Newbie - picking a tele

[twe1313]

Hello everyone.

I've been lurking here for quite a while now, having fallen in love with the blonde teles some time ago. I apologize for asking a stupid question.

I'm new to guitars, I play keyboards. I would like to buy a nice tele to have fun and pretend I'm part Prince and part Graham Coxon I also like the sound of Romy Madley Croft from The XX (but she plays LP's).

Anyway, I've been going through reviews and videos of different teles, and still have no idea what to buy.

My top picks are Squier Classic Vibe and JA-90 tele. I know they supposedly have a very different sound, but I have no experience with guitars. Also, I've seen that many people think that an LP is much easier for note bending.

Any thoughts?

Thanks :)

[twe1313]

Also, I have a Squier Vintage Modified jazz bass and I really like satin neck. Any affordable teles with satin neck?

[kaiserthegreat]

I am also a guitar newbie and own a Classic Vibe (vintage blonde) and think it's great. The bridge is very "country" and the neck has just the right hint of Strat "quack" when you hit it hard enough. Great clean tone and sounds good dirty, as well. For the price, especially since I bought mine used on eBay, the fit and finish seems pretty remarkable. It's a really pretty guitar, with the grain popping through the blond, and I generally get a "wow" or two when I dare bust it out in front of someone. I've read complaints about "cheap pots" but I haven't noticed any problems with mine, as of yet. In any case, it currently serves me well for my bedroom warrior activities. It's the right amount of "high end" on the beginner guitar cheap spectrum of things.

[twe1313]

That's a nice guitar :)

There's one just like that in my local shop. I've found a mint used JA-90 in black for just €30 more, hence the dilemma...

[Spaceboy]

I've owned both Classic Vibes and the JA90... the JA90 doesn't have that classic tele sound if that's what you're after. It's also shorter scale length like a Gibson, which is why some people think LPs are easier to bend on. I can't tell a different with proper string gauges though. Between the CV Custom and CV50s, it's personal preference. The CV50s has a meatier sound and the CVC is maybe a touch brighter. They both have thin necks, as does the JA90. They are all good guitars for the money, the CV series are much cheaper than the JA90 too if that's a consideration.

[Jack Burton]

The Tele is always the right Choice

[BigWillyInd]

Originally Posted by Jack Burton

The Tele is always the right Choice

Have you paid you're dues, Jack?

[iheartreverb]

Have you thought about maybe something with a humbucker in the neck? Or maybe even a 72 deluxe?
Coxon's signiture has a humbucker in the neck (as he has always said he prefers over the years) and has been playing a deluxe on recent blur tours.

Something with a humbucker somewhere which also get you the XX guitar time too (as she uses the neck pickup of a les Paul).

Hope this helps and I've not just put a spanner in the works

[Mark Davis]

What matters most is how the neck feels to you.

Disreguard the name on the headstock and buy the one that feels the most comfortable to play.

[soulman969]

A LP has a shorter scale and flatter radius finger board so bending would seem easier if you were going from a regular Tele to a LP but when there's no comparison to make I doubt you'd ever find a Tele tough to bend on unless you're using extremely heavy gauge strings. Some will use heavier gauge strings on a LP anyway which somewhat negates the difference.

The CV series will all give you a pretty classic Tele sound. The VB model has hotter wound pickups that will give you more output and a more modern tonality. The others are more classic vintage Telecaster tonally.

Any model with a P90 or Humbucker in the neck will be a departure from a classic Tele sound. I think you have to decide what you're looking for in that regard and go with that. Mark Davis also makes a good point. The "feel" of the neck will have a lot to do with your comfort and playability. Make that a strong consideration as well.

I believe both the CV and VM Squiers all have a gloss neck finish but that can be sanded down to create more of the feel of a satin neck. The MIM models have satin necks.

The CVs are great sounding and playing guitars and can be modified very easily if you choose to. Overall they're probably one of the best bargains going.

[doof]

Graham Coxon was also a big influence in getting me into teles! I own an Epiphone LP and both the VB and BSB CV50s, and personally i don't really find an appreciable difference in the ease of bending on any of them. But i do love the CV50's, a lot. my recommendation is with them.

