Im Prince...Just Wanna Know

[Billy Bones]

Joe strummer. For a long time I didn't see the tele as a real rock guitar. If I thought about teles I'd think, well Joe Strummer played one so they must be okay. I spent my rent money once to see him play in Seattle. The opening band were called "One Man Army" and they were great powerful punk rock and the lead man was playing a tele. Then Joe came up with his and I had to get one.

[scratchman]

John Jorgenson playing his double Tele which led me to The Hellecasters and then to Danny Gatton. Inspirational but also makes me realise I will never be in their league!

[fsguitars]

Brian & Freddie on a Queen tour both playing Tele's!!! :

[setlow]

Steve Cropper, Clarence White, Jesse Ed Davis, Robbie Robertson. Couldn't get that sound out of my SG special so I flipped it for a used Tele in 1969. For me there ended up being two constants. The tele and the 335. Opposite sides of the coin. Since then I've softened and learned to appreciate LPs and strats, but always feel more at home on the tele and the 335.

[bamarags2002]

[DesignTec]

Originally Posted by mijstrat72

Mine is a more recent love affair. I've always (last 25 years) been a strat (shredder versions) type of guy.

Last year my buddy bought a '52 RI AV and began playing it in front of me. I've always disliked the look, the tone, the uncomfortable shape of the tele.

For some reason it started to grow on me..

Me too.

When I was younger and dumber, I thought the Tele was a "Hee Haw" country guitar. I was a metal / punk guy, and the Tele was the very definition of "uncool". Cool guitarists played Les Pauls, or Strats with humbuckers. I cared more about the look than I did about the sound or playability.

20yrs later, my tastes in music, and my idea of "cool" are considerably more broad and more mature. Teles are VERY cool to me now.

When I was younger, I did always take note, however, of who played Teles. Keith Richards, Pete Townsend, Joe Strummer, Chrissie Hind, etc... And, even though I didn't like Teles, I did always think "these guys can play anything they choose, and they're playing Teles, so there must be something to it".

[bob barcus]

In 1969 I went into Vox Guitar Center on Sunset bvd Hanging on the wall was a 54 Blond Left handed Tele.with a boatneck I bought it for $125.00 + tax The next one was a 56 strat with a 58 neck I bought from Rodger Linn at Hollywood High for $100.Everyone ways playing SG's then.The only guitar I should not got rid of was a Black LP I sold back to Saul Benton,this guy Neil Young bought it I wonder whar happened to that guitar I hate being left handed

[DesignTec]

The Vibrators - one of my favorite bands:

[Tim Fezziwig]

I'm 43 and grew up in the glory days of hard rock.My first guitar was a Hondo2 LP.My first real guitar was a73 LPCustom.I always considered myself a Gibson man.I found bolt-on necks and single coils too"thin sounding". 6 years ago I bought a 2004 am.dx.candy tang strat[I was looking at a tele but didn't pull the trigger].The strat was ok but it seemed almost too easy to play.I kept pounding on my LesPauls and sg. But something was missing. I started remembering how cool Pete Townsend looked beating his Schecter tele in the"Rough Boys" video.I went to GC and got a 2000American series nat.ash tele .I love it and all is well with the world.The tele is aprimal beast that needs to be worshipped.Thanks Pete Townsend!!!!!

[Anwar]

I was always into Les Pauls but had to settle for Epiphone/Gibson 2nds. Then I tried a Les Paul type that had those p-90's in them. It was a rental and I think the same model that Bob Marley played. Then my guitar teacher was selling a G&L sc-2 which is like Leo's post CBS mustang/Telecaster in the 80's. It sounded awesome to me...but it didnt play so good being way neck heavy. Anyway that's what opened my brain to a Telecaster. So I was getting some stuff from Grizzly and woah....hold up I could get that kit and put in those awesome G&L pickups!!! that's where I'm at now.

[TRogers2281]

Chrissie Hynde Made it look so easy.

and when Adam Seymour Swithced from 335's to Teles, he made it look hard.

[Anwar]

Hey Prince, what guitar did you use on that AWESOME solo in " Let's go crazy"?
That has got to be the most intense solo ever captured and totally choisey for the song!!!

[highwayman]

+1 on The Who for me ,and I really really dig that band Thrice.I will be downloading them for sure.Great stuff !!!

[BillyG]

A modern player by the name of Larry Mitchell once told me that you've got to be really good to play a Tele. Ever since then, it's all I've ever wanted to play. Jimmy Page, Andy Summers and Danny Gatton were icing on the cake.

[openbar]

Originally Posted by Billy Bones

Joe strummer. For a long time I didn't see the tele as a real rock guitar. If I thought about teles I'd think, well Joe Strummer played one so they must be okay. I spent my rent money once to see him play in Seattle. The opening band were called "One Man Army" and they were great powerful punk rock and the lead man was playing a tele. Then Joe came up with his and I had to get one.

One Man Army was a great band, and were obviously influenced by the Clash. No wonder the guy used a Telecaster!

[José]

Wilco Johnson for sure.

[Pepi]

Nobody really. It was me finally getting my head out of my arss and realizing there is more out there than Gibsons. I wish I would have learned this in my younger years

[Birdmankustomz]

http://www.youtube.com/user/SilverHa...65/sSe_hjV1s3Q

It made me realize that the beauty of the tele is its simplicity, and the bridge p/u sold me. I watched this and went from hating them to NEEDING one.

[nasonm]

No one really (at the time of my first tele purchase...which was also my first electric purchase). Since then I have a lot of tele pickers that I take influence from.

I really got inspired to play guitar by Chet Atkins.

[Aiden]

Albert Collins, and Bruce really inspired me to play not only
a Telecaster but to pick up the guitar in the first place.


- Leo said let there be twang...And there was and it was good.

[P-Zilla]

The Strat made me love The Tele.

[ecsong187]

Brad Paisley hands down turned me into a tele lover.

[Nighthawk]

Peter Waltz.

He was the lead player in my first band, I still play with him once a year, every summer. he had a Tele, a 1966 that he bought new. Still has it and plays it. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line he took down the stock paint job and painted it black for use with a black light in a light show. He's had it repainted white but you can easily tell its not the original finish.

Pete is responsible for my Tele love... He's a really good player too, though he'd never say that himself.

[Spidercaster]

Arlen Roth did it for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0sHJU00bt4