I have several of the American original series in different colors. Something about burgundy mist that sounds softer and sweeter than 3 tone sunburst, and my fiesta red one sounds spicier and hotter than my cool/cold sounding lake placid blue one. My sunburst one sounds more… uhhhh… sunburtsy! 😂 In all seriousness, I think if the different color inspires you and takes you to a different vibe than it’s worth it if you can afford it. If not, sometimes just changing something like bridge saddle material will change the look and the tone!
@@erickmo1188 great now I need a sunbursty tele! 🤣🤣🤣 I agree sometimes a different color can inspire you to play....I always change my bridge & saddles the heavier guage steel bridge is a noticeable difference for sustain and I really like the gotoh compensated saddles.... I have a tele in the shop now for a full setup, I put the wilkinson wt3 bridge on it, 1st one of those on a tele for me. I bought a Suhr classic T and the intonation is absolutely perfect....well really the whole guitar is perfect, but it has that wilkinson bridge....interested to see how the telecaster sounds when I pick it up next week
I’ve played a Tele since 1978. I use to play with the guitar great Jerry Reed from 1981-1984. I’ve tried Strats, Les Paul’s etc. and never connected. They are not for the faint of heart. Kudos !
Telecaster is just simple and beautiful. It's also so versatile. The players that got my attention to Telecaster was Muddy Waters and Keith Richard. However Richie Kotzen is the player that made me realize it's not just a blues guitar.
I played Strats and Les Pauls my whole career then a PRS DGT... I always wanted a Tele. And now that I am retired I finally have one that I love so very much. I wish I had a whole other lifetime and music career to use it. It is the only electric that I play. I do have a Strat pickup in the neck and a DiMarzio (what ever Richie Kotzen uses) bridge. Big Chunky Neck with Jumbo Frets 9 1/2 Radius... I Love It!
I bought a Mex Fender Special Edition Tele a few years ago. Less than $500 on-line, no case, in butterscotch, with a black guard. I had previously bought a USA model with some kind of custom shop PUs and returned it after 2 days. So I bought this one thinking I would trick it out with custom PUs, etc. but ended up leaving it just as it is. I have been blown away by this thing. I play it at home, mostly jazzy stuff direct into a 65 Deluxe RI, and although I have a couple of old vintage Gibsons, and a 70s Strat for some reason I seem to always end up playing the Tele. I love this thing!
I love the midwest emo influence in your playing, beautiful and twinkly mixed with all these different genres, you did a fantastic job showcasing the best guitar there is. amen!
I recently moved, which required breaking down and packing up my entire studio and all my guitars. The Tele was the last to go into a case, and the first to come back out.
A few years back my mate presented me with his old Tele, heavily modded early 70s, and asked me if I could rig a 5-way for it. Not TOO difficult I thought ... but this one had/has four knobs. I racked my brain trying to figure out a switching diagram that would work. I was, actually on the phone to him explaining that it couldn’t be done AND keep the four knob setup When I had that lightbulb moment. Even with a 4-bank SuperSwitch it wasn’t easy but I got it to work in the end. Neck, Both Series, Both Parallel, Both Reverse Phase, Bridge - I think that was the order IIRC. It took me ages to finish too cos I had had to move house in the middle of doing it. When he eventually got it back, he loved it, Mercifully … Phew
Just picked a Vintera 2 60s Tele last week when they dropped. I still consider myself a Strat guy, but this Tele really is becoming a favorite quickly. Glad to hear you playing and enjoying a Tele more!
I have a lot of guitars that I love, but a good tele just feels like home. I do a fair bit touring & fly dates where I can only bring one guitar - and will gate check it for the most part. A tele in a mono case (or some other flight case) is just about the only guitar you can trust to always survive that situation. Shit you can even take the neck off and pack the entire thing in your suitcase if you really wanted to!
Hi John, Wilco Johnson comes to mind...Dr Feelgood, 'She does it right'. Masterful rhythm and lovely Tele sound from an H&H transistor combo. Unique sound and person. RIP John Wilkinson, passed Nov 2022.
Steve cropper is the first tele player who comes to mind. I’m sure he probably played other guitars but the tele is the one I associate with him and all those iconic songs
I bought a Player HH Telecaster not too long ago to start studying Jazz with, and stumbling across an Ed Bickert video on TH-cam was the eyeopener for me, as prior to that I'd never thought of any solid body guitar as a "Jazz guitar", and especially a Telecaster.
Jimmy Page played a tele! The first Led Zeppelin album was recorded with a 1950's Telecaster known as the “Dragon” guitar due to it's bright, psychadelic hand painted dragon artwork.
LOVE Telecasters, have played them for years. I have many from Esquire and Nocaster reissues, Black Guard, Thinline, Deluxe with humbucker in neck, P90s, Modern Standard, all the way to my current favorite, A Frankenstein Super Nashville! Each different, each inspiring! Thanks John for another great vid!
