The Maple Cap Neck Telecaster - The Last of the Affordable Vintage Tele's? - ASK ZAC 18
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I love maple cap neck Telecasters, and I give you the why, and the history of these guitars that were only made in large quantities from 1966-1968. The maple cap necks began to appear after Fender switched from maple necks to maple necks with a separate rosewood fretboard in 1959. Holdouts wanted a maple neck, so Leo began to quietly offer guitars that had a separate maple fretboard. These "maple cap" necked Telecasters lack a skunk stripe on the back of the neck, or the walnut plug on the headstock. The earliest versions are from around 1962 and 1963. By 1966 they are standard issue, and are being produced in large quantities. In early 1969, Fender reverts to 1 piece maple necks with the skunk stripe, and the maple cap neck era is over.
Gear for this video
1967 Telecaster -
D'Addario XL120+ 9.5-44 strings
1965 Deluxe Reverb with Celestion Vintage 30 speaker
#askzac #guitartech #telecaster
I made the mistake of watching this later at night, and now all I want to do is just get out of bed and crank up the Deluxe Reverb and run one of my Teles right into it. Dang!
Wake up the neighbors 😂
A super lightweight maple cap is a dream of mine👍🏻🤘🏻
Hey buddy, Please give me a heads up on this stuff before you make the video. Now the prices on these are going to jump, :).
Kidding, I'm a kidder. I'm not buying guitars, but I'm not immune to the sound of a great one like yours brother.
Thank you, Brother Keith.
That “doinky” tone sounds so much like Pete Anderson. Love it!
My first nice guitar was a 1967 Maple cap tele, I did install a humbucker in the neck position, it didn't have modern wiring though, it had the blackguard wiring which I had changed. It was purchased new in 1967 but perhaps it was an older guitar. I had it from when I was 15 until I got a '55 tele in the 70s. It was very microphonic.
Thanks for dropping a lot of knowledge about maple cap necks. I learned a lot. I read that one of Hendrix' favorite Strats had a maple cap neck. The maple cap definitely has a thing.
I REALLY like this channel. Calm,informative,no hassle and forced doofus jokery, no BS. Oh and great music too! Keep up the good work!
Thank you
Plus those heavy eyelids give him an all-day stoned look which is good hahaha.
As a bonus, if you play Zac at 75% speed he also sounds pretty drunk.
As a fellow Telecaster guy; HIGHLY recomend checking out the 2018 Limited Tele Deluxe with a solid rosewood neck and Shawbuckers. I replaced the pickups with Lollar Regal pickups and it is unreal. I think the 100 Oaks Guitar Center still has one. Worth checking out.
I believe my 1967 Telecaster Custom, was a special order model. Maple fingerboard, full binding, in an almost pink sunburst! Of course , broke and homeless, I sold it. When I had bought it, it was just looked at as an old, refinished guitar. Long before the "vintage" aspect came into being. I had paid $175 for it, and used it onstage and in the studio, throughout the '80's!
I got my brother one of the custom shop Don Rich ‘64 silver sparkle custom Teles with the 63 pickups and maple cap neck. It’s a boss.
I learned about these from my treasured 68 Tele. I find it softens the 'ping' at the front while brightening the remainder of the tone...
I agree with your comment about rigidity. If you get a couple of 2 x 4's, rip one of them lengthwise and re-glue it, you'll find that it won't bend as much as the other one. I think the same applies with the maple cap, making the neck much stiffer.
I wouldn’t say stiffer, but more so more dimensionally stable to resist bending, warping, etc as you have 2 grain varieties intertwined with each other via glue.
These blonde/maple cap/black logo CBS Teles are very close to my heart because that was the guitar I saw in the movie Crossroads at age 4 that made me want an electric guitar.
