This is a fact. I started off as a bass player in punk bands, and then "metalcore" bands. Think Hardcore with some Slayer thrown in, and that's kind of metalcore. My 2 guitarists used Ibanez and Les Pauls, and I was always partial to Ibanez. But when I went to get my first guitar I was attracted to the Telecaster, and the neck pickup is what does it for me. I can only describe it as a "glass electric" sound, but when I want to play metal it doesn't have the chugging and dark/lows I want. So I got a Tele Deluxe with double humbuckers, and I loved it as well. But it's just doesn't have that heavy thick sound I need. It has 4 Stratocaster-style pan-hat knobs. 2 volume, 2 tone so you can mix them in the dual setting. The Les Paul does that perfectly though.
I'm a Jimmy Page fan, so obviously both guitars excite me for what he has done with them as well as so many other artists. Teles are like no other guitar in their tonal space, but for me there is no sexier instrument than the Les Paul in appearance and tonality. Rock on!
I literally agree with you on everything here. I started off my guitar, playing adventure at the age of 10 quickly moved from hard rock into metal. I always saw a telecaster as a country guitar but that’s completely in accurate. After literally does everything my Tele’s have become my go to Guitar for everything. What I like the best is that I can set a serious high gain tone and using my neck pickup I can roll off the volume and make it as clean as a bell and the chime. Oh it’s so good. Especially on the MIJ Richie Kotzen signature. It’s incredible
You convinced me! I was a Les Paul fanatic for so long, being what Jimmy Page and Joe Perry do with them. But the versatility you demonstrated along with the intangibles such as weight and modularity, the Tele just seems to make the most sense for the majority of the time. Thanks for a great video!
I agree the Telecaster has many practical advantages over the Les Paul, but it’s surprising how much tonal overlap there is between them, given almost everything about their construction is so different. I can’t decide which I love more. Both!
You have to have both guitars, but one guitar is never enough, a telecaster top, the first electric guitar, whose sound you immediately recognize, when you see a Fender telecaster, you think of Keith Richard, Gibson LS, madness, beautiful, real rock n roll sound, and you remember Jimmy Page and great songs, you remember Slash and GnR, everything has been said. Of course you have to have a Stracostar to be somewhat complete, Hendrix SRV, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour and all the other great guitarists who brighten our lives. There can never be too many guitars, which the more the better !😉
I always love a telecaster thinline. To be honest, I’ve got 4 of them all with different pickups, and one of them always hits the spot depending on mood.
I have gone from Les Pauls to Telecasters. I still have my 76 LP Custom but I mainly play slightly modified Teles. As a matter of fact, I'm in process of deciding between the JA90 telecaster and a Schecter PT fastback with filtertrons.
Having owned an original 1952 Blackguard Tele and multiple early Goldtops from 1952 and 1953.... I've played over a dozen original bursts as well, I discovered I'm more of a Les Paul guy. It has a much fuller sound than a tele, and I think its visually more appealing. That being said I like tele's but both are just different and special in their own way. I just prefer the darker/fuller sound of an LP. Having a set neck also makes it sound a bit better to my ear as wel.
Les Paul is my all time favorite guitar and I have several. Shorter scale feels better/slinkier, more body to the sound, humbuckers better for hard rock and metal, & stunning looks. BUT I still keep one tele because they absolutely rock and nothing else sounds like them. So my answer, you need both haha.
That really is the answer, I agree - you need both. Scale length was something I didn't address in the video but I should have. I prefer longer Fender scale length but I do prefer the flatter Gibson radius of the fretboard. Thanks for watching
@@PlayandTradeGuitars Oh yeah the fretboard radius is def a bonus too on the Gibsons. I think I tend to prefer flatter radius. Thanks for sharing this! Really enjoy the content! 🤘
Played a Tele in 80's....gravitated to LPs in 2000's....at 61...I keep buying Teles again. Pining for an Eastwood MadCat tele with mahogany over ash... yum.
If I had to pick only one it would be my Tele with a HB in the neck it covers more ground but, my favorite guitar is 2014 Melody Maker with P-90's because it is so light weight and sounds amazing ....great episode guys !!
Both of my American Standard Teles ('88 and '99) both have rosewood boards and they sound like a Telecaster. I actually have a Fender Celtic Esquire that is all mahogany with a set neck 1 H/B 1 vol like a LP Jr. It is still pretty bright because of the scale, but it sounds beefy and powerful. I also have an ES - Les Paul Special semi-hollow that is made nearly entirely of maple (roasted maple fretboard) and it still sounds like a Les Paul.
@@mbruzzidesign I dunno - i think it looks pretty good on Santana at Woodstock, or Tony Iommi or Derek Trucks, or Sister Rosetta Tharpe or Frank Zappa...
I have been playing since 1975. By 1978, I started buying used les paul deluxes at $250. I have owned a 68, 73, 75, and a 76. Years later, I bought an 80 deluxe and a 1998 standard. They are all long gone, and now I own a 77 telecaster.
Both are great. You can also mod the wiring to make both more versatile, eg coil splitting on the LP or a 4-way switch on the Tele. The Tele 4-way is my favorite as it enables both pickups in series and a fat Humbucker sound.
I need to try some telecasters. I avoided them for years, because I didn't like the way they looked. But now I think they look fantastic, especially in blue! Also I used to only play metal and punk, but now I'm more diversified in my music.
Crazy thing is some of my fav Rock songs are played in middle position with a PAF in the neck ,man that blend is about perfect. Tele with a vintage no cover paf in the neck so sweet.
I'm with you on middle switch position on Tele, I love it. I play my P90 Epi Special a lot there too. But I've almost never played regular Les Pauls in middle position. Maybe I should. Anyway the nice thing for Tele and Special, being single coils, is in middle you usually get one big humbucker sound from both pickups running together but out of phase. That's nice. I hope I described that properly. Then you can switch up or down for whichever single coil you want to hear. When I park my Tele or P90 Special I usually find 'em next time left in the middle switch position.
I have both. My telecaster is my favorite all time guitar, but the LP has some magic that only it can do. Just choose what is right for you. I seriously juggle the 2, because they’re both amazing
I have an /02 American Tele, Delta tone equipped, with Rosewood board, and an /89 Les Paul Special with the P90’s. both have their place pretty securely in my guitar arsenal. I also have an /02 mahogany 3 Seymour Duncan equipped Les Paul, at present. They are the electric guitars that my spirit is most inspired by for now. I’ve had quite a few Strats, over the years, and You just never know when another one may come to my house… If I had to get down to only one electric, it would be my Tele, but for now, I’ll continue to enjoy each one for their unique tones and inspirations.