I rescued a Tele from a shop a few years back, as I never owned one bfore, it was cheap, needed a bit of work and it was cream coloured, which is probably my favourite colour for Strats and Teles. It was an Aria Pro II 615 and it played so nicely that when I saw a new one in a local shop a while later, I had to buy it. It now sits alongside me in the lounge and is my go-to guitar for noodling and learning new stuff. For £140 UK I have yet to play a better feeling Tele in any shop
Mike Stern, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan. All played tele and all owned Roy Buchanan’s original black guard tele . Stern’s Yamaha is based on the Danny Gatton mods to that guitar.
I recently got my first tele, its a Sire T7! it showed up cheap here in New Zealand so had to have it and I really dig it, super versatile like you say, but the fact its so simple and reliable is what makes it so great. Super stable, lots of tones etc. Very happy i grabbed it :D
I haven't really played anything in the price range that's this sort of quality in terms of the electronics, the neck playability, the brass saddles etc. Its just super solid and feels so premium to me. Definitely go and try some out and see if you think its for you @@jtd3421
I fell in love with a Tele with a solid rosewood neck. I added a middle Strat pickup thinking it would be a Strat/Tele hybrid satisfying my Strat needs. I kind of ruined the Tele playing mentality so I took out the middle pickup and reverted back to the simplicity of the three way. I love it but it’s not my number one gig guitar.
For years and years I stayed away from Teles. Just didn't jive with the sound. But since seeing your videos and others, I have seen how really verstile they are. What pushed me over the edge is they rythm guitar player on the worship team. He has a modded tele and, after hearing that, I was won over. Now, my "the one" guitar is the Lari Basillio Ibanez Signature T-Style. I never thought I would ever be saying that. The one thing that I hear over all the tele's is the attack while on the bridge pickup. Love it.
It took me years to get my first Tele. I just thought they looked like a kitchen cutting board with a neck on it. I finally had to put a hotter pickup in the Bridge but I love the Vintage pickup in the neck. Now my neck pickup is screwed into the body and I swear it has a woody sound.
Fighting the guitar is a good point. I´m not a fan of the strings beeing low. I feel more comfortable when having to push a bit more due the resistance. When it´s to effortless I tend to not feel the guitar.
Recently picked up an AVII 1963 Telecaster in transparent Crimson Red to pair with my AO 1960s Stratocaster. I love the Telecaster! Makes me wish my Strat had a 7.25 radius. The Tele really is a workhorse of a guitar - it can play so many different genres of music and can handle any pedal thrown at it.
I found that wiring my 4 way tele switch a little differently than their wiring suggestion is a little more intuitive. I wired it so position 4 is the neck and the hum would be 3. That way, the quick swap to neck only is as simple as a normal tele.
My earliest memory of a Tele player was a guy called Jim Mullen from a band called Morrissey Mullen. Used to see them in London in the 80s, and he played Jazz Rock using his thumb rather than a pick. Brilliant guitarist and band
I have very many guitars and a lot of Telecasters with different configs. When it comes to recording I pretty much always pick up a Tele first. It always works even if I decide different guitars later
I bought my first tele a couple years ago, Player series. I own a few five strats but I play the tele all the time. Makes me appreciate the difference between the two.
I never thought so until, just recently, I got a Vintera 50s modified tele with S1 switch, which gives you a Peter Green style pinched tone. I spent a few hours getting it set up, but it's so clear and really cuts without being shrill or spiky. Took a while to get used to playing it, but once I did, it became my go-to.
I was literally in the store yesterday playing a Professional ii Tele, I fell in love. First time playing a Telecaster plugged in, and now I need it! This video is a sign! 😆
Roy Buchanan was an early influence who played a Telecaster as well as Terry Kath of Chicago. Then there's Mike Stern who has a signature T-style Yamaha after he stopped playing a Fender.
My Squire paranormal cabronita thinline telecaster, whew, has become my go to lately with new gotoh bridge, tuners, and a rewire with demarizo audio taper pots and a nice capacitor. It does all the things I ask of it.
I think the modern cliche take that the tele is the most versatile guitar is an over reaction to the antiquated take that tele is more suited to country music. Obviously it is versatile, but isn’t the most versatile, in my opinion. Something like a super strat with the option to coil split and with a vibrato bridge can do lots of things that a tele can’t.
In a sense you are correct. But I think the point is more something as basic as a Telecaster with single coils can pretty much do everything. It’s a great reminder that it’s more about the player than it is the guitar. I have guitars more capable of a variety of sounds, guitars that are more comfortable to play, guitars with vibratos, guitars with thick sounding humbuckers that just sound Metal AF with the right distortion... I mostly just grab one of my Telecasters. So in a sense they are my most versatile guitars, because I use them for a range of things, rather than a specific thing.
