fretplay Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Not strictly a Gibson thread but I know a lot of members have Teles. I have owned this Fender Custom Tele (a 1974 model} for about two years and only yesterday did I discover that it does't have a fret board. The neck is one piece of maple. Are other Teles like this, have a look guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Hello Fretplay! Teles have lots of varations. Some come with rosewood fingerboard on maple neck, some high-end versions even with ebony. But the traditional, original version is, - as You have described it - comes with one-piece neck/fretboard combination. To go even further, there are even more neck profile variations than You would find on Gibsons. I am not expert of Fenders, I only have one 2010 FSR Tele, never had any Fenders before (don't even considering buying more) - but it's fretboard and neck are very comfortable! In fact, it's so easy to play it, that I put on 11-48 strings on it, to add some thickness to the sound of those single-coils, and it's still very playable. If I am correct, it has - what is called - "Modern C profile" neck. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My 1982 Ibanez Blazer Bass, 2012 Fender American Deluxe Telecaster, and my SCN and Graph Tech LB63 piezo modded 2013 Fender Standard Floyd Rose Stratocaster Plustop do have a one-piece maple neck. These OPM necks all are flat-sawn and offer a remarkable sustain despite of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 my Teles & Strats both (actually, all 6) all have 1 pc necks w/no "fretboard proper".....except of course the 1 other of each w/R/W fretboard. everything from Mexi, to American Deluxe are 1 pc......I thought that was what made them sound so bright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I have a strat like that. It must be cheaper to make withoout a fretboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Hello Fretplay! Teles have lots of varations. Some come with rosewood fingerboard on maple neck, some high-end versions even with ebony. But the traditional, original version is, - as You have described it - comes with one-piece neck/fretboard combination. To go even further, there are even more neck profile variations than You would find on Gibsons. ... Cheers... Bence There are some older Fenders with maple necks and glued-on maple fretborads - two bandmates of mine do own one of those each - and in the early years they made curved boards instead of slab boards. Curved boards are made like a veneer, and their radius on the downside has to match exactly that of the neck's upside, or it will lack contact which could mar the sound. As far as I know, curved boards and the related necks are currently made for Custom Shop guitars only. All the curved boards I've seen up to now were rosewood boards, so I don't know if they ever made curved maple boards or not. my Teles & Strats both (actually, all 6) all have 1 pc necks w/no "fretboard proper".....except of course the 1 other of each w/R/W fretboard. everything from Mexi, to American Deluxe are 1 pc......I thought that was what made them sound so bright. OPM necks seem to support a bright attack as well as fast tone buildup. I find the latter especially on my Ibanez Blazer bass and my Fender American Deluxe Telecaster. As for my Fender FR OPM neck Strat, I believe that any vibrato system affects the reaction to attack. Listening to tracks by Robert Cray unveils the tightness of a hardtail Strat even if equipped with a rosewood neck. I think that his so-called "ice picking" style translates best this way. However, since their magnetic pickups are different, a comparison of my RW Strat and my OPM neck Strat via their piezos shows that the latter is somewhat brighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 Thanks for yours guys, seems I'm not alone with my one fits all tele neck. I bought this guitar on a bit of whim, sort of got sold it as it's not really my sort of thing. It's a 1974 Custom with the Steph Lover neck pick up. I only use it to play solos and it is fantastic for that. Every time I play it with someone else they always say how comfortable it is to play in fact when I pass it over I wait for the expected comment to follow. One piece necks are really comfortable to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 The one-piece maple necks are the very reason for the "skunk" stripe in the back of the neck on some Fenders, at least originally, that is where they add the truss rod then plug it with wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Contrary to what a lot of people think,it is actually more difficult-or should I say tedious?- to do a one piece neck because you don't have the luxury of tossing the fretboard if you make a bungle while you are installing the frets or setting the radius.Consequently with a one piece neck you have to be diligent about getting everything right the first time because that's the only chance that you have.Fender did one and two piece necks side by side in the factory as far as I know but I forget the criteria for leaving a neck one piece or deciding if it needed a slab fretboard.I guess that I'll have to take a look at the old Fender archives buried deep somewhere in my Band Cave. BTW: Some people say that whether a neck is one piece of has a slab fretboard greatly affects the sustain and tone but that basically impossible to prove because there are so many other dynamics involved in the overall tone and performance of the guitar,each one plays a part in the overall tone that isn't possible to measure or give a percentage to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Contrary to what a lot of people think,it is actually more difficult-or should I say tedious?- to do a one piece neck because you don't have the luxury of tossing the fretboard if you make a bungle while you are installing the frets or setting the radius.Consequently with a one piece neck you have to be diligent about getting everything right the first time because that's the only chance that you have.Fender did one and two piece necks side by side in the factory as far as I know but I forget the criteria for leaving a neck one piece or deciding if it needed a slab fretboard.I guess that I'll have to take a look at the old Fender archives buried deep somewhere in my Band Cave. BTW: Some people say that whether a neck is one piece of has a slab fretboard greatly affects the sustain and tone but that basically impossible to prove because there are so many other dynamics involved in the overall tone and performance of the guitar,each one plays a part in the overall tone that isn't possible to measure or give a percentage to. The only very thing I experienced with OPM necks is their tendency to strongly vibrate with the strings. Flat-sawn necks with a glued-on fretboard feel a bit stiffer, and the most rigid seem quarter-sawn necks to me. This also seems to depend on neck thickness, and so my slim tapered necks on Gibsons tend to vibrate stronger than the late 50s neck of my LP Traditional. The latter feels very rigid and makes fretting somehow easier since no vibration will try to shake your fingertips off the surface. Next to it comes the asymmetrical 60s neck of my SG Supra with its Richlite fretboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Confirming what Riffster said earlier Fender didn't use a separate 'board until Rosewood became the norm in 1958-59. Right from the start of production in the late '40s ALL fender necks were one-piece until this time. With the rosewood 'boards the truss-rod was inserted before the 'board was glued on hence the disappearance of the 'Skunk-Stripe' at this time. When Maple became an option towards the end of the '60s it was as a seperate 'board and the skunk-stripe was still absent but later on the original method (and stripe) was re-introduced. Since those days, as others have said, Fender has used both methods of construction. P. EDIT : Brain-Fart time again, I'm afraid! I just remembered the '59 maple-neck Strat I had didn't have a skunk-stripe and checked my facts. Apparently from approx '54 the maple 'boards were used. Apologies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson Artist Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Hello Fretplay! Teles have lots of varations. Some come with rosewood fingerboard on maple neck, some high-end versions even with ebony. But the traditional, original version is, - as You have described it - comes with one-piece neck/fretboard combination. To go even further, there are even more neck profile variations than You would find on Gibsons. I am not expert of Fenders, I only have one 2010 FSR Tele, never had any Fenders before (don't even considering buying more) - but it's fretboard and neck are very comfortable! In fact, it's so easy to play it, that I put on 11-48 strings on it, to add some thickness to the sound of those single-coils, and it's still very playable. If I am correct, it has - what is called - "Modern C profile" neck. Cheers... Bence IMO for the regular model teles maple is the only fretboard id use. That said, the prettiest git ive ever seen was a sea foam green tele with rosewood fretboard, but i dont buy em for looks, i want the pure clean maple tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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