What is the Classic TELE sound???

[loudriver23]

I've always been a strat guy and love Gilmour, Knoffler, Clapton, Hendrix, SRV etc... tone.
But I was recently thinking of updating my strat and many a forum brother suggest the TWANGBANGER for that classic TELE bridge PUP tone?
Call me sheltered, or merely misinformed, but other than Keith Richards I can't really put my finger on " WHAT IS THE CLASSIC TELE TONE?"
I know this is may be a strange question to answer, but I really would like to know before I buy a Twangbanger or stay with an APS2 Bridge PUP.
Thanks all.
Loudriver

 

[pinto79]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

Led Zeppeling 1... Page used a 54ish Tele...

Springsteen would be a good one.

 

[Breogan]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

50's country... Countless of recordings there.

Flamming Groovies, Happy Mondays, Police... That's a broad spectrum

 

[Gary T]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

A Standard Tele, ala, two single coils, a Fender Classic Clean, Like a Twin-Reverb with a good dose of reverb. That will get you the twang. Its heard all over country music, and I believe there's a Tele in EVERY country band.

 

[Breogan]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

Tele's bridge pickup has a very focused trebly tone. I would say it serves you well in the clean and overdrive area remainig detailed and edgy. IMO this type of tone has a lot of power and energy itself and is great for styles without extreme distorsion or overdrive settings (think Led Zeppeling Whole Lotta love, not a extreme overdrive but what an enegy from the tone!)

With a lot of gain the pickup stays less defined and looses its character.

 

[Kelsey]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

As the others have noted, the first Led Zep album was primarily Tele, along with the solo on Stairway to Heaven. Other Tele players of note range from Muddy Waters and Albert Collins for blues to the current crop of country guitarslingers like Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, with greats like Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton in between. You'll hear great Tele rhythm work and fills by Steve Cropper on many of the soul and R'n'B recordings from Stax (e.g., most of the Otis Redding material -- Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, etc.). In addition to Keith Richards, listen for Tele rock'n'roll from Springsteen. The Tele neck pickup is much maligned, but can deliver tones that are similar to, but warmer sounding than a Strat neck pickup. The combined neck and bridge tone is jangly and probably the signature Tele rhythm tone on may recordings. Of course, the Tele bridge pickup is the most unique feature of the beast -- biting, ballsy and extremely versatile. It's my favorite bridge pickup type, period.

All of that said, only a Tele delivers true Tele tones -- the Twangbanger is an excellent Strat pickup with a Tele-like vibe, but it still sounds like a fattened up Strat rather than a real Tele. I have one in a Strat, and I've compared it extensively to my 6 Tele lead pickups. The TB is closest to the Duncan Jerry Donahue Tele lead, but it's not the same -- different bobbin geometry, different mounting (pickguard vs. metal bridge plate), different bodies (double cut, trem vs. single cut, hardtail).

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

First...Jimmy used a LATE 50 tele (58 or 59) on LZ1...it had a rosewood fingerboard. As for Tele tones...

-Jimmy Page on LZ-1
-Jeff Beck (early in the Yardbirds and various other times up to today)
-Clapton (in the Yardbirds)
-Danny Gatton (90% of the time or more)
-Joe Perry (Quite a bit in the early days on up to right now)
-Albert Collins (never saw him with anything else)
-Rich Robinson (quite a bit)
-Billy Gibbons (lots more than you might think)
-Steve Cropper (all the time)
-Dave Grohl (around the time of "There is nothing left to loose)
-James Heitfield (Unforgiven 2)
-Andy Summers (85% of his work in The Police)
-Keith Richards (as you already mentioned)

That is still just a small list to get you started...

 

[flank]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

As the others have noted, the first Led Zep album was primarily Tele, along with the solo on Stairway to Heaven. Other Tele players of note range from Muddy Waters and Albert Collins for blues to the current crop of country guitarslingers like Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, with greats like Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton in between. You'll hear great Tele rhythm work and fills by Steve Cropper on many of the soul and R'n'B recordings from Stax (e.g., most of the Otis Redding material -- Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, etc.). In addition to Keith Richards, listen for Tele rock'n'roll from Springsteen. The Tele neck pickup is much maligned, but can deliver tones that are similar to, but warmer sounding than a Strat neck pickup. The combined neck and bridge tone is jangly and probably the signature Tele rhythm tone on may recordings. Of course, the Tele bridge pickup is the most unique feature of the beast -- biting, ballsy and extremely versatile. It's my favorite bridge pickup type, period.

All of that said, only a Tele delivers true Tele tones -- the Twangbanger is an excellent Strat pickup with a Tele-like vibe, but it still sounds like a fattened up Strat rather than a real Tele. I have one in a Strat, and I've compared it extensively to my 6 Tele lead pickups. The TB is closest to the Duncan Jerry Donahue Tele lead, but it's not the same -- different bobbin geometry, different mounting (pickguard vs. metal bridge plate), different bodies (double cut, trem vs. single cut, hardtail).

i agree about the twangbanger.....it does add more punch in the low mids and just much more mids overall, but its not the same as a tele. It sounds like a hotter strat pickup with loud mids.........the tele sound is largely attributed to the actual design of telecasters, and the interaction of all the parts.....even if my antiquity pickup is wound a 6.9k, its louder than the twangbanger which is wound much higher, and the mids are clearer.....Teles just have more punch and sting than strats i think, but the sound remains clear and doesnt overdrive the amp too much, unless you want it to....whereas the twangbanger is a hotter wound, so it overdrives my amp more, but doesnt sound as punchy or strong as my tele does

 

[telestratman]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

As the others have noted, the first Led Zep album was primarily Tele, along with the solo on Stairway to Heaven. Other Tele players of note range from Muddy Waters and Albert Collins for blues to the current crop of country guitarslingers like Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, with greats like Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton in between. You'll hear great Tele rhythm work and fills by Steve Cropper on many of the soul and R'n'B recordings from Stax (e.g., most of the Otis Redding material -- Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, etc.). In addition to Keith Richards, listen for Tele rock'n'roll from Springsteen. The Tele neck pickup is much maligned, but can deliver tones that are similar to, but warmer sounding than a Strat neck pickup. The combined neck and bridge tone is jangly and probably the signature Tele rhythm tone on may recordings. Of course, the Tele bridge pickup is the most unique feature of the beast -- biting, ballsy and extremely versatile. It's my favorite bridge pickup type, period.

All of that said, only a Tele delivers true Tele tones -- the Twangbanger is an excellent Strat pickup with a Tele-like vibe, but it still sounds like a fattened up Strat rather than a real Tele. I have one in a Strat, and I've compared it extensively to my 6 Tele lead pickups. The TB is closest to the Duncan Jerry Donahue Tele lead, but it's not the same -- different bobbin geometry, different mounting (pickguard vs. metal bridge plate), different bodies (double cut, trem vs. single cut, hardtail).

I agree with the above....

Also, check out CCR...Fogerty hit some nice tele tones over the years they were together. ALso check out current country guys, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley...I'm not a country guy, but these two guys can hit it!

 

[madguitar26]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

so to put 2 full sized humbuckers in a tele the way some manufacturers(tom anderson cobra) do is to take away the character of the tele traditional sound?

 

[loudriver23]

Re: What is the Classic TELE sound???

Thanks everyone for the input. If the Twangbanger retains the Strattyness but just a bit more HONK... than I think it may just be the bridge pup for me.

I'll spare you the horror of what I did to my Tele........ Let's just say... it no longer sounds like a tele. I've always had a hard time getting a sound I liked from it. So a Jazz and lil 59 later.... Now I'm in love.
Sorry true Tele guys/gals.
LW