I like the neck on Les Paul. I like the small frets and scale. I only play the bridge pick up. I enjoy both the neck and bridge on my tele. My favorite guitar overall is an LTD EC-1000 which is a lighter sleeker Les Paul.
Amazing video, I agree that the telecaster is more versatile, I own all 3 - a 2021 pro ii strat , 2016 american standard tele, and a 2023 LP Standard. I think it really comes down to preference when comparing the craftsmanship and quality between the 3. I pick up my Les Paul the most just because it feels bad ass to me, but then again it's all preference
I don’t think either is “Better”. They are tools for the trade. Built differently, play differently, sound differently, feel differently… the list goes on. Comes down to very personal preference. Love Tele’s and that single coil distinct tone and twang, and love the Les Paul with the warmth I can get along with a host of other tones through the humbuckers. Pick whichever tool YOU feel suits your style, or the style of what you are playing. IMHO.
@@PlayandTradeGuitars Thank you! I watch your channel, religiously and always enjoy your content, and trust your reviews, recommendations and demonstrations! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I try not to do better or bad or good. I like the Les Paul better and I think your analogy of it being a hammer is a good example of why. My guitar playing lends itself more to a hammer. I am not a finesse player.
I've always found the telecaster the most versatile guitar ever, however, I love the les paul sound better than any guitar, especially the neck pickup.
Fender Made in Japan Hybrid II Telecaster. I absolutelly love it. Both pickups in series - such a great festure there, gives such powerful and rich tone. I love Gibson, but if I need to pick just one - no doubts this is gonna be a Telecaster!
That's right. The full bridge position on a Tele can get a lot brighter than a Les Paul but the Les Paul won't feedback at high volume but yes, both can be made to sound about the same with a midrange setting. Yes, Fender guitars can be used for assault weapons and still be fine when the gig starts. Lol!
The guy at the top of the list of my favorite Les Paul guys is Duane Allman. But he didn't use his like a chainsaw. He was more of a "Surf the edge of breakup" kind of player. People often speak of the violin like tones to be had from Les Pauls when all of the fizzy fuzz is turned off and you get the interaction from PAFs and tubes that are running hot enough to get the harmonics. To my ears, that was the glorious magnificence of the Les Paul, but we don't do that very much any more. Having said that, you are dead right in all of your praises of the Telecaster. It would be impossible for me to pick one over the other because I see it as more of a "right tool for the job" kind of question, as opposed to which one is best. I really don't think there is a "best". The one you choose ultimately depends on which sound best serves the song.
To answer one of the questions…a mahogany Tele. Yes, I own one, offest MIJ Tele. A great Les Paul isn’t dark sounding at all, my R8 is nice and bright and weighs in at 8.3 Lbs. Also, a Strat > Tele all day. And a Tele Deluxe (which I’ve owned), sounds nothing like a Les Paul.
I have several issues with the Telecaster: 1) It's not a Stratocaster 2) The body is relatively thin, and may have too little mass to to keep the neck from staying up. 3) The 3-way blade switch is awkward. Very annoying switching from the bridge to neck pickup with the tip so close to the volume knob. Also annoying you strum at an angle, but the switch is horizontal.
Both! LP and Tele w/rosewood fretboard. I love the middle position on my LP. I have a 27 year old Don Grosh strat with the blend control that gives the tele middle position sound.
trouble maker tele has mahogany body and a maple cap, three way toggle on the upper side, set neck, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and two humbuckers with a stop bar and tail piece. Also has VVTT layout. It is a Les Paul in a Tele body. I believe it is a 24.5" scale and 12" radius. I sold my tele to buy my LP, and have never regretted for a moment. Love the tele, and strat, but I really like playing my Les Paul most. It's been over a year now, and I'm selling my Strat.
IMO you need one of each to cover the whole spectrum. Then you need a jazzmaster and a firebird to cover the things the tele and lp don't cover. Throw in a Strat and Gibson hollow or semi hollow just because they look cool and an SG to cover AC/DC and Black Sabbath tones, then you're halfway to all the guitars you "need".
Im a telecaster guy through and through. I recently brought a Gibson Les 59 custom shop 60th anniversary. I saved for 5 years to get it. In that time i played a custom shop telecaster exclusively. The les paul is amazing. Its beautiful and sounds great. But everytime I play it i just want my tele. Just looking at the les paul makes me nervous too. It feels and looks so fragile. I feel like I could tune my tele play base ball with and then play a gig. The Les Paul is so valuable and pretty i just dont want to gig it. The les paul also sounds so slow a stodgy compared to my tele. I play very snappy and precosive. I've always wanted a guitar in the same green as the les paul behind you. I may end up selling my Paul and getting a custom order Tele in that green with a wide range in the neck. Or be sesible and sell it and just keep the money. 😅
I have a squire 50's classic vibe tele and a player series tele. I also have a 60's reissue Gibson Les Paul. Although the Les Paul is great and love playing it.....I always find my self reaching for my tele's. They just feel better to my hand. It's the equivalent of dressing casual in blue jeans versus wearing slacks and a button up shirt.
Probably 2 of the top 3 (maybe top 5 I don’t know) most iconic electric guitars in history. Along with the Strat, SG, ES series 🤷🏼 .... I am personally a big fan of both the Gibson Firebird and the Fender Jazzmaster also.
Yes, they've done Mahogany Teles. Fender wins on the accessibility front because of pricing but I love both. I love the Tele and Les Paul bridge pickups, but think Teles are more tonally versatile. If you've got either, you're going to be happy. 🤘
I can see your point there, and while I really love the Gibson Les Paul Tribute, it doesn't have some of the "standard" features of a Les Paul to make this a perfect apples to apples comparison - ie Maple vs Mahogany neck (which I actually really like), no binding, no gloss finish, etc. I'd say the first Les Paul that has the "standard-ish" features is the Classic at $2499, or of course the Standard at $2999 now. So the "standard" USA telecaster that has the features you'd expect is truly much less, if that makes sense. Much of what you pay for with a Gibson Les Paul is cosmetic I admit, but it's part of what makes the Standard the Standard. Thanks for watching
I love the look of both but the tele is playable for me as a strat and lp Jr player, I just personally don't like the feel of a les paul. A tele deluxe would be awesome!
I'm a strat man since way back, but , both the tele and les Paul produce my favourite sounds ! You just have fish around for them ! In short, strat vs tele vs les Paul ? They're all good.
