele. American parts and tele twang!
I have no problems with the vintage saddles.
the finish is very thin and I scratched it right away.
an incredible buy for the money.
it has an alder body, although the wood grain is so nice it almost looks like ash.
ash is a major tone wood.
however, ny two best guitars, a Fender strat and the tele both have alder bodies.
killer tones and plays like a dream.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=644552
http://www.soundclick.com/couleerockinvaders


   
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(@roundi)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 98
Topic starter  

Thanks for the info guys!! I went and played a HWY with Tex Mex pickups and one of the new Special American ones and I think I liked the Special one a little better. Although I was plugged into some amp the size of my car and I would like to try them on something more modist like what I have at home. Strangely the two stores I went to had a total of 4 teles. Dozens of strats but very few teles for some reason. I don't know if this means they are really popular around here or really unpopular??

Dogbite, I actually really like to low gloss look of the HWY 1 guitars & fenders look best with some signs of lovin on em. Having said that I really don't get the Road worn thing, it is just a little too much fake wear, especially for the extra money.

I could not find an american standard to try :(.

The search for the perfect guitar continues....


   
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(@rparker)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

The low-gloss look was around for a bit a few years ago on MIM Strats. I don't they sold all that well. I don't recall if they had any Teles.

There was some Paisly Teles out there for a while, and recently somewhere at a HUGE discount. Maybe $300 off, bringing down to $700. I'm not sure if it was a $1000 guitar or if it was a $700 guitar with a fancy pattern.

My experinces with Teles are all low end. I have a Squire Tele with stock pick-ups from a friend's American. It sure does sound sweet, and I've only got about $160 or so into it. (my friend gave me the pickups) It's quality otherwise seems to be not great. I wouldn't know a good saddle from a bad one. I do know that out of the blue that it needed another set-up. Grabbed it to play and massive string vibration. I guess something settled. I set it up and has been fine every since.

I also have an MIM. Somebody stole my low E string, tuner and the neck pickup. As a result, I ended up begrudgingly turned in into a Keith Richard's open-G 5 string with split rails in the neck position. Surprisingly enough, it does a super job doing some Stones songs.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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If Vic Lewis reads this thread, he will recommend other Teles and also he will give his opinion. (After reading one of his posts I decided I'd buy a Tele.)

That's nice of Nuno to say, but really, I'm far from an expert on Telecasters - I just know what I like! Not long after I joined this forum, I decided I needed an electric guitar - I ended up buying a Squier Strat, which I thought was excellent value for money, and very playable. BUT....not long after that, I went to watch a Status Quo gig, and decided my next guitar HAD to be a Tele - when I went to try them out, I was more impressed with a Squier Custom Tele than the actual Fender Teles! Ended up buying the Squier, a new amp, a cheap bass and a fairly cheap 12-string for what I'd have paid for a Fender.

Anyway, the Squier quickly became my #1 guitar - and the next time I had some money, I decided I was going to buy another one. As luck would have it, the shop I went to had no Squier Custom Teles in that day - but I saw a white Fender Tele that I just had to try. Played it, bought it - a MIM Tele with single coil p/u's. (The Squier Custom Tele has humbuckers.)

What I love most about the Tele is its versatility - you can play almost any genre of music with it, from C&W to folk to blues to hard rock. Mine has a maple neck and (I think, I'd have to look it up to be sure....) an agathis body. I love the neck - it's smooth, has the medium jumbo frets, and feels great in my hands. It keeps its tuning incredibly well, never needs much more than a tiny adjustment, and the intonation is perfect - lovely low action I can play all the way up to the top of the fretboard. I can honestly say I've hardly put it down since I bought it - in two and a half years, it's probably had the equivalent of 3-4 times as much playing time as most guitars, and it still feels as good in my hands as when I bought it.

In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with a Tele - others may swear by their Strats, LP's or whatever, but I wouldn't trade mine in for any of them. Try a few, see what you like - but try other guitars as well, then you'll be able to make a fair comparison.

(And if you want to know who got me into Telecasters, it was a GN member who goes by the name (on these boards) of Teleplayer324......how's that for an unbiased recommendation?)

