Telecaster

What do you do when you are in a church who has 7 weekend services with 800 people in each service but yet still doesn't see a concern for a telecasters on stage? We have Strats, Epiphones and other good stuff but its never great stuff like a 52 Tele, 70 custom tele etc.

I love my church but I just can't understand this one small bit of what we do! Someone please console me!


Rags

www.ragsstudio.com (http://www.ragsstudio.com)

I dunno- Churches can be weird places. I've played in a lot of them and sometimes it seems to me that, when it comes to music, they JUST DON't GET IT!

I heartily endorse your desire to see a really awesome Guitar being used to give Glory. After all, the Telecaster is the grand-daddy of them all, the World's first solid-body electric and if it had never been invented, who knows what we'd have today??

What do you do when you are in a church who has 7 weekend services with 800 people in each service but yet still doesn't see a concern for a telecasters on stage? We have Strats, Epiphones and other good stuff but its never great stuff like a 52 Tele, 70 custom tele etc.

I love my church but I just can't understand this one small bit of what we do! Someone please console me!


Rags

www.ragsstudio.com (http://www.ragsstudio.com)

Is someone actually standing in the way and opposing the use of a Tele??

If you already have strats,,, whats the problem with a Tele?

Are you on the worship team, own a Tele and your church wont let you play
it??

Are you trying to get the church to buy one?

You statement brings up a lot of questions Bro!

That's ok with me... if I were going there, my Tele would stand out in tone.
I'm becoming aware about some of my electric guitar players bringing in older modelers that the technology is out of date.
No matter how hard I try to tweak their gear, some of their guitar tones are horrible. I'm pretty close to making a recording of their guitar tone to preove my point.
What do you guys think? ( sorry about hijacking the thread )

What Would Jesus Do?

I'm pretty sure he'd use a 52 Tele. :mrgreen:


Of course Satan would be using a PRS. Don't blame me...I'm just sayin" (I bet it would be made of Gold also)

Of course Satan would be using a PRS. Don't blame me...I'm just sayin" (I bet it would be made of Gold also)

Yes. Solid Gold. :twisted:

Rags:
I feel fortunate to play in a church that supports my playing a Tele (60th anniversary sunburst with new vintage pups, rosewood). I played 15 services the past 3 weekends to thousands of believers and received nothing but support for the sound from Pastors to tech folks. It's a large church and most of the other guitarists play either a strat or an Ibanez "shredder" type guitar (I don't shred, just do more takeoffs and fills). I'm the only regular Tele player (though several guitarists own a Tele and love them), and I love the different sound I get. I play through a Franklin Mod Boss SD-1>Fulltone Distortion Pro>Fulltone OCD>Fulltone Fat Boost>Music Man 112 Sixty-Five (mid '70's).
I'm an old guy and came out of '60's rock and surf bands so I think they see me and my sound as a novelty and something different than the kids (under 35) play.
I don't know about you guys but I get kind of tired of the predictable sound of a Strat and LP. I can get so many sounds from my Tele: smooth jazzy to spanky.
With the Distortion Pro I can very closely emulate a LP>Marshall stack, if a song calls for it, so I've got the flexibility to sound like a Tele and an LP if needed.

Pickalittle

Maybe I'm just a bit confused and crabby this morning, but "my church supports my playing a tele"?! "What do you do when you are in a church who has 7 weekend services with 800 people in each service but yet still doesn't see a concern for a telecasters on stage? We have Strats, Epiphones and other good stuff but its never great stuff like a 52 Tele, 70 custom tele etc." - Huh?!

First off, if I'm in church to check out the guitar player's gear then I'm there for all the wrong reasons. If I convince myself I'm there for the right reasons but can't seem to focus on worshipping God because the songs I'm singing with are being played on "something other" - as if it were strange fire being offered - then I'm not there for the right reasons.

I know this was likely started very tongue in cheek, but still, when someone has to ask whether or not a church would be standing in the way of someone using a particular type of guitar then things have gotten a little ridiculous, no? Have we turned worship into so much of a commodity that we now focus on the instruments used to play the songs and not the Person to which the songs are sung?! Where I come from the musicians and singers are meant to be ignored not focused on. We had to argue with the Pastor for a couple months to get him to turn off the stage spots when we played so that there would be less reason to look at us and more reason to focus on the Subject of the songs we sing.

As for my Tele, which does get played on Sunday mornings, along with a Strat, a bucker guitar or two and anything else that might be right for a song, I fully expect it to burn away with everything else in this life that we think is so important but Jesus just laughs at (or maybe He sheds a tear over its importance to us?). Eye has not seen and ear has not heard the beauty of the instrument I'll get to play in eternity. If He gives us the desire of our hearts, like He said He will, I'll have a nice chuckle while you guys stroke your maple and ash while I'm playing God's model. ;)

Amen ChurchPlayer!

Pickalittle!

What do you do when you are in a church who has 7 weekend services with 800 people in each service but yet still doesn't see a concern for a telecasters on stage? We have Strats, Epiphones and other good stuff but its never great stuff like a 52 Tele, 70 custom tele etc.

I love my church but I just can't understand this one small bit of what we do! Someone please console me!


Rags

www.ragsstudio.com (http://www.ragsstudio.com)

Rags71
I see you are in Singapore, and your link is to a church there. So, I am thinking that either this post is a bit of humor, or perhaps something was lost in translation.

If the former, then I'm not sure I get the joke you attempted, but assume it is something like the good natured banter between myself and the other guitarist at my church. He prefers humbuckers, but occasionally plays single coils. I am the opposite. So we tease each other about tone.
If the latter, I am not sure I get the question. You just don't have a Tele player in the church? Or someone says Teles are not welcome? Or you play tele, but they have refused your services in the group? Or you want to play tele, and want the church to get one for you (presumably the church owns other guitars)? Each has a different answer. None are particularly "evil", but it may not be the answer you want to hear.

I guess if you really have a question and this is not an attempt at humor, then you will have to be more specific before anyone can attempt a specific reply.

Sorry folks for posting and then gone on a long absence. Yes most of you are right, it was meant to be a lighthearted post. Sorry & thanks for your attempt to take this seriously. I'm leading the children's ministry and spends most of my Sundays with the kids rather than the adults service. No tele in either service. We have a band and because I don't play in it, I give my band members complete autonomy what instruments they want to use. I'm okay because the types of instruments are just preference. If its up to me, I'll have my choice of amps, pickups and strings to use as well. :-)

I will not do this again. At least not when I have to be away for a long time.

In my church the other guitars are:

Kramer strat-style copy (but with a Tele pickup configuration)
Godin SD-XT (H-s-H)
Tobbacco burst 60th Aniversary Strat
Epi Goth Flying V and an 80's Peavey shreader guitar

The Flying V looks a little out of place, especially being the matte black Goth finish, but it's pretty cool.

It's still music, no matter what instrument makes it!