I am at heart a Telecaster guy although I have multiple Les Pauls and multiple Telecasters. Its horses for courses! A PRS gives you the best of both, Im not that keen on them though! I have always wanted a neckthrough telecaster with an ebony fretboard.
For rhythm playing I like a mahogany neck, there is something in the way it bounces back that is less hard on the hand. I do prefer Strats though. I've just got my first Les Paul 2022 50's standard, I took a round with it and 2 Strats last night and the LP really took me back to the 70's, the sound is definitely unique, it's like a timemachine. I have a Strat with 2 Firebird (Mojotone JW) pickups and it is the perfect rhythm guitar in the middle position, perfect between Strat and les Paul. They layout of the Tele doesn't work for me, so I've set up a Strat with a Nashville combination, that works for me + I get the trem 😉
absolutely killer vid dude.. I love the telecaster but I miss my old Les Paul traditional so much. That candy apple green 57 RI looks so nice, so fingers crossed, i have a good feeling!
I’m a big fan of telecasters, but I would ABSOLUTELY love a Les Paul!! I’m a music student at Berklee rn in desperate need of a guitar upgrade. Fingers crossed for that custom Les Paul🤞🏼just subbed!
I didn’t own a Tele style guitar until a month ago, I bought a Vintage T72 tele with Wilkinson mini humbucker in the neck and a Wilkinson single coil in the bridge. It is extremely versatile sonically and light due to it being semi hollow. The body is ash and a roasted maple neck, great guitar but my Les Paul is imho a far better sounding guitar the pu’s are much more mellow and in overdrive it sounds much darker and heavier. Middle position it rounds the sound out and the neck pu is the best for high gain. Les Paul is my first choice.
I love my LP, I was just guitar shopping and I want b to fall in love with a tele but I just don't like the way it feels. I love the sound and the options but just like my strat, I rarely pick it up because I just don't like the way the body feels. I think I'll build an LP tele to get the best of both worlds.
Fender has a telecaster with a flame maple top over a mahogany body, called the FMT. The neck is a set mahogany, and it comes with dual Seymour Duncan pickups, a 59 humbucking neck pickup and a Pearly Gates humbucking bridge pickup. I own one and it plays and sounds great. It's probably as close to an LP as I will ever own.
I played for a lifetime never trying s Tele , I like a shredder style or super strat but after trying a boxer Tele dbl humbuckers split coil, I've fell in love with the Tele , there's something about way it plays you can't really put Into words you have to try it for yourself
I own a 2016 Artisan Tele and it’s made out of Okoume, which is a Japanese mahogany. It’s paired with a chunky roasted birdeye maple. Man it’s truly by far the best guitar I own. You should try to get one, would be blown by the jazzy tones. Great video! Cheers
I have three Les Pauls (Slash, 50's Standard, and Custom), a 335, an SG, a Rick 330/12, a Tele, and a Strat. Which one do I use song after song, night after night, gig after gig? Les Paul 50's Standard. Which one would stay with me if I had to sell them all? Same. I love my Fenders, but they don't do (for me) what the Les Paul does. I don't need to convince anyone, I just play what works for me.
Middle position on LP not usable? Peter Green and Jimi Page both prefered the middle. You just have to fine to fine-tune the amount of neck pickup you blend in.
Great video as always. I have both myself, but I don’t think of one being better than the other. I will say one thing though. TH-cam is the best thing to ever happen to the Telecaster. I have never seen a piece of gear so heavily promoted by everyone. I concur. I love all my Tele’s, and my strat’s, my Les Pauls, and of course my SG’s. But I’m definitely seeing an abundance of Tele’s on TH-cam. Rock on y’all. No matter what gear you’re using 🎸👍
When you hit the neck pickup and mess around between the 12th and 15th frets on a Tele, it has this throaty tone that nothing else can touch. Nothing. However! I had a led Paul standard premium plus. And although I made the move to fender after that, I still miss it dearly
I don't "gotta own both." I could easily get away with a Tele and a Strat. Gotta have at least 2 for when one's in the shop and when strings break onstage. I like having a Gibson around for those kinds of sounds, but do I really *need* to have one laying around? I'd say no. Tele can imitate my SG just fine and does one better by having a usable neck pickup sound. And I gave up on LP's long time ago. The do not fit my body, never did. Can't play one for more than a song or two before my left side goes numb, so I sold mine.
I'll take a tele over a Les Paul every time. Suhr classic T is the one for me. Silent coil system slightly hotter pickups. I never realized how great a tele actually is until I played one with a large band. Cut through like a hot knife. Put my strat to shame. I will say the gretsch is great too. It's a little darker bigger sounding and sits perfectly in a mix. If I had too choose one it would have to be a telecaster.
From the get go, I’ve been with Les Paul type guitars and occasionally 335 type guitars (which I see is a slight variation on the LP design). Three years ago, after several years of getting frustrated with the LP tone and a perceived lack of sparkle that I was desiring, I decided to go for a Telecaster (Ventura 50s modified). I haven’t looked back and I’m a Telly convert through and through. I have since bought an Epiphone 335 to make sure I have a humbucker option in the studio, but it just doesn’t do it for me compared to the Telly.
We didn't want you on our team anyway 😂 #team Gibson. Jk both are great. idk, I just can't do the twang that Tele's have. I don't like country music, and when Tele's clean up they have this twang that can't be gotten rid of. At least the 2 Tele's I've had were like that. I'll stick with my Les Pauls and 335's
you see more Fender (mostly strats) because they Fender offers some many levels of price making them much more affordable. Fender top line American made instruments top out around $2,500 while the lowest level Gibson start at around $2K. If you want an top line Gibson you're looking at $5K and up. PRS noticed this and started making less expensive skews. Although, if you want a true PRS you're paying $4K plus. My favorite guitar in my collection is my Gibson Custom M2M 1959 LP.
switched from Tele to Les Paul. A standard with humbuckers, a black beauty with (staple) p90 my no. 1 guitar and an ES 335 '64 reissue… never go back again!
A great Les Paul player is awe inspiring where as a great Tele player is a force of nature that i simply cannot comprehend. Talking about guys like Danny Gatton or the late great Roy Buchanan...
Speaking as a Tele Guy (and therefore from personal experience), one feature you missed is the pickup selector knob on the Tele. I note thatl yours has suffered the ame fate as all my Fenders - it's fallen off! Leo got everything so right first time, but they don't seem to have solved this perennial problem.
