ksdaddy Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 All my life I've drawn a clear and distinct border between an acoustic and an electric guitar. This border (wall, if you will) has gotten taller and more concrete over the years, until now. In recent years I've all but shunned electric guitars, thinking them artificial, newfangled, not 'real'. On occasion I have reminded myself that Leo Fender was producing electric guitars before Lucy and Desi even made it onto the television. I viewed them all as slabs of wood with little variation from one to another. Not looking down my nose per se, but just making a clear distinction between them and a 'true' guitar. I thought, what good is it when the power goes out? A real instrument should function anywhere, anytime. I realize that's radical thinking and I'm not defending it, just pointing out where my head was at. How many hundreds of guitars have gone through my hands? I have no idea. A thousand maybe? There's a good chance of that being true. I did own my own (crappy) music store in the 80s and I've been flipping guitars since about 16 so yeah... In 1978 I received a new white Telecaster as a graduation gift. I had insatiable Tele lust for about two years and this was "the one", white with black guard and maple neck. When I think of how many guitars went through my hands in that two years I question why I hadn't set aside some cash and bought a used one, which probably could have been bought for $250 then. Fate maybe. Over the years I've had honeymoons with many guitars but I always come back to the Telecaster. Oh, and the '64 SJ I got in 1984. There's 2 J200s in the stable which will blow the SJ right off the map but I always go back to the SJ. It's just "right". With the Tele... any sound I can hear in my head, I can make come out of the guitar. I'm not a good player but if I have a modicum of talent it comes though with that guitar. I can pick it up anytime and just play for a long time, never wondering or second guessing any little detail about the guitar or which cord I'm using or lusting for some amp of some kind. It's just there for me, all the time. Which brings me to the point of all this. In spite of my quasi-Luddite line of thinking, that guitar IS.... a guitar. It is not "just a slab". It functions as a guitar regardless of the availability of 110 volts. It's a guitar first; any embellishment in the form of pickups, amps, and effects is very much secondary. It's not like an electronic keyboard which truly has NO functionality without power. There have been many many times I have just picked that Telecaster up and played it for hours and never plugged it in. It has a resonance, voice, and personality that speaks to me. I have been noodling along with it on the couch, nowhere near an amp, and the expression "just a slab" will pop into my head and it will immediately be rebutted by the expression "garbage in, garbage out". Regardless of what pickups or amp is being used, it won't ever make up for lack of personality. Not claiming my Tele is "all that"... well it is for ME, but someone else might not agree and prefer some other guitar... as it should be I guess. Part of it could be 35 years of familiarity with one instrument. I'm re-thinking everything I ever thought about solid bodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Ok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenKen Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Touché brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Wow, I didn't realize that about you...considering this forum has a great load of electric lovers. My grampa didn't like anything but nylon. He said the steel was too bright. Granted, his music styles didn't fit with anything but nylon...maybe its a per-style thing. His two sons took to electric like it was their job...'cause it sort of was, lol. I have NO love for shredder Ibanez guitars. They feel dead to me and sound like...like if you don't have the pedals and speed its just worthless. My opinion could change. Teles are incredibly versatile...for a few years I thought of them as country/blues instruments...I hear Kirk used one for shredding on a Metallica early album...well, I can believe it now. Teles are boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markini Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 The worst guitar I ever jammed on was a 1965 Telecaster. One of the best guitars I own and I ever jammed on is a 2010 Telecaster. Such is life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I agree.. Anyone whos played enough guitars knows that some of them have it and some don't.. They are all made up of wood and pickups and metal as you say.. So what gives a guitar a personality? (or as some would say Mojo). When you strum it and can feel it. And that feel and the sound you hear pleases you.. Of course this is objective.. But at the end of the day guitars seem to have as much personality as people sometimes. Cost, types of wood and hardware are not as important as the overall effect that it has on you when you strum one. Its what makes them so personal and what fuels our discussions on here.. I mean if we just all agreed on everything it would be a bit boring round here wouldn't it ;). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 What makes one have it and one doesn't? great question! I think it's all in the subtleties in how a person's hands get around on each instrument, and each player feels "it" inherently differently even on the very same guitar. Give 10 guys the same guitar, "players" are going to impose their will on that instrument and each players style, (if they've been at it long enough to develop it) is going to come thru. Low budget, to custom shop guitars costing 25x more, that's all personal preference, when the rubber hits the road, it's really in the hands IMHO it wont ever be as obvious to the listener as it does to the player, the people listening to you are going to hear "you" no matter what you're playing. For the player however it's a very visceral thing, you don't know it's the right one, till you're there in the moment, like for example, start out spending a few minutes doing what ever, next thing you know, 2 hours have flown by, and you've no idea where that time went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I have a Squier 51 that I like a lot, it is my second one, the first was a dog in build and tone but I liked the concept. Sold it and looked for another at GC, there was a floor display that had been played enough that the maple fingerboard was dirty, that's the one that I liked the most when obviously a lot of folks had passed on it. Afterwards I kept looking at these guitars at stores and never liked one as much as i like mine. Preference I guess, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Love my Teles... been playing them off an on since '66. The "barf burst" I just got in July of last year...and the '69 Thinline I just bought and restored to stock in November of last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 "Barf Burst" what a hoot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Love my Teles... been playing them off an on since '66. The "barf burst" I just got in July of last year...and the '69 Thinline I just bought and restored to stock in November of last year. ..But how do you get them to hang sideways? \:D/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Bone Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Not ignoring the OP's point purely to perpetuate the unintended Tele love fest, but they really are great guitars (some of them anyway). Anyway, FWIW, I quite often play my electrics unplugged, sometimes for hours at a time. Oddly, I've gotten to like the simplicity of it sometimes (and they are still quite different than an acoustic, different things definitely are played). I've never really thought of them as merely slabs, maybe I'm lucky that way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy60 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 personally, i like it loud and dirty. electric just gives me the sense of fulfillment and satisfaction which i find lacking when i'm forced to use my acoustic.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Wow! And I've spent the entire winter coming to terms with REALITY! and the notion it is time I sell off all my electrics and become content with maybe but one acoustic and a stay at home finger picking existance. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burdger Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I really like playing my electrics without plugging in. I rarely plug them in when I'm around the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 I've always dug the simplicity of a Telecaster. My passive aggressive comment (uttered on a regular basis) is that Leo got it right the first time. Over the years I have used very few boxes. A Pro Co Rat and a Boss CE-2 (CE-3?) Chorus, and.... jeez, I think that's it. And that was in 1986. The only pedal I own is a cheap digital delay and I haven't used that in 4 or 5 years. Not even sure I can find it. When asked about my rig, I would point with a flourish and (Joe Cocker arm flailing) to the invisible equipment and say "Tele! Twin! And a cord in between!" The Twin is gone, replaced with a Peavey VTX about 16 years ago. I don't even use that anymore. I just bought a Texas Red Fender Frontman 25R for $94 shipped and it's superb. I may just peddle the other amps that are kicking around here unused. Front pickup on the Tele with a rolled off tone.... better (or at LEAST as good) as any jazz box I've owned or played. Back pickup... we all know what the back pickup on a Tele is capable of. Both together... crank up the reverb and it's a happy surf tone and less jangly than a Strat. I don't chicken pick. I'm not impressed by chicken picking. People grab a Tele and think, oh, hey chicken pickin' time. Hell no. That's very narrow minded to think a model is most suited to one sub-sub genre or style. I've had people pick up one of my classicals and play "Classical Gas" because they figure that's what you DO on a classical. *sigh* She has aged much more gracefully than me.... As stated, I am not a good player but when I pick this up it just feels right and sounds right. I find myself stretching for things I never thought I was capable of (everything being relative, please understand). I have taken out aggression on that fingerboard more than once, practically bending the strings around the neck and making it scream in ways that would make Roy Buchanan proud. Not in a technical sense but....soul. This guitar is my voice. Sotto voce or primal scream. It brings both out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I Love Telecasters! Always have. In fact, this past Saturday, at a gig in Oklahoma, where it was quite chilly, and "damp" from the previous night's Thunderstorm, we had to play outdoors, for 3.5 hours. My Gibson Double Cut LP Special developed an unusual (for it) blantant tuning problem. STILL not sure, what that was all about?? But, point being, my Telecaster took over, and finished the rest of the gig, with very little re-tuning, at all. Even my Ric-12 String stayed in tune! Thank God, I had the Telecaster with me! We played everything from Old Country, to Byrds, Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, and Cream! The Tele can (and did) do it all, flawlessly! Remember, "Led Zepplin I" and a large portion of "II," was all Telecaster! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Wow! And I've spent the entire winter coming to terms with REALITY! and the notion it is time I sell off all my electrics and become content with maybe but one acoustic and a stay at home finger picking existance. Steve No don't!!!! I did that back in 95. Traded all my gear for a couple acoustics because my oldest son wanted to learn. I traded away 2 electrics, 2 amps and all my pedals. My son never picked up the acoustic I got him and within 2 years I was being invited to play live with guys i'd been in bands with. Kicked myself for getting rid of it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Actually I think the nylon string guitar doesn't get the love it deserves from flattop, archtop or electric pickers. The problem, IMHO, is that the potential sounds simply aren't typical - and regardless what "we" say about looking for our own tone, "we" tend to use what others use for similar musical styles - and "we" all tend to sound so much the same... My objection to the Tele is the same as to the Strat, although I prefer what a Tele can do for several reasons. If the Tele had a flatter neck and a shorter scale, I'd be all over it. But not for what some might think. Here's partly why: m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 yessir !! Mr.Leo got it right the 1st time re: electrics. for 30 yrs I was a "Gibson ONLY" guy, just because i'd never really TRIED a Fender seriously. I'd been in a cpl bands that had consumed the Haterade and was convinced. then one day back in '07 we were window shopping in a GC when Mrs.B. hands me a Tele and says "try this". my mind was spinning....was she kidding? did mental issues suddenly start showing? didn't she know it wasn't a Gibby? where could she wash her hands after handling it? etc.etc......but I plugged it in. played 4 Teles that day and took the 2nd one (a Mexi burst)i'd tried home, that day. I have several Fenders now, and the origional Mexi-Tele is still very high in my rotation.....some of my tunes just wouldn't sound "right" thru another guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 What makes one have it and one doesn't? great question! I think it's all in the subtleties in how a person's hands get around on each instrument, and each player feels "it" inherently differently even on the very same guitar. Low budget, to custom shop guitars costing 25x more, that's all personal preference, when the rubber hits the road, it's really in the hands IMHO it wont ever be as obvious to the listener as it does to the player, the people listening to you are going to hear "you" no matter what you're playing. Playability may be an added factor. I mean, exact same specs and electronics and crafting...I'm with you, but a guitar that's not been put together right or with cheap electronics (which isn't a comment on price so much as quality) isn't gonna satisfy the player like one with the special pups and the "good" tuners. That shows through when you play, doesn't it? I've said it before though...gimme the best guitar, I can make it sound like a$$. It's hardly the guitar's fault, I'm sure Clapton would rock a Harmony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Playability may be an added factor. I mean, exact same specs and electronics and crafting...I'm with you, but a guitar that's not been put together right or with cheap electronics (which isn't a comment on price so much as quality) isn't gonna satisfy the player like one with the special pups and the "good" tuners. That shows through when you play, doesn't it? I've said it before though...gimme the best guitar, I can make it sound like a$$. It's hardly the guitar's fault, I'm sure Clapton would rock a Harmony. yea, that is absolutely a factor, some are just dogs, bad fret jobs, askew (twisted) necks. So here there's some assuming that these conditions are not part of the equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Like ksdaddy I was an acoustic player for many years, then I started with semi acoustic and have a Gibson ES330 and a couple of Ibanez Two years ago a Fender Tele Custom came me way, a 1974 with the Stef Love pick up so maybe not a 100% tele but I love it. Easy to play and great for solos which is what I usually use it for. I was offered 2500USD last year but said no, must be love! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I like that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Actually I think the nylon string guitar doesn't get the love it deserves from flattop, archtop or electric pickers. The problem, IMHO, is that the potential sounds simply aren't typical - and regardless what "we" say about looking for our own tone, "we" tend to use what others use for similar musical styles - and "we" all tend to sound so much the same... My objection to the Tele is the same as to the Strat, although I prefer what a Tele can do for several reasons. If the Tele had a flatter neck and a shorter scale, I'd be all over it. But not for what some might think. Here's partly why: m A short scale Tele would be nice. I know the Jaguar is short but at 25" dead too short for me. A standard Gibson length 24.75 would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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