Every time he name drops I check them out on Spotify and read on Wikipedia. Takes me hours sometimes to make it through one 20 minute video on TH-cam and that’s if I even finish it because I go down a rabbit hole and never come back.
Opinions are like.... Well, everyone has one. And that’s just fine. But it doesn’t make it so. Some folks love them. Others not so much. I personally don’t care as many ch for them as strat style guitars. But then, that’s just another opinion.
Same here, I have three teles and always tell anyone who'll listen that they need a tele... but I love to watch these videos that validate my opinion!!
I think overall it is astounding how many things Fender got just about perfect: The Telecaster, Stratocaster, the Precision bass, the Jazz bass, plus the Bassman and deluxe, deluxe reverb and all the other amps. Not too many companies in music manufacturing have that scope of victories.
Leo Fender was a genius. Besides the incredible 6-year span of products that are treasured until this day, the guy created the manufacturing tools and techniques, the image and branding that also live on.
Not "all the other" amps but yea. The Tele is the best though - everything else has been improved by others and you can buy a "better" one from another brand.
There are lots of great guitars and people have their own favorites, but I agree with Zac, the Telecaster is the greatest guitar design ever. Simple, sturdy, beautiful, and way more versatile than many people realize. And when you think how little the original design has changed since its inception decades ago, it's really truly amazing.
I’ve seen a Tele dropped down a flight of stairs to the gasps and screams of utter terror. Picked up off the landing, tuned back up and spend the entire night on stage working flawlessly. PS- during your intro to every video I’m constantly reminded of a Clapton tune from “No Reason to Cry”. I’m sure you know it too. 😊
One thing I’ve always said about a tele is that it makes you a better guitar player. Playing a Les Paul or other humbucking guitars can be so fat they hide your mistakes, but on a tele, every note gets heard! I have a love for the Tele like I never will with any other type of guitar.
The Tele and its raw, simple design is in a way unforgiving...it forces you to be disciplined and keeps your playing honest. Thanks Zac for your program and insight!
I’ve heard this repeated over and over and still have no idea what it means. How is a Tele more “unforgiving” than a Strat? Strings are more difficult to bend in tune on a Strat.
Cedar Bay I would say they’re both very similar, same scale length and neck radiuses. Maybe the Strat yields a little more when bending and the tremolo isn’t blocked?
@@cedarbay3994 I own and play every of the famous guitar "designs"... and yes, to me at least, the Tele is the most unforgiving guitar to play and yet one of the most rewarding of them all.
Hated the Tele in the 80s but I realized soon after that was because I wasn’t good enough make it sound good. It didn’t have the high gain Humbuckers with my excessive distortion to cover my weaknesses. Then around 1990 I woke up and the Tele made me a real player.
@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 The Tele helps because it exposes you. The clarity it has also shows flaws, like Hi-def does with skin on the TV. When I played the Tele I had to pay closer attention to the nuance of the notes.
Keith Williams AKA. Five Watt World did an item "How many guitars do you need" answer just the one -- a Tele. My first electric guitar was/ is a Fenix Tele over the years I've modded it this way and that but now it's back in a conventional Tele set up and if the house was on fire it would be the first thing I'd run for. It's not a vintage Fender it didn't cost mega bucks ( or pounds should I say over here) but it plays sweet and is like an old friend . Thanks again for the periods of calm sanity you bring during these troubled times we seem to be enduring at the moment .
I've been playing a Tele for about 50 years and I still learned something about them from this video. I've tried dozens of other electrics and I do own a Strat and a Les Paul, but the Tele is what i pick up to play 90% of the time. If the house was on fire I'd grab my Tele and my Martin and that is all I would need.
Started playing guitar in '77. First "real" guitar - a '95 Strat Plus. Later a PRS24 and a Gretch hollowbody. About six month's ago I got a Player series Tele after playing one in a shop and loving the sound and the neck feel with the glossy top/satin back and the neck shape being really close to my Strat. (really bad - so NOT set up of of the box - but I sorted that out) Since then I mostly play the Tele. After seeing this video a couple weeks ago I picked up a standard bridge and compensated brass saddles(less than $25 for both on ebay) and I am really loving this guitar. Next week I'm adding locking tuners because I like them. They're a favorite feature on my Strat. I added a three string tree to stop a ringy G behind the nut and some super knurly knobs bringing my total spending on this to $730, which suits my budget. Love playing it through my kit built five watt tube amp - no effects - just a cable and all the Tele techniques I can pick up from youtube. Yeeeeeeehah!
Cool quiet morning, sitting on my patio, sipping coffee from my just arrived "Ask Zac" mug and watching your latest video. Great morning! Thanks for all you do Zac!
Decking a Strat makes the Strat lose all of the charm of the original brilliant design. The sound of a floating trem Strat is beautiful but I realize a lot of players go for the horny SRV style of over-the-top bluesing.
Arguably, the Telecaster bridge pickup could be the best/most versatile p.u. invented, if you had to have just one p.u., but on the other hand, virtuoso guitarists such as Hendrix, Beck, Clapton and Malmsteen choose the Stratocaster, because of it's sonic versatility and focused sound, especially at high volumes. The Telecaster is a workhorse, but the Stratocaster is a thoroughbred.
My guitar hero is Leo Fender. He brought the guitar out of the stone age. Ergonomics, neck access, real fretboards and pickups that do everything. Back in the day, LP's represented old school, period. I watched Les Paul and Mary Ford do their pitter patter and although I liked their workmanship and love of the guitar, I didn't care for the dull lack of musicality the LP had. I have 50+ guitars of most all types for gigs and recordings and noodling. 70% or so of my time is spent playing my teles and 20% strats on multiple genre recordings. If I blast off for Mars, they better put enough fuel in the boosters to haul my tele too! Thanks Zac!
@@johnwelch557 It is a treasure of stories about Leo, it only cemented my immense respect for him. I plan to do some videos on Leo's life and so forth at some point. Just getting my channel going. Enjoy the book if you get a chance to read it, it's wonderful.
Hey, I just did a short little video on fingernail grooming for my in development intro guitar course and I included a fun anecdote from the biography about when Phyllis asked Leo about inventing a guitar that would allow her to keep her long fingernails: th-cam.com/video/h5362fXgwjs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=0LUz3IaGq5iQcz_l
Thank you for your advice on Tele modifications- great info. Was a strat guy for 30 years... I have matured to understand the “ genius of simplicity” - the Tele is glorious-
One of the many good reasons to play a Telecaster, it will always cut through even in a big band. When I started playing guitar I was a Status Quo fan so no question which guitar I wanted so bad. I still own this Tele plus the second best guitar a Les Paul jr TV yellow double cutaway.
As far as I'm concerned, the Telecaster is the wheel. It can do anything! Love it thru my Bassman. Thanks, Uncle Leo!! Great vid as always, Zac! ✌🏻👍🏻🎸🎶🎵
I am forever a Stratocaster person. However, the song calls the guitar. And James Burton sure sold me on Telecasters back in the early '60s, with "Traveling Man" and "Hello Mary Lou" and a bunch of other great Tele twangers! I mean, I loved Ricky; but as a guitar player, you listened to him, partly just so you could hear James!
The Telecaster and all of Leo Fender's genius creations are amazing and wonderful instruments. The incredible variety of sounds they give us is the main reason why we love them. But what's really phenomenal is how Leo and his team designed and built them to such high-quality standards in that small Fullerton factory, way back in the late 1940s and early '50s. Not only did Leo understand all the intricacies of electronic design and production, he also understood production woodworking, metal machining and stamping, paint finishing, amplifier design and construction, product assembly, quality control, and marketing. On top of this add his eye-catching guitar designs marked with his striking Fender logo. When you combine all these with his business sense in promoting his name and his products to the world, you cannot understate how great this man's genius really was. The only man who equals Leo Fender in terms of creative genius in electric guitar design and innovation is Les Paul. I never cease to be in awe of their amazing achievements, and everyone else is following in their path.
I have used a lot of different guitars my 2 favorites are #1 the Telecaster #2 the Les Paul but I always go back to the Tele. For recording I love combining the Telecaster and Les Paul because of the bright dark contrast in sound, they are both great Guitars obviously!! But if I had to let one go it would be the Les Paul. There is no Guitar on earth that can get the clean sounds that a telecaster can and it can rock also!! There is nothing that a telecaster can't handle!! So for my money Telecasters rule. I been playing music since 1972 so I have been around a few guitars but nothing beats the Tele for my ears!! Great Video Zac!!