Ok, I don’t have an LP yet.. but when I do, there’s a higher likelihood that it’ll be one of those P-90 early 50’s gold top or Custom versions. Single coils just sound better to me. Granted, Gibson never tires of aesthetic options, multitudes of finishes and artful appointments. But that single coil combo of the Tele just is king for me. Also when a young player, the Les Paul seemed to shout big ego and the Tele felt more honest and straightforward, more accessible. I didn’t have to compete with Jimmy Page!! Yes, it astonishes me that Leo nailed it right out of the gate. I wonder if Leo had handed Les a double bound, maple capped, sunbursted , rosewood slabbed version on that fateful day .. if the Tele would actually have born the Les Paul name? Although the aesthetic simplicity of the Telecaster is also completely brilliant. I guess it’s perfect fate that Les just missed the forest for the tree with this. But most of us get it.
I've owned a Les Paul for a long time, then I got a 2009 telecaster standard and never touched the Les Paul again. Les Paul's are heavy, too many moving parts, easy to break. Telecasters are light weight, versatile, easy to set up and simple to use with great tones. Telecaster all day
Teles rule! For me, the Tele is also just ergonomically better than an LP. Standing or sitting a Tele just fits me, whereas an LP just doesn't sit in my lap right. It seems like I'm always fighting it.
Im a die hard Tele guy, glad you mentioned the neck position, it very under rated and one reason i gravitated towards them when i got my first 15+ years ago. They still do ash teles im pretty sure, current 52ri model? My 2021 (i think its 21 of top head) 50's AO has a lovely one piece ash body.
Dude, I'm so shallow I don't even care how that Telecaster sounds, because that Les Paul is so beautiful. I love an unburst with wide prominent flames. Real similar to Joe Bonamossa Lazarus or the Les Paul Ace Frehley has been rocking the last few years.😉😃🤗
Hello. I had more than 40 guitars and been playing for 25 years. I had pointy metal active guitars to jazzbox guitars (the whole spectrum in between). Today I can say that Telecaster is the end of my search for a guitar. The Telecaster should be renamed the Perfectcaster. 😉 I had a (very expensive) Gibson Les Paul Custom from the 2000's. And man... any cheap Telecaster feels so superior in versatility and sound *to my ears!*
I see so many folks using teles again at this moment in time.... Its times like these that I realise that I made a good choice to own all of the holy trinity... Strat / Tele / Lester.
Entry level USA Fender Telecaster $1399 Entry level USA Gibson Les Paul $1299 PRS is even more expensive I think their Maryland guitars start at like $1800
Gibson Les Paul Standard $2999, what you would call the USA "standard" Tele you quoted $1399. That said the $1299 Tribute is an incredible guitar, but not apples to apples
@@PlayandTradeGuitars the equivalent Fender version to a LP Standard would be an American Original or Ultra. Not a Performer. Performer is like a Tribute or Studio.
I have LP style guitar and a T style guitar and also like to play Tele more. LP is nicer to look at. And I have made tele with mahogany body and full maple neck few years ago. It was great sounding but very heavy.
I have always been a Telecaster guy. Still am. But I did buy a 2019 LP Studio Tribute and I love the feel and the sound. But I still prefer a Tele. But surprisingly the LP and my 2001 Am Std Tele weigh exactly the same thing. My 2011 Tele 1952 Replica is actually a pound less at 6.8 pounds. Wish I still owned my 67 Telecaster...but.
Horses for courses, really. I have a PRS SC (LP, really) that can scald, or play jazz, and a Super Custom Tele with SD Antiquities that sings. Love them both, kind of like a beautiful blonde and brunette in the same bed...who needs to choose? Play them both!
I got an ash bodies tele. It's a butterscotch, vintage spec... only it's a tele _master!_ Yup, it's an MIJ, and it rocks. My Les Paul, however... it's more of a speciality instrument. It does rock - both rhythm & lead, like none other! LP = best rock guitar Tele = best all-rounder P.S. I'm looking to a Tele Deluxe next. Always dug their vibe..
I have a Richie Kotzen signature Tele and it’s bad ass. Definitely my best Tele. Best guitar of all days f my guitars actually. Best guitar I’ve ever had, heard, played. It’s kinda like having a Tele and an LP all in one actually. It has a maple top. Thin one but it’s still there
Tele does better at cutting through the mix and the Les Paul Does better at filling up the mix. They serve different purposes.
This is a great point, and if there are two guitarists in a band I like to hear both. Thanks for watching
I use my les paul for heavy stuff, and the tele for anything else
Excellent point!
This is a fact. I started off as a bass player in punk bands, and then "metalcore" bands. Think Hardcore with some Slayer thrown in, and that's kind of metalcore. My 2 guitarists used Ibanez and Les Pauls, and I was always partial to Ibanez. But when I went to get my first guitar I was attracted to the Telecaster, and the neck pickup is what does it for me. I can only describe it as a "glass electric" sound, but when I want to play metal it doesn't have the chugging and dark/lows I want.
So I got a Tele Deluxe with double humbuckers, and I loved it as well. But it's just doesn't have that heavy thick sound I need.
It has 4 Stratocaster-style pan-hat knobs. 2 volume, 2 tone so you can mix them in the dual setting.
The Les Paul does that perfectly though.
Bullshit! Every guitar cut through the mix if you set it and play it well
I'm a Jimmy Page fan, so obviously both guitars excite me for what he has done with them as well as so many other artists. Teles are like no other guitar in their tonal space, but for me there is no sexier instrument than the Les Paul in appearance and tonality. Rock on!
Telecaster is my go to guitar
It’s beauty is in its simplicity
And it stays in tune, no matter how hard you play
So does my 24 year old Les Paul Standard.
I love the tones and simplicity of the tele and it stays in tune .......
I literally agree with you on everything here. I started off my guitar, playing adventure at the age of 10 quickly moved from hard rock into metal. I always saw a telecaster as a country guitar but that’s completely in accurate. After literally does everything my Tele’s have become my go to Guitar for everything. What I like the best is that I can set a serious high gain tone and using my neck pickup I can roll off the volume and make it as clean as a bell and the chime. Oh it’s so good. Especially on the MIJ Richie Kotzen signature. It’s incredible
You convinced me! I was a Les Paul fanatic for so long, being what Jimmy Page and Joe Perry do with them. But the versatility you demonstrated along with the intangibles such as weight and modularity, the Tele just seems to make the most sense for the majority of the time. Thanks for a great video!
Thanks I appreciate the kind comments, thanks for watching!
@Chris Exley,Jimmy actually played a telecaster before he discovered the Les Paul.
@@wizardofoz497 Yep, I knew he played the "Dragon" Tele on the first album, including the violin bow stuff. Amazing!
