Favorite Tele Build...

Re: Favorite Tele Build...

Dude, my first electric was a tele. It's not my main guitar anymore, but teles will still always be awesome. I like standard sunbursts (that's what I have). Ima change out the stock pups for an ant. set sometime.
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

Cool, ALF... I recently turned a Tokai Tele into an Esquire, and it's f'ing great! I am almost tempted to turn my other Tele into one as well. The difference in sound without a neck pickup is pretty amazing, and the 'no tone pot' switch position rules.
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

ah... sweet tele... always had a desire for her. i find respite in her sheer simplicity. her body fits my body anatomy to a t... ha! enough of my ramblings. i am actually gassing for a few teles right now. here they are.

mij fender j-craft tele.
tn_85spl_vnt.jpg


my creation.
blondtele.JPG


and another.
danicaster.jpg


lastly,
bigsbytele.JPG


:yell: god help me! i hate you butch! :burnout:

cheers!
dani
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

djs194 said:
a bridge pickup that sounds as good as the model they have for the Tele Custom in the Line 6 Variax (sorry). A friend let me borrow his Variax for a couple of nights, and that setting absolutely killed the (albeit stock MIM) Tele we had around the practice room.
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I know exactly what you're talking about. That has been plaguing me for some time.....
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

I like a HB in the neck and a SC in the bridge, with a 5-way selector set up thusly: 1-neck, 2- neck split, 3-neck+bridge, 4-neck split+bridge, 5-bridge.

Ultimate cool (i.e. thing I keep meaning to do to mine): Nashvillize it with a RWRP strat pup in the middle and a seperate mini-toggle on-off for that pickup. Lots of sounds, while still easy to wrap you head around. Plus, all 3 pickups on = hum cancelling
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

I like my Teles 2 ways:

1) Total old-school - 3 saddle bridge, thick neck, single coils. Probably a nice burst finish, worn way down.

2) Like Wattage's flame Tele - a complete hot rod. The only change I'd make is put a humbucker in the bridge too.
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

Falstaff said:
Cool, ALF... I recently turned a Tokai Tele into an Esquire, and it's f'ing great! I am almost tempted to turn my other Tele into one as well. The difference in sound without a neck pickup is pretty amazing, and the 'no tone pot' switch position rules.
Click to expand...
That's what I've heard too, the lack of the neck pickup makes more of a difference than you'd think. I can't wait to try it out myself!
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

St_Genesius said:
Ultimate cool (i.e. thing I keep meaning to do to mine): Nashvillize it with a RWRP strat pup in the middle and a seperate mini-toggle on-off for that pickup. Lots of sounds, while still easy to wrap you head around. Plus, all 3 pickups on = hum cancelling
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Like this one?

50mim.jpg


That was my MIM 50's Tele.

Jerry Donahue in the bridge
RWRP APS-1 in the middle
Gibson mini-humbucker in the neck.

I had it wired with a standard 3-way switch and had a mini-toggle in between the vol and tone pots to engage the middle pickup. I wish I still had it; but another player saw me playing it and made me an offer too good to refuse...
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

BS123 said:
Like this one?

50mim.jpg


That was my MIM 50's Tele.

Jerry Donahue in the bridge
RWRP APS-1 in the middle
Gibson mini-humbucker in the neck.

I had it wired with a standard 3-way switch and had a mini-toggle in between the vol and tone pots to engage the middle pickup. I wish I still had it; but another player saw me playing it and made me an offer too good to refuse...
Click to expand...


Damn...that's hot!
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

Alvin Lee Fan said:
That's what I've heard too, the lack of the neck pickup makes more of a difference than you'd think. I can't wait to try it out myself!
Click to expand...

The stock neck pickup in a Tele really does affect the overall tone of the guitar. It pulls the low E out of tune and affects the vibration and sustain of the wound strings. I have a hard time living without a neck pickup but there's no doubt that the overall tone of the single pickup Esquire is better when compared to a Tele. But I've got to have a neck pickup...can't play rythym on just the bridge pickup.

And the Tele bridge pickup combined with the Tele neck pickup is one of the best rythym tones there is!

Lew
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

i've become a huge tele fan latley but i am "tha anti-twang" lol i just find the tele to be a great all around metal and punk guitar. the shape of the modern six saddle bridge is real confortable when doing palm mutes and with the right pickups they sound killer. the control layout is great, no chance of bumping the volume down like a strat or hitting the 3 way switch like a les paul. anyway i have two tele's now that i love my first one is a MIM with a hot rails in the bridge and a vintage rythm stack in the neck with a 500K vol. pot and 250K tone along with locking schaller tuners, a graphite nut, mirror pick guard and custom piston knobs. my new favortie tele is an american HS tele that came with no pickguard and a full size hum in the neck. i changed things around a bit and added a hot rails in the bridge and an SM1 vntage mini-hum in the neck with a 500K vol. pot and 350k tone pot along with a matte black pickguard from warmoth and a set of custom piston knobs...soon to come are locking tuners and a graphite nut along with some custom pinstripe paint work perhaps. here they are...