I switched over to playing a tele a lot after breaking the headstock on my Les Paul! Everything in the video is pretty much right on with what I prefer. Instead of disconnecting the tone for the neck pickup, I prefer to put an open top cover on it. To my ear it really opens the sound and I can leave the tone connected. I recommend trying it. It's the eddy currents in the bridge plate that affect the tone. I have a pile of different bridges from experimenting with it. Even more vital to the tele tone is the steel base plate on the bridge pickup. It boosts the output of the pickup, lowers the resonant peak, and as you said, it focuses the tone. More than anything, that is crucial to the traditional tele tone. That being said, I wound myself a bridge pickup where I removed the baseplate and overwound it to compensate for the reduced output. It's a nice pickup that doesn't have as much of the tele bite with a rounder tone to my ear. I love the channel, Zac. It's one of my favorites. Thanks.
I have a Strat, Tele, and for father's day my wife got me a 335 and it has always been my holy grail and man I'm gonna have to have some work done to it. I've broke 2 high E's and the high E will absolutely not stay in tune for more than a few minutes and it goes VASTLY out of tune. It also frets out on the D note on the B string on the 15th fret and it kills me. I'm hoping to be able to get it up and running but man I've been loving my Tele lately though and really consider myself a "Strat guy" but Tele's are phenomenal instruments and infinitely playable.
Oddly, considering what I wrote above ... I have always said I could go play any job with a Les Paul and a Telecaster. However, a 335 will work just fine in place of that Paul ...
DuckTalesWooHoo1987 sorry you’re having trouble with your 335 and to be honest it took me about 3 years to find a good one. It might be worth learning how to do setup work on guitars yourself. It’s not that hard and you only need a few basic tools. Unless it needs a fret level or something drastic like a twisted neck you should be able to get your 335 up and running by adjusting the truss rod and adjusting string height on the bridge.
@@matthewcasey4795 Yeah actually I changed the strings on it the other day and even that has made an ENORMOUS difference. I'm in TN and it came from TX and I'm really curious if the change in environments didn't mess with it a little bit initially. It is staying in tune MUCH better but I still have a couple of fret issues that I'm gonna have looked at. Oddly enough, I got diagnosed with the stupid coronavirus Saturday aaaaaaand so now I'm at home until at least July 4th. When it rains it pours!
When I had to cut down my guitar collection ,I settled on 3 acoustics (of different flavours) and a pair of Telecaster's ,I've never regretted the choice
Zac I have a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom, it's a great guitar and I upgraded the hardware like the brass saddles, pots, selector switch etc.... But I put a Seymour Duncan SSL-4 Quarter Pound in the bridge which is actually a True Single Coil but it's really, really hot. But I love that Tele...it's not 100% a pure traditional Tele because of the Seymour Duncan SSL-4 Quarter Pound but everything else is very, very Tele-esque. I have another Telecaster a MIM Fender Tele but it has a humbucker in the bridge.
All I can say is Albert Collins (Ice Man), and Vince Gill, Prince, Waylon Jennings, some of few favorite guitarists. Tele Tele Tele and it took me a while about 19 years before I found the right one for me even though I started on acoustic and a Strat. But just drawn to that Tele Vibe. She is named after my Fiancée Rachel - a beautiful black guard tobacco burst American Fender Tele with CS Texas Specials. Had some vintage pickups but quickly changed them out.
The Telecaster is the only guitar that can make the "bucket of cow" sound as depicted at 5:42 "Bucket-a-cow, Bucket-a-cow, Bucket-a-cow" I told that to our Tele playing guitar player and he knew EXACTLY what I meant
100% agree, Zac! The Tele is the perfect machine. I have other guitars and I play them occasionally for a little variety, (and to justify their purchase!!!) but I would rather be playing my Tele! Thanks!
The Telecaster is my go to electric, it's a smooth transition from acoustic and back at gigs, the feel and string tension. I love the balance and the fact it's virtually indestructible, break a string ( seldom ) just keep going as it stays in tune. So many tones and awesome harmonics. I bought a used 1967 Telecaster in about 1973 because I couldn't afford a new one. Best guitar I ever bought. Maple neck, maple cap fingerboard. Just sat and learnt Roy Buchanan, Albert Lee licks for ages and later Danny Gatton. Not to mention Jimmy Page played Tele on the early Zep albums. Just finished a run of theatre gigs sight reading in a musical and I barely look at the guitar it's become a part of me. So simple but perfect design. Great videos :)
Hi there Max i think you are experienced with guitars Do you think a Tele can handle the tone of BB.King? Or AC\DC? Or it's an amp,s theme? I'm semi beginner.. thanks
@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 both Angus Young and BB King both played guitars with humbucking pickups but with adjustments to the eq on an amplifier you can certainly get close. Neck pick up for BB King and bridge for the classic AC/DC riffs.. Check out the sounds that Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan got from a Telecaster. :)
Great segment Zac! I love my 2 Teles! I will share with you something I have never uttered to anyone before.... I once apologized to my Tele for considering trading her for another younger, sexier model. Yes, an act of great shame that I live with every day. Keep on pickin.
I’m going on 56 and I just picked up a cheap Harley Benton Telecaster cop that I am going to do this tone removal mod to mine. I guess I can consider this guitar my parts caster. love the channel. Thank you
Once again Sir, you are the person that convinced me to get a Tele when I get back to work. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with acoustic instruments for the moment but not losing time. Working hard on scales, harmony and chords until I'm electrified again! You've said the magic word: Pure! I feel the same way about this guitar. The line, the simplicity of controls and of course, the magic tone. Thank you for your dedication and love for this guitar and of course for your craft. When I do get my dream fulfilled, I will send you a picture. Just can't wait :) Love your vids!
My uncle had 1 of the earliest "nocasters". He had talked to Leo about that "New fangled electric thing"(The broadkaster). Leo told him they had the "new" model coming out soon. When Leo sent him his new guitar, he fell in love. Gid was about 115# soaking wet. The 1st thing he did was take a 4-in-hand file to it. He said it let him play longer w/out the pain in his body. My cousin still has that late '40's guitar. He doesn't play at all due to an accident, but he would never turn it loose. Been in love the Tele ever since.
In hindsight, I have practically stared at Telecasters every time I picked up a Strat in various music stores until five years ago and it was a Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster w/a Jazzmaster neck pickup that wasn't set up properly but I was totally floored the second time around when I played a Fender Classic 50s Telecaster at Guitar Center and it was a 50-minute experience that had me thinking of my top 3 Telecaster players from my 70s childhood (Muddy Waters, Steve Cropper and Reggie Young!) while in the meantime enjoying both pickups that instantly put me in the mind of my reconfigured Strat Special (neck positioned RWRP pickup & outer humbucker coil on 2). After it was sold the next day, I kept the faith when a black Tele stood out among a wall of Strats in a local pawnshop 3yrs ago and a used DIY Tele kit a year later that i converted to an Esquire; I actually owe my Telecaster love to my reconfigured Strat although I didn't know it 20yrs prior.
Great job packing the guitar details into this along with anecdotes and names of top players. As you point out, the Telecaster is not only all about functionality, you can play literally any style of music on it and get what you want, amazing versatility.
I am loving your content, your demeanor, and the timber of your voice. Years ago I was wildly anti-pedal/anti-effects. I especially thought klones were ridiculous. But, one day the guitarist in my band (not that it matters, I was the drummer) played one and it made the guitar sound like Stevie Nick’s voice. I went and bought one. My point is, I would/will buy whatever pedal sounds like your voice.
As a new guitarist who started on a Squire Mustang, this really helped me picking my upgrade guitar. Thought I’d be a Strat player after my idols. Now I own a player series II British Race Car Green Telecaster
I think I consider myself more of a Tele Guy at this point, but my current Rockabilly/Psychobilly/Cow Punk Band wants me to use my Strats. (Vibrato bar & they look cooler, according to the singer and bassist) But I will bring my Partscaster Tele done up like a 1956 White Guard, with 1952 Style Fender Reissue Pickups, for a few songs.
I dont have any experience with playing in a band but I dont know how that conversation plays out. Like how does anyone think they can tell someone what instrument to play?
Fun video. I enjoyed hearing you talk about how great Telecasters are. I agree with you... they're fantastic. I also think they are a great platform for modifications: tummy cuts, forearm cuts, humbuckers, compensated tuners, etc. I used to be a "Strat Guy" too, but once I started playing Teles, I couldn't put them down.
