Telecaster exposes bad playing. - Page 3

studebaker hawk · April 27th, 2008, 11:44 AM

I agree with Jimmy Page; He said he Fenders were harder to play, but the rewards were greater.

frogger · April 27th, 2008, 11:48 AM

No beautiful birds on the fretboard, no gorgous arched top, no locking tunesrs, no frills just a great plank of light swamp ash slathered in nitro with a dose of hot tabasco at the bridge pup. A great amp and a whole lotta fun. The near perfect electric geetar. I have many beautiful guitars but my Tele will always remain with me. It's primal, rootsy, hit you in the gut kinda good. Like a comfortable pair of jeans or a good cup of coffee..basic pleasure at it's finest.

RocksOff · April 27th, 2008, 12:01 PM

I'm finally starting to bond with my Firebird, though I think I'm beating it into submission until it thinks it is a Cajone-intensive Telecaster.

Fatmanstratman · April 27th, 2008, 03:13 PM

Sorry to drift off-topic, RocksOff, but I was just curious about your avatar.

How refreshing to see one of our cousins from over the pond NOT claiming to have Irish "ancestry"!!...

So what's with the Taffy connection?

Echoplex · April 27th, 2008, 03:24 PM

Whenever I have a bad gig I blame it on my Tele

mowcheeba · April 27th, 2008, 04:12 PM

Sometimes the Tele fights you back a little but most
of the time I find it easy to play. Don't know if it exposes
bad playing more than other guitars because I've
been playing my Tele exclusively for 5 months.

I have vague memories of how a Les Paul, ES 335 and SG
sounds and feels.

Gary in Boston · May 10th, 2008, 10:41 AM

Tele refinery,

That is a great name for a custom shop or paint shop etc.

Gary

Gary in Boston · May 10th, 2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frogger

No beautiful birds on the fretboard, no gorgous arched top, no locking tunesrs, no frills just a great plank of light swamp ash slathered in nitro with a dose of hot tabasco at the bridge pup. A great amp and a whole lotta fun. The near perfect electric geetar. I have many beautiful guitars but my Tele will always remain with me. It's primal, rootsy, hit you in the gut kinda good. Like a comfortable pair of jeans or a good cup of coffee..basic pleasure at it's finest.

The above statement is how I feel at heart about Teles. The way they are is the way they were meant to be. I see lots of folks putting lipstick on them, humbuckers, gold platting yadda yadda yadda.

Why?

They are what they are and I think they are the perfect storm of wood, metal, plastic, paint, science, art, magic, logic, functionality, beauty and mojo.

Maybe it was an accident? Maybe Leo went down to the crossroads? But it is what it is and that is pretty perfect.

Gary

Dennis68 · May 10th, 2008, 10:59 AM

When the person who came up with the slogan "Pure" for Gibson, there is no doubt in my mind that person was thinking of a Telecaster the entire time.

FrankB · May 10th, 2008, 11:16 AM

I like this thread!!
When I first played a telecaster many years ago, I though to myself,"Holy Crap! I suck... Oh my GOD! I really suck big time!.....I don;t sound like this!!.. do I?!?!"
then after some self imposed isolation mated with a love at first touch with an 85 52ri Tele, I was destined to transform intoa better player.
Like any good woman, a Telecaster will steer you down the right path, instead of believing your own BS....

JoeyV · May 10th, 2008, 11:21 AM

If you want to hide the bad notes, roll the tone down...

IPLAYLOUD · May 10th, 2008, 11:22 AM

Tell that joke in Massapequa Park and they'll dump you in the Bay.
;-)

IPLAYLOUD · May 10th, 2008, 11:24 AM

The ultimate place of no hiding...an Esquire!
(I guess I added the Bigsby because I am still afraid)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inzbjDt7H_I

OutlawSteph1975 · May 10th, 2008, 05:44 PM

For the past year or so, I've been concentrating a lot on bluegrass flatpicking on my Martin.. which helps my Tele picking imensely! Technique is so important. I have to slow down much of what I'm trying to play to make sure I am not messing up the intricacies. Speed is built up gradually, but only after a lot of practice at a slow speed. If someone is playing too fast, gain will cover up the mistakes.. Then they go and pick up a Tele with a clean tone or an acoustic guitar and hear how flawed their technique might be if they're listening and caring.

Because I'm used to the 11s on my Martin, I have to switch to 10 gauge strings on one or two of my Teles now because the 9 gauge strings are getting lost under my fingers. I know my tone will be improved in that regard, and I sound a lot better, because my picking technique is improved, than I did a couple years ago.

Gerry Lambe · July 26th, 2008, 05:05 AM

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fusea...oid=39157 979

Check this video to hear the Tele played the way it was made to be.
Its me on the 52, with the SKUNKS live at Bar 12 - in Soho, Friday June 13th 2008. Hope you enjoy.
Played it though a 15 watt tube fender direct.
Gerry Lambe
skunksukofficial ( My Space )

Durtdog · July 26th, 2008, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerry Lambe

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fusea...oid=39157 979

Check this video to hear the Tele played the way it was made to be.
Its me on the 52, with the SKUNKS live at Bar 12

Hey, pretty good band you have.