MIM "hot rod" tele...
guitar3.jpg


American HS "hot rod" tele...
guitar11.jpg

guitar11a.jpg


-Mike
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

Lewguitar said:
The stock neck pickup in a Tele really does affect the overall tone of the guitar. It pulls the low E out of tune and affects the vibration and sustain of the wound strings. I have a hard time living without a neck pickup but there's no doubt that the overall tone of the single pickup Esquire is better when compared to a Tele. But I've got to have a neck pickup...can't play rythym on just the bridge pickup.

Lew
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Lew, you're absolutely right. The neck pickup does do a number on the tone of a Tele. I played a friend's homemade Esquire awhile back. It was an American Standard without the neck pickup and a stock bridge pickup. Not having the neck pickup was a huge difference. But like you, I have to have a neck pickup; and sometimes a middle pickup. I do like to use pickups with Alnico II magnets for lower string pull. My Gibson mini is Alnico II.
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

You know, maybe that's the problem I've been having with my telecaster's Low E going out of tune!

I like my tele's to be tele's generally speaking. What I would like to do to my current tele is get a 5 way switch (If they make 5-ways that still look like tele switches), have it set Bridge, Bridge+Neck (Parallel), Bridge+Neck(Series), Neck, and for the 5th position, have it be like the top position on the (lord help me, I cant remember the year model! :smack:) Tele that sounds like a bass when the switch is all the way up. I cant remember the year, but I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about.

I'm also a big fan of Tom Morello of Rage/Audioslave, and I installed a kill switch in my tele already. If I get time I'll try and take a picture of it.
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

Alvin Lee Fan said:
That's what I've heard too, the lack of the neck pickup makes more of a difference than you'd think. I can't wait to try it out myself!
Click to expand...


What are you planning to use as a bridge pickup? I like the "Esquire" that I have so much that I am incredibly tempted to take the neck PU out of my second tele.
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

I am in the middle of building a tele or a mix between a tele and strat out of figured purple heart. I have just placed the parts on it so everyone can get an idea of what its going to look like.
 
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Re: Favorite Tele Build...

theodie said:
I am in the middle of building a tele or a mix between a tele and strat out of figured purple heart. I have just placed the parts on it so everyone can get an idea of what its going to look like.
Click to expand...


I was waiting all day for you to see this thread and post!!!
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

I've had 4 Teles over the years - a '78 natural with a rosewood board, a '90s '69 Tele Thinline Reissue, and my current '97 Am. Standard and '52 Reissue Teles.

The '52 R.I. is a great guitar, but the smallish frets keep me from 'loving' it. I'll probably flatten the board a bit, and refret it with Stew Mac 141 mediums very soon. It's currently fitted with Texas Special pickups, but I'm not opposed to going for a more vintage sounding replacement set.........Albert Collins tone.

The American Standard is a versatile guitar, and I love the rosewood board on a Tele. It lacks real vintage Tele 'spank', but the Delta Tone setup sounds wonderful. It's my #1 guitar right now.

Out of all 4, I really wish I still had the '78. It was a SWEET guitar.......the rosewood board on the medium C neck fit my hand perfectly. The body was one-piece ash, and was rather lightweight contrary to the belief that ALL '70s Fender were heavy. Don't discount the '70s Fenders until you've really played a bunch. You might be pleasantly surprised by the feel and sound. Mine was an incredibly fine playing and sounding Tele. I fell into Les Paul Custom mode, and ended up trading it for a beautiful black '76 LP Custom. What I would do to find that guitar again.

Mike
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

My favorite Tele build is a 9.5" radius maple neck, alder body, black pickguard, a SD JD bridge pickup, a Strat Alnico II Pro neck, the new American Standard bridge, and with a sunburst finish. I liked Teles for a long time. I bought my first one in 66 and like a dumbass I sold it a long time ago. Here is a picture of my one and only Tele as of right now. There might be a 52 RI somewhere down the line though.

My Tele
 
Re: Favorite Tele Build...

my favorite is pretty basic, super light swamp ash body, maple neck, three saddle bridge with brass saddles, slightly over wound pickups or vintage correct output. I prefer alnico 2 but i have one set with a5's that i really like.

Some time soon i will find an overwound tele pickup with alnico two magnets and i will turn one of my teles into an esquire
 
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