Ok, making me want another Telecaster. Had a beautiful ‘66 years ago, and had to raise some cash 😢 Been making parts-casters these days...might have to put one together 🤔 Like you, had a great player set me straight on the features that make a “real” Tele...coincidently, they match with yours. Stay safe, and keep on picking!
@@ianfreddy3804 it varies? I almost always buy Warmoth necks, because of the options, and quality. I’ll sometimes look elsewhere for the body, but Warmoth makes great stuff too. You can also buy parted bodies of Fenders, and Squires on EBay You also have ALL Parts, Stewmac, and many, many others. For my Tele project, I’m looking at Pine bodies from Spaltking out of Canada. If you are going to finish the body yourself, have more options. You will always have to do some niggling to fit stuff stuff together, but Fender licensed stuff “should” theoretically fit together. If you are building a standard Tele or Strat there’s a lot of interchangeability, just be careful to check dimensions and spacing on the parts. I usually buy pickups from Lindy Fralin, or other reputable makers. I’m sure there are cheaper options? In general knowing what you want, and getting good quality the first time IS the cheapest…never have to replace great pickups!
A Die Hard Strat lover I have come to Appreciate the Tele for it’s simplicity and Tone I find myself playing my Tele’s more and more it requires you to be more precise than any other guitar I have played. Enjoyed your vid. 👍🔥🎸🦅
I have the 2006 highway one American telecaster with the satin finish.I bought it brand new.I still love it to this day,the twangy sound and the feel of the neck is like no other.
What's truly amazing is that Leo Fender got it right the first time....way back in 1951.....and it still can't be beat today.....the year I was born....
I resisted trying a telecaster for a long time, my telecaster is the perfect Les Paul that I've been looking for after owning 11 different Les Paul's. the telecaster just can get so beautifully nasty. Les Paul's they're too heavy they don't stay in tune, the bass strings are way to bassy muddy and the high strings can get too shrill on a Les Paul, the telecaster is just more even tone wise across the strings. I somehow lost every single Les Paul all gone.
@@brbucheLes Pauls don’t stay in tune? I’ve owned LPs since the 80s and never had one that wouldn’t stay in tune. As far as LPs being to heavy I’ve had teles that weigh as much as many LPs. If you don’t like LPs that’s fine but stop with the dumb excuses.
I recently bought a used Baja Telecaster, and I just love playability of the neck. The pickups give a variety of beautiful clean sounds and will also do a humbucker from the 6 pickup settings courtesy of the ‘s’ button on this edition of this wonderful guitar. Even though I have a Gibson SG Standard, this is my ‘go to’ guitar to grab when I want to play.
Single pick up Esquire? Yes! It takes the simplicity of the Tele, and moves it a step forward. I have lusted after single pick up guitars. In my head, they are risky. If that one pick up doesn't 'work', there is nowhere else to go. If it does 'work', wow! It hasta be a beast! So well done for finding your Nirvana.
I pulled my amp out of my truck bed. The tele came with it, an electric cord pulled the case. The amp needed repair, the case had all hinges and one buckle popped. The tele fell out of the case and onto the asphalt, face down. Still in tune. Albert Lee's hot licks was my first serious introduction to the tele; I could not get that sound with my strat ('66). Found a Frankentele with a 67 maple cap in a music store for $325. Never looked back.
I love me a Tele. Just got my hands on a new American Professional about three days ago. I haven't owned one since the cheap copy I had when I was a teenager and man, it's been too long. It's a thing of beauty. The Tele is versatile despite the simplicity, but its strength is in forcing you to make good tone with your fingers, not with your fancy amp and pedals. It can't "do anything", there are times you're definitely better off with a humbucker; but what it does do is make you use what you've got.
Bought my first guitar at Clawson's! From Bubba. I am here because I just discovered the telecaster... it's like nothing else! Thank you for these videos!
Hey Zac, I'm 62 and have been a Tele guy since 1993, when my '68 Baldwin 'NuSonic' was stolen. I've been mod'ing my 90's Telecaster for 20+ years, adding a new Dimarzio 'Twang King' pickup in the neck position, and an 80's Don Lace bridge-replacement pickup added between the 2 others, with a 5-pos switch put in to accommodate having three pickups. My bridge pickup is the same as when I bought it...perfect. Chasing tone never ends and I've met so many Tele guys over the years who also self-mod their axes as I do ... perhaps another commonality between us. - BH Hart
I got my tele a few days ago. I got to pick it out for an early birthday gift. Already my favorite guitar out of my others. I find mine perfect to play for all genres of music!
The bottom plate changes the magnetitic field of the pick-up. Dylan, from Dylan talks tone explains this very well. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Stay safe and be blessed
❤🎉 I don't know if I told you this but years ago I used to use my Telecaster for everything and the band I played in and other people I jammed with loved the sound. At a certain point I got a better job and more money and decided to buy a Les Paul thinking it would be more suited to the rock songs we were playing.Well...I got the same reaction from everybody I played with(esp.the drummers),they all said" please bring your other guitar next time and leave that one at home"...😮 and I said" but it's a LesPaul ,😊😊😊what's wrong, it sounds great"... they all said "no the other one sounds so much better bring that one please"I said "ok no peoblem, I like the Telecaster better too"...
been a strat guy for 30 years and recently converted to tele after having tried goldfoil tele which I bought on the spot. Dont regret switching but gotta say I miss the trem sometimes.😞
Recent convert to Tele after iife with a strat. - changed EVERYthIng for me - love it. Leo did get it right the first time. all of a sudden i'm watching NASCAR and bass fishing contests. Will take your advice on not tone rhythm pickup - upgraded the bridge but rethinking that now.
I know ahead of time that Zack and many here will not agree with me but in my opinion a new low cost Tele and Strat are actually as good as a $3,000 electric guitar once you set them up properly. No part changes required. I have a purchased new $97 Thinline Tele from an Indonesian MFR., a $107 Fender Squier Stratocaster Bullet series that had a cracked neck that had been repaired and was sold as "repaired and a Fender Squire Affinity Telecaster that cost $250 which included a 15G Fender SS amp, Fender Gig bag, Fender Strap, Fender instrument cable and maybe a few picks and the regular Truss rod tool. I also purchased an $1,899 2017 Gibson SG STD. HP which admittedly came with a gorgeous aluminum flight case and a host of great tools and accessories, and a $1,299 2021 Gibson Les Paul Tribute. I also have a nice G&L Asat Classic Tribute series Thinline Tele for around $600 new a year ago.Yes the quality of the parts and components on the over $500 to $2,000 instruments are a higher grade, but look at the price differences! As far as playability and output and even workmanship you would be hard pressed to honestly say you can tell a difference. I don't think there actually is a real difference. So having realized this, I am very, very happy with my around $100 electric guitars. Yes I have many other electric guitars costing between $500 and $1,500 as well but they are different styles. But the point remains the same, they are not better than my @ $100 electric guitars-only different. What really matters is how often you play and I play every day and every evening and have been doing so for well over a decade. In the decades before then I was a player, just not a daily player. I gotta say "I love my electric guitars and also my 2 Thinline Tele's played unplugged. They are small, not heavy at all, comfortable and they sound good with and w/o an amp. I hope all of you enjoy your guitar playing as much as I do! - Peter age 72
Great vid! You make all very valid points on the Tele.. But a belly and arm cut would just make it more comfortable. It wont take anything away from the construction or sound or durability. When you play a guitar close to your body, the vibration travels all the way back to your fingers. Its magic.
Just about the best and most well-thought-out discussion of what makes a Telecaster such a magic guitar. How Leo and George got it so right so early is astonishing. Thanks, Zac!
I have a 52 reissue, twenty five years old. I also have a strat, 335, Les Paul. The Gibsons and the Strat are great guitars. But they are not plug in and play instruments. The controls have to be dialed in to get a good sound. The Tele works no matter how the controls are set. There just isn't a bad sound on that guitar. The compensated bridge is a must have. And I would prefer meatier frets. But the skinny frets are part of its personality.
I totally agree, I love to telecaster for some of its simplistic aspects, no tremlo to deal with lets you concentrate on playing more, I totally agree the bridge and the saddles doing all the parts are combined something different
I am mainly a bassplayer and play guitar mostly at home. Lately I have been thinking about getting a Tele. I'm glad I found your videos. Amazingly informative.