Pretty sure the stairway to heaven solo was recorded on a telecaster too, though I haven’t actually fact checked that
As people have said, Jimmy was using a Tele as well but ironically Perry used Fender Strats on most of the 70s recordings too!
I agree the Telecaster has many practical advantages over the Les Paul, but it’s surprising how much tonal overlap there is between them, given almost everything about their construction is so different. I can’t decide which I love more. Both!
Great answer, and maybe truly the only correct one - Both!
Not easy...
Telecaster, but I’ll still take a Les Paul
You have to have both guitars, but one guitar is never enough, a telecaster top, the first electric guitar, whose sound you immediately recognize, when you see a Fender telecaster, you think of Keith Richard, Gibson LS, madness, beautiful, real rock n roll sound, and you remember Jimmy Page and great songs, you remember Slash and GnR, everything has been said. Of course you have to have a Stracostar to be somewhat complete, Hendrix SRV, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour and all the other great guitarists who brighten our lives. There can never be too many guitars, which the more the better !😉
I always love a telecaster thinline. To be honest, I’ve got 4 of them all with different pickups, and one of them always hits the spot depending on mood.
I own a tele but always dreamed of a les Paul. For everyday use, my Yamaha acoustic. Live in an apartment with lots of day sleepers.
Get the Tonex 1 pedal and some headphones.
I have gone from Les Pauls to Telecasters. I still have my 76 LP Custom but I mainly play slightly modified Teles. As a matter of fact, I'm in process of deciding between the JA90 telecaster and a Schecter PT fastback with filtertrons.
JA is neither fish nor fowl.
Having owned an original 1952 Blackguard Tele and multiple early Goldtops from 1952 and 1953.... I've played over a dozen original bursts as well, I discovered I'm more of a Les Paul guy. It has a much fuller sound than a tele, and I think its visually more appealing. That being said I like tele's but both are just different and special in their own way. I just prefer the darker/fuller sound of an LP. Having a set neck also makes it sound a bit better to my ear as wel.
Great points and incredible collection to sample!
Les Paul is my all time favorite guitar and I have several. Shorter scale feels better/slinkier, more body to the sound, humbuckers better for hard rock and metal, & stunning looks. BUT I still keep one tele because they absolutely rock and nothing else sounds like them. So my answer, you need both haha.
That really is the answer, I agree - you need both. Scale length was something I didn't address in the video but I should have. I prefer longer Fender scale length but I do prefer the flatter Gibson radius of the fretboard. Thanks for watching
@@PlayandTradeGuitars Oh yeah the fretboard radius is def a bonus too on the Gibsons. I think I tend to prefer flatter radius. Thanks for sharing this! Really enjoy the content! 🤘
Played a Tele in 80's....gravitated to LPs in 2000's....at 61...I keep buying Teles again. Pining for an Eastwood MadCat tele with mahogany over ash... yum.
If I had to pick only one it would be my Tele with a HB in the neck it covers more ground but, my favorite guitar is 2014 Melody Maker with P-90's because it is so light weight and sounds amazing ....great episode guys !!
Great choices there, I dig the Melody Makers too! Thanks!
In 1993 I traded my '86 Les Paul Studio for a '92 American Standard Tele. It has been my number 1 since.
Both of my American Standard Teles ('88 and '99) both have rosewood boards and they sound like a Telecaster. I actually have a Fender Celtic Esquire that is all mahogany with a set neck 1 H/B 1 vol like a LP Jr. It is still pretty bright because of the scale, but it sounds beefy and powerful. I also have an ES - Les Paul Special semi-hollow that is made nearly entirely of maple (roasted maple fretboard) and it still sounds like a Les Paul.
I love Teles and Les Pauls. But my favorite is the SG... For the ergonomics, the tonal possibilites, and of course, the looks.
looks great only with Angus, sorry
Don’t love the neck dive of the SG, for me anyway
I love the SG, it’s the Strat of Gibson. It’s so versatile and criminally underrated.
@@d.wilson1402 I think of it as the first "superstrat"
@@mbruzzidesign I dunno - i think it looks pretty good on Santana at Woodstock, or Tony Iommi or Derek Trucks, or Sister Rosetta Tharpe or Frank Zappa...
I got a Ash 52 reissue Tele with a maple neck. Sounds amazing.
I agree that the Tele tone knob affects the sound more than any other tone knob in the business
Yeah. I live on the bridge pup and the knobs on my tele when I play with others. It's enough.
I have been playing since 1975. By 1978, I started buying used les paul deluxes at $250. I have owned a 68, 73, 75, and a 76. Years later, I bought an 80 deluxe and a 1998 standard. They are all long gone, and now I own a 77 telecaster.
Both are great. You can also mod the wiring to make both more versatile, eg coil splitting on the LP or a 4-way switch on the Tele. The Tele 4-way is my favorite as it enables both pickups in series and a fat Humbucker sound.
I need to try some telecasters. I avoided them for years, because I didn't like the way they looked. But now I think they look fantastic, especially in blue! Also I used to only play metal and punk, but now I'm more diversified in my music.
Crazy thing is some of my fav Rock songs are played in middle position with a PAF in the neck ,man that blend is about perfect. Tele with a vintage no cover paf in the neck so sweet.
I'm with you on middle switch position on Tele, I love it. I play my P90 Epi Special a lot there too. But I've almost never played regular Les Pauls in middle position. Maybe I should. Anyway the nice thing for Tele and Special, being single coils, is in middle you usually get one big humbucker sound from both pickups running together but out of phase. That's nice. I hope I described that properly. Then you can switch up or down for whichever single coil you want to hear. When I park my Tele or P90 Special I usually find 'em next time left in the middle switch position.
I have both. My telecaster is my favorite all time guitar, but the LP has some magic that only it can do. Just choose what is right for you. I seriously juggle the 2, because they’re both amazing
Same for me
I have an /02 American Tele, Delta tone equipped, with Rosewood board, and an /89 Les Paul Special with the P90’s. both have their place pretty securely in my guitar arsenal. I also have an /02 mahogany 3 Seymour Duncan equipped Les Paul, at present. They are the electric guitars that my spirit is most inspired by for now. I’ve had quite a few Strats, over the years, and You just never know when another one may come to my house… If I had to get down to only one electric, it would be my Tele, but for now, I’ll continue to enjoy each one for their unique tones and inspirations.
I like the neck on Les Paul. I like the small frets and scale. I only play the bridge pick up. I enjoy both the neck and bridge on my tele. My favorite guitar overall is an LTD EC-1000 which is a lighter sleeker Les Paul.
