Telecaster Tribute

[Guitar Toad]

I don’t know which came first the Tele or Strat, but from what I understand about the Telecaster, it was intended to be the working man’s guitar.

Intended to be less expensive and simple.

What does the Telecaster offer or do that the Strat doesn’t?
What do you love about the Telecaster?

What are some of the great Telecaster tunes?
I know that Springsteen and Muddy Waters played Tele’s.

Is David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” played on a Tele? Geogia Satellite’s “Keep You Hands To Yourself”? What are some other great Telecaster tunes and players?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

The Tele came first. From what I've read, the strat was basically intended to be a tele redesign that evolved into it's own guitar. A Tele is going to make you put more of youreslf into the guitar, basically make you work a bit harder at getting a certain sound.

Tele's are also better in stock form than strats when playing with OD or distortion.

As far as great tele players go, Jerry Donahue comes to mind, as do Albert Lee, Jim Compilongo, Burton, and countless others.

If you don't own a tele, you owe it to yourself to get one. :burnout:

 

[tone4days]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

the hellcasters use tele's (and clones)
mike stern used a tele (and now uses a clone)
roy buchannan and danny gatton used tele's
brent mason uses a tele

check these guys to see the bredth of what a tele can do

i love my clone 'cus nothin spanks like a tele ... the snap and twang is unmistakeable

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

Jimmy Page is my favorite Tele player. Both Zep I and II were recorded using teles. Communication breakdown being a prime example.Page's Tele had a different wiring than most and you could get an out of phase sound in the middle position, which closely emoulated buckers. You can hear this on Stairway.

The Esquire was THE first solid-body, the Broadcaster, then No Caster, then Telecaster. 52 was the first year the Telecaster name was used. All of these guitars were revolutionary because they had a bolt on neck, and a flat top.

Originally there was a bass circuit which allowed for different sounds through a series of caps, this was later replaced by the accepted tele switch setup.

The tele's unique construction (specifically the large metal bridge plate) contribute to the tele's signature sound. To me the Tele has a stinging tone that no other guitar can touch.

Luke

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

i prefer teles over strats actually, except for strat neck pickups, they just sound too good

but teles have faster necks, they cut through the mix like none other, that angle on the bridge pickup makes it pretty rockin, theres no damn 5 way switch to knock outta place (i play pretty hard, and that was a big drawback on the strat i had, always knocked the damn thing into another position) and i dunno, they just sound more solid to me. Only thing i don't like about em is the neck pickup, but if you route it out & put in a strat one well in my opinion you got the best of both worlds, some guys like them though, muddy waters for example

they got good twang too, which i mean, if you don't know how to get your guitars to sound twangy then you won't find them to be twangy at all, but man, when you play down by the bridge & throw in some bends, oh man.

i dunno, for me they're just a lot more comforterable, a lot of it has to do with the bridge, i'm kinda weird in that i have to be able to comforterably rest my hand on the bridge or i won't like the guitar, but that's me.

lots of people use em though, uh, paul burlison, i think tom petty did for a bit, john 5, prince (of all people), the guys in the hives, lead for bad religion uses em, all the telepickers, just an all around great guitar IMO

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

I've always like Teles more than Strats. The Strat's bridge pickup has always sounded thin and shrill to me, and I don't like that offset-waist thing. My particular Tele has a mini humbucker in the neck position. The one thing I DO like about Strats is the middle pickup (and the bridge/middle combo) so mine's a "Nashville" with a strat middle pickup.

Others have listed the usual suspects as far a Tele players go, so here are a few off-the-wall selections. Greg Koch (rhymes with "chalk") plays great chicken-pickin-shred-classic-rock, and uses a mix of Teles and Strats. What he does with a B-bender is just plain out there (check out "Zoiks" from his CD The Grip.

The other guy is John 5. I'm not really into his nu-metal creepy shred kind of music, but he's a monster player. To hear him, you'd think he was playing ESP's or something with EMG's, but he's a Tele guy.

Tele's just plain rule. I'm thinking of dedicating my life to collecting nothing but single-cutaway guitars.

 

[big_black]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

Teles are great because you mold them to create many different sounds. Stock Teles do a have a distinct sound, but slap a minibucker in the bridge and a full sized one in the neck and you have a total grind machine. For me the are just your "basic guitar", easily molded to suit just about any player or style.

Other not so well known players: Joe Strummer (The Clash), Tom Morello (RATM), Billy Bragg, Thurston, Lee and Kim from Sonic Youth (not sure if they ALL used them), Slint, Poison the Well.

