Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Embenny » Wed Aug 25, 2021 1:30 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 12:27 pm
Oh, I'm aware of that - and how irrational my thinking is.
Fair enough! The heart wants what the heart wants.

I used to feel similarly. Then the first time I held a G&L in my hands, I was just like, "oh shit, this is fantastic."

Maybe some day you'll come across one in the wild that does that for you.
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Futuron » Sat Oct 23, 2021 2:18 am

Nearly 2 months with no Tele appreciation?!


Fine, here's some:
Image
Image

It's another guitar of mine that isn't sold in the preferred colour combo (Nashville version in cosmic jade, and without the all-maple neck), requiring me to 'partscast' it.

and with the big bro:
Image

PS that's a reflection, not a scratch

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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by MechaBulletBill » Sat Oct 23, 2021 5:28 am

tbh anyone after a quality telecaster that *doesn't* just spec a parts build is uhhh doing it wrong imo

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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:15 am

Futuron wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 2:18 am
Nearly 2 months with no Tele appreciation?!


Fine, here's some:
Image


I guess I'll be turning one of my Telecasters into a Nashville type guitar... it'll end up having 5-way switching, which I'm not wild about, even my Strats have 7-way.

It wouldn't be especially easy to convert it, either, I guess I'll have to live with it. Is yours 5 or 7?
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Embenny » Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:27 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:15 am
I guess I'll be turning one of my Telecasters into a Nashville type guitar... it'll end up having 5-way switching, which I'm not wild about, even my Strats have 7-way.

It wouldn't be especially easy to convert it, either, I guess I'll have to live with it. Is yours 5 or 7?
Get yourself one of these, Larry.

Image

I have the 10-way Strat switch and the 6-way LP/JM style toggle, both in 3-pickup guitars, and I think I'd prefer that 6-way blade style over either. This Tele 6-way is the functionality of the LP switch with the mechanics of the my 10-way, which is what I've come to realize is my ideal scenario for a 3-pickup guitar.

Their blade switches feel better than their toggles, first of all. It's got a "down" (away from you) and "up" (toward you) angle, and a very firm, meaty click when going from down to up. Can't hit that direction by accident.

But within each row, the 3 (or 5, on mine) positions are just as easy and quick to hit back and forth as a regular blade, which is good because I usually slam it from "whatever" to "neck or bridge" pretty quickly.

When it's "down", it's in "Tele mode" - neck, neck and middle, bridge. Totally intuitive.

When it's "up", it's in "strat mode" - neck and middle, middle, middle and bridge. Like the three middle pickup positions of a strat, in that same order.

It's just the most clever thing. All the important options of a 7-way (the "all 3 on" tone has never interested me") but with the ease of use of a Tele 3-way. The 10-way Strat one is less intuitive. "down" is "strat mode" and "up" has a bunch of weird stuff, from your basic Tele neck and bridge in parallel, to various series combinations. Versatile, but not intuitive.

The 6-way, though, is stellar. I have the same functions on my Mustang's LP-style toggle, but the up/down differentiation is much less tactile and secure, so you can't hit it as quickly and reliably while playing. It also feels less robust. But the blade switch? They finally knocked it out of the park. Switching rows can't happen by accident, and when you're not switching rows, it's just like any other blade.

Get it. It's easier to use than any 7-way mod involving push-pulls, toggles, blend knobs, or what have you. It's just a regular Tele, until you decide you don't want it to be.
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:04 am

mbene085 wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:27 am



Get it. It's easier to use than any 7-way mod involving push-pulls, toggles, blend knobs, or what have you. It's just a regular Tele, until you decide you don't want it to be.
I would absolutely do that, except that what I bought was one of those Kinman no-solder harnesses since that was a good deal for me, I got the neck and middle Kinman pickup and the no solder harness for a little less than $200. I honestly just assumed it would be seven way switching but that's the other harness that they make.

And since the pickups are already set up with two prong connectors for the harness, I'll just deal with it for now.

It's all good... I have the two Telecasters, one can have the three way switching and the other can have the Strat style for now.

Actually, my AVRI Tele will have four way switching now that I think about it, it's got the usual three plus running the pickups in series. Not sure really how much use I'll get out of that, but it didn't cost anything extra.

https://kinman.com/model-harness.php?pi ... TK4&group=

I find Strat 5 way switching to be bizarre. I guess I never had a Strat until later in life and all my time with two pickup guitars really leads me to want the bridge and neck sound, which is what I use like 90% of the time.

That being said, though, I don't mind the three positions on a Strat type switching so much, it's just the "in between" ones that I have a hard time with.
Last edited by Larry Mal on Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Maggieo » Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:08 am

Slick Tele love:

Image
Slick SL-57 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

Still a darn fine guitar.
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:10 am

Maggieo wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:08 am


Still a darn fine guitar.
I like that! Great bridge on there.
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Maggieo » Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:44 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:10 am
Maggieo wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:08 am


Still a darn fine guitar.
I like that! Great bridge on there.
Solid brass. Sturdy AF.
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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by MechaBulletBill » Sat Oct 23, 2021 4:37 pm

MechaBulletBill wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 5:28 am
tbh anyone after a quality telecaster that *doesn't* just spec a parts build is uhhh doing it wrong imo
realised this was in response to a weeks-old post that was not linked or quoted :fp: sorry

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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Futuron » Sun Oct 24, 2021 2:25 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:15 am
I guess I'll be turning one of my Telecasters into a Nashville type guitar... it'll end up having 5-way switching, which I'm not wild about, even my Strats have 7-way.

It wouldn't be especially easy to convert it, either, I guess I'll have to live with it. Is yours 5 or 7?
It's a 5-way switch with push/pull for the other two. Not relatively difficult to do this way

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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Sauerkraut » Mon Oct 25, 2021 1:19 am

I recently swapped the P90 neck pickup in my Tele for a Firebird one and it's a much better match with the bridge pickup, both in terms of output and tone. It's a pretty common mod I think, and I can see why. I thought I loved P90s and hated humbuckers, but this Firebird pickup is fantastic and makes a lot of sense in a Tele. Still sounds quite Gibson but clearer and a lot less dull than a standard Fender Tele neck pickup.

The only thing I still miss on this guitar is a tremolo, but that'll have to wait.

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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by MechaBulletBill » Mon Oct 25, 2021 2:51 am

that's sick, i love the colour as well

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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by Dollywitch » Mon Oct 25, 2021 4:22 pm

https://www.thomann.de/ie/harley_benton ... rUQAvD_BwE

Thoughts on the Harley Benton Carbonita copies?

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Re: Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

Post by MattK » Mon Oct 25, 2021 11:08 pm

* double post sorry
Last edited by MattK on Tue Oct 26, 2021 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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