How to tame tele sound

I purchased an American tele deluxe that has Olympic white color body with alder wood, Nd maple neck. I wasn't aware of how trebly and high tele was until I brought I home.

It's been about 4 months I played this guitar and i can't tame the sound.. I bought an equalizer pedal from boss to adjust the sound but I still can't fully control it. Any suggestions or tips?

It's all right and left hand technique, IMO.

The short answer is sell the Tele.

Generically the bridge on the Tele gives it that twang.

You could try a duller pickup in the bridge ...

Personally, I don't use the bridge pickup a lot, but you can certainly tame it somewhat .. of course there's the knob under the volume knob that helps with this.

You could try different tone cap values to further the tonal scope.

Turn the volume and tone knob down, turn the amp up

Why tame a tele?

dont play with volume and tone on 10, turn the treble down on the amp, pick lighter, sell the guitar.

in that order, honestly tele bridge pickups are 90% of the reason to own a tele =)

Turn the volume and tone knob down, turn the amp up

+1, adjust the pickup height, making the treble side lower than the bass

The short answer is sell the Tele.

+100

The tele is not the guitar for you.

Especially since the DELUXE tele is already a TAME tele (it has hum canceling pups that are WAY "bassier" than vintage tele pickups)

Maybe the tele sound isn't there in "your ear", yet. A quality tele lead PU sound should be full, not some thin piercing "twang". It should call to mind a steel guitar, as that's how it was designed to sound.

Sorry to say, it may take you a long time to "get it". Years, not weeks or months.

Spend many hours listening to & studying the great tele artists. That will help you a lot.

I guess the easiest first step would be to rethink your amp settings overall. Or worst case, get a better amp.

I've seen similar posts on forums re: archtops. Players want to join a "club" by buying some instrument & sound like the masters right away.

Music is fun, but not easy. Far from it.

Buy a strat ..seriously .not a smart arse remark

Hmm. No info about your amp, your playing technique, your settings, strings, your set up, etc., so here’s my guess:

Assuming there’s a problem (and I doubt that there is), it has nothing to do with your guitar.

Sure, Teles can generate sounds that might be characterized as “trebly and high.” But they are equally capable of generating warm tones, even the famed “woman tone.” A lot of people even use them for jazz.

Your amp and its settings, and the tone knob on your guitar, your strings, and your technique have a far greater role in generating the “trebly and high” sound than your guitar alone.

Your strings are important. Stainless steel wrapped strings are the brightest, steel/nickel alloys are in the middle and the pure nickels are the warmest strings.

It’s not that you “can’t” tame your Tele, it’s just that you haven’t figured it out. Dump your equalizer, change your strings, use a decent amp and focus on your playing technique.

i agree with most everything said so far, also i find it's best with a good tube amp you need to play around with it until you can find that sweet spot but it will always sound like a telecaster so just play around with it and see if it's for you

if the tele bridge pup tone is shrill and trebly (vol and tone pots wide open) when played direct into a clean amp, the pup is probably underwound and that's the culprit. turning the tone pot will kill some of that treble ear bleeding, but that will also change the inherent tone of the pickup. if you like the guitar, but don't like the pickup tone, change the pickup(s). a fatter bridge pickup with a much higher coil wire turn count can make for a Huge difference in tone and make for a totally different guitar that will turn yer frown into a smile. :grin:

i'll offer to send you a cavalier lion tele bridge pup to try in your tele. if it doesn't make you happy, just return it. if you like it, it will cost you $60. try before you buy. such a concept and deal, eh? :cool:

Maybe your amp is set for a different guitar ( humbuckers. P90s, etc. ) and you just need to set it to sound best with your Tele. JM $.02

Put a Seymour Duncan "Five-Two" pickup at the bridge. Twang without the pain.

What amp are you using ?

Some days I dislike the bridge PU in my MIJ Tele, but when using it for a gig I fall in love all over. My point is that alone it can sound harsh but in the mix on stage just perfect. YMMV

Why tame a tele?

Yellowbeard!!! Awesome movie! Isn't there a kid in that movie trying to sell handful's of poop or something?

Any way, I don't really like "traditional" twangy bridge pups. I would look into other options. I was looking for a pup more suited to rock and blues. Some a little more aggressive, darker with some balls and growl. I ended up with a voodoo te50. Its amazing, but a little pricey for a single pup (totally worth it though!!!).

There are lots of options though, people love the SD broadcaster pup. I've used and liked the fender Texas special an avri 52. The main point is that tele's, while tough to tame, are very easy to work on and mod. You can mold it into whatever you want. I did!

