Playing a Telecaster in church

Ever catch any flack for playing a tele in churches? I played one traveling 20+ years and only had one comment....a guy asking if we could play the theme from Dukes of Hazzard!

I used to play in a small military chapel service and there were quite a few Sundays that me & my Tele were the entire band.

Playing a telecaster in church is teleological.

:lol:

Whenever I play guitar in church, I always play something that ends in 'caster. Usually a Tele.

I play a Tele at Church, but I'm not sure the people in the congregation would know a Telecaster from a Teletubby.

I play a Tele at Church, but I'm not sure the people in the congregation would know a Telecaster from a Teletubby.

:lol:

I'm sorry, I keep on forgetting that there are other guitars that the poor unfortunate might play.

I've gotten comments about other guitars (among them an Ibanez SZ320 and a Line 6 Variax) but my Tele
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/junk126/Groupshot.jpg
has never been criticized. I'm not brave enough to play the Ibanez Talman in the picture in church. The red star sticker might be too much with the black sparkle finish. Stickers in general seem to draw comments.

I play a Tele at Church, but I'm not sure the people in the congregation would know a Telecaster from a Teletubby.

Same here.

I have found that a single coil Tele is the best match for the acoustic room sound of most churches.
The middle/neck position is good for strums etc. and the bridge pup cuts through nicely during the solos without getting lost in the enormous natural reverb of a high ceiling church.

I put Dimarzio VV pickups in mine because of one of my churches. It is the dirtiest room for power I have ever played. Lights, UHF, VHF video feeds, EMF--you name it they have it.

Play a Tele in church? Yep, just about every Sunday!

I played one for years when I was with a "P&W" band...

With the pastor on this one, but then again, i'm the pastor!:razz:

No problems with tele's or any other guitar but some people don't like their ministers playing guitar!

the folks in our church love my telekaster(at least i hope so,ive been playing one their 13 years).

A week ago two guys I'd never seen at Church before, I'm assuming visitors they weren't back this week, one walks up to the stage and hollers back to his friend, "You're right it's an MIM." That was the closest I've come to a comment about me playing a Tele.

I've never had a problem from anyone about playing mine at church.

I don't catch any flack about the guitar, but I have a KC Chiefs arrowhead sticker on the headstock and I catch tons of flack over that! Many donkey-Bronco fans in my area. I tell them "God still loves you".

I don't catch any flack about the guitar, but I have a KC Chiefs arrowhead sticker on the headstock and I catch tons of flack over that! Many donkey-Bronco fans in my area. I tell them "God still loves you".

I have a MIM Tele on its way from Guitar Center. Are you saying I should leave the St. Louis Rams sticker off? btw, your team stole Dick V.!:wink:

I'd be more worried if they were playing B C Riches (and I'm not even a practising christian :~) )

Ted

Hey Southpaw,
Put a BROWNS sticker on instead! HA!

Mike

first time i brought my electric to church they insisted I try plugging straight into the pa.

I bought my setup knowing i was going to be playing in church so its a nice clean sounding set up. It was one of the things that made me buy a tele, i had an sg before and I dunno if it was the horns or what but they didnt like it one bit.

Hey Southpaw,
Put a BROWNS sticker on instead! HA!

Mike

Real quick hijack in defense of the great and wonderful Rams...

Mike, don't you mean the Ravens? Okay, even that was low for me. I need to go back to quiet time, huh? :grin:

Back to the real thread question...I played an SX Strat copy in church and always received good comments about it. The other guy plays a PRS, so our worship team is "electrified." I waiting on a black MIM tele, and am sure no one will object (though I will be tempted to play the opening line of "Folsom Prison Blues" through our PA)

I'd be more worried if they were playing B C Riches (and I'm not even a practising christian :~) )

Ted

Our drummer at our former church was in "The Crucified", a speed metal band. Haven't seen any "Warlocks" yet at our current one...I should buy one to see what happens, huh?

Never caught any flak about any guitar I've played in church. Just got the mutt Tele and it is an excellent instrument. Thinking about another one.

I've played my Tele for 8 years at church and never got anything but compliments. I use the neck pup alot, and the neck/bridge combo gets that nice 'ching' sound I love so much. I also use the neck/middle combo on my Nashville Tele. It's really sweet on the Tele rhythm pup playing fills and leads in the 10-15 fret area during Gospel songs.

Ocassionaly I get to used the bridge pup alone, usually when playing arpeggios or cross-picking.

I love my Tele, although in general, the sound is a little bright for our church band, and the thick humbucker sound usually fits in a little better for contempory stuff... unless it's the fill on Light the Fire Again, or the twang runs on Holy is The Lord or As Far as the East is From the West... or...