Amazing video, I agree that the telecaster is more versatile, I own all 3 - a 2021 pro ii strat , 2016 american standard tele, and a 2023 LP Standard. I think it really comes down to preference when comparing the craftsmanship and quality between the 3. I pick up my Les Paul the most just because it feels bad ass to me, but then again it's all preference
I don’t think either is “Better”. They are tools for the trade. Built differently, play differently, sound differently, feel differently… the list goes on. Comes down to very personal preference. Love Tele’s and that single coil distinct tone and twang, and love the Les Paul with the warmth I can get along with a host of other tones through the humbuckers. Pick whichever tool YOU feel suits your style, or the style of what you are playing. IMHO.
This is very well said, I agree with you!
@@PlayandTradeGuitars Thank you! I watch your channel, religiously and always enjoy your content, and trust your reviews, recommendations and demonstrations! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I try not to do better or bad or good. I like the Les Paul better and I think your analogy of it being a hammer is a good example of why. My guitar playing lends itself more to a hammer. I am not a finesse player.
I've always found the telecaster the most versatile guitar ever, however, I love the les paul sound better than any guitar, especially the neck pickup.
Fender Made in Japan Hybrid II Telecaster. I absolutelly love it. Both pickups in series - such a great festure there, gives such powerful and rich tone. I love Gibson, but if I need to pick just one - no doubts this is gonna be a Telecaster!
I set up a telly with a fender 1972 wide range in the neck. This is very versatile guitar going from jazz,funk,rock, country.
That's right. The full bridge position on a Tele can get a lot brighter than a Les Paul but the Les Paul won't feedback at high volume but yes, both can be made to sound about the same with a midrange setting. Yes, Fender guitars can be used for assault weapons and still be fine when the gig starts. Lol!
The guy at the top of the list of my favorite Les Paul guys is Duane Allman. But he didn't use his like a chainsaw. He was more of a "Surf the edge of breakup" kind of player. People often speak of the violin like tones to be had from Les Pauls when all of the fizzy fuzz is turned off and you get the interaction from PAFs and tubes that are running hot enough to get the harmonics. To my ears, that was the glorious magnificence of the Les Paul, but we don't do that very much any more.
Having said that, you are dead right in all of your praises of the Telecaster. It would be impossible for me to pick one over the other because I see it as more of a "right tool for the job" kind of question, as opposed to which one is best. I really don't think there is a "best". The one you choose ultimately depends on which sound best serves the song.
To answer one of the questions…a mahogany Tele. Yes, I own one, offest MIJ Tele. A great Les Paul isn’t dark sounding at all, my R8 is nice and bright and weighs in at 8.3 Lbs. Also, a Strat > Tele all day. And a Tele Deluxe (which I’ve owned), sounds nothing like a Les Paul.
Thanks, not so much that it sounds like a LP - Just a marriage of components and layout. I appreciate it, MIJ sounds cool too
I have several issues with the Telecaster:
1) It's not a Stratocaster
2) The body is relatively thin, and may have too little mass to to keep the neck from staying up.
3) The 3-way blade switch is awkward. Very annoying switching from the bridge to neck pickup with the tip so close to the volume knob. Also annoying you strum at an angle, but the switch is horizontal.
Both! LP and Tele w/rosewood fretboard. I love the middle position on my LP. I have a 27 year old Don Grosh strat with the blend control that gives the tele middle position sound.
trouble maker tele has mahogany body and a maple cap, three way toggle on the upper side, set neck, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and two humbuckers with a stop bar and tail piece. Also has VVTT layout. It is a Les Paul in a Tele body. I believe it is a 24.5" scale and 12" radius.
I sold my tele to buy my LP, and have never regretted for a moment. Love the tele, and strat, but I really like playing my Les Paul most. It's been over a year now, and I'm selling my Strat.
IMO you need one of each to cover the whole spectrum. Then you need a jazzmaster and a firebird to cover the things the tele and lp don't cover. Throw in a Strat and Gibson hollow or semi hollow just because they look cool and an SG to cover AC/DC and Black Sabbath tones, then you're halfway to all the guitars you "need".
Im a telecaster guy through and through. I recently brought a Gibson Les 59 custom shop 60th anniversary. I saved for 5 years to get it. In that time i played a custom shop telecaster exclusively. The les paul is amazing. Its beautiful and sounds great. But everytime I play it i just want my tele.
Just looking at the les paul makes me nervous too. It feels and looks so fragile. I feel like I could tune my tele play base ball with and then play a gig.
The Les Paul is so valuable and pretty i just dont want to gig it. The les paul also sounds so slow a stodgy compared to my tele. I play very snappy and precosive.
I've always wanted a guitar in the same green as the les paul behind you. I may end up selling my Paul and getting a custom order Tele in that green with a wide range in the neck. Or be sesible and sell it and just keep the money. 😅
I have a squire 50's classic vibe tele and a player series tele. I also have a 60's reissue Gibson Les Paul. Although the Les Paul is great and love playing it.....I always find my self reaching for my tele's. They just feel better to my hand. It's the equivalent of dressing casual in blue jeans versus wearing slacks and a button up shirt.
I'm a fender guy too,but you should really try a paul with 50s wiring. You can get really thinned out nice sounds rather than the thick and dark.
Probably 2 of the top 3 (maybe top 5 I don’t know) most iconic electric guitars in history.
Along with the Strat, SG, ES series 🤷🏼 ....
I am personally a big fan of both the Gibson Firebird and the Fender Jazzmaster also.
Yes, they've done Mahogany Teles. Fender wins on the accessibility front because of pricing but I love both. I love the Tele and Les Paul bridge pickups, but think Teles are more tonally versatile. If you've got either, you're going to be happy. 🤘
Entry level USA Fender Telecaster $1399
Entry level USA Gibson Les Paul $1299
I can see your point there, and while I really love the Gibson Les Paul Tribute, it doesn't have some of the "standard" features of a Les Paul to make this a perfect apples to apples comparison - ie Maple vs Mahogany neck (which I actually really like), no binding, no gloss finish, etc. I'd say the first Les Paul that has the "standard-ish" features is the Classic at $2499, or of course the Standard at $2999 now. So the "standard" USA telecaster that has the features you'd expect is truly much less, if that makes sense. Much of what you pay for with a Gibson Les Paul is cosmetic I admit, but it's part of what makes the Standard the Standard. Thanks for watching
Gibson Les Paul for me. Fender and PRS don't move me at all. The look, feel and sound of a LP is where it's at.
I love the look of both but the tele is playable for me as a strat and lp Jr player, I just personally don't like the feel of a les paul. A tele deluxe would be awesome!