You are RIGHT. That is what Ralph used
I have a maple cap '66. It had been routed for humbuckers, unfortunately. If not, though, I wouldn't have been able to afford it. That, and the fact that a good friend gave me an amazing deal on it! I've got a Van Zandt in the bridge, and a Lollar in the neck. I love it! Great video!!
came here to hear the guitar but stayed for the history lesson. cheers
I've been playing maple capped necks for 55 years, so yes I'm one of the "holdouts" My standout one was my 1967 Telecaster Custom. When I bought it in early 1980, it was just an old guitar, refinished...in other words retail dog meat, that I bought for $175! I'm a classic rock rhythm player! Having had 5 strokes, has left me unable to throw in my filler bits.
Sorry about the strokes. I bet its a great Tele
Hi Zac Stumbled onto you some weeks back. I'm 50 years into guitar. Started electric..mostly thumb style acoustic now. Love Tele's though...got one in my closet. I'm really enjoying all the history. All the names and the stories around county players and these guitars. Thanks!
Thanks for this video. Trying to learn all i can about telecasters, this helped me a lot.
I only have a 1971 Tele with maple neck which I bought from a gigging musician friend in 1980.
It had been messed around with (Dimarzio humbucker at the neck, 5 way switch etc) ... I put it back to "normal" ... and it has been totally my favourite since then
(it looks wrecked from years of gigging) ... but I would never get rid of it though ... just feels so good.
Great year.
Thanks for the info! Now I appreciate my '68 Maple Cap Neck even more. It's always sounded and felt great.
New word in my vocabulary as of the viewing of this video... "doinky"! 11:09
This has quickly become my new favourite youtube channel! Thanks for all the great content :)
Hey Zac, one more thing about maple cap necks, most of them had thicker headstocks that I believe contributes to the tone and sustain . I love the maple cap Tele's from 67-68 I own several . Great channel keep it up Zac !
You are right! I failed to mention that. They are thicker.
This video made me go on Reverb and look up vintage Teles. My personal main is a 1989 MIA, but that's a far cry from one of these babies (still love it, though). Thanks for sharing!
I have one of these from 1965, in factory original black finish. Fantastic guitar.
Spaghetti logo? Dream guitar
Yup silver spaghetti logo.
Great Zac. When guys play way down by the bridge like you did,I call it "going to Bakersfield". Makes me think of Don Rich. Im off to Bakersfield.
Great playing and tone, that guitar suits you. My 1st electric was just like that but with the transition logo. Bought it from a guy for $125, no case. Sold it back to him to go buy a brand new '73 Strat. I was stuck with that dog for 10 years. I recently contacted him to try and find it. He has no idea what happened to it. I'd buy it back if I could find it. It was missing a chunk of wood out of the body (probably related to the case being missing).
I bought ‘94 reissue of of a ‘69 thinline tele... made in Japan.
Brand new.
It has the maple cap neck.
Great guitar, great feel and fantastic sound.
It was my go to guitar even during my grunge/metal distortion days.
Still own it... it’s a bit beat up and worse for the wear...
But I’ll never get rid of it.
Good stuff... enjoyed the video immensely.👍🎸💪
I have a maple cap neck Tele too. It's a Chinese Indio "Classic". I paid 89.- for it including a bag and shipping. LOL I am pretty good at turning something unplayable into a pretty good instrument. I changed absolutely everything on this Tele. That was a fun project. Fretwork , reshaped and refinished the neck, new hardware, new pickups and I love my "Tele". I'm mainly a bass player and my guitar skills leave a lot to be desired, so for me this is perfect. I love your videos, a good way to start the day.They are so calming and informative and I can always pick out a few things that you play that are doable for me. So thank you:)
Really enjoying your episodes Zac. Thanks for putting the time in.
David Gilmour's 'Workmate' that he's used since the late 70's is a 50's maple capped sunburst Esquire with a strat pickup in the neck. After he sold all his guitars, it's interesting to note that he kept that one. Must be pretty special.
Absolutely wonderful history lesson for the telecaster, great quality thank you very much.
