Help me choose a tele!

[moog1000]

I've been hankering after a tele for a while, so I thought I'd buy a cheap one, and if I like it, either upgrade it a bit or maybe build myself one.

To get me on the tele 'ladder' though, I'm loking for something cheap, either a Tele standard, or one of the Ash lite models.

What would be the main tonal differences between the two different woods (alder and ash)?

The Ash lite has duncans already in it, so that's a bit of a bonus. Any of you guys have any prefs/opinions? I mainly play rock/blues if that helps.

Cheers

Moog

[jimlp]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

Ash is the original Tele wood and helps give them that snappy sound, Alder will be a little darker sounding.

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

if im not mistaken ash is closer to mahogany in tonal characteristics. or is it the other way around?

highway 1 texas teles also look nice

then again you could always just go standard & spend the extra 250 or so on new pups & such

[Bludave]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

I have a California Tele. It is roswood FB, Candy Apple red. It has a Strat PUP in the Neck, and a Tele in the Bridge. The PUPS are Tex Mex. I really like this particular version. I am more of a Strat guy, so this kind of gets me somewhere in between a strat and a Tele, More Tele than strat though. I also have a MIJ Tele, a '52 RI, very nice, but at this time if I had to pick one I would pick the Cal Tele. I only paid $399 for this new at Guitar Center, I don't know if Fender still offers it, but for me it is a good choice. At the time I was comparing it against an American Standard, and I liked this better, and it was $200 cheaper.... go figure LOL

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

if im not mistaken ash is closer to mahogany in tonal characteristics. or is it the other way around?

Drew, you are quite mistaken.

The lite ash tele is a decent buy. Y The nut and logo on the one I saw looked very cheap, but apart from that it was definitely a decent guitar with all the right ingredients.

You'll get more upper mid range push and a tighter bottom end from swamp ash than you would from alder. Alder will sound more balanced, and ash will have more twang.

For entry level teles, I recommend any of the following:

-The fender aerodyne tele. killer guitar, more comfy than a normal tele.
-MIM 50s, 60s and thinline reissues. I have an MIM 72 custom ri and it's great.
-MIJ 52 and 60 ris. Very close in quality to the MIA ris.
-the MIJ paisley reissues. Very cool guitars.
-G&L 'tribute' series asats. Solid guitars.

I have a hard time recommending the mexican standard series, as they don't do much for me, but if you try enough of them, you may find one you like.

As I always say in these kinds of threads, try as many as you can. If you are buying sight unseen, I recommend the aerodyne. It's a very cool, very well made guitar for not much cash.

[moog1000]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

Thanks for the replies guys!

[mrfjones]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

For entry level teles, I recommend any of the following:

-The fender aerodyne tele. killer guitar, more comfy than a normal tele.
-MIM 50s, 60s and thinline reissues. I have an MIM 72 custom ri and it's great.
-MIJ 52 and 60 ris. Very close in quality to the MIA ris.
-the MIJ paisley reissues. Very cool guitars.
-G&L 'tribute' series asats. Solid guitars.

I think you are completely right about the choices stated here. I have two 50's reissue teles and they are great guitars but the pickups in the second one that i bought were not up to par at all. I would recommend eventually changing the pickups in all of those except maybe the lite ash tele and the aerodne but i forget what pickups the aerodynes have stock. play lots of all of them, good luck.

[JumpMarine]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

I have give two thumbs up for my MIM standard. I may have been lucky on my particular tele, but everything about it is pure tele. The only upgrade that I have made at this point has been to fully shield it. I also have to add a vote for the G&L Tribute guitars, very nice.

[MikeS]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

+1 for the MIM Teles. They are pretty good guitars and are begging to be opened up and played with.

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

only thing is aerodynes are basswood, so it won't give you as tight of a sound

i love basswood guitars though

[Sprinter]

Bill Lawrence, SwampKaster T

The best inexpensive tele I've found, is the Bill Lawrence SwampKaster T. It has an ash, double bound body. The bridge is great, and the Bill Lawrence pickups are the best. The necks are excellent too.


Sprinter

[dogcityrocker]

Re: Help me choose a tele!

you may also wish to consider the Highway 1 tele. I think its the best bang for the buck. Love mine