I'm a strat man since way back, but , both the tele and les Paul produce my favourite sounds ! You just have fish around for them ! In short, strat vs tele vs les Paul ? They're all good.
I am at heart a Telecaster guy although I have multiple Les Pauls and multiple Telecasters.
Its horses for courses!
A PRS gives you the best of both, Im not that keen on them though!
I have always wanted a neckthrough telecaster with an ebony fretboard.
I assembled one of our shop series telecasters with an Asian mahogany body that is extremely lightweight
Fender made a Limited Edition American Elite Mahogany Thinline Telecaster with a birdseye maple neck in 2017. I have one. They are awesome.
For rhythm playing I like a mahogany neck, there is something in the way it bounces back that is less hard on the hand. I do prefer Strats though. I've just got my first Les Paul 2022 50's standard, I took a round with it and 2 Strats last night and the LP really took me back to the 70's, the sound is definitely unique, it's like a timemachine. I have a Strat with 2 Firebird (Mojotone JW) pickups and it is the perfect rhythm guitar in the middle position, perfect between Strat and les Paul. They layout of the Tele doesn't work for me, so I've set up a Strat with a Nashville combination, that works for me + I get the trem 😉
absolutely killer vid dude.. I love the telecaster but I miss my old Les Paul traditional so much. That candy apple green 57 RI looks so nice, so fingers crossed, i have a good feeling!
I’m a big fan of telecasters, but I would ABSOLUTELY love a Les Paul!! I’m a music student at Berklee rn in desperate need of a guitar upgrade. Fingers crossed for that custom Les Paul🤞🏼just subbed!
The second I heard that 60's jangle out of my Uncle's Tele in the middle position I knew it was the guitar for me.
I didn’t own a Tele style guitar until a month ago, I bought a Vintage T72 tele with Wilkinson mini humbucker in the neck and a Wilkinson single coil in the bridge. It is extremely versatile sonically and light due to it being semi hollow. The body is ash and a roasted maple neck, great guitar but my Les Paul is imho a far better sounding guitar the pu’s are much more mellow and in overdrive it sounds much darker and heavier. Middle position it rounds the sound out and the neck pu is the best for high gain. Les Paul is my first choice.
I love my LP, I was just guitar shopping and I want b to fall in love with a tele but I just don't like the way it feels. I love the sound and the options but just like my strat, I rarely pick it up because I just don't like the way the body feels. I think I'll build an LP tele to get the best of both worlds.
Fender has a telecaster with a flame maple top over a mahogany body, called the FMT. The neck is a set mahogany, and it comes with dual Seymour Duncan pickups, a 59 humbucking neck pickup and a Pearly Gates humbucking bridge pickup. I own one and it plays and sounds great. It's probably as close to an LP as I will ever own.
The "troublecaster"? Or is that a different beast?
I played for a lifetime never trying s Tele , I like a shredder style or super strat but after trying a boxer Tele dbl humbuckers split coil, I've fell in love with the Tele , there's something about way it plays you can't really put Into words you have to try it for yourself
I love both guitars!
But my favorite guitar is the stratocaster
I own a 2016 Artisan Tele and it’s made out of Okoume, which is a Japanese mahogany. It’s paired with a chunky roasted birdeye maple.
Man it’s truly by far the best guitar I own. You should try to get one, would be blown by the jazzy tones.
Great video! Cheers
I have three Les Pauls (Slash, 50's Standard, and Custom), a 335, an SG, a Rick 330/12, a Tele, and a Strat. Which one do I use song after song, night after night, gig after gig? Les Paul 50's Standard. Which one would stay with me if I had to sell them all? Same. I love my Fenders, but they don't do (for me) what the Les Paul does. I don't need to convince anyone, I just play what works for me.
Na. I drank the Tele cool aid for a while, but you can’t get rid of that twang. Moved in and sold it for a Strat. Not going back.
💯 agree. I have 1 lp, but it doesn’t get nearly the amount of use as my teles… and they are all partscasters
Middle position on LP not usable? Peter Green and Jimi Page both prefered the middle. You just have to fine to fine-tune the amount of neck pickup you blend in.
Great video as always. I have both myself, but I don’t think of one being better than the other. I will say one thing though. TH-cam is the best thing to ever happen to the Telecaster. I have never seen a piece of gear so heavily promoted by everyone. I concur. I love all my Tele’s, and my strat’s, my Les Pauls, and of course my SG’s. But I’m definitely seeing an abundance of Tele’s on TH-cam. Rock on y’all. No matter what gear you’re using 🎸👍
the tele is very good, but ever since i found my strat i fell in love. I can get every sound with it.
When you hit the neck pickup and mess around between the 12th and 15th frets on a Tele, it has this throaty tone that nothing else can touch. Nothing.
However! I had a led Paul standard premium plus. And although I made the move to fender after that, I still miss it dearly
I don't "gotta own both." I could easily get away with a Tele and a Strat. Gotta have at least 2 for when one's in the shop and when strings break onstage. I like having a Gibson around for those kinds of sounds, but do I really *need* to have one laying around? I'd say no. Tele can imitate my SG just fine and does one better by having a usable neck pickup sound. And I gave up on LP's long time ago. The do not fit my body, never did. Can't play one for more than a song or two before my left side goes numb, so I sold mine.
My favorite Tele is my American vintage 72 custom 😮💨 63 custom shop Strat HSS is my #1 though
Tele all day. I have a US 52 Ash reissue. My son got a wolfgang deluxe but he secretly loves my Tele.
I'll take a tele over a Les Paul every time. Suhr classic T is the one for me. Silent coil system slightly hotter pickups. I never realized how great a tele actually is until I played one with a large band. Cut through like a hot knife. Put my strat to shame. I will say the gretsch is great too. It's a little darker bigger sounding and sits perfectly in a mix. If I had too choose one it would have to be a telecaster.
From the get go, I’ve been with Les Paul type guitars and occasionally 335 type guitars (which I see is a slight variation on the LP design). Three years ago, after several years of getting frustrated with the LP tone and a perceived lack of sparkle that I was desiring, I decided to go for a Telecaster (Ventura 50s modified). I haven’t looked back and I’m a Telly convert through and through. I have since bought an Epiphone 335 to make sure I have a humbucker option in the studio, but it just doesn’t do it for me compared to the Telly.
We didn't want you on our team anyway 😂 #team Gibson. Jk both are great. idk, I just can't do the twang that Tele's have. I don't like country music, and when Tele's clean up they have this twang that can't be gotten rid of. At least the 2 Tele's I've had were like that. I'll stick with my Les Pauls and 335's
I have a Les Paul and a Tele. Each can do things the other can't. To me, the best way to put it is Tele screams, Les Paul roars.