I own a gold '66 maple cap Strat that I purchased when I was in High School. The neck and custom paint was 15% extra and I had to wait about 4 months for Fender to make it. I never understood why my guitar special, just that it was. Just about everyone who ever played it wanted to buy it from me.
strat guy here I wanted Ritchie Blackmore’s sound w his black 1968 strat. It took me YEARS to understand that it was a maple cap neck. 90’s era custom shop 69 strats got me that sound. A radiused / curved cap on top of a radiused neck is very strong - even a piece of paper is strong in certain directions if curved and it has a “sound”. 3mm thickness is my preference compared to a thick slab board. One piece maple is good but the cap give me something i like.
"So...yea", I use the same expression. These two words when used together convey an entire paragraph of talk! Also they make a firm and final statement. So, yea.
So last week I bought La Brea pickups due to your suggestion. Now I’m looking into how to have Mjt spec out a tele to a 68.
Bought a 68 maple cap neck Tele in 1990 at a vintage guitar show for $650. Body needed refinished and neck refretted but that guitar is my baby. I feels like a small neck at the nut, thinner width wise than any other tele I ever played. I also have had no adustments to the neck since it was refretted in 1991. The wood in this neck just doesn’t move. Even thru the extreme humidity changes in northern Iowa all these years that neck just stays solid. Everyone who has ever played it remarks “where did you get this guitar?” Thanks for the video, I always knew there was something special about maple cap necks.
AGREED
Hi Zac, it appears that you are posting episodes more frequently this week. Thank you!! I look forward to each episode and they provide great viewing material when many of us have more time on our hands suddenly. I've also become a big fan of your interviews on the Truetone Lounge. You are an excellent interviewer and you obviously put a lot of effort into researching your guests. Really professional quality stuff!
Love your videos, Zac. Informative, well-presented, and always interesting.
I appreciate that!
Very cool, I never knew that they existed! yours sure sounds amazingly clear and articulate!
Again, more things I knew nothing about! You're turning me into a tele nerd and I am enjoying it, Zac!
Glad you enjoy it!
I’m learning - thanks Zac!
Mine's a '66. I was holding out for a '65 spaghetti logo as I was obsessed with Jimmy Bryant's Imperial era and you can clearly see him in the studio with his on the back of his 1966 Bryant's Back in Town LP.
On our October 2000 honeymoon in NYC, my wife talked me into getting the '66. It was there in front of me and I could inspect it first-hand rather than rolling the dice through Vintage Guitar Magazine, which was still a driving market force at that time, though GBase was gaining ground.
I still wish I would have held out for a '65, but mine is a fantastic example with all pre-CBS appointments including nitro neck and body, recessed ferrels, threaded saddles, double-line Klusons (a must), mud cap (disabled of course), and transition logo.
1-piece maple necks are my personal favorite though. Maple cap necks have the same/similar string tension of rosewood veneer necks and seem even more rigid as rosewood is comparatively soft. I agree that they have strong attack rooted in the fundamental. Uncompressed in a sense.
1-piece maple necks seem to have significantly lower string tension, are more twangy/quacky which I personally love (like early Shadows quack, some people refer to this as rubber band tone and hate it, but to each their own), are harmonically rich, chord tones seem to gel together naturally, and have a very musical give that is far more expressive than a neck-long glue seam can provide (at least imho) yet are rock solid in setup in that they don't ever seem to need adjusting.
I have that same Bryant album, and wanted a spag logo one too!
Bobby Fuller had some early 1960s maple cap Strats...so did Steve Winwood , in 1965 he ordered a white Strat and a white Tele with maple cap necks. In 1984 I had an opportunity to buy a stock 1966 Tele with maple cap for $550.00 at our local music store but turned it down as the price was not much different than a new Tele... if I only had a crystal ball.
Another great show Zac, That tele sounds sweet! Next stop is your Fender Deluxe Reverb show - see you there!
Very informative, Zac....and may explain something I'd long wondered about.
My first "Tele" was not a Tele at all.....it was a Samick Telecaster-style guitar that I bought in the early 1990's in a pawn shop for (I believe) about $150. It looked very "White Guard-ish", with the Maple cap fretboard. (no skunkstripe) That was a great sounding instrument, and was more "Tele sounding" than many Teles I've played since. Now I wonder if at least part of that was due to the two piece neck, as you mention. It was also the first Maple-necked guitar I ever owned, always being partial (and still am) to Rosewood. Sadly, that guitar was stolen in 1994. With the passing of time, I may remember it as better than it really was.....but I definitely miss it.