Actually caught by camera, with a Tele in church:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/PraiseCaster/DanceLikeDavid-1.jpg

Only comments I've heard regarding playing my Tele in church is:

"Crank it up, Scott, it sounds awesome!" And that by some of the more, shall we say, "mature" believers!

When I started playing lead (there are about 4 lead players that rotate playing so no one burns out after 5 sets/weekend!), I was the only one who played a Tele. Now most all the electric guitarists brings one!

It's contagious!

I played a '70 blonde tele and a Twin in church back in the 80's, switched to a LP Custom for a few years, then to a American Std for about 15 years. It always cut through the mix of other instruments well and only had that one "Dukes of Hazzard" comment!

Praisecaster....nice pic, great looking band.

Yep me n my Tele and my home built BF vibro champ...the Champ sounds better in church than at home...

Cheers
ce24

I had mine there yesterday, because it was the guitar I had with me. A few people in the congregation said to me after that they hoped they'd hear some chicken pickin out of me, but I don't know if I'll do it again. The monitors on the PA seem to be dead and I couldn't hear a thing.

We're an acoustic bluegrass/gospel/blues group anyway and I think I'm going to just keep to the acoustic and mandolin from now on. :)

I played all 3 of my Teles at my last church no problem. I even played a white Flying V, a burst Fernandes Ravelle, a DeArmond Jet Star, and a blue Ovation Breadwinner (all of which are way more radical-looking than a Tele) without anybody complaining.

However, I did position myself so that the organ console blocked a lot of the congregation's line of sight to me. ;)

One of our lead guitarists uses an old kramer shredding guitar with a strap that has a cobra head snake looking over his shoulder...and no one minds. :)

I would really love to get a nice Fender Super Champ to go with my Highway one tele. At the moment my AD50VT is waaaayy to big to be hauling to church (or college for that matter).. I do get to do some special worship music a week from this sunday.. Maybe i could pawn my Epiphone les paul (first guitar) for about 200 bucks so i can get one.. :D

I play a tele at my church but only get feed back from the other musicians. I don't think the general public knows one guitar from another. I do get a lot of lookie-loos because of how different my tele looks.

Aengland77: I wish my other guitarist would pawn his epi lp too lol

We go to a christian music fest in NH every year called Soulfest. Tons of big bands in the scene, smaller ones, etc. I'd say a tele+vox combo was just about THE standard last year.

Also, half the people can't tell the difference between the bass and lead guitar players, so there you go. :)

I've taken this one to services before....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/refin/flametele.jpg

A few times I even used an Esquire,for that challenge!

I've taken this one to services before....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/refin/flametele.jpg

A few times I even used an Esquire,for that challenge!

I'd love to see and hear that in church!

I love playing my Tele in church. But I once had a soundman run from upstairs to behind the stage so he could reach the volume knob on my amp. He turned me down after I hit the overdrive and the amp's boost. (It wasn't mic'd.)

For years, my MIM Tele was the only one I'd play in church, and before that it was my Schecter Strat. The only complaint I've ever heard from anybody was that my Epi Emperor Regent was too "boomy".

Oh, I forgot, a sound guy once criticized the sound of my MIM Tele through my DRRI. Idiot. I left that church soon after. (Please forgive me, that wasn't the only reason, just the Good Lord giving me a little nudge in a different direction!)

For years, my MIM Tele was the only one I'd play in church, and before that it was my Schecter Strat. The only complaint I've ever heard from anybody was that my Epi Emperor Regent was too "boomy".

Oh, I forgot, a sound guy once criticized the sound of my MIM Tele through my DRRI. Idiot. I left that church soon after. (Please forgive me, that wasn't the only reason, just the Good Lord giving me a little nudge in a different direction!)

I also left that church. That was just one of the reasons. Sometimes you have to ask God if it's time. He'll let you know.

New here, and first post. I have been a worship leader and children's pastor for years, and have played Strats, Teles, Les Pauls (gasp!), a 335 copy and various and sundry acoustics. The Teles are always some of my favorites tone-wise. I have never had complaints from congregation members regarding the electrics, usually only comments about "now when did you get THAT one!?" The most compliments I've had were about a home-grown "stealth" Esquire I whipped up recently: Black on black with cream binding and a maple neck with a neck p'up hidden under the pickguard.:cool:

A church that will not accept Teles--that's a problem.

As you can see from the avatar, mine is not exactly perfect in appearance. Like me.

