What the hell is happening to me?

[That90'sGuy]

I went to Guitar Center today and strange things started happening.

My tastes are changing! I played my usual PRS Swamp Ash Special, but this time the neck didn't feel so hot and the tone sucked to my ears. I had to put it back. I tried playing through different amps and I was drawn to the Fenders the most. Every other amp disappointed, especially every Mesa I was playing. I was able to get some good tones out of the Marshall Mode Four (figured I'd tweak with it for a bit... wasn't as horrible as I had originally thought it was).

The ONE guitar I never thought I'd like, I fell for. Ladies and gentleman, I fell in love with a Fender Highway 1 Telecaster. I always hated thin Fender necks, but this one guitar made me think twice. It had a glassy tone and could also get thick and warm. The neck was great for soloing on. The tone was really great stock, I didn't expect it. I usually hate plain guitars, but this guitar felt, sounded and finally looked really classy to me. The neck felt a bit thicker than the standard stuff, it was classified as a "C-shaped" neck. However, a lot of their others are classified as that too, and they seem thinner ?


What's going on here? I'm 19, I'm supposed to like skull and crossbone guitars or Flying Vs and now I feel older. I'm liking the simpleness of the Tele. I should try some Strats now, but the Tele is doing something for me I just never thought would.

How come I never realized Fender made thick necks? The custom Telecaster I played had (I guess you call it) a "U-shaped" neck. It feels like I'm playing a baseball bat, Gibson-esque neck. It was wonderful. There may be hope for me to become a Fender fan again.

I think blues to country would be great. Is it possible to play any straight up rock with it? If so, I think I may find my next purchase (although I may want to customize it myself).

Oh man, I like a Tele....

[flank]

oh yeah, my dads old teles neck is quite big, definately C shaped as you said............ hey, im only 16 and i dig the simple stuff......when it comes down to it, you dont really NEED much else

[butnut]

You have been bitten by the Tele bug. I sure have been. Read this (3 pages) of what has happened to you, some comments hit the nail on the head and is so damn true, it's scarey. Tele's rule!
Tele's...
And since you mentioned customizing...drop by.

https://www.telemodders.com

We are a real sick bunch....

[That90'sGuy]

Lol... I think I may take you up on that offer. They are simple, elegant and offer a great chimey tone. I like them more than the standard Strat. I guess there must be a difference between a C shaped Tele and a C-shaped Strat... that's all I can think of.

I'm finally realizing I don't need quilts or flames or any of that fancy stuff. A solid maple neck with black dots (no needed bird inlays), a black or honeyblonde or other transparent finish is inspiring... it's so very weird. I think I've seen the light

[Guitarist]

Don't worry, that sort of thing always happens...call the doctor!

[Ez74]

i realized i am getting old when i bought my PRS hollowbody. I almost started a thread about guitars you had to have as a kid... but now hate as you've gotten older.... when i was a teenager the 1 guitar that I wanted was a crackle finish charvel or jackson... there is no way I would want that guitar now

[That90'sGuy]

I never really knew what I wanted when I was younger, I guess it was a Gibson Les Paul. For a while, it didn't do anything for me, but for the past year or so since I've had the Antiq. put in, I love it. Not many guitars can come close touching it.

I guess I was put off by Fender so much before because of those pencilthin necks. The Tele necks just allowed me to bite right into them with the familiarity of my Gibson, except the articulation, the "twang", the chiminess and the simple body really adds to the mojo.

After reading Butnuts link, I think I have gotten bit by the Tele bug. There's simplicity, class, and honesty in it. I'm starting to like that it's not flashy or gaudy. It screams a lifetime of dedication and not playing sloppy in the past allowed me to really rip on it today. I like how it's a very revealing instrument... that will definitely help me be a really tight musician. The punch to the clean tone is great and I can express the mood I want through it well, it speaks. Yeah, I'm now diseased...

[Gearjoneser]

You're only 19? Dang. You're at that point where you're starting to gravitate toward the gear that has been "time tested, and player approved."

It has nothing to do with gear snobbery. Have you ever noticed that the world's greatest guitarists usually arrive at a Fender Strat, Tele, or Paul, and a Martin acoustic? When I was a teenager, I always looked at that gear and said "that's the
oldschool stuff that the classic rock and blues players use,"
thinking that the younger generation knew what was up and had moved onto more hightech guitars and amps. WRONG!

There are certain pieces of gear that have arrived at "classic"
status for one simple reason...It sounds the best in a mix,
it is made up of only the best essential components,
and it's tone has permeated your psyche, subconsciously.

Obviously, your gear has to fit the style and sound of your music,
but most of these classics are where they are because,
in the right hands, they have no boundaries. All the time,
I hear players say "I don't like Les Pauls because of the beefy neck and large heel, or strats and teles are too twangy, or
the so-called "tone amps" don't have the tone I'm looking for
because they don't have enough gain." Then, after years and years of wasting money on "the newest thing" or a piece of
bad wood with a nice paint job, they finally come around and start
trying the gear they thought only the "older guys" played.

Luckily, the 90's turned out to be a great era for guitar gear.
What that means is that there was a resurgence in building stuff of quality. The downside was that they gouged us in pricing.
Fender, Gibson, Martin, and Marshall continued to produce good quality stuff, which was worth buying. Newer companies like
PRS, Mesa, Taylor, Bogner, Matchless, and other boutique's ran with the torch that was lit by the classic companies.

So, to answer "what the hell has happened to you".....
I'd say you finally realized why certain gear is considered the best by the best players. Even though the PRS Swamp Ash Special is a great guitar, it hasn't passed the test the way
your Les Paul, that Tele, and a PRS McCarty has. It's subtle differences that make all the difference.

[xerxes]

nah, im young and ive been gassing for a tele for about a year! lol, my next guitar will be one


and i also found that tele's do generally have a pretty thick neck

[Pandemonium]

I'll take a Tele over a Strat too. A Tele into a tweed is a thing of beauty.

[That90'sGuy]

I think you're absolutely right Gearjoneser, there is really something about those classics. I always thought that they were just started from stupid fads and the need for people to emulate others, they caught on.

I finally see why the Les Paul, Strat, and Tele have withstood the test of time. My Les Paul rules, but it can't cover everything. What it does, it does magnificently. No other humbucker equipped guitar I've played can sound quite like it. I need to try a McCarty PRS sometime if it's really that good tonally. I think I realize that I like simple stuff now. When I play an insanely expensive guitar, I feel like I don't warrant skill wise playing it. I always thought it was cool how bands like Filter were so heavy and they still liked the style of the Tele. I think it'll bring out different material in me.

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Classic stuff is essential.
But don't become too conservative....I am still open to new things, just as long as it works.

[Gearjoneser]

Yeah, you can't bind yourself to nothing but the classics.
That seems kinda silly, because there's no rule about playing one type of thing ALL the time. Remember Tonewizard 2?
That guy bashed everything that wasn't harmonycentral approved. However, there's something to be said for the
time-tested gear. Players don't gravitate toward it unless the positives far outweigh the negatives.

The funny thing about high priced boutique stuff is that they do everything possible to upgrade classic designs and eliminate
ALL the negatives. What's funny about that is that they're
products are TOO perfect and lack character or soul.

Maybe it's all in our mind, but some of the blatant characteristics of classic gear like Fender, Gibson, Guild, Gretsch, Rickenbacher,
Martin, and Marshall, whether good or bad, are the exact reason we gravitate toward it.

[That90'sGuy]

I am not implying from my posts that I will only play Les Pauls, Strats, and Teles... that would be silly. There are plenty of fine axes out there, I'm just starting to find what works for me and compliments my playing. I'd still love to try a Jazzmaster or Jaguar for instance.

As far as boutique stuff, I'm not sure if I'd like something that expensive for fear of a scratch. My Les Paul Standard isn't cheap, but I can play the heck out of it like it was designed to and not hold back. Given the stores around me, I don't have the chance to try Andersons or G&Ls or Driskills or Infelds and maybe that's a good thing.

Gearjoneser, I thought you didn't like Diezel amps (or atleast enough to put one in your avatar)?

[Fatty]

I can definately relate.. I'm 18 now, and a year ago I wouldn't have been caught dead with a Tele. Now here I am having one custom built for me. (I never really went through a "V" phase, or skull and bones or anything, though)