I have 5 Yamaha Pacificas 112Vs, tuned octave low: just played one, and it sounds ABS Heaven JAZZ neck pup: with my pedals simble-tomsline blues-bossod3-dolamod8-bossdynadrive-vertexdynamicdistv2-dodlookingglass and ZOOM G2 Fender Clean( which models:Fender Twin Reverb 65, : its absolute heaven...soft... touchy....played to a Fender Frontman 10G to me Philips earphones! my tone is more jazz than telecaster, iva just come together with the springs and strings , Teles dont have springs, therefore the attack is more pro nounced...I love the soft attack with strat springs....my Yam justmuffles like an old Gibson but with softer attack, I reaaly been after this tone for ever..., and funnily Im having trouble with my lef t middle finger, Ha! loveing my pedals like : Mad Prof Simble and Vertex Dynamic Distortion V2(seafoam) LOVE takes it all while giving it all back , all this time we owe to one and other , God bless Keith n Redd Volkaert ...
So after listing after a proper old fashioned ss tele for a while, I just pulled the trigger on an FGN Iliad. I was going to settle for a boundary but when I realised I had enough money for a j-standard I opted for the ash body purely for aesthetic reasons. The somewhat upgraded Seymour Duncan and four way switching pickups are a bonus
If I could only have one (God forbid), it would be a Tele. John is right- super versatile. I bought a new American Standard Tele in 1993, and it has a ton of miles on it, and many gigs. Still my #1 for gigs. Now I also have an MIM Ash Tele that was a special edition in 2014 for variety.
I went overboard a bit on teles: have the deluxe, custom, cabronita, and classic. Like the latter 2 the most , primarily because of the fat necks. All very resonant and stable.
American Tele…most rock solid guitar there is. My Performer Hum does everything and is the only guitar I need, period. But I have a Strat too because that is home. I play on a worship band and the Tele just punches through so clearly it’s amazing. I know why they are so popular now.
I love my tele with flat-wounds. It's heavy, but it sounds so good. If I was going to offer a down side, I'd say the lack of a tummy cut. After a long session of seated noodling, the thing can dig into my ribs.
You know, I found myself considering if I "needed" a tele too recently. Managed to trade for a thinline of some kind - the 60s one with mahogany and singelcoils. It's on it's way now!
Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, all four of the "Helecasters", James Burton, Buck Owens..etc etc ( list of all country session players of any era) the list goes on. Maybe it is only the mainstream popular blockbuster acts that are well known to the public at large that are dominated by Strats and Les Pauls.
I bought my Nashville Professional Tele about a year and a half ago. I liked the idea of the middle pickup and except for the weight(But I don't play out so that doesn't matter) I love the guitar. Part of the reason(I have had a Strat and custom shop 68 Les Paul for some time) was due to the love of one of my guitar Heroes, Roy Buchanan, who I saw live twice in Chicago, where I am originally from.
@@Kuzcoco It is basically the same as the middle pickup on a Strat. I use it occasionally, often in combination with the neck or bridge, this Tele has a five way switch
Lovely :) Finest and most versatile guitar I'll ever own. The one that will never go. The rest are literally fluff and fun, but the Tele is like a brother. Sometimes sister.
What I need is an EBMM Majesty 6. So I got one on the way, should be delivered next week. It's used but in near mint condition, 2016, Glacial Frost, DiMarzio Illuminators. Not crazy about the latest run's colors. I think JP is about due for another run in different finishes. I'd like to see other solid or metallic color options without the fancy tops.
I had a telecaster , jazzmaster , strat from fender. I ended up selling my telecaster . After setup and vintage style pickups on the jazzmaster it pretty much covers everything except the strat quack. I have a few humbucker guitars but don’t use those as much
I went to Namm a bunch of years back and Fender had a huge room setup. They had a wall of Tele's. Being a metal focused player at the time I wrote them off, but decided to check them out as the other stuff I wanted to check out was crowded. Man I fell in love w/ the telecaster sitting there and trying all of the different models. Waiting to find a shell pink tele. Or should I say it's waiting to find me....
I have an ASAT Classic a player tele that I’m slowly modding to a more vintage spec. People bag on the neck pickup, but honestly it’s my ideal clean tone, especially on my ASAT.
oh, they really shouldn't - the neck pickup on a Tele should be anything from plunging your feet in an icy river to drinking a hot cup of tea on a rainy balcony...... :D
Sadly I’m down to 3 tele style guitar G&L ASAT classic with TV Jones tele pups. An Anderson Cobra humbuggies yet versatile with s rosewood neck and fretboard and my thinking and Nashville in one a Fret King country squire
Julian Lange maybe is the current standout guitarists who I think will be making Telecasters commonplace in modern Jazz. Then Jonny Greenwood, and actually all the Radiohead guitarists as a group solidified it's place in modern indie rock. Joe Duplantier (Gojira), and Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) before him, for metal. Plus Tom Morello, again making use of that great drop tuning sounds, that Keith Richards really made the Telecaster his voice. Country, blues but also funk and soul has so many great Telecaster players.
Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan always come to mind when I think of TeIe players, yes I'm oId. I personally have a 62 reissue and a George Harrison teIe and Iove them both. Something about their simplicity, Iess is more, design that attracts me. Although I play strats and I.P.'s the teIe really is my go to.
Danish Pete @Andertons constantly bigs-up his Tele. I think he says it's extremely versatile - you can play anything with a decent Tele. Aren't there supposed to be a lot of records made using Tele' that we think of as Les Paul tracks? There's a vid on YT: 'the guitar that sold a million Les Pauls, but isn't one'
I don’t understand why they keep the curved edge only for those humbucker T-style and not for regular coils one. I really prefer the confort edge of my strat.
Naah..i just need another strat with a bathtub route and load it with whatever pickup configuration my heart desires....have a couple of loaded pickguards in there and presto...instant HH or HSH or HSS or simply all the tele electronics mounted in a custom strat pickguard....and you still have the pretty strat body with the comfortable comfort cuts...the combinations can be endless...
@@Youngster543210 Same pickups,same scale lenght,same pickup positioning...i would say it would sound just like a tele but wont feel like one cause you are not carrying that tree trunk but a nice strat body....if you think that the bridge makes the tele sound i dont know what to tell u...i have fitted many strats with tele bridges or half tele bridges and this stuff doesnt happen but hey you are allowed to believe whatever you want....in guitar land physics break down(like black holes) so i wont try to convince you.
@Dreamdancer11 "Nice" because it has a belly carve? It's 2023 bro, my Tele has a belly carve lol. I've fitted strats with Tele pickups and they don't sound like a Tele. But you're totally free to believe what you want.
@@Youngster543210 Well if you take the time to do it right they would...cause even if you put the exact pickups the strat pickguard wont make the pickups fall in exactly the same spot as the tele pickguard...so first you need to find out their exact positions on an actual tele...counting lets say from the 12 fret and when you do make a new pickguard with the holes matching those exact positions...also get the rest of the electronics have to be the same too..not just solder a tele set using your preexisting strat electronics and call it a day..... The above wouldnt work 100% if you tried to get some pafs from a gibson into an HH configuration cause the LP has a smaller scale and that would be impossible(again physics) to be 100%....in this case though you can match everything cause the scale length is the exact same.... Then if you really wanna know give the guitars to someone else to record a couple of examples and throw in something totally different in there like an ibanez with pretty much everything different...now if you can tell which is which i would be really impressed(cause no one really ever did it)....
Maybe telepathy exists… these days I was thinking: I should buy a Telly.. but which one? (I don’t want spend a lot of money, no glossy fingerboard, no big C shape neck…decent pick ups.. any suggestions? I’m not interested in series/parallel..4 way switch..just a good sounding twanging basic Telly).
Not only do you NEED a telecaster....you NEED multiple telecasters in different colors😂😂😂 I tell my wife the color affects the tone
True words right here 😂
I have several of the American original series in different colors. Something about burgundy mist that sounds softer and sweeter than 3 tone sunburst, and my fiesta red one sounds spicier and hotter than my cool/cold sounding lake placid blue one. My sunburst one sounds more… uhhhh… sunburtsy! 😂
In all seriousness, I think if the different color inspires you and takes you to a different vibe than it’s worth it if you can afford it. If not, sometimes just changing something like bridge saddle material will change the look and the tone!
To play the blues you need a blue guitar, it’s obvious!
I hadn’t thought of that one yet ,,,thanks
@@erickmo1188 great now I need a sunbursty tele! 🤣🤣🤣 I agree sometimes a different color can inspire you to play....I always change my bridge & saddles the heavier guage steel bridge is a noticeable difference for sustain and I really like the gotoh compensated saddles.... I have a tele in the shop now for a full setup, I put the wilkinson wt3 bridge on it, 1st one of those on a tele for me. I bought a Suhr classic T and the intonation is absolutely perfect....well really the whole guitar is perfect, but it has that wilkinson bridge....interested to see how the telecaster sounds when I pick it up next week
I’ve played a Tele since 1978. I use to play with the guitar great Jerry Reed from 1981-1984. I’ve tried Strats, Les Paul’s etc. and never connected. They are not for the faint of heart. Kudos !
Roy Buchanan is a player that made the Tele sound different than many others in my opinion. I love my Tele (a parts build).
Telecaster is just simple and beautiful. It's also so versatile. The players that got my attention to Telecaster was Muddy Waters and Keith Richard. However Richie Kotzen is the player that made me realize it's not just a blues guitar.
Check out Roy Buchanan he tears up the tele
I played Strats and Les Pauls my whole career then a PRS DGT... I always wanted a Tele. And now that I am retired I finally have one that I love so very much. I wish I had a whole other lifetime and music career to use it. It is the only electric that I play. I do have a Strat pickup in the neck and a DiMarzio (what ever Richie Kotzen uses) bridge. Big Chunky Neck with Jumbo Frets 9 1/2 Radius... I Love It!
I bought a Mex Fender Special Edition Tele a few years ago. Less than $500 on-line, no case, in butterscotch, with a black guard. I had previously bought a USA model with some kind of custom shop PUs and returned it after 2 days. So I bought this one thinking I would trick it out with custom PUs, etc. but ended up leaving it just as it is. I have been blown away by this thing. I play it at home, mostly jazzy stuff direct into a 65 Deluxe RI, and although I have a couple of old vintage Gibsons, and a 70s Strat for some reason I seem to always end up playing the Tele. I love this thing!