But don't be so modest. You should take yourself a little more seriously.

Cheesehead · July 26th, 2008, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyV

If you want to hide the bad notes, roll the tone down...

Finally - the answer I was looking for!

Quote:

Originally Posted by frogger

The near perfect electric geetar. I have many beautiful guitars but my Tele will always remain with me. It's primal, rootsy, hit you in the gut kinda good. Like a comfortable pair of jeans or a good cup of coffee..basic pleasure at it's finest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankB

... then after some self imposed isolation mated with a love at first touch with an 85 52ri Tele, I was destined to transform intoa better player. Like any good woman, a Telecaster will steer you down the right path, instead of believing your own BS....

Some thoughtful posts here. I have an AV52RI too. Just the perfect guitar. I play mostly blues - Albert King, Muddy, older Stones - and I like the fact that I have to dig in.

Gerry Lambe · July 26th, 2008, 11:06 AM

Sorry if it came over a bit er vainish, it wasnt meant to be .. honest !!
The Skunks were originally " spotted " by Pete Townsend,Keith Moon and Alex Harvey at the Vortex Club, in Wardour Street in Sept 1977. They signed to Pete's EEL PIE Island Record label,and he was executive producer for a while.
I had a Coral Hornet once ex PT, also do i get a prize, I must be the only guitarist / musician alive who actually smashed up one of PTs 52 Tele's, that was at Twickenham Poly in 1979. That was one inforgiving Tele !! He managed to get it fixed though Thank God !!
Nice to reminis !!!!
DO LET ME KNOW IF YOU LIKE THE VIDEO BY THE WAY ! Oh and no we dont do er T shirts !!

Rgds
Gerry Lambe ( Google for the story ).

hamish5178 · July 26th, 2008, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Gagan

timeline for most guitarists:

teens/twenties- les paul type or other HB equipped guitar to 'smooth out' the innacuracies of sloppy fingering and picking, use lots of gain for single note stuff

late twenties---
discover the strat, get a little cleaner with the tone and playing

early thirties to 40s---

enter tele-dom. everything you know is wrong , more or less. slow everything down and learn to make every note count. you are now a 5th degree guitar black belt. add gain back in to taste whenever you like, but you have the mastery to play crystal clean and still kick ass.

So at 16 I'm pretty ahead of the curve eh?

It's obviously a cliche concept, but I agree that for me my tele is harder to get a good sound with, and to play than my SG, or my girlfriend's strat that I play alot. However when I do get "that" sound I'm looking for, it's much sweeter on the tele.

If I'm having an "off" day at rehearsal my tele makes it much worse, whereas with my SG I can fake it and still sound okay.

However I chalk most of it up to the tiny frets and radius of the guitar. The rondo tele I used to have with a 14" radius and bigger frets was much easier to play.

Gerry Lambe · July 27th, 2008, 03:22 AM

Keep it live !!

G

Telemarkman · July 27th, 2008, 04:00 AM

All guitars expose my bad playing

, but at least the TONE is better on a Tele

...

April 27th, 2008, 12:01 PM	#83 (permalink)
RocksOff Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Joplin, MO Posts: 159	I'm finally starting to bond with my Firebird, though I think I'm beating it into submission until it thinks it is a Cajone-intensive Telecaster. __________________ It's only rock 'n roll, but i like it...like it... yes, i do.

April 27th, 2008, 03:13 PM	#84 (permalink)
Fatmanstratman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fatmanville, Cambs., UK Posts: 2,752	Sorry to drift off-topic, RocksOff, but I was just curious about your avatar. How refreshing to see one of our cousins from over the pond NOT claiming to have Irish "ancestry"!!... So what's with the Taffy connection? __________________ . . . *"Behind every argument is someone's ignorance."*

April 27th, 2008, 03:24 PM	#85 (permalink)
Echoplex Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Westminster, MD Posts: 205	Whenever I have a bad gig I blame it on my Tele __________________ If it ain't broke fix it anyways

May 10th, 2008, 10:59 AM	#89 (permalink)
Dennis68 Tele-Holic Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hudson Valley Posts: 757	When the person who came up with the slogan "Pure" for Gibson, there is no doubt in my mind that person was thinking of a Telecaster the entire time. __________________ -Dennis

May 10th, 2008, 11:16 AM	#90 (permalink)
FrankB Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Havertown, PA. U.S.A. Posts: 695	I like this thread!! When I first played a telecaster many years ago, I though to myself,"Holy Crap! I suck... Oh my GOD! I really suck big time!.....I don;t sound like this!!.. do I?!?!" then after some self imposed isolation mated with a love at first touch with an 85 52ri Tele, I was destined to transform intoa better player. Like any good woman, a Telecaster will steer you down the right path, instead of believing your own BS.... __________________ http://www.myspace.com/frankbrigandi http://www.myspace.com/rotosonic If less is more, then I am going to give it my all, and do nothing.

