Do I need a tele? Why? Which one?

stickyfiddle

nickp said:

So the general gist is - the Tele exists, so I need one.  Oh and they are great guitars, except they look like it's been sawn out of a plank of flooring   excellent.

They don’t have to...

Iamnobody

I’ve had a few over the years but the one I’ve kept is a 69 Mexican thinline. It’s got the traditional layout in terms of controls and pickups but just feels nicer than a full solid body. I don’t think you lose any of the Tele experience either.

AdamHarkusBlog

Do I need a Tele? No of course not. But you should get one.
Why? 

• The Bridge Pickup. It's ballsier than a strat and with gain can cut through anything.
• Simplicity. One volume, One tone, 3 way, on one simple panel. It's liberating. It lets you get on with playing.
• Durability. It will never break. Sling it in a gig bag for gigs.
• Playability. As good as it gets.
• Looks. IMHO the most beautiful guitar ever made.

Model? There's a model for every wallet.

Nikc

Of course you need a Tele they are just right 

A MIM will do it - Try a pre owned standard the modern C neck isn't skinny and feels good to play. 

The big thing I love with my tele is the in between sound pretty unique. Personally I run the tone at around 60% for rhythm and chord work so when it comes to lead there's even more available. Its the one electric guitar I couldn't be without

crunchman

robinbowes said:

I thought I needed a Tele until I got a Jazzmaster.

Nobody needs a Jazzmaster

robinbowes

crunchman said:

robinbowes said:

I thought I needed a Tele until I got a Jazzmaster.

Nobody needs a Jazzmaster

You and me - outside now!

ESBlonde

Obviously you 'need' a Tele.

Given your present collection you might be tempted to dip your toe in with something modern, big fretted and of the flatter fingerboard profile. See if you can locate a Lite Ashe Fender tele. Korean made with Di Marzio PUs as standard. They are definatley of the breed and may get you hooked, only available as used, but very reasonable prices for a lot of guitar.

Alternately you might be dragged into the traditional Tele vibe with a 52 black plate re-issue that has a 7 1/4 radius on a decent heft of a neck. It will feel strange at first, but might inspire you to develope your playing in a different arena.

TTBZ

I still reckon the best tone I’ve heard in person was a band mates tele straight into a JCM800. With beefy bridge pickups I think they sound great. I don’t like them with the weak scooped twangy ones that seem to come on a lot of teles. The Wapping Wharf bridge pickup in my telemaster was anything but thin and weak - I actually found it a bit too dark for what I was after but it had the power to stand next to my LP.

Never actually owned a tele as I’m more of a Gibson player, I’m thinking I should really get a Harley Benton TE52 to give it a proper chance.

chris78

Roland said:

chris78 said:

I’m biased, but they are the original solid body mass produced and remain impossible to improve on. 

Yes, you are biased, but so is everyone else. Telecasters can be improved on. Body contours help a lot. 

Everybody has their own choice of pickups. I like a Strat type neck pickup for what I play, and a tapped bridge to get both 50s and 60s sounds.

When it comes down to personal preferences I like the upper bout to be half inch longer  Others would argue that this is a step too far, and it’s no longer a Tele. 

To prove how much of an anorak you can become: I ended up with the guitar fully strung and plugged in whilst I shaved fractions of a mm off the neck profile with a cabinet scraper. 

Body contours? Get some paper and write a thousand times, body contours on a tele are wrong (unless it’s a 70s deluxe)

Voxman

stimpsonslostson said:

Which "one"?! I don't understand. You need more than one! 

https://i.imgur.com/vKVZJui.jpg
Be warned, they're addictive. . 


Yup, they are!  I have a lovely immaculate near mint 1988 USA Standard Telecaster in aquamarine metalic blue (pics don't really do it justice) with the original Fender case.  




But I now also want a Reissue 72 thinline.  Dual-humbucking pickup configuration introduced in that year, with a semi-hollow natural ash body with f hole, C-shaped maple neck with bullet truss rod nut, three-bolt neck plate with Micro-Tilt adjustment, maple fretboard and vintage-style string-through-body, hard-tail bridge and vintage-'f' style tuners. These have vintage frets and 7.25" radius.



But there's also a special edition version in pale surf green or pale blue that has medium frets and 9.5" radius that might suit me better. 