I love the midwest emo influence in your playing, beautiful and twinkly mixed with all these different genres, you did a fantastic job showcasing the best guitar there is. amen!
I recently moved, which required breaking down and packing up my entire studio and all my guitars. The Tele was the last to go into a case, and the first to come back out.
A few years back my mate presented me with his old Tele, heavily modded early 70s, and asked me if I could rig a 5-way for it.
Not TOO difficult I thought ... but this one had/has four knobs.
I racked my brain trying to figure out a switching diagram that would work.
I was, actually on the phone to him explaining that it couldn’t be done AND keep the four knob setup When I had that lightbulb moment.
Even with a 4-bank SuperSwitch it wasn’t easy but I got it to work in the end.
Neck, Both Series, Both Parallel, Both Reverse Phase, Bridge - I think that was the order IIRC.
It took me ages to finish too cos I had had to move house in the middle of doing it.
When he eventually got it back, he loved it, Mercifully … Phew
Great work! What a project! I’d love to see that thing!
I'd love to see the diagram for that!
Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan were awesome tele players.
Just picked a Vintera 2 60s Tele last week when they dropped. I still consider myself a Strat guy, but this Tele really is becoming a favorite quickly. Glad to hear you playing and enjoying a Tele more!
I have a lot of guitars that I love, but a good tele just feels like home. I do a fair bit touring & fly dates where I can only bring one guitar - and will gate check it for the most part. A tele in a mono case (or some other flight case) is just about the only guitar you can trust to always survive that situation. Shit you can even take the neck off and pack the entire thing in your suitcase if you really wanted to!
They are just so cool and sound like no other
Hi John, Wilco Johnson comes to mind...Dr Feelgood, 'She does it right'. Masterful rhythm and lovely Tele sound from an H&H transistor combo. Unique sound and person. RIP John Wilkinson, passed Nov 2022.
Steve cropper is the first tele player who comes to mind. I’m sure he probably played other guitars but the tele is the one I associate with him and all those iconic songs
I bought a Player HH Telecaster not too long ago to start studying Jazz with, and stumbling across an Ed Bickert video on TH-cam was the eyeopener for me, as prior to that I'd never thought of any solid body guitar as a "Jazz guitar", and especially a Telecaster.
Jimmy Page played a tele! The first Led Zeppelin album was recorded with a 1950's Telecaster known as the “Dragon” guitar due to it's bright, psychadelic hand painted dragon artwork.
LOVE Telecasters, have played them for years. I have many from Esquire and Nocaster reissues, Black Guard, Thinline, Deluxe with humbucker in neck, P90s, Modern Standard, all the way to my current favorite, A Frankenstein Super Nashville! Each different, each inspiring! Thanks John for another great vid!
I rescued a Tele from a shop a few years back, as I never owned one bfore, it was cheap, needed a bit of work and it was cream coloured, which is probably my favourite colour for Strats and Teles. It was an Aria Pro II 615 and it played so nicely that when I saw a new one in a local shop a while later, I had to buy it. It now sits alongside me in the lounge and is my go-to guitar for noodling and learning new stuff. For £140 UK I have yet to play a better feeling Tele in any shop
Mike Stern, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan. All played tele and all owned Roy Buchanan’s original black guard tele . Stern’s Yamaha is based on the Danny Gatton mods to that guitar.
Yes! I have a Baja Tele that’s my favorite. It also has a 4- position switch that I absolutely love ( and almost never use).
I recently got my first tele, its a Sire T7! it showed up cheap here in New Zealand so had to have it and I really dig it, super versatile like you say, but the fact its so simple and reliable is what makes it so great. Super stable, lots of tones etc. Very happy i grabbed it :D
Glad you are still enjoying it ;-). Cheers Nik
I think my first Tele will also be a Sire T7. I’d love to hear more detailed thoughts on it after having it for a bit.
Haha! did i buy this off you? lol yes im still loving it :D play it basically every day@@TheSizzlingBadger (i just recognised your pic)
I haven't really played anything in the price range that's this sort of quality in terms of the electronics, the neck playability, the brass saddles etc. Its just super solid and feels so premium to me. Definitely go and try some out and see if you think its for you @@jtd3421
Julian Lage!
All my guitars have nicknames and my Tele is nicknamed "Telewacker". Love playing with my Telewacker, could do it all day long.
I bought my first tele in 84, still have it plus a few more now
I bought a used Baja Tele after hearing great things about them. They’re kinda hard to find but worth the wait.
I fell in love with a Tele with a solid rosewood neck.
I added a middle Strat pickup thinking it would be a Strat/Tele hybrid satisfying my Strat needs.
I kind of ruined the Tele playing mentality so I took out the middle pickup and reverted back to the simplicity of the three way.
I love it but it’s not my number one gig guitar.