Thanks for "sparking" those memories, Zac.
Welcome, Gil
That's one Hella sweet Tele. Love the tones. No blizzard of nails!
Daaaamn that's a nice tele! Was thinking of modeling my custom tele after this model.
Hi Zac, I am a recent subscriber and I am really enjoying your videos. I want to throw this idea out to you. How about doing a video about equipment synergy. Guitars that work really well with certain amps, speakers that work well in certain amps etc.
Great topic! I am a believer.
I'm getting a woody- this is my dream guitar. 😍
Prices are crazy now, for '66-68, originals, checked reverb today. Had an original '57 Tele that I sold years ago :-P . Who knew that the prices of those old guitars would escalate. to the levels that we are seeing today. Bought it used for $175.
One of these days we need to get your Tele together with my 68. It was originally owned by a guy in Eddie Rabbit's band.
My favorite episode so far....
Thank you!
another great show, amazed by your range of knowledge, music and gear. thanks
Much appreciated!
On photo-66 maple cap. Will stay in the family forever. Magic in that neck. Great very informative. Inexpensive ? 12-15k up to 20k. now unless mangled. Yes. 66 was Very good year too. The klusons are a great touch.
Thanks for another great video. I think this is my favorite one that you have made.
Great episode. 👍 you schooled me on maple cap Teles today...thanks!
Great to hear!
Just picked up a '68 Maple Cap. This video did cause the values to jump a bit, I think. Finally got one for a "decent" price.
Tasty tones form that Tele/Deluxe combo!
Great tone and as always, thanks for the very informative video! Can we get a peak at your pedalboard in a future video please? Also, I'm curious to know what pick you use? Thanks!
Straight to the amp in this video. I use an Ernie Ball medium pick, just like a Fender medium, and I use the rounded end, not the point.
Why not just call it what it is, a maple neck with a Maple fretboard. I've always like them, noticed back in the later 1970s when one came in for service. I also think
it's a good idea from a structural/stability standpoint. Not to mention the cool factor. If you look at the heel of the neck you will notice the fretboard cap as you call it) is not flat on the bottom it curced radiused if you will. When glued together this offers a more rigid neck, the geometry is now three dimentioniial. If I had one I'd also add a true bolt-on neck, with metal inserts in the neck and machine screws instead of wood screws. I have this on my Squire Strat and it's very strong and the neck can be removed as many times as you want without fear of wearing out the holes.
50gary that’s a good idea
Awesome & informitive. Thank you Zac
Awesome Tele info! Looks & Sounds Great! Thanks for sharing the Truth. Good Tele + Tube Amp = Sonic Heaven!
That's a great "doinky" face at 11:22. :-)
Zac is the man! Love your videos my new friend!
I'm a 70-year-old session guitar player one of the other reasons why people like Maple necks is because they showed up when they were wearing black looked good on TV
Great tone you get from that one. I play Stratocasters, but I really enjoy your channel.
Get yourself the least expensive Squire Telecaster for around $179 and occasionally they are priced down to $129 like a demo or B stock or return. I say this because once you have a Telecaster in your house, your own telecaster you will play it. I was a Strat man until I purchased an Squire Affinity String through body with the skunk stripe on the back of the neck. Now I am really into Telecaster electric guitars. They are simple, reliable and I can dial in the tone that fits my mood without fiddling with a lot of knobs. I recently purchased a G&L Bluesboy which is similar to a Fender or Squire Thinline Tele. It is 6.2 lbs being a two chambered semi hollow body with an f-hole and now I can play all day long every day with no back and neck pain. They do not make semi hollow body Strats so you will never find a 6.2 lb. Strat. Light weight makes a huge difference. The Tele Twang grows on you, or you can dial it out. I get great blues and jazz tones which is what I was looking for. Who knew?
@@PeterDad60 I use Peavey T-60's to get my Telecaster sounds. But I appreciate the insight. Thanks.
