What makes a Telecaster a Telecaster?

[justFred]

Ask Greg Koch…

 

[PFDarkside]

Hmmmm... So if my Tele has a six saddle bridge, a belly cut, 12" radius fretboard, but traditional Telecaster single coil pickups, is it still a Telecaster? It sounds like a Telecaster to me, but now I am curious.

I’s say so. Strats are my thing and I have 6 screw with vintage radius/frets and vintage style pickups and I have 2 post with noiseless pickups, bigger frets and flatter radii, they are all pretty Stratty to me.

25.5” bolt on with a Tele plate style bridge and Tele pickup sounds pretty darn Tele to me.

Since Fender makes them that way now too, yes, it's a Tele...LOL.

And the six-saddle bridge on them has been around since the American Standards were launched in the 80's. I get that the 3 brass saddles lend something to the sound but come on, some get really overly purist when it comes to that. Even Brad Paisley has 6-saddle bridges. Who's gonna tell him his guitars aren't Tele's? LOL

I’d say it’s more the brass than the two strings sharing a saddle, but I’m sure an A/B would show a very, very slight difference. I think it’s splitting hairs, but all options are available now!

 

[Mincer]

Fender puts the Tele name on pretty much anything that has the same silhouette. I go by what I think of a 'traditional Tele tone'.

 

[beaubrummels]

You guys know they make these, right?

 

[GuitarStv]

You guys know they make these, right?

Yeah, we know that there are round wheels these days, and that they can be produced easily and work well . . . but we're sticking with square ones for this particular vehicle. But we can upcharge you for square wheels with slightly rounded edges to make the ride better.

 

[beaubrummels]

Yeah, we know that there are round wheels these days, and that they can be produced easily and work well . . . but we're sticking with square ones for this particular vehicle. But we can upcharge you for square wheels with slightly rounded edges to make the ride better.

Yeah, square wheels are the period-correct traditional ones. You can't get THE tone without the square wheels.

 

[JamesPaul]

You guys know they make these, right?

...

Yeah, square wheels are the period-correct traditional ones. You can't get THE tone without the square wheels.

This is likely my primary concern. What if I set the intonation, ever so slightly off, on my 6 saddle? I am probably diving too deep or splitting hairs, but the thought has crossed my mind.

 

[Securb]

Bet it sounds a lot like a superdistortion though.

Thankfully it does. Randy Rhoades, Tom Scholz, Phil Collen, Al Di Meola, Vivian Campbell, and Dave Murray all gut a slightly useable tone out of a Super Distortion I think I will leave it in for a while.