For years and years I stayed away from Teles. Just didn't jive with the sound. But since seeing your videos and others, I have seen how really verstile they are. What pushed me over the edge is they rythm guitar player on the worship team. He has a modded tele and, after hearing that, I was won over. Now, my "the one" guitar is the Lari Basillio Ibanez Signature T-Style. I never thought I would ever be saying that. The one thing that I hear over all the tele's is the attack while on the bridge pickup. Love it.
It took me years to get my first Tele. I just thought they looked like a kitchen cutting board with a neck on it. I finally had to put a hotter pickup in the Bridge but I love the Vintage pickup in the neck. Now my neck pickup is screwed into the body and I swear it has a woody sound.
I'll be gigging tomorrow with a tele, great rhythm tones. Thanks
Fighting the guitar is a good point. I´m not a fan of the strings beeing low. I feel more comfortable when having to push a bit more due the resistance. When it´s to effortless I tend to not feel the guitar.
Never cared much for T-style guitars until I saw a demo of the Schecter Nick Johnston PT. Now I own one, great instrument.
Recently picked up an AVII 1963 Telecaster in transparent Crimson Red to pair with my AO 1960s Stratocaster. I love the Telecaster! Makes me wish my Strat had a 7.25 radius. The Tele really is a workhorse of a guitar - it can play so many different genres of music and can handle any pedal thrown at it.
I found that wiring my 4 way tele switch a little differently than their wiring suggestion is a little more intuitive. I wired it so position 4 is the neck and the hum would be 3. That way, the quick swap to neck only is as simple as a normal tele.
My earliest memory of a Tele player was a guy called Jim Mullen from a band called Morrissey Mullen. Used to see them in London in the 80s, and he played Jazz Rock using his thumb rather than a pick. Brilliant guitarist and band
I have very many guitars and a lot of Telecasters with different configs. When it comes to recording I pretty much always pick up a Tele first. It always works even if I decide different guitars later
john scofield olays a mean tele in his uberjam band.usually a 70s ibanez tele,or another one,which i think is a k line,also a old fender sometimes.
Beautiful demo at the beginning Jon!
Middle position is still one of my favorite sounds. Nice and jangly!
I bought my first tele a couple years ago, Player series. I own a few five strats but I play the tele all the time. Makes me appreciate the difference between the two.
I never thought so until, just recently, I got a Vintera 50s modified tele with S1 switch, which gives you a Peter Green style pinched tone. I spent a few hours getting it set up, but it's so clear and really cuts without being shrill or spiky. Took a while to get used to playing it, but once I did, it became my go-to.
I was literally in the store yesterday playing a Professional ii Tele, I fell in love. First time playing a Telecaster plugged in, and now I need it! This video is a sign! 😆
Roy Buchanan was an early influence who played a Telecaster as well as Terry Kath of Chicago. Then there's Mike Stern who has a signature T-style Yamaha after he stopped playing a Fender.
Simple and awesome 👍
yes, next question
My Squire paranormal cabronita thinline telecaster, whew, has become my go to lately with new gotoh bridge, tuners, and a rewire with demarizo audio taper pots and a nice capacitor. It does all the things I ask of it.
I think the modern cliche take that the tele is the most versatile guitar is an over reaction to the antiquated take that tele is more suited to country music. Obviously it is versatile, but isn’t the most versatile, in my opinion. Something like a super strat with the option to coil split and with a vibrato bridge can do lots of things that a tele can’t.
To me it means that the tele sound is versatile, rather than that the tele has lots of sounds
For me “the player is versatile” matters more than the tools
In a sense you are correct. But I think the point is more something as basic as a Telecaster with single coils can pretty much do everything. It’s a great reminder that it’s more about the player than it is the guitar.
I have guitars more capable of a variety of sounds, guitars that are more comfortable to play, guitars with vibratos, guitars with thick sounding humbuckers that just sound Metal AF with the right distortion... I mostly just grab one of my Telecasters. So in a sense they are my most versatile guitars, because I use them for a range of things, rather than a specific thing.
I have 5 Yamaha Pacificas 112Vs, tuned octave low: just played one, and it sounds ABS Heaven JAZZ neck pup: with my pedals
simble-tomsline blues-bossod3-dolamod8-bossdynadrive-vertexdynamicdistv2-dodlookingglass and ZOOM G2 Fender Clean( which models:Fender Twin Reverb 65, : its absolute heaven...soft... touchy....played to a Fender Frontman 10G to me Philips earphones!
my tone is more jazz than telecaster, iva just come together with the springs and strings , Teles dont have springs, therefore the attack is more pro nounced...I love the soft attack with strat springs....my Yam justmuffles like an old Gibson but with softer attack, I reaaly been after this tone for ever..., and funnily Im having trouble with my lef t middle finger, Ha!
loveing my pedals like : Mad Prof Simble and Vertex Dynamic Distortion V2(seafoam)
LOVE takes it all while giving it all back , all this time we owe to one and other , God bless Keith n Redd Volkaert ...