When I first started playing, I wanted a Rickenbacker like John Lennon but at one of our rehearsals a kid came with a Telecaster handed down to him from his family. His conviction about a Telecaster influenced me and I switched. In my hometown there was a guy who played a Broadcaster through a Vox AC 30 who I admired and reinforced my love of a Telecaster. Put a brass old style bridge on my 64 Tele and dome knobs purchased through Guitar Player Magazine.
I started playing the telecaster in 1963, at the age of 9, because of James Burton's playing in the Ricky Nelson band at the end of Ozzie and Harriet TV shows. I've owned a lot of different guitars over the years but the one I've owned the longest and play the most is a '52 blackguard. I still love Ricky Nelson, RIP, and James Burton.
Thank you so much.. your video came up because I’m searching for a telecaster. I’m trying to figure out, which is the right one now after watching your video, I know I’m gonna go with a standard telecaster. This is by far the best explanation - I should say down home explanation on why the telecaster. very much appreciated.
About 9 years ago I went into a really nice guitar store in Kentucky looking for a new strat. I played a couple that were $5k, I played some that were cheaper. Then I tried a '51 Nocaster reissue. I didnt think I'd like it, but it was so cool looking with the Mary Kaye white, black guard, and the neck humbucker (mixed feelings). I didnt like that it was a relic, either. I just loved it, and still do. After years of playing dreadnought acoustic, I dont think that the lack of contours is a deal breaker. It sits on your leg and stays there. Problem is, I now have a hard time with anything but that huge baseball bat neck - way more comfortable.
I have always loved strats. But recently I have done a lot of listening to tele players. The sound is remarkably different. Somehow telecasters have a much more forthright, assertive tone - even clean - which I have come to love. Mind you, I will forever adore glassy out of phase tones from my strat, but I think I may be a convert to the telecaster. (I have a LP also but it has never worked for me. Not enough twang.)
Great video , well done on describing the attriibutes of a Leo Fender masterpiece . Been playing Tele's for many years and i find the " bare bones " character of the guitar makes you play with less fluff and a little more grit and dig in .
When I was 14, I played 4 nights a week in a teen-band; on Great Navy Base. In North Chicago, Illinois. I saved my money and bought a new 1969 Les Paul Custom. I did that all thru high school. I had the best equipment, and more money than I could spend. Great days! Buying gear with playing-money is great.
Brad played the North American Livestock "Sale of Champions" in Louisville KY around 2002 or 03 - He had one maybe two songs on the radio- I was standing next to Coyote Calhoun when Brad said " we've never played this in front of people before - we been goofing around with it ...." The Fishing Song - Coyote and i both looked at each other and at the very same instant said - " That's a Hit !!" Brad was very nice to us that Thursday night in the South Wing of the Fairgrounds in Louisville - A few months later at the Ky State Fair he sold out Freedom Hall -
I got a Nash Telecaster a year ago. To be honest I'm still waiting to be converted. It is my first choice to take anywhere. It's very versatile, sounds great, and I wish it was all I wanted. Maybe one day it will be. But I still grab a Gibson when I want a certain raunchy bridge pickup sound. I still pick up my Strat when I want that bluesy neck pickup sound. (And when I do its like putting on an old pair of slippers; I have to disagree that the contours aren't more comfortable.) To me the Tele is a jack of all trades, and you know the second half of that line.
My first guitar over 20 years ago was a red Mexican tele. I had several other guitars over the years and always regarded my tele as some how less than the other guitars I had since it was so cheap and my first. When I went to college and mostly quit playing I sold everything I had except my Jazz bass and telecaster. I guess I had at some time moved passed the notion It was less than since it never gave me any problems and playing it for 15 years it just felt right in my hands. Then maybe 5 years ago i started playing more again and got really into Americana and country and the blues and really started learning about the electric guitar as its on thing and not just a louder acoustic like o had always thought of it. I thought I wanted to get a new guitar but the more I looked the more I realized that tele I’d had all that time was literally the perfect guitar and I had been dumb and didn’t know what I had the whole time. I did eventually get a newish guitar, epiphone Sheraton 2 which is basically a slightly more jangly es-335 and I love it, it does all the things the tele doesn’t want to do, but that tele will forever by my number one. I’ve been wanting to get a nice American made or maybe even a used custom shop tele for sometime but I still haven’t found one I like better than the one my dad bought me 20 years ago for $100. Guitars are magical things I’ve never named an instrument or anything like that and I beat the shit out of all my stuff and have never thought of them as anything more than a tool like a hammer, but I’m slowly coming around to the idea that there is real magic in a good guitar.
How cool. I was lucky to visit Cotten Music in the old location. Pete Huttlinger introduced me to Darcy (the inspiration for his song “Darcy’s Guitar”). What a cool old shop. Stacked to the ceiling and a story behind every instrument. How many musicians were touched by Cotten over the years in that weird little shop?
I have a black 2015 MX standard tele that I bought a few years back. Dressed it up with a pearl pickguard and locking tuners with Texas Special pickups. I'm not a great player, but I can pick a few things out on it. I've sold it to others twice and bought it back twice because I've missed it so. Nothing else sounds like it, and I will NEVER part with it again! In fact, it might go in the ground with me one day! LOL Not as special as the Teles you've discussed here today, but it's still awfully special to me! New subscriber since finding this video! I'll be back!
Right on Zac! After almost 40 years of playing Telecasters my findings are identical to yours! I have a bunch of different guitars but I find the Tele runs the gamut from Jazz a la Jimmy Bryant through all the Country and R&B greats, Danny Gatton to the hard Rock of Jimmy Page with early Led Zep to newer metal a la Richie Kotzen.
![Let's Talk About Fender Telecasters [And T-Shaped Objects £139 - £Thousands] - That Pedal Show](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2TTeJtjJd5Y/mqdefault.jpg)
And I pulled out my Tele for my video this week....coincidence(?) or the universe speaking truth?
Brother, soon you will only have a Tele-style......
five watt world
NAH
YOU TWO ARE JUST READING WHAT'S LEFT OF MY MIND
CARLOS GUITARLOS 90042
Every time he name drops I check them out on Spotify and read on Wikipedia. Takes me hours sometimes to make it through one 20 minute video on TH-cam and that’s if I even finish it because I go down a rabbit hole and never come back.
@@jsdhesmith2011 We are cut from the same cloth
@@AskZac What modern maker would you recomend that runs close to how you like your telecaster set up? So one can just buy it that way?
I don’t need to watch this video as I already know that the tele is the best guitar.... I just come for the validation 🤣
Join us!
Opinions are like....
Well, everyone has one. And that’s just fine. But it doesn’t make it so. Some folks love them. Others not so much. I personally don’t care as many ch for them as strat style guitars. But then, that’s just another opinion.
Same here, I have three teles and always tell anyone who'll listen that they need a tele... but I love to watch these videos that validate my opinion!!
Preach it man!
Dang right!!!
I bought my Tele in 1967 . I still have it. I still play it. It has been the most reliable, stable and durable guitar. Stays in tune for months. 👍🎶
I think overall it is astounding how many things Fender got just about perfect: The Telecaster, Stratocaster, the Precision bass, the Jazz bass, plus the Bassman and deluxe, deluxe reverb and all the other amps. Not too many companies in music manufacturing have that scope of victories.
The jazzmaster is pretty good as well!
Leo Fender was a genius. Besides the incredible 6-year span of products that are treasured until this day, the guy created the manufacturing tools and techniques, the image and branding that also live on.
@@marco-vn8si and Jaguar
Not "all the other" amps but yea. The Tele is the best though - everything else has been improved by others and you can buy a "better" one from another brand.
I mean...Gibson..🤷♂️
Also...J
Ibanez, PRS...just about anyknosn brand has a host of successes. In fact, it is requisite to their survival.
There are lots of great guitars and people have their own favorites, but I agree with Zac, the Telecaster is the greatest guitar design ever. Simple, sturdy, beautiful, and way more versatile than many people realize. And when you think how little the original design has changed since its inception decades ago, it's really truly amazing.
I’ve seen a Tele dropped down a flight of stairs to the gasps and screams of utter terror.
Picked up off the landing, tuned back up and spend the entire night on stage working flawlessly.
PS- during your intro to every video I’m constantly reminded of a Clapton tune from “No Reason to Cry”.
I’m sure you know it too. 😊
Since about 1964 until his death last year in 2019, my father owned about 70 guitars. I reckon 65 of them were telecasters
I have heard it said that you can never have too many Telecasters.
@@ashen_ofc My dad died over a year ago and I play left handed, so we sold all but two guitars. Sorry,.