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@gnease)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

and I have a Fender Lite Ash Tele --an excellent guitar in all aspects: tone, playability and appearance. the Seymour Duncan alnico pups are very sweet -- truly twangy without being harsh. given the name, it's obviously ash. in this case, it's a two-piece, very tastefully joined right on center. the fingerboard is birdseye maple, the dots are abalone and frets were dressed very well out of the box. it came with vintage style brass-barrel saddle, but I really didn't have too much of a problem with intonation. nevertheless, I did change the saddles to Wilkinson compensated barrels recently. it did sweeten the tuning a very slightly.

here's it is hanging beside my workhorse Beatercaster (a kit Tele I built for trav'lin'):

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@roundi)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 98
Topic starter  

All good comments guys!! I think you may be making my decision harder. Now I am considering a nice used Squire or MIM Tele and possibly replacement pickups. This would probably be significantly cheaper too. Any thoughts on replacemt pickups for Squire teles. Also when people say to try a few to see which ones they like are they talking tone or more physically tangible aspects of the guitar like balance, feel of the neck & general workmanship?

Hmmmmm....


   
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(@gnease)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

The Seymour Duncans that came in my Lite Ash are available here:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/vintage/alnico_ii_pro_f_1/

but they are a bit pricey -- about $70 to $75 USD each.

you can go more budget with Guitar Fetish Tele pups. I bought these for my Beatercaster:

neck: http://store.guitarfetish.com/revialtenepi.html

bridge: http://store.guitarfetish.com/alfaovpotebr.html

one warning on the neck pup: if you don't use a pickguard, do NOT put a chrome trim ring around the neck pup (as in the pic in my above post) -- it dulls the pup's tone. I removed it shortly after the pic was taken.

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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For what you'd pay for a used MIM Tele, you could probably get a brand-new Squier Tele. Most Squiers come with the standard single coil p/u's - however, the Squier Custom Teles (click HERE) come with either P90's or Humbuckers. (Gnease is a fan, I think, of P90's.....in the neck position, if I remember rightly. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Greg!)

They're a little more expensive than most Squier Teles, but should still be affordable for around the same as a second-hand MIM Tele.

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@rparker)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

One word about the Squire Teles. One of the popular ones, the butterscotch blonde model as shown here http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Affinity-Series-Telecaster-Special?sku=515115 has a bit of a different pick guard than my MIM. The guard blocks the height adjustment screws. Mine were way too low. I had to remove it and adjust accordingly. Frightfully easy and I would not advise anyone to not get this guitar because of it. Just pointing out that you may have a very easy project in front of you. Consider it a pre-purchase tip. :)

gnease, lovin the HD sticker on the black one. Do you ride?

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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(@roundi)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 98
Topic starter  

Coincidentally there is a custom Tele for sale on my local kijiji site for around $100.00. I don't really know much about P-90s though. I can't really contact the seller today though since I am leaving town for a week or so tomorrow. Maybe it will still be available when I get back. I do like the traditional tele sound though so I may look for a good used one and practice my soldering technique. I will have to see what my local music store has in stock for tele pickups too.


   
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(@gnease)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

P90s -- didn't want to complicate the discussion with this, but that Beatercaster of mine … well eventually (and finally) I settled on a P90 for the neck pup. perfect. a P90 is a hot, hard driving pup, for lack of a better description, it's somewhere between a Fender SC and a Gibby humbucker: more midrange power than a Fender, clearer and edgier than a 'bucker.

here's what it looks like today:

I know the cream P90 looks a bit ugly; but the guitar is a nasty mongrel (a real one, not some poser B.C. Rich), so ugle-e-e suits it just fine.

and one reason I dig the SD neck pup in my Lite Ash is it has some of the tonal characteristics of a P90, tho not as hot and crunchy at full volume ('10' on guitar volume).

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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$100 is a very fair price for a Squier Custom Tele - they're about £180-190 here in the UK new, and about £100-110 for a decent 2nd hand one. For that kind of price you'll have money left over for any mods you'd like to make!

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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