So after listing after a proper old fashioned ss tele for a while, I just pulled the trigger on an FGN Iliad. I was going to settle for a boundary but when I realised I had enough money for a j-standard I opted for the ash body purely for aesthetic reasons. The somewhat upgraded Seymour Duncan and four way switching pickups are a bonus
An LP and Tele is all I need !
If I could only have one (God forbid), it would be a Tele. John is right- super versatile. I bought a new American Standard Tele in 1993, and it has a ton of miles on it, and many gigs. Still my #1 for gigs. Now I also have an MIM Ash Tele that was a special edition in 2014 for variety.
I grew up in a country music hub town so Teles were always a country thing in my mind. I missed out, they really have all that I need in a guitar.
Yes they do. Every pick up setting is completely its own sound that’s why they are so useful. A Swiss Army knife for sure.
I would really love a Reverend Tele with Fishman pickups. I already have too many guitars though
Mick Ronson switched to a Tele in is later years R.I.P. Mick
yes is the answer. how many? also yes.
Looking forward to finding out which guitar you find is best for all situations - home and live
I went overboard a bit on teles: have the deluxe, custom, cabronita, and classic. Like the latter 2 the most , primarily because of the fat necks. All very resonant and stable.
Not “do you need”… rather “it’s all you need”
Hey John, saw your solo on the Adam Levy video, really nice job!
American Tele…most rock solid guitar there is. My Performer Hum does everything and is the only guitar I need, period. But I have a Strat too because that is home. I play on a worship band and the Tele just punches through so clearly it’s amazing. I know why they are so popular now.
I always thought I'd be an LP style player forever. Now I love teles. Have 3 of them. Mostly DIY partscasters.
Unless you can afford a high end guitar, then I like Sire T styles but the T7 over the T3. The G&Ls are brilliant too !
I love my tele with flat-wounds. It's heavy, but it sounds so good. If I was going to offer a down side, I'd say the lack of a tummy cut. After a long session of seated noodling, the thing can dig into my ribs.
You know, I found myself considering if I "needed" a tele too recently. Managed to trade for a thinline of some kind - the 60s one with mahogany and singelcoils. It's on it's way now!
Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, all four of the "Helecasters", James Burton, Buck Owens..etc etc ( list of all country session players of any era) the list goes on. Maybe it is only the mainstream popular blockbuster acts that are well known to the public at large that are dominated by Strats and Les Pauls.
I bought my Nashville Professional Tele about a year and a half ago. I liked the idea of the middle pickup and except for the weight(But I don't play out so that doesn't matter) I love the guitar. Part of the reason(I have had a Strat and custom shop 68 Les Paul for some time) was due to the love of one of my guitar Heroes, Roy Buchanan, who I saw live twice in Chicago, where I am originally from.
How are you finding the middle pickup? Do you use it?
@@Kuzcoco It is basically the same as the middle pickup on a Strat. I use it occasionally, often in combination with the neck or bridge, this Tele has a five way switch
My new no.1 is a custom made telecaster with lollar P90's. Has a mahagony body, Cocobo (?) neck with rosewood board.
Lovely :)
Finest and most versatile guitar I'll ever own. The one that will never go. The rest are literally fluff and fun, but the Tele is like a brother. Sometimes sister.
What I need is an EBMM Majesty 6.
So I got one on the way, should be delivered next week.
It's used but in near mint condition, 2016, Glacial Frost, DiMarzio Illuminators.
Not crazy about the latest run's colors. I think JP is about due for another run in different finishes. I'd like to see other solid or metallic color options without the fancy tops.
I had a telecaster , jazzmaster , strat from fender. I ended up selling my telecaster . After setup and vintage style pickups on the jazzmaster it pretty much covers everything except the strat quack. I have a few humbucker guitars but don’t use those as much
I went to Namm a bunch of years back and Fender had a huge room setup. They had a wall of Tele's. Being a metal focused player at the time I wrote them off, but decided to check them out as the other stuff I wanted to check out was crowded. Man I fell in love w/ the telecaster sitting there and trying all of the different models.
Waiting to find a shell pink tele. Or should I say it's waiting to find me....
Volume knob with treble bleed and a single tone knob... Simple and super effective.
I have an ASAT Classic a player tele that I’m slowly modding to a more vintage spec. People bag on the neck pickup, but honestly it’s my ideal clean tone, especially on my ASAT.
oh, they really shouldn't - the neck pickup on a Tele should be anything from plunging your feet in an icy river to drinking a hot cup of tea on a rainy balcony...... :D
Danny Gatton. No more need be said 👍
Sadly I’m down to 3 tele style guitar
G&L ASAT classic with TV Jones tele pups. An Anderson Cobra humbuggies yet versatile with s rosewood neck and fretboard and my thinking and Nashville in one a Fret King country squire
Julian Lange maybe is the current standout guitarists who I think will be making Telecasters commonplace in modern Jazz. Then Jonny Greenwood, and actually all the Radiohead guitarists as a group solidified it's place in modern indie rock. Joe Duplantier (Gojira), and Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) before him, for metal. Plus Tom Morello, again making use of that great drop tuning sounds, that Keith Richards really made the Telecaster his voice. Country, blues but also funk and soul has so many great Telecaster players.