@@shanewalton8888easy to modify them to lefty
Thank you for giving Mr Albert Lee some recognition. He does not get nearly as much as he deserves.
Amer Sir!
👍
One thing I’ve always said about a tele is that it makes you a better guitar player. Playing a Les Paul or other humbucking guitars can be so fat they hide your mistakes, but on a tele, every note gets heard! I have a love for the Tele like I never will with any other type of guitar.
The Tele and its raw, simple design is in a way unforgiving...it forces you to be disciplined and keeps your playing honest. Thanks Zac for your program and insight!
You can say the same thing about a Les Paul jr.
I’ve heard this repeated over and over and still have no idea what it means. How is a Tele more “unforgiving” than a Strat? Strings are more difficult to bend in tune on a Strat.
Cedar Bay I would say they’re both very similar, same scale length and neck radiuses. Maybe the Strat yields a little more when bending and the tremolo isn’t blocked?
@@cedarbay3994 I own and play every of the famous guitar "designs"... and yes, to me at least, the Tele is the most unforgiving guitar to play and yet one of the most rewarding of them all.
@@cedarbay3994 Unforgiving to me means that even though a guitar can be easy to play, once you play a clam or bad note, it's painfully obvious.
A Tele is all you need .Many consider it a country guitar but it is so much more . Leo got it right the first time and has hypnotizing beauty to boot
It’s so simple design, but it forces you to become a better player to tame.it. I have three and love them all.
One guitar to rule them all!! Fender Telecaster! The Stones got a hundred killer tunes out of Keith’s tele! Great show 🎉
Hated the Tele in the 80s but I realized soon after that was because I wasn’t good enough make it sound good. It didn’t have the high gain Humbuckers with my excessive distortion to cover my weaknesses. Then around 1990 I woke up and the Tele made me a real player.
Hi there
A Tele makes you real player?
Or around 90 you were indeed a real player?
@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 The Tele helps because it exposes you. The clarity it has also shows flaws, like Hi-def does with skin on the TV. When I played the Tele I had to pay closer attention to the nuance of the notes.
@@frozendivots1564 thank you frozen
I'm trying to understand in theoretical stadium
You helped me
@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 look at a Tele like a hi-def guitar. Leo Fender called it more ‘percussive’
I agree, takes awhile before the clarity of the tele clicks.
Also I think finding the right tele is essential.
Keith Williams AKA. Five Watt World did an item "How many guitars do you need" answer just the one -- a Tele. My first electric guitar was/ is a Fenix Tele over the years I've modded it this way and that but now it's back in a conventional Tele set up and if the house was on fire it would be the first thing I'd run for. It's not a vintage Fender it didn't cost mega bucks ( or pounds should I say over here) but it plays sweet and is like an old friend . Thanks again for the periods of calm sanity you bring during these troubled times we seem to be enduring at the moment .
Thank you
I've been playing a Tele for about 50 years and I still learned something about them from this video. I've tried dozens of other electrics and I do own a Strat and a Les Paul, but the Tele is what i pick up to play 90% of the time. If the house was on fire I'd grab my Tele and my Martin and that is all I would need.
Started playing guitar in '77. First "real" guitar - a '95 Strat Plus. Later a PRS24 and a Gretch hollowbody. About six month's ago I got a Player series Tele after playing one in a shop and loving the sound and the neck feel with the glossy top/satin back and the neck shape being really close to my Strat. (really bad - so NOT set up of of the box - but I sorted that out) Since then I mostly play the Tele. After seeing this video a couple weeks ago I picked up a standard bridge and compensated brass saddles(less than $25 for both on ebay) and I am really loving this guitar. Next week I'm adding locking tuners because I like them. They're a favorite feature on my Strat. I added a three string tree to stop a ringy G behind the nut and some super knurly knobs bringing my total spending on this to $730, which suits my budget. Love playing it through my kit built five watt tube amp - no effects - just a cable and all the Tele techniques I can pick up from youtube. Yeeeeeeehah!
Cool quiet morning, sitting on my patio, sipping coffee from my just arrived "Ask Zac" mug and watching your latest video. Great morning! Thanks for all you do Zac!
Thanks for keeping the channel going!!!
I’m a tele guy but a hard tail strat is perfect
Exactly!
Just put a steel plate on the bridge pickup.....
Decking a Strat makes the Strat lose all of the charm of the original brilliant design. The sound of a floating trem Strat is beautiful but I realize a lot of players go for the horny SRV style of over-the-top bluesing.
Once I got my first Tele...that was it! Still is THE guitar for me.
Arguably, the Telecaster bridge pickup could be the best/most versatile p.u. invented, if you had to have just one p.u., but on the other hand, virtuoso guitarists such as Hendrix, Beck, Clapton and Malmsteen choose the Stratocaster, because of it's sonic versatility and focused sound, especially at high volumes. The Telecaster is a workhorse, but the Stratocaster is a thoroughbred.
My guitar hero is Leo Fender. He brought the guitar out of the stone age. Ergonomics, neck access, real fretboards and pickups that do everything. Back in the day, LP's represented old school, period. I watched Les Paul and Mary Ford do their pitter patter and although I liked their workmanship and love of the guitar, I didn't care for the dull lack of musicality the LP had. I have 50+ guitars of most all types for gigs and recordings and noodling. 70% or so of my time is spent playing my teles and 20% strats on multiple genre recordings. If I blast off for Mars, they better put enough fuel in the boosters to haul my tele too! Thanks Zac!
I am a big Leo fan too, have you read his biography written by wife Phyllis? It's a tremendous read if you haven't yet.
@@TheRevDr No! Thank you. I will!
@@johnwelch557 It is a treasure of stories about Leo, it only cemented my immense respect for him. I plan to do some videos on Leo's life and so forth at some point. Just getting my channel going. Enjoy the book if you get a chance to read it, it's wonderful.
Hey, I just did a short little video on fingernail grooming for my in development intro guitar course and I included a fun anecdote from the biography about when Phyllis asked Leo about inventing a guitar that would allow her to keep her long fingernails: th-cam.com/video/h5362fXgwjs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=0LUz3IaGq5iQcz_l
Thank you for your advice on Tele modifications- great info. Was a strat guy for 30 years... I have matured to understand the “ genius of simplicity” - the Tele is glorious-
Cool!
One of the many good reasons to play a Telecaster, it will always cut through even in a big band.
When I started playing guitar I was a Status Quo fan so no question which guitar I wanted so bad.
I still own this Tele plus the second best guitar a Les Paul jr TV yellow double cutaway.
As far as I'm concerned, the Telecaster is the wheel. It can do anything! Love it thru my Bassman. Thanks, Uncle Leo!! Great vid as always, Zac! ✌🏻👍🏻🎸🎶🎵
You bet!
I am forever a Stratocaster person. However, the song calls the guitar. And James Burton sure sold me on Telecasters back in the early '60s, with "Traveling Man" and "Hello Mary Lou" and a bunch of other great Tele twangers! I mean, I loved Ricky; but as a guitar player, you listened to him, partly just so you could hear James!
The Telecaster and all of Leo Fender's genius creations are amazing and wonderful instruments. The incredible variety of sounds they give us is the main reason why we love them. But what's really phenomenal is how Leo and his team designed and built them to such high-quality standards in that small Fullerton factory, way back in the late 1940s and early '50s. Not only did Leo understand all the intricacies of electronic design and production, he also understood production woodworking, metal machining and stamping, paint finishing, amplifier design and construction, product assembly, quality control, and marketing. On top of this add his eye-catching guitar designs marked with his striking Fender logo. When you combine all these with his business sense in promoting his name and his products to the world, you cannot understate how great this man's genius really was. The only man who equals Leo Fender in terms of creative genius in electric guitar design and innovation is Les Paul. I never cease to be in awe of their amazing achievements, and everyone else is following in their path.
I have used a lot of different guitars my 2 favorites are #1 the Telecaster #2 the Les Paul but I always go back to the Tele. For recording I love combining the Telecaster and Les Paul because of the bright dark contrast in sound, they are both great Guitars obviously!! But if I had to let one go it would be the Les Paul. There is no Guitar on earth that can get the clean sounds that a telecaster can and it can rock also!! There is nothing that a telecaster can't handle!! So for my money Telecasters rule. I been playing music since 1972 so I have been around a few guitars but nothing beats the Tele for my ears!! Great
Video Zac!!
I switched over to playing a tele a lot after breaking the headstock on my Les Paul!
