Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

I'm sorry for hijacking this thread if this is, this does relate to Telecasters.

Can you easily replace the 6-saddle bridge on an MIM Tele for a 3-barrel vintage style one from say Callaham or any other one? Would I need to drill any holes or anything to make it work?

And back to the topic, yes, it can. There are many hard rock guitarists who have used Teles frequently, including Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Joe Perry, and Izzy Stradlin.
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Corbic said:
I'm sorry for hijacking this thread if this is, this does relate to Telecasters.

Can you easily replace the 6-saddle bridge on an MIM Tele for a 3-barrel vintage style one from say Callaham or any other one? Would I need to drill any holes or anything to make it work?
Click to expand...

*waits for an answer*

I'm gonna change the bridge to a 3 saddle on my MIM Tele before too long.
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

The MIM tele bridge is one I actually like. Its big, beefy and easy to setup. I cant see getting much more sustain or tone improvement by switching to the vintage style. But then again I've never tried it :)
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Corbic said:
I'm sorry for hijacking this thread if this is, this does relate to Telecasters.

Can you easily replace the 6-saddle bridge on an MIM Tele for a 3-barrel vintage style one from say Callaham or any other one? Would I need to drill any holes or anything to make it work?

And back to the topic, yes, it can. There are many hard rock guitarists who have used Teles frequently, including Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Joe Perry, and Izzy Stradlin.
Click to expand...


when i bought my 99 MIM Standard Tele used the past owner had installed a Gotoh vintage style 3 barrel bridge.... it fit all the same mounting holes as the stock bridge did.... The 3 barrel bridge i hated as it was out of tune... i'd like to try the compensated angled saddles one day..... But for now i have replaced the bridge with a heavy modern Gotoh bridge.... feels great!
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

I think the tone of my tele's singles rock, I like to drive my amp very hard and i dont seem to notice any "extra buzz" from it. Great fat tone from my neck pup and it gets sweet on edge.
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

The Rio Grande Twangbuckers might be an interesting solution for a Tele - two Tele pups combined into a bucker. I use the same pickup concept in my Nighthawk... I don't know if it would be the right tone exactly - less basic electronics and the coils are not exactly in the same spot... but it does the trick.

IMO,
The whole discussion is not about can a Tele rock. It's about can single coils rock. I don't believe that there are many other features in a solid body guitar that makes it bad for rock (neck specs are important but you can get a Tele with flatter radius and bigger frets - if that's what you need).

And you can rock with single coils. :)
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

I use this for hard rock all the time. Sometime people poke fun calling it a Springsteen Special, until they hear it :)
Dimarzio Chopper-T on the Lead and Dimarzio Virtual-T on the neck


ntele.jpg
 
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Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Speaking from experience, yes it can. Tele's are a guitar that can do it all. It's all in how it's played on whether it'll work or not.
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

<------

A tele with a set of tapped hots or QPs will take you anywhere you want to go, and no where you shouldn't :D
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Answer: YES a Tele can work wonders for hard rock.

Don't bastardize it with a humbucker - just put a really fat, evil tele pickup in the bridge, like a Bare Knuckle Piledriver. That thing has a DC resistance of over 14k. It will def. get the job done without robbing the Tele of it's Tele-ness.

As for my suggestion of what Tele to buy? For me it would HAVE to be a Fender, and so I'd take some time to really look at the new Highway 1 teles. American made, and the new ones have a modern flatter neck radius and jumbo frets, which would be perfect for your application.
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Any single coil over the 8-9k range starts sounding wrong to me.

I don't know about anyone else.
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

I dunno man..... I've got single coil profile humbuckers and the overall tone of the thing did not change much.... Mostly just higher output and less noise.


sosomething said:
Answer: YES a Tele can work wonders for hard rock.

Don't bastardize it with a humbucker - just put a really fat, evil tele pickup in the bridge, like a Bare Knuckle Piledriver. That thing has a DC resistance of over 14k. It will def. get the job done without robbing the Tele of it's Tele-ness.

As for my suggestion of what Tele to buy? For me it would HAVE to be a Fender, and so I'd take some time to really look at the new Highway 1 teles. American made, and the new ones have a modern flatter neck radius and jumbo frets, which would be perfect for your application.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

MikeS said:
<------

A tele with a set of tapped hots or QPs will take you anywhere you want to go, and no where you shouldn't :D
Click to expand...

That's a hot Tele Mike. Pretty much exactly what I'm looking for (white w/ tortoise pickguard).
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Corbic said:
I'm sorry for hijacking this thread if this is, this does relate to Telecasters.

Can you easily replace the 6-saddle bridge on an MIM Tele for a 3-barrel vintage style one from say Callaham or any other one? Would I need to drill any holes or anything to make it work?
Click to expand...


I have this Wilkinson from GuitarFetish on my MIM. It's a great bridge, looks good, and gives your compensation without the "homemade" look of so many aftermarket saddles. It was a direct drop-on installation with no problems.

Face it, Callahans and such are nice, but putting a $200 bridge on a $350 guitar is nuts.

And YES - Tele's can rock as hard as you want. Hot pickups are one way to do it, but in my experience you lose clarity if you go too hot. (IMO, the Quarter Pound goes too far.) A clean boost into a tube amp works really well. I use a Boss GE-7 into a Marshall, but I bet a Duncan Pickup Booster would be great, too.
 
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Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

sosomething said:
Answer: YES a Tele can work wonders for hard rock.

Don't bastardize it with a humbucker - just put a really fat, evil tele pickup in the bridge, like a Bare Knuckle Piledriver. That thing has a DC resistance of over 14k. It will def. get the job done without robbing the Tele of it's Tele-ness.

As for my suggestion of what Tele to buy? For me it would HAVE to be a Fender, and so I'd take some time to really look at the new Highway 1 teles. American made, and the new ones have a modern flatter neck radius and jumbo frets, which would be perfect for your application.
Click to expand...

The Hwy 1's definitely have my attention. I'm also looking at MIJ Tele's.

Are those BK Piledriver's (or any really high output SC) much noisier?
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Lee Bob said:
The Hwy 1's definitely have my attention. I'm also looking at MIJ Tele's.

Are those BK Piledriver's (or any really high output SC) much noisier?
Click to expand...


HWY1's series Tele could very well be my next axe...
 
Re: Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?

Can a Tele be used for Hard Rock?


Ever hear of a band called Raven? Their first 3 albums were all Tele!!
 
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