[twe1313]

Originally Posted by iheartreverb

Have you thought about maybe something with a humbucker in the neck? Or maybe even a 72 deluxe?
Coxon's signiture has a humbucker in the neck (as he has always said he prefers over the years) and has been playing a deluxe on recent blur tours.

Something with a humbucker somewhere which also get you the XX guitar time too (as she uses the neck pickup of a les Paul).

Hope this helps and I've not just put a spanner in the works

Yes, I was thinking about a tele with a neck humbucker.
Any suggestion for an affordable one? (With a satin neck, if I'm not asking too much... )

[twe1313]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

What matters most is how the neck feels to you.

Disreguard the name on the headstock and buy the one that feels the most comfortable to play.

I can't really play, so all I can say about my preference is that I don't like gloss finish on the neck

[twe1313]

Originally Posted by doof

Graham Coxon was also a big influence in getting me into teles! I own an Epiphone LP and both the VB and BSB CV50s, and personally i don't really find an appreciable difference in the ease of bending on any of them. But i do love the CV50's, a lot. my recommendation is with them.

Do you reckon it's the tele he's playing on "Battery In Your Leg"? Whatever that was made me want to play the guitar...

My first choice was an Epiphone LP Traditional Pro, as I found teles ugly. I want ugly now

[doof]

Originally Posted by twe1313

Do you reckon it's the tele he's playing on "Battery In Your Leg"? Whatever that was made me want to play the guitar...

My first choice was an Epiphone LP Traditional Pro, as I found teles ugly. I want ugly now

you know, my ear isn't refined enough to really be able to tell, but that sure is a great song. Coincidentally enough, i also used to think teles were ugly, but they're just beautiful to me now.

[xtrajerry]

Originally Posted by soulman969

A LP has a shorter scale and flatter radius finger board so bending would seem easier if you were going from a regular Tele to a LP but when there's no comparison to make I doubt you'd ever find a Tele tough to bend on unless you're using extremely heavy gauge strings. Some will use heavier gauge strings on a LP anyway which somewhat negates the difference.

The CV series will all give you a pretty classic Tele sound. The VB model has hotter wound pickups that will give you more output and a more modern tonality. The others are more classic vintage Telecaster tonally.

Any model with a P90 or Humbucker in the neck will be a departure from a classic Tele sound. I think you have to decide what you're looking for in that regard and go with that. Mark Davis also makes a good point. The "feel" of the neck will have a lot to do with your comfort and playability. Make that a strong consideration as well.

I believe both the CV and VM Squiers all have a gloss neck finish but that can be sanded down to create more of the feel of a satin neck. The MIM models have satin necks.

The CVs are great sounding and playing guitars and can be modified very easily if you choose to. Overall they're probably one of the best bargains going.

+1 This pretty much says it all.. just like to point out that after playing on vintage Fender necks for 44+ years i read on the internet that flatter necks & shorter scaled gibsons were easier to play..

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by twe1313

I can't really play, so all I can say about my preference is that I don't like gloss finish on the neck

Since you are a keyboard player Im sure you have played a piano with keys that were easy or harder to press down. Guitars are the same way some are easy to play others you have to struggle with.

You can easily sand down a gloss neck so its super smooth and fast but you can also buy one thats satin poly that will feel smooth. You can look at the specs on Fenders website for the neck finish.

[TwangBilly]

Welcome aboard! Good questions.
In theory, a longer scaled, (necked), guitar is easier to do bends on. A shorter scaled, (necked), guitar is harder.
To prove this theory, pick up any guitar and try bending a string at the first fret, can't bend it far or easily can you? Now bend the same string at the twelfth fret, bends easier and farther huh!
It has to do with the distance between the nut and bridge, the longer that part of the string is, and the farther you move from those points, (twelfth fret being exactly in the middle), the easier to bend.
The reason some say a LP is "easier" to bend is because the strings go thru the back of the tailpiece and over the bridge, on most Telecasters the strings pass through the back of the body, thru holes in the tailpiece and over the bridge. How "easy to bend" these guitars are has more to do with the construction than the neck length. But it is really a non-issue because it mostly depends on each individual player's preferences. A Tele is NOT "hard", or even "harder" to bend than a LP with the same size strings, not for any reason other than the player's preference. So buy what YOU like! That's what matters most. I don't think you can go wrong starting out with a CV for the price, especially if you find a nice used one.

PS: There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers! Lol