Everything in the video is pretty much right on with what I prefer. Instead of disconnecting the tone for the neck pickup, I prefer to put an open top cover on it. To my ear it really opens the sound and I can leave the tone connected. I recommend trying it.
It's the eddy currents in the bridge plate that affect the tone. I have a pile of different bridges from experimenting with it. Even more vital to the tele tone is the steel base plate on the bridge pickup. It boosts the output of the pickup, lowers the resonant peak, and as you said, it focuses the tone. More than anything, that is crucial to the traditional tele tone. That being said, I wound myself a bridge pickup where I removed the baseplate and overwound it to compensate for the reduced output. It's a nice pickup that doesn't have as much of the tele bite with a rounder tone to my ear.
I love the channel, Zac. It's one of my favorites. Thanks.
All you need is a tele. And a 335. But you NEED a tele.
I have a Strat, Tele, and for father's day my wife got me a 335 and it has always been my holy grail and man I'm gonna have to have some work done to it. I've broke 2 high E's and the high E will absolutely not stay in tune for more than a few minutes and it goes VASTLY out of tune. It also frets out on the D note on the B string on the 15th fret and it kills me. I'm hoping to be able to get it up and running but man I've been loving my Tele lately though and really consider myself a "Strat guy" but Tele's are phenomenal instruments and infinitely playable.
Oddly, considering what I wrote above ... I have always said I could go play any job with a Les Paul and a Telecaster. However, a 335 will work just fine in place of that Paul ...
DuckTalesWooHoo1987 sorry you’re having trouble with your 335 and to be honest it took me about 3 years to find a good one. It might be worth learning how to do setup work on guitars yourself. It’s not that hard and you only need a few basic tools. Unless it needs a fret level or something drastic like a twisted neck you should be able to get your 335 up and running by adjusting the truss rod and adjusting string height on the bridge.
@@matthewcasey4795 Yeah actually I changed the strings on it the other day and even that has made an ENORMOUS difference. I'm in TN and it came from TX and I'm really curious if the change in environments didn't mess with it a little bit initially. It is staying in tune MUCH better but I still have a couple of fret issues that I'm gonna have looked at. Oddly enough, I got diagnosed with the stupid coronavirus Saturday aaaaaaand so now I'm at home until at least July 4th. When it rains it pours!
When I had to cut down my guitar collection ,I settled on 3 acoustics (of different flavours) and a pair of Telecaster's ,I've never regretted the choice
Teles are great guitars no doubt I own one and love playing it but I feel the same way about Strats. Fender is the best period.
Zac I have a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom, it's a great guitar and I upgraded the hardware like the brass saddles, pots, selector switch etc.... But I put a Seymour Duncan SSL-4 Quarter Pound in the bridge which is actually a True Single Coil but it's really, really hot. But I love that Tele...it's not 100% a pure traditional Tele because of the Seymour Duncan SSL-4 Quarter Pound but everything else is very, very Tele-esque. I have another Telecaster a MIM Fender Tele but it has a humbucker in the bridge.
All I can say is Albert Collins (Ice Man), and Vince Gill, Prince, Waylon Jennings, some of few favorite guitarists. Tele Tele Tele and it took me a while about 19 years before I found the right one for me even though I started on acoustic and a Strat. But just drawn to that Tele Vibe. She is named after my Fiancée Rachel - a beautiful black guard tobacco burst American Fender Tele with CS Texas Specials. Had some vintage pickups but quickly changed them out.
The Telecaster is the only guitar that can make the "bucket of cow" sound as depicted at 5:42 "Bucket-a-cow, Bucket-a-cow, Bucket-a-cow"
I told that to our Tele playing guitar player and he knew EXACTLY what I meant
Never thought I’d own a tele. Now I’m so happy I’ve come around and bought my first one. Favorite guitar I’ve ever played.
100% agree, Zac! The Tele is the perfect machine. I have other guitars and I play them occasionally for a little variety, (and to justify their purchase!!!) but I would rather be playing my Tele! Thanks!
Couldn't agree more!
The Telecaster is my go to electric, it's a smooth transition from acoustic and back at gigs, the feel and string tension. I love the balance and the fact it's virtually indestructible, break a string ( seldom ) just keep going as it stays in tune. So many tones and awesome harmonics. I bought a used 1967 Telecaster in about 1973 because I couldn't afford a new one. Best guitar I ever bought. Maple neck, maple cap fingerboard. Just sat and learnt Roy Buchanan, Albert Lee licks for ages and later Danny Gatton. Not to mention Jimmy Page played Tele on the early Zep albums. Just finished a run of theatre gigs sight reading in a musical and I barely look at the guitar it's become a part of me. So simple but perfect design. Great videos :)
Hi there
Max i think you are experienced with guitars
Do you think a Tele can handle the tone of BB.King? Or AC\DC?
Or it's an amp,s theme?
I'm semi beginner.. thanks
@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 both Angus Young and BB King both played guitars with humbucking pickups but with adjustments to the eq on an amplifier you can certainly get close. Neck pick up for BB King and bridge for the classic AC/DC riffs.. Check out the sounds that Danny Gatton and Roy Buchanan got from a Telecaster. :)
@@maxmilligan8734 thank you Max Milligan
I'm impressed with Roy
I also like the style of Robben Ford
@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 yes I used to love teaching his Start it Up solo.
Great segment Zac! I love my 2 Teles! I will share with you something I have never uttered to anyone before.... I once apologized to my Tele for considering trading her for another younger, sexier model. Yes, an act of great shame that I live with every day. Keep on pickin.
I’m going on 56 and I just picked up a cheap Harley Benton Telecaster cop that I am going to do this tone removal mod to mine. I guess I can consider this guitar my parts caster. love the channel. Thank you
I have 3 fender tele at this point and I never use the bridge position. That neck position is just too perfect for me.
Once again Sir, you are the person that convinced me to get a Tele when I get back to work. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with acoustic instruments for the moment but not losing time. Working hard on scales, harmony and chords until I'm electrified again! You've said the magic word: Pure! I feel the same way about this guitar. The line, the simplicity of controls and of course, the magic tone. Thank you for your dedication and love for this guitar and of course for your craft. When I do get my dream fulfilled, I will send you a picture. Just can't wait :) Love your vids!
Thank you
I think the electric guitar, generally, is one of the greatest human inventions.
My uncle had 1 of the earliest "nocasters". He had talked to Leo about that "New fangled electric thing"(The broadkaster). Leo told him they had the "new" model coming out soon. When Leo sent him his new guitar, he fell in love. Gid was about 115# soaking wet. The 1st thing he did was take a 4-in-hand file to it. He said it let him play longer w/out the pain in his body. My cousin still has that late '40's guitar. He doesn't play at all due to an accident, but he would never turn it loose. Been in love the Tele ever since.
Love my Teles. I will say the output jack is definately the weakest part of the design.
In hindsight, I have practically stared at Telecasters every time I picked up a Strat in various music stores until five years ago and it was a Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster w/a Jazzmaster neck pickup that wasn't set up properly but I was totally floored the second time around when I played a Fender Classic 50s Telecaster at Guitar Center and it was a 50-minute experience that had me thinking of my top 3 Telecaster players from my 70s childhood (Muddy Waters, Steve Cropper and Reggie Young!) while in the meantime enjoying both pickups that instantly put me in the mind of my reconfigured Strat Special (neck positioned RWRP pickup & outer humbucker coil on 2). After it was sold the next day, I kept the faith when a black Tele stood out among a wall of Strats in a local pawnshop 3yrs ago and a used DIY Tele kit a year later that i converted to an Esquire; I actually owe my Telecaster love to my reconfigured Strat although I didn't know it 20yrs prior.
I’m here because I already know that Telecasters are the best guitar.
Great job packing the guitar details into this along with anecdotes and names of top players. As you point out, the Telecaster is not only all about functionality, you can play literally any style of music on it and
get what you want, amazing versatility.
I am loving your content, your demeanor, and the timber of your voice. Years ago I was wildly anti-pedal/anti-effects. I especially thought klones were ridiculous. But, one day the guitarist in my band (not that it matters, I was the drummer) played one and it made the guitar sound like Stevie Nick’s voice. I went and bought one. My point is, I would/will buy whatever pedal sounds like your voice.
They make a goat pedal?
s
Stevie Nick's voice is sublimeeeeee......
