Why do Telecasters look so nice?

Lebarque

They look cool, but they feel like you're playing an ironing board.

Freebird

On how many other guitars could you get away with doing something like this ..

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fb/ca/8f/fbca8fd7846047e4da36fc2a3d6b67a0--telecaster-guitar-guitar-collection.jpg

Bridgehouse

Freebird said:

On how many other guitars could you get away with doing something like this ..

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fb/ca/8f/fbca8fd7846047e4da36fc2a3d6b67a0--telecaster-guitar-guitar-collection.jpg

Including that one - none.

thegummy

One of my favourite looking guitars I've seen on TV.

WezV

carlos said:

Explain this
https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1bqzjX0jv4eJjSZFvq6ywyFXaQ/Top-Quality-telecaster-white-Semi-Hollow-Body-Guitar-Jazz-Electric-Guitar-with-Bigsby-Golden-Hardware-917.jpg

Must admit, carved or archtop in a tele is where it gets a bit far for me.  Other than that I agree with the OP.

the archtop just makes it look bloated

the only exception to this is some of the LP/tele hybrids where they round out the lower bout enough for it to make sense

carlos

Voxman

Freebird said:

I've never seen a bad looking Tele.  they all look great!

You can't have looked very hard...and no, they don't all look great. 

But, a nice Tele is simple, elegant, & functional. I was going to add 'a thing of beauty' - but with some possible exceptions (and fully acknowledging that beauty is in the eye of the beholder), not really. The Strat with its double horns and curves is IMO a much prettier, 'sexier' guitar.  But the Tele's simple design and honest no-nonsense clean lines certainly has a certain 'je ne sais quoi' and 'earthiness' that's stood the test of time.   

DeeTee

Who was it that on this board that built their own Tele with a Floyd, relicing and various bits of Japanese-graffiti-looking design? It had a bunch of things I don't care for, but it looked amazing. 

carlos

Phil_aka_Pip said:

carlos said:

Explain this
<snip>

can't be done. truly inexplicable. disgusting colour, diarrohea coloured pickguard, judging by the pickups controls and f-holes it seems the owner really wanted a 339 and to cap it all there's a Bigsby on it. SPIT!

@Phil_aka_Pip @Wez ;
That's a piece of junk from alibaba. But I wanted to make a point.

carlos

I saw Lage with his original '54 telecaster last week and I was underwhelmed. Looked okay, but it's a sort of primitive-ish, clumsy design.

Branshen

carlos said:

I saw Lage with his original '54 telecaster last week and I was underwhelmed. Looked okay, but it's a sort of primitive-ish, clumsy design.

How good was Lage though? That man can make any guitar sing.

richardhomer

A 70s Deluxe with a bloody great scratchplate all over it, massive Wide Range humbuckers and a CBS Strat headstock is not a ‘thing of beauty’....

WezV

carlos said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

carlos said:

Explain this
<snip>

can't be done. truly inexplicable. disgusting colour, diarrohea coloured pickguard, judging by the pickups controls and f-holes it seems the owner really wanted a 339 and to cap it all there's a Bigsby on it. SPIT!

@Phil_aka_Pip @Wez ;
That's a piece of junk from alibaba. But I wanted to make a point.

Yes, but it’s a Chinese version of a custom shop model that looks equally bloated

carlos

@WezV I want to see the original now. Or do i?

Danielsguitars

Juniors are much better looking sc or dc, i do like tele's though, a junior with tele scale bridge and pups would be cool

carlos

@Branshen ;
he's incredible. I've heard and played enough guitar through the years that most soloing is fairly predictable. I can tell what's next more or less. But with Lage last week, it was as if every note was brand new. As if he was playing an instrument I'd never heard before but somehow I was familiar with. 
He's got this level of mastery that makes it all seen effortless.
The Tele sounded good but it didn't really matter. Also he constantly ran out of frets. I think he's enjoy a two octave fretboard. 

darthed1981

Phil_aka_Pip said:

They dont [look nice]. [They are] f[ucking]ugly slabs.

A slab is a large flat thick piece of something. It's not contoured or shaped, like a Strat or an SG is.

Does that help?

Don't mince words @Phil_aka_Pip tell us what you REALLY think...

kt66

Thinlines, 72 Customs, Paisleys, all look great. Yer bog standard Tele does nothing for me.

57Deluxe

axisus

Teles are the best. Love tele variants as well.