April 27th, 2008, 11:44 AM	#81 (permalink)
studebaker hawk Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 162	I agree with Jimmy Page; He said he Fenders were harder to play, but the rewards were greater.

April 27th, 2008, 11:48 AM	#82 (permalink)
frogger Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Lincoln Nebraska Posts: 416	No beautiful birds on the fretboard, no gorgous arched top, no locking tunesrs, no frills just a great plank of light swamp ash slathered in nitro with a dose of hot tabasco at the bridge pup. A great amp and a whole lotta fun. The near perfect electric geetar. I have many beautiful guitars but my Tele will always remain with me. It's primal, rootsy, hit you in the gut kinda good. Like a comfortable pair of jeans or a good cup of coffee..basic pleasure at it's finest.

April 27th, 2008, 04:12 PM	#86 (permalink)
mowcheeba Tele-Holic Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Cochiguaz, Elqui Valley Age: 31 Posts: 515 23 Photos	Sometimes the Tele fights you back a little but most of the time I find it easy to play. Don't know if it exposes bad playing more than other guitars because I've been playing my Tele exclusively for 5 months. I have vague memories of how a Les Paul, ES 335 and SG sounds and feels.

May 10th, 2008, 10:41 AM	#87 (permalink)
Gary in Boston Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 418	Tele refinery, That is a great name for a custom shop or paint shop etc. Gary

May 10th, 2008, 11:21 AM	#91 (permalink)
JoeyV Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northshore , MA Age: 44 Posts: 1,192 2 Photos	teles are good for you and me If you want to hide the bad notes, roll the tone down... __________________ "I just love hearing them guitars go zing, zang , zoom"

May 10th, 2008, 11:22 AM	#92 (permalink)
IPLAYLOUD Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Long Island, N.Y. Posts: 370 1 Photos	Tell that joke in Massapequa Park and they'll dump you in the Bay. ;-) __________________ I play an Esquire because I can only afford ONE pickup.

May 10th, 2008, 11:24 AM	#93 (permalink)
IPLAYLOUD Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Long Island, N.Y. Posts: 370 1 Photos	The ultimate place of no hiding...an Esquire! (I guess I added the Bigsby because I am still afraid) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inzbjDt7H_I __________________ I play an Esquire because I can only afford ONE pickup.

May 10th, 2008, 05:44 PM	#94 (permalink)
OutlawSteph1975 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,725 7 Photos	For the past year or so, I've been concentrating a lot on bluegrass flatpicking on my Martin.. which helps my Tele picking imensely! Technique is so important. I have to slow down much of what I'm trying to play to make sure I am not messing up the intricacies. Speed is built up gradually, but only after a lot of practice at a slow speed. If someone is playing too fast, gain will cover up the mistakes.. Then they go and pick up a Tele with a clean tone or an acoustic guitar and hear how flawed their technique might be if they're listening and caring. Because I'm used to the 11s on my Martin, I have to switch to 10 gauge strings on one or two of my Teles now because the 9 gauge strings are getting lost under my fingers. I know my tone will be improved in that regard, and I sound a lot better, because my picking technique is improved, than I did a couple years ago.

July 26th, 2008, 05:05 AM	#95 (permalink)
Gerry Lambe TDPRI Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London Age: 46 Posts: 31 13 Photos	http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fusea...oid=39157 979 Check this video to hear the Tele played the way it was made to be. Its me on the 52, with the SKUNKS live at Bar 12 - in Soho, Friday June 13th 2008. Hope you enjoy. Played it though a 15 watt tube fender direct. Gerry Lambe skunksukofficial ( My Space )

July 26th, 2008, 11:06 AM	#98 (permalink)
Gerry Lambe TDPRI Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London Age: 46 Posts: 31 13 Photos	Sorry if it came over a bit er vainish, it wasnt meant to be .. honest !! The Skunks were originally " spotted " by Pete Townsend,Keith Moon and Alex Harvey at the Vortex Club, in Wardour Street in Sept 1977. They signed to Pete's EEL PIE Island Record label,and he was executive producer for a while. I had a Coral Hornet once ex PT, also do i get a prize, I must be the only guitarist / musician alive who actually smashed up one of PTs 52 Tele's, that was at Twickenham Poly in 1979. That was one inforgiving Tele !! He managed to get it fixed though Thank God !! Nice to reminis !!!! DO LET ME KNOW IF YOU LIKE THE VIDEO BY THE WAY ! Oh and no we dont do er T shirts !! Rgds Gerry Lambe ( Google for the story ).

July 27th, 2008, 03:22 AM	#100 (permalink)
Gerry Lambe TDPRI Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London Age: 46 Posts: 31 13 Photos	Keep it live !! G

July 27th, 2008, 04:00 AM	#101 (permalink)
Telemarkman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norway Age: 61 Posts: 4,063	All guitars expose my bad playing , but at least the TONE is better on a Tele ...