Where did you get that hoodie from John? Loving the doggo on the front!
Try a Fender offset telecaster sometime. The mahogany MIJ one is great.
Telecasters are awesome. I wanted the fender elite Telecaster
I really enjoy the G&L ASAT classic.
Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan always come to mind when I think of TeIe players, yes I'm oId. I personally have a 62 reissue and a George Harrison teIe and Iove them both. Something about their simplicity, Iess is more, design that attracts me. Although I play strats and I.P.'s the teIe really is my go to.
Suhr Classic T is a beast 🤘
Recommendations for a good budget Tele ? I identify as a Strat bod but loads say “ You need a Tele “ !!
Danish Pete @Andertons constantly bigs-up his Tele. I think he says it's extremely versatile - you can play anything with a decent Tele. Aren't there supposed to be a lot of records made using Tele' that we think of as Les Paul tracks? There's a vid on YT: 'the guitar that sold a million Les Pauls, but isn't one'
I don’t understand why they keep the curved edge only for those humbucker T-style and not for regular coils one. I really prefer the confort edge of my strat.
NICE!!! John thanks a lot for affirming!!! I'm going to go broke! 😅 Been listening to Kelly's Heroes. Cowboy shredding!
1 Nocaster Tele
1 Neck HB Tele for Jazz
i do need a tele. have you seen the vega trem for tele? gonna need that as well.
I love the simplicity of the design. My problem is I keep trying to turn them into a Les Paul.
I want a tele so bad but I want a few "modern" features like steel frets and and high frets acces. Why is it so difficult to find one like this
Yes! I've had dozens of Telecasters over the years, my only acoustic guitar is a Tele 😂
Yes!
Super underrated Tele player: Laith Al-Saadi
Telecaster icons include : Jimmy Page, Andy Summers, Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, and numerous Nashvillle studio players.
Hey John, always enjoy your videos, playing and commentary. Question, what's your opinion on the Earvana nut? I have them on all my guitars.
9:30 Roy Buchanan was 100% tele
Naah..i just need another strat with a bathtub route and load it with whatever pickup configuration my heart desires....have a couple of loaded pickguards in there and presto...instant HH or HSH or HSS or simply all the tele electronics mounted in a custom strat pickguard....and you still have the pretty strat body with the comfortable comfort cuts...the combinations can be endless...
Still won sound as good as a tele. It's that bridge design that gives the Tele it's tone.
@@Youngster543210 Same pickups,same scale lenght,same pickup positioning...i would say it would sound just like a tele but wont feel like one cause you are not carrying that tree trunk but a nice strat body....if you think that the bridge makes the tele sound i dont know what to tell u...i have fitted many strats with tele bridges or half tele bridges and this stuff doesnt happen but hey you are allowed to believe whatever you want....in guitar land physics break down(like black holes) so i wont try to convince you.
@Dreamdancer11 "Nice" because it has a belly carve? It's 2023 bro, my Tele has a belly carve lol.
I've fitted strats with Tele pickups and they don't sound like a Tele. But you're totally free to believe what you want.
@@Youngster543210 Well if you take the time to do it right they would...cause even if you put the exact pickups the strat pickguard wont make the pickups fall in exactly the same spot as the tele pickguard...so first you need to find out their exact positions on an actual tele...counting lets say from the 12 fret and when you do make a new pickguard with the holes matching those exact positions...also get the rest of the electronics have to be the same too..not just solder a tele set using your preexisting strat electronics and call it a day.....
The above wouldnt work 100% if you tried to get some pafs from a gibson into an HH configuration cause the LP has a smaller scale and that would be impossible(again physics) to be 100%....in this case though you can match everything cause the scale length is the exact same....
Then if you really wanna know give the guitars to someone else to record a couple of examples and throw in something totally different in there like an ibanez with pretty much everything different...now if you can tell which is which i would be really impressed(cause no one really ever did it)....
@Dreamdancer11 Or, I could avoid having to do all that by just purchasing a telecaster 🤯. They even make them with belly carves!! It's 2023 after all
Danny Gatton, the telemaster - have only seen him play the Tele in videos.
Maybe telepathy exists… these days I was thinking: I should buy a Telly.. but which one? (I don’t want spend a lot of money, no glossy fingerboard, no big C shape neck…decent pick ups.. any suggestions? I’m not interested in series/parallel..4 way switch..just a good sounding twanging basic Telly).
How do I get outta this algorithm, don’t wanna buy anything don’t wanna know why I need something else, I’m good with what I got
And you definitely don't need an over hyped one trick pony.
Stop clicking on the videos is how 😆
@@cohnjordy real cute…
@@tonyz4292
That’s the actual answer!
@@tonyz4292 I'm serious, you asked, clicking on videos is what feeds the algorithm.