As a new guitarist who started on a Squire Mustang, this really helped me picking my upgrade guitar. Thought I’d be a Strat player after my idols. Now I own a player series II British Race Car Green Telecaster
I think I consider myself more of a Tele Guy at this point, but my current Rockabilly/Psychobilly/Cow Punk Band wants me to use my Strats. (Vibrato bar & they look cooler, according to the singer and bassist) But I will bring my Partscaster Tele done up like a 1956 White Guard, with 1952 Style Fender Reissue Pickups, for a few songs.
I dont have any experience with playing in a band but I dont know how that conversation plays out. Like how does anyone think they can tell someone what instrument to play?
@@smackyfrog6046 In a studio where a producer wants a specific sound, sure.
Don't listen to em. The Tele looks cool AF and is perfect for that style of music.
Don’t you need a Gretsch for psycho billy?
Fun video. I enjoyed hearing you talk about how great Telecasters are. I agree with you... they're fantastic. I also think they are a great platform for modifications: tummy cuts, forearm cuts, humbuckers, compensated tuners, etc. I used to be a "Strat Guy" too, but once I started playing Teles, I couldn't put them down.
Ok, making me want another Telecaster. Had a beautiful ‘66 years ago, and had to raise some cash 😢
Been making parts-casters these days...might have to put one together 🤔
Like you, had a great player set me straight on the features that make a “real” Tele...coincidently, they match with yours.
Stay safe, and keep on picking!
Where are you buying parts from
? Want to build my own.
@@ianfreddy3804 it varies? I almost always buy Warmoth necks, because of the options, and quality. I’ll sometimes look elsewhere for the body, but Warmoth makes great stuff too. You can also buy parted bodies of Fenders, and Squires on EBay You also have ALL Parts, Stewmac, and many, many others.
For my Tele project, I’m looking at Pine bodies from Spaltking out of Canada. If you are going to finish the body yourself, have more options.
You will always have to do some niggling to fit stuff stuff together, but Fender licensed stuff “should” theoretically fit together.
If you are building a standard Tele or Strat there’s a lot of interchangeability, just be careful to check dimensions and spacing on the parts. I usually buy pickups from Lindy Fralin, or other reputable makers. I’m sure there are cheaper options?
In general knowing what you want, and getting good quality the first time IS the cheapest…never have to replace great pickups!
A Die Hard Strat lover I have come to Appreciate the Tele for it’s simplicity and Tone I find myself playing my Tele’s more and more it requires you to be more precise than any other guitar I have played. Enjoyed your vid. 👍🔥🎸🦅
I like the fact that there´s no middle pickup on the tele.More room to pick.
That's one big reason I prefer the Tele to the Strat.
Agree 💯 but/& my favorite guitar is an old overwound esquire! Bam! 💥
If the US army had to issue electric guitars to its troops, It would be a Telecaster
I have the 2006 highway one American telecaster with the satin finish.I bought it brand new.I still love it to this day,the twangy sound and the feel of the neck is like no other.
I’m from Texas and love Teles too. No wonder I’m also a jerk 🤣
Hello Brother!
What's truly amazing is that Leo Fender got it right the first time....way back in 1951.....and it still can't be beat today.....the year I was born....
I still like my Les Paul with coil splits and phase reverse. But that's just me.
I resisted trying a telecaster for a long time, my telecaster is the perfect Les Paul that I've been looking for after owning 11 different Les Paul's. the telecaster just can get so beautifully nasty. Les Paul's they're too heavy they don't stay in tune, the bass strings are way to bassy muddy and the high strings can get too shrill on a Les Paul, the telecaster is just more even tone wise across the strings. I somehow lost every single Les Paul all gone.
Play whatever you want.
As long as you don't take anything for granted.
As long as you don't hurt
anyone who likes a
certain brand of guitars.
Don't make it into a
club.
@@brbucheLes Pauls don’t stay in tune? I’ve owned LPs since the 80s and never had one that wouldn’t stay in tune. As far as LPs being to heavy I’ve had teles that weigh as much as many LPs. If you don’t like LPs that’s fine but stop with the dumb excuses.
I recently bought a used Baja Telecaster, and I just love playability of the neck.
The pickups give a variety of beautiful clean sounds and will also do a humbucker from the 6 pickup settings courtesy of the ‘s’ button on this edition of this wonderful guitar.
Even though I have a Gibson SG Standard, this is my ‘go to’ guitar to grab when I want to play.
Very cool!
I dunno. The Esquire is a contender 🤭
Single pick up Esquire? Yes! It takes the simplicity of the Tele, and moves it a step forward. I have lusted after single pick up guitars. In my head, they are risky. If that one pick up doesn't 'work', there is nowhere else to go. If it does 'work', wow! It hasta be a beast! So well done for finding your Nirvana.
I pulled my amp out of my truck bed. The tele came with it, an electric cord pulled the case. The amp needed repair, the case had all hinges and one buckle popped. The tele fell out of the case and onto the asphalt, face down. Still in tune.
Albert Lee's hot licks was my first serious introduction to the tele; I could not get that sound with my strat ('66). Found a Frankentele with a 67 maple cap in a music store for $325. Never looked back.
Imagine your best friend being Brad Paisley.
I would certainly say friend.
Simple, almost indestructible and so incredibly versatile. That’s the fender telecaster. Good video. Thanks👍🏻
You bet!
I love me a Tele. Just got my hands on a new American Professional about three days ago. I haven't owned one since the cheap copy I had when I was a teenager and man, it's been too long. It's a thing of beauty.
The Tele is versatile despite the simplicity, but its strength is in forcing you to make good tone with your fingers, not with your fancy amp and pedals. It can't "do anything", there are times you're definitely better off with a humbucker; but what it does do is make you use what you've got.
Bought my first guitar at Clawson's! From Bubba. I am here because I just discovered the telecaster... it's like nothing else! Thank you for these videos!
Please tell them hello
Hey Zac, I'm 62 and have been a Tele guy since 1993, when my '68 Baldwin 'NuSonic' was stolen. I've been mod'ing my 90's Telecaster for 20+ years, adding a new Dimarzio 'Twang King' pickup in the neck position, and an 80's Don Lace bridge-replacement pickup added between the 2 others, with a 5-pos switch put in to accommodate having three pickups. My bridge pickup is the same as when I bought it...perfect. Chasing tone never ends and I've met so many Tele guys over the years who also self-mod their axes as I do ... perhaps another commonality between us. - BH Hart
Great episode! To me, a Tele is not a Tele unless it has only three saddles.
I got my tele a few days ago. I got to pick it out for an early birthday gift. Already my favorite guitar out of my others. I find mine perfect to play for all genres of music!
The bottom plate changes the magnetitic field of the pick-up. Dylan, from Dylan talks tone explains this very well. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Stay safe and be blessed
When I was teenager I tuned my A string to Lay Down Sally on Just One Night.
Wow, pickup plate, bridge, saddles, great story, thanks Zac!
❤🎉 I don't know if I told you this but years ago I used to use my Telecaster for everything and the band I played in and other people I jammed with loved the sound. At a certain point I got a better job and more money and decided to buy a Les Paul thinking it would be more suited to the rock songs we were playing.Well...I got the same reaction from everybody I played with(esp.the drummers),they all said" please bring your other guitar next time and leave that one at home"...😮 and I said" but it's a LesPaul ,😊😊😊what's wrong, it sounds great"... they all said "no the other one sounds so much better bring that one please"I said "ok no peoblem, I like the Telecaster better too"...
been a strat guy for 30 years and recently converted to tele after having tried goldfoil tele which I bought on the spot. Dont regret switching but gotta say I miss the trem sometimes.😞
Recent convert to Tele after iife with a strat. - changed EVERYthIng for me - love it. Leo did get it right the first time. all of a sudden i'm watching NASCAR and bass fishing contests. Will take your advice on not tone rhythm pickup - upgraded the bridge but rethinking that now.
Good stuff!