 

[MikeRocker]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

Tele players:
Keith Richards
James Burton
Albert Lee (pre-Music Man)
Waylon Jennings
Merle Haggard (just saw him last week, he's a great player)
To name but a few.

 

[big_black]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

lots of people use em though, lead for bad religion uses em, all the telepickers, just an all around great guitar IMO

I think you mean NOFX? Bad Religion pretty much just uses LPs and SGs.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

Tele's are great, and I love them...BUT it is prewtty tough to play a Tele, and in truth it is pretty tough to get a good tone from a tele...the pay off is worth every bit of the hard work, but Strats, LP's, SG, etc...are just easier to play and easier to make sound good.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

I love the uncompromising nature of the telecaster.

A tele basically says to you "get your hands together, then come back and play me".

There's something about the lack of routed areas on teles that makes the tone very present, and you really have to work with your right hand to produce different tones and dynamic feels.

As for versatility, here's a few more names:

Richie Kotzen
Jeff Buckley
Thom Yorke
Leo Nocentelli
Steve Cropper
Cornell Dupree

 

[bryvincent]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

Jimmy Page is my favorite Tele player. Both Zep I and II were recorded using teles. Communication breakdown being a prime example.Page's Tele had a different wiring than most and you could get an out of phase sound in the middle position, which closely emoulated buckers. You can hear this on Stairway.

The Esquire was THE first solid-body, the Broadcaster, then No Caster, then Telecaster. 52 was the first year the Telecaster name was used. All of these guitars were revolutionary because they had a bolt on neck, and a flat top.

Originally there was a bass circuit which allowed for different sounds through a series of caps, this was later replaced by the accepted tele switch setup.

The tele's unique construction (specifically the large metal bridge plate) contribute to the tele's signature sound. To me the Tele has a stinging tone that no other guitar can touch.

Luke

AFAIK JP used a Les Paul on most of LZ II.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

And don't forget Andy Summers & Terry Kath...

 

[FretFire]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

AFAIK JP used a Les Paul on most of LZ II.

I've actually heard from several sources he used a tele on the first two records.

I think I've seen the lead player from Breaking Benjamin wielding a tele lately, for another "unusual" tele suspect.

 

[Artie]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

The tele's unique construction (specifically the large metal bridge plate) contribute to the tele's signature sound. To me the Tele has a stinging tone that no other guitar can touch.

Luke

I'm glad you brought that up. I wonder the affect of that large plate is. Would it attenuate highs, smooth mids, or what? Just curious.

I initially got a Tele-clone because I liked the idea of being able to lift the control plate, and mess with wiring and switch options, without having to unstring, or disassemble the guitar.

Then I just fell in love with it. Maybe, because it isn't a Strat.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

Jimmy Page used a Tele on Zep 1-3? Really!?

I never would have guessed that Good Times Bad Times was a Tele.

That's cool.

He gets such a fat sound. His Amps/speakers must have a lot to do with that. Plus a great bass line behind it must make it sound heavy too.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

Jimmy Page used a Tele on Zep 1-3? Really!?

I never would have guessed that Good Times Bad Times was a Tele.

That's cool.

He gets such a fat sound. His Amps/speakers must have a lot to do with that. Plus a great bass line behind it must make it sound heavy too.

If you have Zep greatest hits vol. 1 there is a clip of them playing Communication breakdown and Page is playing his tele.

If I remember my lore correctly he got it from George Harrison. It was repainted with some kind of crazy paisley color. He also had it rewired which is where the out of phase sound came from. His fat tone came in part from his old supro thunderbolt on the first album. As far as bass players, musicians period, JPJ is tops.

Luke

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

If you have Zep greatest hits vol. 1 there is a clip of them playing Communication breakdown and Page is playing his tele.

If I remember my lore correctly he got it from George Harrison. It was repainted with some kind of crazy paisley color. He also had it rewired which is where the out of phase sound came from. His fat tone came in part from his old supro thunderbolt on the first album. As far as bass players, musicians period, JPJ is tops.

Luke

Well JP used the tele on all of the first one and as far as I'm concerned NONE of the second album, possibly a tune or two though. When he got his les paul it was new beginnings for him.

Close guess on George Harrison but Jimmy got the guitar from Jeff Beck and it had a really cool dragon painting on it that got worn off. George did however give Eric Clapton his SG that he painted, "the fool", thats probably what mixed you up

 

[mrfjones]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

close, age got his tele from jeff beck. it was a 59 model if i am not mistaken and also had a top loading bridge.

 

[mrfjones]

Re: Telecaster Tribute

beat me to it ledzepp29