That version of mystery train would make Setzer proud!
Zac, very impressive picking. Man, I love your style and your sound! Keep bringing it buddy.
Thanks, will do!
My 64 Tele is a maple capped neck. I was told it was the least favored neck when I bought it but times have changed!
They are wonderful guitars. You have a very early maplecap
Great story Zac. These are my favorite era Telecasters. I have a '66 and a '68.There's one little detail that you left out of your story and that's the thickness of the headstock. It's the thickest measurement front to back of any era telecaster. I think that's a factor too in the excellent sound. That's also why you see a lot of '66-68's with 2 and sometimes even 3 string trees on 'em. Stonetree Custom Guitars made a clone of my '66 and along with the maple cap he also duplicated that thick headstock. All of his guitars have the thick headstock. Thanks again for the great videos and the subtle playing. Eric Ambel.
You are correct, and I forgot that! I think you are right, the thicker headstock helps the tone.
@@AskZac Thanks again for the videos. I subscribed! ;)
I just got a Vintera tele in sonic blue. It is a vintage 50s type. It is real nice. Sounds great with my hot rod deluxe l.e. blue. The Vintera is a one piece maple neck. It looks just like the one you have in this video.
Very nice!
@@AskZac for 1300$ it better be. My only complaint is the fret ends a little rough. But i will fix that. A lil sanding block light touch,should be good to go. Now i need to learn how to play em. My american pro2 strat is awesome as well. The vintera made in mexico
Hey Zac...is there a video of you getting angry? I can't even imagine what that situation might look like! You are so laid back doctors should prescribe your videos for anxiety.
Very clear, clean, punchy sounding guitar when you dig that pick in hard at 10:50 into the lower register. What strings are you playing on that guitar?
D'Addario 9.5-44 xl120+
I'm cursed with the combination of gear acquisition syndrome and no money so got a Harley Benton TE-52 and it weights a full ten pounds, which keeps me from picking it up as often as I would otherwise. How much does your beauty weigh? I love your videos and have the Deluxe Reverb on my short list; thank you.
7.5 pounds
Well, I should have a maple capped neck made by Musickraft in a couple of weeks, never had one and I'm unhappy with the sound of my current neck so I hope I like the new one.
I'd like a 67 like yours. For the year I was born.
What speaker are you running in the Deluxe reverb? Great show as always! thank you
Celestion V30
@@AskZac which warehouse speaker was Brent running in his?
This is a great video thank you so much. I have a question though. Why is a two piece neck more rigid than a one piece?
Because the grain does not match up on the 2, so it has less give.
Awesome knowledge of the subject
Thanks a lot
Scotty Anderson too. (and me) ;)
What about the thickness of the headstock on these maple capped necks? I was fortunate enough to own one for a while and just looking at it, it appeared to be thicker than all my other teles...can you confirm/debunk this?
That is true. They are thicker.
Zac, I pretty much agree w/ every point in that most excellent clip....but personally just never was a Fan of the F stamped tuners....the Originals or the newer repros, but that's just Me. ;)
I agree, the klusons are better. I could not afford an earlier one.
That’s a beautiful tele! I enjoy your playing. Sounds great! How’s the left hand strength coming along? The bending sounded solid.
Doing ok. Had to go back to 9.5 strings. The 10's made me too sore.
That neck pu difference is huge.
I hear alot of acoustic percussiveness on this Telecaster that I’m assuming is attributed to the maple cap. Ive been searching for that tele tone for a while after playing one with this attribute many 5 years ago. Would you say percussive finger styles and chicken picking comes through better on this guitar?
Great sounding guitar Zac!
Hi Zac, since you've done the Tele pickups, tone wood, and hardware, are you thinking of doing a comparison of neck profiles and thickness between the first generations until early 70s? Thank you
Great idea
@@AskZac kindly please, Thank you very much
Do you have a certain mm of pickup height you use in this one? The pickups are a bit hotter than previously I believe, am looking to set my heights, but can't find a lot of help
Zac... I have the 67 maple cap...I can feel the harmonic vibrations through my body when I play it...not sure if this is unusual but the only guitar out of 40 I own that does this. A question: how do you feel about flat wound strings on a 67 Tele maple cap and what gauge would you recommend and would you drop the the tuning a half step?