What an interesting discussion. Very glad I listened. I learned some things to think about. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I know ahead of time that Zack and many here will not agree with me but in my opinion a new low cost Tele and Strat are actually as good as a $3,000 electric guitar once you set them up properly. No part changes required. I have a purchased new $97 Thinline Tele from an Indonesian MFR., a $107 Fender Squier Stratocaster Bullet series that had a cracked neck that had been repaired and was sold as "repaired and a Fender Squire Affinity Telecaster that cost $250 which included a 15G Fender SS amp, Fender Gig bag, Fender Strap, Fender instrument cable and maybe a few picks and the regular Truss rod tool. I also purchased an $1,899 2017 Gibson SG STD. HP which admittedly came with a gorgeous aluminum flight case and a host of great tools and accessories, and a $1,299 2021 Gibson Les Paul Tribute. I also have a nice G&L Asat Classic Tribute series Thinline Tele for around $600 new a year ago.Yes the quality of the parts and components on the over $500 to $2,000 instruments are a higher grade, but look at the price differences! As far as playability and output and even workmanship you would be hard pressed to honestly say you can tell a difference. I don't think there actually is a real difference. So having realized this, I am very, very happy with my around $100 electric guitars. Yes I have many other electric guitars costing between $500 and $1,500 as well but they are different styles. But the point remains the same, they are not better than my @ $100 electric guitars-only different. What really matters is how often you play and I play every day and every evening and have been doing so for well over a decade. In the decades before then I was a player, just not a daily player. I gotta say "I love my electric guitars and also my 2 Thinline Tele's played unplugged. They are small, not heavy at all, comfortable and they sound good with and w/o an amp. I hope all of you enjoy your guitar playing as much as I do! - Peter age 72
Great vid! You make all very valid points on the Tele.. But a belly and arm cut would just make it more comfortable. It wont take anything away from the construction or sound or durability. When you play a guitar close to your body, the vibration travels all the way back to your fingers. Its magic.
Good point!
Just about the best and most well-thought-out discussion of what makes a Telecaster such a magic guitar. How Leo and George got it so right so early is astonishing. Thanks, Zac!
Thank you!
RIP Danny Gatton. :-( He made me want to own a tele. Now I have three of them. Thumbs up for the tele & your channel !
Thanks! Huge Danny fan
I have a 52 reissue, twenty five years old. I also have a strat, 335, Les Paul. The Gibsons and the Strat are great guitars. But they are not plug in and play instruments. The controls have to be dialed in to get a good sound. The Tele works no matter how the controls are set. There just isn't a bad sound on that guitar. The compensated bridge is a must have. And I would prefer meatier frets. But the skinny frets are part of its personality.
I totally agree, I love to telecaster for some of its simplistic aspects, no tremlo to deal with lets you concentrate on playing more, I totally agree the bridge and the saddles doing all the parts are combined something different
I am mainly a bassplayer and play guitar mostly at home. Lately I have been thinking about getting a Tele. I'm glad I found your videos. Amazingly informative.
Glad I could help!
When I first started playing, I wanted a Rickenbacker like John Lennon but at one of our rehearsals a kid came with a Telecaster handed down to him from his family. His conviction about a Telecaster influenced me and I switched. In my hometown there was a guy who played a Broadcaster through a Vox AC 30 who I admired and reinforced my love of a Telecaster. Put a brass old style bridge on my 64 Tele and dome knobs purchased through Guitar Player Magazine.
I started playing the telecaster in 1963, at the age of 9, because of James Burton's playing in the Ricky Nelson band at the end of Ozzie and Harriet TV shows. I've owned a lot of different guitars over the years but the one I've owned the longest and play the most is a '52 blackguard. I still love Ricky Nelson, RIP, and James Burton.
Thank you so much.. your video came up because I’m searching for a telecaster. I’m trying to figure out, which is the right one now after watching your video, I know I’m gonna go with a standard telecaster. This is by far the best explanation - I should say down home explanation on why the telecaster. very much appreciated.
About 9 years ago I went into a really nice guitar store in Kentucky looking for a new strat. I played a couple that were $5k, I played some that were cheaper. Then I tried a '51 Nocaster reissue. I didnt think I'd like it, but it was so cool looking with the Mary Kaye white, black guard, and the neck humbucker (mixed feelings). I didnt like that it was a relic, either. I just loved it, and still do. After years of playing dreadnought acoustic, I dont think that the lack of contours is a deal breaker. It sits on your leg and stays there. Problem is, I now have a hard time with anything but that huge baseball bat neck - way more comfortable.
I have a MIM James Burton signature model that I adore. It has a unique neck. Flat as a flitter and super narrow frets made of indestructible metal.
I have always loved strats. But recently I have done a lot of listening to tele players. The sound is remarkably different. Somehow telecasters have a much more forthright, assertive tone - even clean - which I have come to love. Mind you, I will forever adore glassy out of phase tones from my strat, but I think I may be a convert to the telecaster. (I have a LP also but it has never worked for me. Not enough twang.)
Great advice. I really like your idea of wiring the neck pick up to the tone control. In fact I like all of your recommendations. Thanks
Great video , well done on describing the attriibutes of a Leo Fender masterpiece . Been playing Tele's for many years and i find the " bare bones " character of the guitar makes you play with less fluff and a little more grit and dig in .
When I was 14, I played 4 nights a week in a teen-band; on Great Navy Base. In North Chicago, Illinois. I saved my money and bought a new 1969 Les Paul Custom. I did that all thru high school. I had the best equipment, and more money than I could spend. Great days! Buying gear with playing-money is great.
I was stationed in Great Lakes at one time way back in the early 90's.
Thank you, Tom!!!
Brad played the North American Livestock "Sale of Champions" in Louisville KY around 2002 or 03 - He had one maybe two songs on the radio-
I was standing next to Coyote Calhoun when Brad said " we've never played this in front of people before - we been goofing around with it ...."
The Fishing Song -
Coyote and i both looked at each other and at the very same instant said -
" That's a Hit !!"
Brad was very nice to us that Thursday night in the South Wing of the Fairgrounds in Louisville - A few months later at the Ky State Fair he sold out Freedom Hall -
I bet that early jam with Brad was legendary!That is some great tele intel as always.And a Shout out to Chris Scruggs this one has it all
Thanks again!
I got a Nash Telecaster a year ago. To be honest I'm still waiting to be converted. It is my first choice to take anywhere. It's very versatile, sounds great, and I wish it was all I wanted. Maybe one day it will be. But I still grab a Gibson when I want a certain raunchy bridge pickup sound. I still pick up my Strat when I want that bluesy neck pickup sound. (And when I do its like putting on an old pair of slippers; I have to disagree that the contours aren't more comfortable.) To me the Tele is a jack of all trades, and you know the second half of that line.
My first guitar over 20 years ago was a red Mexican tele. I had several other guitars over the years and always regarded my tele as some how less than the other guitars I had since it was so cheap and my first. When I went to college and mostly quit playing I sold everything I had except my Jazz bass and telecaster. I guess I had at some time moved passed the notion It was less than since it never gave me any problems and playing it for 15 years it just felt right in my hands. Then maybe 5 years ago i started playing more again and got really into Americana and country and the blues and really started learning about the electric guitar as its on thing and not just a louder acoustic like o had always thought of it. I thought I wanted to get a new guitar but the more I looked the more I realized that tele I’d had all that time was literally the perfect guitar and I had been dumb and didn’t know what I had the whole time. I did eventually get a newish guitar, epiphone Sheraton 2 which is basically a slightly more jangly es-335 and I love it, it does all the things the tele doesn’t want to do, but that tele will forever by my number one. I’ve been wanting to get a nice American made or maybe even a used custom shop tele for sometime but I still haven’t found one I like better than the one my dad bought me 20 years ago for $100. Guitars are magical things I’ve never named an instrument or anything like that and I beat the shit out of all my stuff and have never thought of them as anything more than a tool like a hammer, but I’m slowly coming around to the idea that there is real magic in a good guitar.
The one thing I don't like about the standard set up is that it's easy to knock out the neck pickup setting while strumming.
How cool. I was lucky to visit Cotten Music in the old location. Pete Huttlinger introduced me to Darcy (the inspiration for his song “Darcy’s Guitar”). What a cool old shop. Stacked to the ceiling and a story behind every instrument. How many musicians were touched by Cotten over the years in that weird little shop?
I have a black 2015 MX standard tele that I bought a few years back. Dressed it up with a pearl pickguard and locking tuners with Texas Special pickups. I'm not a great player, but I can pick a few things out on it. I've sold it to others twice and bought it back twice because I've missed it so. Nothing else sounds like it, and I will NEVER part with it again! In fact, it might go in the ground with me one day! LOL Not as special as the Teles you've discussed here today, but it's still awfully special to me! New subscriber since finding this video! I'll be back!
Right on Zac! After almost 40 years of playing Telecasters my findings are identical to yours! I have a bunch of different guitars but I find the Tele runs the gamut from Jazz a la Jimmy Bryant through all the Country and R&B greats, Danny Gatton to the hard Rock of Jimmy Page with early Led Zep to newer metal a la Richie Kotzen.