It's all about the knobs and screws. Use 'em.:lol:

I've had some difficulties trying to "tame" the bridge pickup on my tele's. I play a lot of songs that work best for the rhythm to be just strummed on open chords using the bridge pickup. I was able to still keep the cool personality of the tele twang and still make it more usable for me by lowering the pickup. Lower it all the way down even with the bridge plate and then start raising it up until you like it.

If that doesn't work, then start looking for new pickups or even a new guitar. But dang, I just wouldn't want to plug up if there wasn't a tele by my side.

It's all about the knobs and screws. Use 'em.:lol:

In the words of the Great Fezz:"Learn to play your *******." :mrgreen:

In the words of the Great Fezz:"Learn to play your *******." :mrgreen:

I know it's a little mean spirited and snotty (not to mention foul-mouthed), but I really believe that guitarists spend to much time looking for a quick fix rather than doing the work. So here's my rant on the subject:

TVMA
2s7AJCe0FxU

I know it's a little mean spirited and snotty (not to mention foul-mouthed), but I really believe that guitarists spend to much time looking for a quick fix rather than doing the work. So here's my rant on the subject:

TVMA
2s7AJCe0FxU

Never gets old... "KNOBBBS !!!" Classic. :lol:

Turn the volume and tone knob down, turn the amp up


Aside from adjusting pickup height or replacing the pickups with ones with a mellower tonality this is about the easiest solution you'll find.

If your Tele is wired without a "high pass" filter the tone will automatically darken when the guitar volume is reduced. Rolling back the tone post 10% to 20% will help to.

Whenever you play a Tele with max volume and max treble it's gonna be twangy and the treble may be kind of harsh. Even more so with certain pickups. Try taming it with the knobs or amp settings first.

I know it's a little mean spirited and snotty (not to mention foul-mouthed), but I really believe that guitarists spend to much time looking for a quick fix rather than doing the work. So here's my rant on the subject:

TVMA
2s7AJCe0FxU

THIS IS IT! Out of the 100 million YouTube clips, Fezz has given us the best. Get a good guitar, get a good amp, and then learn to play. Quit trying to buy tone.

Fezz, if I ever bump into you, I'll buy you a beer!

Or some Powerade...:lol:

Love that video Fezz :lol:

Buy a strat ..seriously .not a smart arse remark


This is true,,,,they can sound like a Tele, but much more mello.

You should really tell us what you want from the tele, and describe the sounds that are not "tame" enough for you, then it will be much easier for us to help you.

Roll off some treble with the tone knob, and don't use to high treble on your amp. If this isn't working, you should consider buying another type of guitar. Then, if you find the sound youre looking for in another woman, scuse me, guitar, maybe sell the tele if it stays noncooperative to your needs.

Fezz, if I ever bump into you, I'll buy you a beer!

+1 on the Powerade!

Da ****s man! Spot on.

I recently scored a MIM Squire from a gent off Craigslist ($130.) The seller said he was just learning guitar and starting a band. He complained it just wasn't the tone he was after. I took the tele for a test drive on his sweet little Blues Jr. and gaaa it was an ear bleeder! But the neck felt so good, and I've been jonesing for a sunburst...

Anyway, I got it home and started playing with the KNOBS and low and behold there was the 'half cocked wah' tone! I did swap the neck pup for a displaced TexMex neck pup, but there was soooo much to discover from that cheap squeelie bridge pup by twisting them shiny things...

My Vox Night Train 15 has a triode/pentode switch. The triode setting is very very dark, and didn't sound pleasing to me no matter how I set the knobs or what I plugged into it. Except this tele! It's naturally bright character is a perfect complement when using the tone control bypass setting on the amp (what they named the Bright switch on that model,) with the power amp volume dimed, and the preamp gain is set to not knock nearby birds from the sky. The ultimate clean with a light tough... oohh touch! Tone starts with your fingers. With the range of tone and volume available on that guitar, the rig is sooo responsive to touch it is amazing! (Just like Unk Fezz's phalanges channel... :shock:)

Knobs are the alchemy of tone!

Moral of the story = if you don't play with your knobs regularly, you're just not living right!

It's the one in the center:

http://thrill.org/Studio/teles.jpg

I've been struggling with the same issue with my MIM tele since I got it 5 years ago (save for a brief honeymoon period). There's many excellent telecaster tones on records, but mine just seems shrill and ear-splitting.

I've replaced the pickups many times over, and am now convinced that new pickups are not the answer, and the answer lies elsewhere.

I should state that I usually play on the bridge pickup, but lately I've been using the middle position more and it opens a new dimension compared to the bridge alone (duh).

