Got a 3 pickups telecaster. Does it exist ?

Hello from france
(sorry for my poor english, trying to improve it each day)
I bought my 1st telecaster a few months ago, a 77's USA made model. Incredible sound. I played on many guitars : Strat, Gibson, Rickenbacker etc., and nothing can be compared to a tele, the best sound I ever heard. Clear and clean treebles, loud bass, this very rich sound sound is unique !
My question : as long as I can see on pictures, telecasters only have 2 pickups, as opposed to the strat with 3 pickups and a 5 way selector. My telecaster have 3 pickups, and a strat like pickup selector... I can choose between riche tele sound via a switch (1st and 3rd pickup together), or use a strat like sound (beurk !) , but what about such a strange telecaster ? Did this really exist by the past, from stock, or did I buy some sort of a custom model ??

http://www.net-createurs.com/perso/my_tele.jpg[/img]

Yes, Fender does indeed make a three-pickup Tele (a couple of them, actually)

Check this link to Fender's webpage: for the Nashville (http://www.fender.com/gear/gear.php?partno=0135302) specs.

Here's a pic:

http://www.fender.com/new_repository/fender_guitars/images/0135302_md.jpg

I believe what you have is a copy of the Nashville. Look at the curve where the body joins the neck on the low 'E' side of the neck. The curve is much different from the Nashville pictured above. Fender did make bodies with a similar curve for a brief period back in the '70s, but I believe it was a little different than what yours shows. Or it may just be the camera angle- it's hard to tell from the picture. So maybe it is and maybe it isn't a genuine Fender body. You could only tell for sure by disassembling the guitar.


Yours also has two Strat-type pickups. This isn't the Fender configuration. The Nashville has a Strat pickup in the middle position, but a Tele pickup in the neck position. I'm not sure when the Nashville started production, but it was much later than 1977.


-Michael
Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316

That was called a Telecaster Plus. It was made up until 1998 in vaious forms. It was replaced with the 3-pickup American Deluxe Tele for a couple of years and then they dropped the middle pickup and is made in that 2-pickup form today. The Nashville Deluxe Telecaster still has three pickups but without the front body binding or tummy contour. It looks like different pickups than stock Lace Sensors though!
~~~~~
Here's my (Mike Rice's) old 1997 Tele Plus in Crimsonburst.
http://junior.apk.net/~rji/teleplus.jpg

Really? I always thought the Tele Plus only came with the Lace Sensor Dually in the bridge, and a single Lace Sensor in the neck position.

I guess senility is finally beginning to take its toll on me.......


-Michael
Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316

Looks like a modified 70's Tele to me. I like it, it has the same pickup configuration as my Tele, very versatile

Really? I always thought the Tele Plus only came with the Lace Sensor Dually in the bridge, and a single Lace Sensor in the neck position.

I guess senility is finally beginning to take its toll on me.......


-Michael
Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316

For the last couple years it came set up like a Nashville. Pretty nifty cuz it had the standard Tele FLS pups in it, and then a chrome covered FLS Gold Strat pup in the middle. I'd LOOOOVE to find three of those, get a mirror guard, and put them on a Strat with the Clapton mid booster. :-D

Looks like a modified 70's Tele to me. I like it, it has the same pickup configuration as my Tele, very versatile

I was thinking the same thing with the cut by the bass side of the neck. But the bridge looks wrong.

but ya know Fender USA makes models that are not sold in the States. I used to be able to get Guitariste magazine from France and saw models in that publication sold only in Europe. Also, I see guitars here in Japan made for the Japanese market only, so what you have there may be a model that was sold outside the US which may explain why our knowledgeable members are stumped. Remember, in your best conehead voice, he is from France.
carine mon ami, your English is excellent by the way. Nice tele too.

I was thinking the same thing with the cut by the bass side of the neck. But the bridge looks wrong.

I tried to enlarge the pic of the bridge...it looks like a MIM 6 way top loader but the res isn't high enough to tell a lot.
J.R.

For the last couple years it came set up like a Nashville. Pretty nifty cuz it had the standard Tele FLS pups in it, and then a chrome covered FLS Gold Strat pup in the middle. I'd LOOOOVE to find three of those, get a mirror guard, and put them on a Strat with the Clapton mid booster. :-D

Here ya go....

Lace Music Products (http://www.agi-lace.com/store/product.asp?id=33&catid=1).


My son has a black Strat exactly like that. He completed the chrome/mirror theme by using Tele control knobs and a chrome switch tip. It's a very sharp looking guitar.....


-Michael
Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316

I tried to enlarge the pic of the bridge...it looks like a MIM 6 way top loader but the res isn't high enough to tell a lot.
J.R.

Thanks everybody for your answers. LPBlue : here is a closer picture of the bridge. And the back of the guitar is all plane, without those "strat like" curves...

JP

http://www.net-createurs.com/perso/bridge.jpg[/img]

That's much better. That bridge mounts with 4 screws as opposed to the three on my MIM bridge and it's sure not a top loader. It does look like the saddles are MIM style though. No body relief in the back, double bound...this is getting interesting. How about a headstock shot and ser#, that would help.
J.R.

How about a headstock shot and ser#, that would help.

Here is the pic. It says it should be a 77 model, USA made (but that's just what that neck says). This guitar is heavy : 4,5 kg. As heavy as a STD Gibson LP !
I think the paint - and the binding - were made by the previous owner, does not look like original. And the little switch on the bridge - between the knobs - is mine : I use it to turn the neck pickup on. As the main switch is a 5 way "strat like" switch, thanks to that switch I can get the telecaster sound (neck + bridge pickup at the same time), sounds great !

JP

http://www.net-createurs.com/perso/head.jpg[/img]

So it's not a factory built Tele Plus but a put-together one from various era and parts. But you said it sounds and plays good - and that is what really matters, nes pas ? :D

off-topic:
those are cool string tees, anyone know where you can get those?
Are those Fenders of some era?

Cheers
Matt

off-topic:
those are cool string tees, anyone know where you can get those?
Are those Fenders of some era?

Cheers
Matt

Those are the same as on my 94 MIA Strat and they're flipped 180 I guess for a tighter breakover at the nut...good idea.
J.R.

The headstock decal and the body profile are late 60's -70's so I'm gonna stick with my modified Tele theory.
Especially as it's been dated to 77.
As far as I can make out, it's a 6 saddle string through bridge, not unusual to find as a retro fit, my Tele had one when I got it.
Looks nicely done, whatever it is

A 94 custom shop tele. It's got 2 Texas special strat PU's in the neck and middle and Texas special tele PU in the bridge. 5 way switching, the big "metally" 6 way bridge. I think they were callin' 'em American Classics at the time. They had strats and tele's like that. I consider mine more a hard tail strat than a tele in sound. Don't play it much these days though.