I prefer round wound, but try flats. I would get the lightest they offer, and get an unwound G string. www.daddario.com/products/guitar/electric-guitar/xl-chromes/ecg24-chromes-flat-wound-jazz-light-11-50/ then get a plain 18 to use as a G string
What I find interesting is that I bought a brand-new Fender Am. Standard P-bass in 2010 that has a maple-capped neck... I've never understood why Fender has never offered them on production guitars, especially when they have Rosewood board necks are made basically the same way!
Agreed
Maple is where its at!
Interesting story behind that guitar from Redd to Ron and to have Reggie Young sign the back of the headstock, don't think you could ask for more if you tried. And you filled in some historical holes for me as well. How long have you had that one? Thanks Zac!
10 years
Hey Zac?
Slight subject change:
What would you think about a Tele made entirely of mahogany?
There’s some copies in Japan like this.
It would certainly sound different, un-Tele like maybe, but might it still sound good?
Would have to play it. I know guys with mahogany Tele bodies that like them
I have a Squier Jim Root tele, with a mahogany (or similar) body. The neck is maple/rosewood and when I play, it just sounds like me. I also have a maple bodied Epiphone 339 (mahogany/rosewood neck). Doesn't matter what the guitar's made from, they always sound like me.
Interesting, I have a 65 maple cap neck with the spaghetti logo. I want to get another tele and I keep thinking I want a rosewood cap or one piece maple, but am now looking at a custom shop tele with maple cap. I love the sound of my 65 but I think I also would like rosewood and I’m wondering would there be a lot of difference between the maple cap vs rosewood cap? Nice video thanks
There is more difference in feel than sound.
@@AskZac thanks Zac, could I ask, and which one would feel better in your opinion? (Btw, I watched your video on Roy Nichols today and really enjoyed it. And you have a nice 57 esquire you were using).
@@kellygotell1179 I prefer maple.
Funny there is a squire affinity Stratocaster with a maple capped neck at my local music store. Should I grab it?
If you can't live without it, yes
Ask Zac do you think it will have similar attributes of a maple capped neck made in ‘68?
@@voxpathfinder15r Possibly. You have to play it, and see for yourself.
Wow! Sounds great
i have a 67 tele with a rosewood fretboard, i got it in 1987, the pickups had been replaced, to be honest i dont know whats in the bridge but it sounds way better than the broadcaster bridge in my 2013 american standard
Sounds like a keeper
@@AskZac its an emerald green colour, which is unusual, i always thought it was a respray but there doesnt seem to be any hint of the original colour anywhere, its a 3 piece body and the neck is a delight, the bridge is fatter and rounder sounding than the broadcaster pickup in my 2013 tele, whatever it is i like it a whole lot more, in time i will replace the pickups in my 2013 tele with SD quarter pounders, i want to make more of a rock axe out of it without losing the tele character
@@darkestfugue I love my 67 Tele
I love your videos man but you need to get some stands for those teles .. makes me anxious every video that a cat or something will come in and knock one over LOL
That would be a disaster!
Ask Zac right haha ! Live your videos man !!! I only have two teles and one of which is acoustasonic ... both 2019 American pro but I outfitted them with locking fender tuners and switched the guard in my two colour burst from mint to black ... because well you know why hahah !
Time to lobby Fender for a non custom shop (affordable) version of a 1967 Vintage reissue, ala AVRI quality instrument. They did a 1971 JV model that wasn’t bad after an electronic rework. I have a 1977 ash Tele, original pickups long gone, probably never get to a 60’s original.
The Zac Signature Model
I think they sound a slight bit more "bulbous", a hint of P90 mixed in, in a great way ;)........what do you think of the earliest licensed made in japan teles? Pretty much the first Fenders that were awesome after the CBS doldrums, perhaps
The JV Tele's were great. I did a whole video on them.