Also, the use of volume & tone pots (especially the volume) is highly recommended. Just turning the volume down 15% tames the shrill high frequencies and makes a more rounded tone.

Pickup adjustment: the lower the pickups, the less highs. Generally. Give it a go.

When it comes to amp/EQ settings, I've reached a point where I've stopped trying to remove the high frequencies. Embrace them, as they are part of the tele-ness. The trick is to make sure you've got a decent amount of bottom end to give the sound some body.

I keep saying I'm going to sell the tele and get something else (I do keep eyeing up jaguars), but there's something that keeps pulling me back...

I know it's a little mean spirited and snotty (not to mention foul-mouthed), but I really believe that guitarists spend to much time looking for a quick fix rather than doing the work. So here's my rant on the subject:

TVMA
2s7AJCe0FxU

This video is absolutely correct! I have no channel switching amp and I do not use gain pedals. It's all in the volume and tone controls for me. :D

I love that video Fezz posted, LOL......So True. 'Use the knobs for tone', what a concept.

Turn the volume and tone knob down, turn the amp up

Yes! In other words...some players turn the volume and tone all-the-way up. That's what we call, "dimed." Try tone settings about one third up from the lower/cut setting or down from the dimed setting (or set it about half-way). Also, try setting the amp volume where you want it-with the guitar volume about half way. This way you can really adjust volume more or less from the guitar. There's lots of possibilities!

Also, my Tele was set up by a 'real' luthier. This created a workhorse of a guitar.

The typical tele response is due to the pickup being mounted in a metal bridge. On other guitars the initial transients are softened somewhat when mounted in a pickguard or into wood - softer materials. You can pull your dials back but you'll still have a lot of pop due to increased dynamic range.

A compression pedal may help, otherwise, dial up your gain levels. If the shrill response bothers you, you need to try dull the initial attack transients - this will lessen the dynamic range and make the tele less ice-picky.

Otherwise i'd suggest what others have said - use other guitars. If you don't like the Tele bite, then ol' bitey ain't the guitar for you.

I used to have a similar problem some months ago - the bridge pickup tone felt too much twangy for me. Could not get it under control. Tried using tone control to tame the sound. Some people here helped me a lot to understand the tele tone phenomenon.
The answer came with time. I listened to my favorite masters and played my tele as much as I could. I adjusted my articulation and got used to the sound gradually.
Now I enjoy the bridge pickup and use the tone knob sometimes, to get warmer sound of it. Didn't change anything in my guitar, just learned some! This worked for me, may also work for you...

Just out of curiosity, what guitar were you playing before you got the Tele?

+1 on lowering the pickup height. If you do it, please let us know if it worked for you.

Another point to re-emphasize is to look at the amp you're using. If you're playing an open backed SS amp with a 10" or maybe even a single 12" speaker you're gonna need to pull the treble EQ back quite a bit on the amp and maybe the guitar as well to mellow it out. A closed backed amp will sound completely different with the exact same settings.

A good tube amp with a 12" may sound less brash than a SS with a 10" or a 12". Some guys will even go to a 15" but even that depends on how a speaker is "voiced". I can play anyone of my Tele's through my closed back Cube then switch over to my open backed Harvard Reverb and even with the same settings get a totally different sound. I have to tame a lot of brightness with that Harvard.

It's such a wild combination of things that you have at your disposal you just need to explore them for what you're looking for. Like Fezz pointed out. They put all those knobs there for a reason and seldom is "diming" them a good approach. The tone is there you just have to search for it a little.

Some days I dislike the bridge PU in my MIJ Tele, but when using it for a gig I fall in love all over. My point is that alone it can sound harsh but in the mix on stage just perfect. YMMV

+1

...and a compressor will help as stated above.

Try a Gretsch with Filtertons, or a Les Paul.

Vol./Tone knobs on guitar
Pup height adjustment
New Pups?, (I like BL "Keystones" and "Micro-Coils"...also easy on the pocket book)
"4 way switch" gave me some different tone options with the Tele Pups.
Adjust amp settings?
Different amp?...Different speakers?, ( I have 12AX7s and 6L6 tube/ amp..playing through 1x15+2x12 Cab.....it all adds or subtracts from the tone.
All else fails......different guitar.

You could try some flatwound strings on it, jazz style. I'm using 0.011s and sounds like a charm!
+1 on the tone / volume settings. You can really find a huge array of sounds with these 2 knobs, specially on a Tele, I'd say.


finally...
DON'T sell the Tele - it will grow on you :mrgreen: