Telecaster Headstock - Right or Wrong....

[PorkyPrimeCut]

OK. Another aesthetics related post. People, don't take this personally.I know they're legendary guitars & incredibly desirable amongst a lot of you guys'n'gals out there......but, I've never been able to get used to the headstock shape.

The infuriating thing for me is that there are so many Teles out there that look drop-dead gorgeous until you get to the headstock!! (Imagine a curvacious brunette who smiles at you only to reveal half her teeth are missing!!!) What makes matters worse (for me) is that the only Tele headstock I like is the '72 Deluxe (kinda Mustangy) but the body is so boring!!!

I would love (& have looked into) getting one of those 72 Deluxe necks & restoring an old 60's Telecaster. For me it would make one beautiful guitar!! A perfect hybrid.

Incidentally (and maybe cos of the resurgence in guitar bands using them) that 72 headstock has been incorporated onto 2 new teles..see fender.com. They're both pretty lame though!!

Opinions welcome, naturally...... 

P.S - When I call the Deluxe body boring I mean it just aint as stylish as the classic Tele design (with the chrome knob strip)

[PorkyPrimeCut]

For example....



Pretty rough mock-ups but you get the idea....

[i love sharin foo]

I like the stock Telecaster headstock shape, alot.

To me, a Deluxe doesn't look boring at all. I think there are enough differences that I don't even think of them as a Telecaster. In my mind, they are enitirely different animals (mostly because of the sound), so when I see a Deluxe, I think Deluxe and not so much Telecaster. For me, the large Strat headstock looks okay on them, but for me more "normal" looking (read '50s and '60s Telecasters look MUCH better with the original headstock shape.  But, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Justin

[pullover]

I like the Deluxe headstock on the deluxe, but not the regular tele. For me it has to have the big pickguard and the wrhp's to look right.

[RumorsOFsurF]

The Tele is perfect, just the way it is...   I love the slim headstock, especially with a spaghetti logo behind the string tree! 


But they are all beautiful!





This one doesn't look quite right on a Tele, though...
(John5)

[dinosaur]

I love the tele headstock! 

[FireAarro]

I love tele headstock, with spag logo. Looks great, very sleek. Teles with strat/etc headstocks look a bit off to me.

[mynameisjonas]

yeah i love the regular tele headstock too. being a huge tele deluxe fan, i once thought i could soup up my regular telecaster with a strat neck and make it look a bit more like a deluxe, but i didn´t like it at all. the headstock just didn´t look like it was in proportion with the rest of the guitar. that goes for Porky´s mockups too.

[chrisjedijane]

I live the telecaster headstock, I think it's really elegant. The big deluxe headstock only really looks good on the deluxe IMHO

[FireAarro]

yeah i love the regular tele headstock too. being a huge tele deluxe fan, i once thought i could soup up my regular telecaster with a strat neck and make it look a bit more like a deluxe, but i didn´t like it at all. the headstock just didn´t look like it was in proportion with the rest of the guitar. that goes for Porky´s mockups too.

yeah. Might be something to do with the huge pickups/chrome and huge pickguard on the deluxes. Everything on those is huge!

[Sauerkraut]

I didn't like the headstock when I first saw it, but it's actually my favourite now.

[luau]

I like the headstock a lot. I think it looks awesome on Teles, and not so good on anything else.

[jetset]

I like it, and it's the one original Fender headstock shape that Leo didn't appropriate from the original Paul Bigsby guitar.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bigsby

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Got Wood 

[Maggieo]

I love the Tele headstock....and all the other parts, too!!