That's all I use. The guys in the band would give me stick if I showed up with anything else, except for maybe a flat top if we're Bluegrassin'. Regards.

Unfortunatley I never had a Tele when I played in churches. I don't think people would have noticed... at the end of the day it's a church and not a guitar shop!

I've always played strats in worship bands, but once I can do some horse trading and pick up a CV squier, it will most definitely make an appearance. I think the sound of a tele is right for the current band I'm in, lots of singers, a keyboard or two, and at times up to 4 guitars (that has fortunately stopped). Something I can be subtle with and cut through.

Our pastor plays a telecoustic, does that count? :D

hopefully i will begin playing with our worship team by next wednesday. right now i have a epiphone custom shop sg. ( i know what you are thinking "why did this guy subscribe to telecaster forum then?") well. the tele has caught my eye, and at first i saw the squier affinity series tele, and then then the 50's classic vibe. i went to a music shop at a mall near where i live, and just so happened to come across the classic. i played it and really liked it. the way it felt, the body, and the thick, glossy neck. anyway, just posting.

I play a Tele at Church, but I'm not sure the people in the congregation would know a Telecaster from a Teletubby.

Agreed...

That said, I play my Tele more than my EBMM Steve Morse model because the Tele can cut through the mix without having to be actually louder or more overdriven. It's more polite but rings through nicely...

The problem with PLaying a TELECASTER in church is...you cant "PLAY" a Telecaster in church!!

The problem with PLaying a TELECASTER in church is...you cant "PLAY" a Telecaster in church!!

Maybe not at your church... :grin:

The problem with PLaying a TELECASTER in church is...you cant "PLAY" a Telecaster in church!!

....big or small, charismatic or pentecostal. And they are happy with the benders as well.

Honkey Tonk Guitar in church thats Hilarious!!!

Church people are such hypocrites....

I worked for a guy that used to listen to Gospel music constantly (it drove me crazy).

I'm a tele plyr ...so i noticed all the Tele playing in those songs and heard what I thought was Brent Mason on a couple.

I also heard several of the guitar players steeling Brent's licks and putting them in Southern Gospel songs and you know none of those Gospel singers had clue what was goin on.....
Their singing about how they are special and the music their singing is inspired by the "devine all powrful GOD"....but even GOD cant come up with anything better than that Bar room Honkey Tonk telecaster guitar pickin ...

HILARIOUS!!!!

funny thing is the guy I workd for who listened to Southern gospel all the time ..always used to "ride" me about playing country music (espeacially in bars).

He was aways trying to get me to sing and play Gospel music.....

I guess ignorance is BLISS...

funny thing is the guy I workd for who listened to Southern gospel all the time ..always used to "ride" me about playing country music (espeacially in bars).

He was aways trying to get me to sing and play Gospel music.....

I guess ignorance is BLISS...

It's true! I just don't say anything anymore to the hypocrites. Music is just music. If it's tasteful, well played, in tune and in harmony, then it is good. It's all for God anyway. We should play for him. We can put a smile on his face.

Man, what is it with the thinking that worship teams all play southern gospel music?

Also: I don't play honkey-tonk or twangy stuff on my tele. I hope that is ok. :)

I often use my Tele in church. I've played it in our College/Young adult group, as well as the main service on Sunday morning (3 services, 1500-2000 people each service). Never had any complaints about the look, just the sound! (Some of the older folk tend to dislike any loud music, even acoustic guitar.)

On the days where I'm not playing it though, my friend is playing it as our lead guitarist. It definitely gets a workout each week

Hello,

i just got a peavy generation tele-style and i think i'll be playing it the next time i play in the P&W. its a sweet sounding guitar and i think i found some settings which are good. i'll be using it with an ibanez pt-3 which has OD/DIST, chorus and delay.

peace,
LDR

I play all types of guitars. Depends upon what the set looks like that week. When it comes it's turn, I play a Reverend Rocco with lava swirls. People don't mention the name of the guitar, they just love the lava swirls.

Many years ago I played a concert situation with a Southern Gospel group that was in a large church. I was playing a Tele. The Pastor told me at the end of the service that in the past he considered two instruments to be inappropriate for church: electric guitar and saxaphone. After hearing our group, he was now OK with the electric guitar but still wasn't sure about the saxaphone.

finally got a peavey generation tele and played it for the first time in a praise & worship- just the tele in the middle position, tone pot rolled down a little; a small marshall set on clean and my fingers, no picks. i had a grand time and i think i'm going to use that guitar for p&w over my other ones. just a tambourine too for percussion and we sang to our hearts content. i may bring a chorus next time like i did when i used an acoustic.
peace,
ldr