Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

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tonythejedi
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Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by tonythejedi » Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:07 am

While I wait for the rest of the parts to come in for the JM build I am about to start, I was looking to the future and wondering about what to do after.

I've really been getting into the CC sound, as of late: One, because I don't have anything like it in my collection, and two, the older I get the more I care about tone. Both listening to and creating it.

Well, let's be honest... trying.... and failing miserably..... to create it!

I have a thin-bodied Barncaster Tele project in the works, that I was about to buy a set of the drop-in CCs for. It's white walnut, with a beautiful grain pattern. I think it would look and sound great with those fat single coils in it.

But then I thought, I do have an old Univox Custom 335 copy, that I bought for $50 from a country swap shop, to hang on the wall. like 25 years ago. It's been there ever since, but I always knew one day I would get a hankerin' to fix it up.

All of the electronics were gone when I bought it, but the original pickups and knobs were taped up and included... I always planned to restore it back to the original stock, but I don't know know if those pickups will work or how they would sound, even if they do... From the videos on YT, they aren't anything to write home about.

So I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts as to which I should work on next... and which one I should drop a pair of CCs into... and having never actually played CC's in a guitar before, which do you think would be more fun?

Thanks for your input!!

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Re: Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by Ceylon » Wed Apr 21, 2021 10:39 am

My initial thought is that the 335 would get you closer to the CC tone. But are the pickups of the black with white surround single coil type that came on some japanese guitars? Those are pretty well liked around here I think, having never tried any myself.
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Re: Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by Telliot » Wed Apr 21, 2021 10:51 am

This may or may not help? I vote for the Tele, personally.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by tonythejedi » Wed Apr 21, 2021 12:06 pm

Ceylon wrote:
Wed Apr 21, 2021 10:39 am
My initial thought is that the 335 would get you closer to the CC tone. But are the pickups of the black with white surround single coil type that came on some japanese guitars? Those are pretty well liked around here I think, having never tried any myself.

These are the original pickups it came with... do you have any experience with these?

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Ceylon
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Re: Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by Ceylon » Wed Apr 21, 2021 12:51 pm

None personally, but they seem like they might sound pretty good, being basically bigger depper Strat single coils with a Tele baseplate.

Either way I'd probably feel less bad switching those out.
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Re: Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by HarlowTheFish » Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:47 pm

Honestly I like CCs a bit more in a Tele, I think they go together with a hot Broadcaster-y bridge pickup really nicely.

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Re: Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by marqueemoon » Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:32 pm

Another vote for Tele.

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Re: Charlie Christian - Tele or Hollowbody

Post by Maggieo » Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:17 am

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