Great review!! As a beginner I could understand the nuances really well! Thanks!
you see more Fender (mostly strats) because they Fender offers some many levels of price making them much more affordable. Fender top line American made instruments top out around $2,500 while the lowest level Gibson start at around $2K. If you want an top line Gibson you're looking at $5K and up. PRS noticed this and started making less expensive skews. Although, if you want a true PRS you're paying $4K plus. My favorite guitar in my collection is my Gibson Custom M2M 1959 LP.
I love my les pauls, all of them! But the guitar that never sees its case is my Nashville tele.
Truthfully I need to put more time in with a Nashville tele and check that out, thanks!
It’s like asking me which of my two daughters I love the most 😂
BOTH!
Perfect answer, yes 100%
switched from Tele to Les Paul. A standard with humbuckers, a black beauty with (staple) p90 my no. 1 guitar and an ES 335 '64 reissue… never go back again!
A great Les Paul player is awe inspiring where as a great Tele player is a force of nature that i simply cannot comprehend. Talking about guys like Danny Gatton or the late great Roy Buchanan...
Speaking as a Tele Guy (and therefore from personal experience), one feature you missed is the pickup selector knob on the Tele. I note thatl yours has suffered the ame fate as all my Fenders - it's fallen off! Leo got everything so right first time, but they don't seem to have solved this perennial problem.
Ok, I don’t have an LP yet.. but when I do, there’s a higher likelihood that it’ll be one of those P-90 early 50’s gold top or Custom versions. Single coils just sound better to me. Granted, Gibson never tires of aesthetic options, multitudes of finishes and artful appointments. But that single coil combo of the Tele just is king for me. Also when a young player, the Les Paul seemed to shout big ego and the Tele felt more honest and straightforward, more accessible. I didn’t have to compete with Jimmy Page!! Yes, it astonishes me that Leo nailed it right out of the gate. I wonder if Leo had handed Les a double bound, maple capped, sunbursted , rosewood slabbed version on that fateful day .. if the Tele would actually have born the Les Paul name? Although the aesthetic simplicity of the Telecaster is also completely brilliant. I guess it’s perfect fate that Les just missed the forest for the tree with this. But most of us get it.
Even with the short sound clips I noticeably preferred your Les Paul gig tone fwiw
I've owned a Les Paul for a long time, then I got a 2009 telecaster standard and never touched the Les Paul again.
Les Paul's are heavy, too many moving parts, easy to break.
Telecasters are light weight, versatile, easy to set up and simple to use with great tones.
Telecaster all day
My favourite Tele is a thinline deluxe made of mahogany with p90s. That's stock too. If you can think of it, fender has made it.
I love teles, but there's something out of this world about an LP with vintage voiced p90's
I was a Les Paul and Strat lover, never even consider a Telecaster for decades. Boy was I wrong
69 Tele thinline had a mahogany body 1 piece maple neck.
Teles rule! For me, the Tele is also just ergonomically better than an LP. Standing or sitting a Tele just fits me, whereas an LP just doesn't sit in my lap right. It seems like I'm always fighting it.
I personally have a telecaster but eventually want to add a Les Paul to my collection.
Im a die hard Tele guy, glad you mentioned the neck position, it very under rated and one reason i gravitated towards them when i got my first 15+ years ago. They still do ash teles im pretty sure, current 52ri model? My 2021 (i think its 21 of top head) 50's AO has a lovely one piece ash body.
Dude, I'm so shallow I don't even care how that Telecaster sounds, because that Les Paul is so beautiful. I love an unburst with wide prominent flames. Real similar to Joe Bonamossa Lazarus or the Les Paul Ace Frehley has been rocking the last few years.😉😃🤗
haha points for honesty, thanks for watching!
Hello.
I had more than 40 guitars and been playing for 25 years.
I had pointy metal active guitars to jazzbox guitars (the whole spectrum in between).
Today I can say that Telecaster is the end of my search for a guitar.
The Telecaster should be renamed the Perfectcaster. 😉
I had a (very expensive) Gibson Les Paul Custom from the 2000's. And man... any cheap Telecaster feels so superior in versatility and sound *to my ears!*
Perfectcaster - I will steal that, haha thanks for watching
@@PlayandTradeGuitars ;)
I see so many folks using teles again at this moment in time....
Its times like these that I realise that I made a good choice to own all of the holy trinity... Strat / Tele / Lester.
Yep, I think you’re correct in saying that more people play Fender than Gibson but I believe the main reason is price.
Entry level USA Fender Telecaster $1399
Entry level USA Gibson Les Paul $1299
PRS is even more expensive I think their Maryland guitars start at like $1800
Gibson Les Paul Standard $2999, what you would call the USA "standard" Tele you quoted $1399. That said the $1299 Tribute is an incredible guitar, but not apples to apples
@@PlayandTradeGuitars the equivalent Fender version to a LP Standard would be an American Original or Ultra. Not a Performer. Performer is like a Tribute or Studio.
@@PlayandTradeGuitars if you want a “real deal” Fender Tele you got to go for the 50’s or 60’s American Original. ⚡️
I have LP style guitar and a T style guitar and also like to play Tele more. LP is nicer to look at. And I have made tele with mahogany body and full maple neck few years ago. It was great sounding but very heavy.
I have always been a Telecaster guy. Still am. But I did buy a 2019 LP Studio Tribute and I love the feel and the sound. But I still prefer a Tele. But surprisingly the LP and my 2001 Am Std Tele weigh exactly the same thing. My 2011 Tele 1952 Replica is actually a pound less at 6.8 pounds. Wish I still owned my 67 Telecaster...but.
Horses for courses, really. I have a PRS SC (LP, really) that can scald, or play jazz, and a Super Custom Tele with SD Antiquities that sings. Love them both, kind of like a beautiful blonde and brunette in the same bed...who needs to choose? Play them both!
I got an ash bodies tele.
It's a butterscotch, vintage spec... only it's a tele _master!_
Yup, it's an MIJ, and it rocks.
My Les Paul, however... it's more of a speciality instrument. It does rock - both rhythm & lead, like none other!
LP = best rock guitar
Tele = best all-rounder
P.S. I'm looking to a Tele Deluxe next. Always dug their vibe..
I have a Richie Kotzen signature Tele and it’s bad ass. Definitely my best Tele. Best guitar of all days f my guitars actually. Best guitar I’ve ever had, heard, played. It’s kinda like having a Tele and an LP all in one actually. It has a maple top. Thin one but it’s still there