Oh decisions, decisions!  Do I need one? - no I don't. Do I want one? Yes I bloody do!   

mikeyrob73

Inspired by this thread I picked my Tele from the stand for the first time this year and guess what? It was in tune, no fucking about, not been played in 3 months. 

And THAT is why you need a Tele, solid dependable workhorses 

gazrichards

If you have a serious guitar collection like you already do, don’t piss about getting a mex std. you need a proper tele. Ashtray bridge, 3 way switch etc. Baja at a push, thin line maybe but definitely not an offset or custom or FM top version. 

I’d maybe be inclined to say you actually need an esquire but they are a little harder to come by. 

The squier classic vibe stuff is good on a budget as are the vintage v52 things but a mex or jap 50s reissue is the one to go for (needs to be maple neck too you see)

Nunogilberto

AdamHarkusBlog said:

Do I need a Tele? No of course not. But you should get one.
Why? 

• The Bridge Pickup. It's ballsier than a strat and with gain can cut through anything.
• Simplicity. One volume, One tone, 3 way, on one simple panel. It's liberating. It lets you get on with playing.
• Durability. It will never break. Sling it in a gig bag for gigs.
• Playability. As good as it gets.
• Looks. IMHO the most beautiful guitar ever made.

Model? There's a model for every wallet.

This about sums it up.

HAL9000

Also, a Tele will take down a stage invader and remain in tune afterwards...

https://youtu.be/dv1bM0pp_o4

(Note that Keef turns the volume down first.)

thegummy

stimpsonslostson said:

Which "one"?! I don't understand. You need more than one! 

https://i.imgur.com/vKVZJui.jpg
Be warned, they're addictive. Especially once you start tinkering. 
I started with the "Springsteen" one, then built the "Shiflett" one and finally the "Telemaster". 

I love that one on the left - it looks a lot like a special edition model Fender brought out a couple of years ago which I've always thought was stunning but yours has more of a thin stain-like finish which is very cool.

Jez6345789

Yes
 because you are getting older 

for me anything Fender in my mind is usually better as a partscaster not cheaper and as said you can get a Baja etc but you get to spec it just as you want. Try a Baja etc but get a nice light weight swamp ash body, a neck the size you like, pickups from Ash who does a really good line in Tele pickups, spend the time working the neck up getting it really nice and you will have a guitar as good or better than custom shop for 5-600 quid.

or Vintage or Harley Benton will get you a good way there for pocket money prices and a good diy setup.

Schnozz

Teles are shit.

stimpsonslostson

@thegummy said:

stimpsonslostson said:

Which "one"?! I don't understand. You need more than one! 

https://i.imgur.com/vKVZJui.jpg
Be warned, they're addictive. Especially once you start tinkering. 
I started with the "Springsteen" one, then built the "Shiflett" one and finally the "Telemaster". 

I love that one on the left - it looks a lot like a special edition model Fender brought out a couple of years ago which I've always thought was stunning but yours has more of a thin stain-like finish which is very cool.

Thanks.
its a stain under a thin oil finish. 

 It was great when I did a Foo Fighters project with my mates, but... Ahem-

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/shifflet-telecaster-deluxe-partscaster-electric-guitar.-not-fender/1366568341

£295 in Edinburgh. 

HAL9000

Schnozz said:

Teles are shit.

Stand in the corner and think about what you've said...

thegummy

stimpsonslostson said:

thegummy said:

stimpsonslostson said:

Which "one"?! I don't understand. You need more than one! 

https://i.imgur.com/vKVZJui.jpg
Be warned, they're addictive. Especially once you start tinkering. 
I started with the "Springsteen" one, then built the "Shiflett" one and finally the "Telemaster". 

I love that one on the left - it looks a lot like a special edition model Fender brought out a couple of years ago which I've always thought was stunning but yours has more of a thin stain-like finish which is very cool.

Thanks. It was great when I did a Foo Fighters project with my mates, but... Ahem-

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/shifflet-telecaster-deluxe-partscaster-electric-guitar.-not-fender/1366568341

£295 in Edinburgh. 

lol I am in Scotland as well but sadly I don't even have 295 quid, never mind 295 quid spare to spend on a guitar