Board Newbie...Tele Newbie...questions ?

[DSeibel]

Guys

I'm new to this board, and I'm thankful that there is such a thing as I am about to buy a Tele...maybe. I found a beautiful Tele 72' Deluxe HT. However I have heard, and even the sales guy told me that Tele's are geared toward country as they have a twangy sound...I am a blues and rock guy. I have seen rock/blues people play Tele's, however it is mostly strats. I don't like strats because I want a hardtail and they're almost impossible to find.

Can someone set me straight here ?

Thanks, Dave

[TELECASTERbstrd]

I'm sure many will be setting you straight!
The Tele is the ultimate chickin' pickin' and country guitar! The Tele is also great for playing anything else to include jazz, even with a standard model and it is especially driving for rock! The model you talk about would lean more in the direction you talk about and less the country way. Have no fear.

[FraKo]

Telecasters can do ANYTHING!

Have a look to this great board: there's a lot of country pickers here, but also rockers, bluesmen, and even jazz players (count me in). One of the many oustandig aspects of the great Leo Fender's creature is its unbelievable versatility, expecially if you consider that is such a simple and basic instrument. Do not trust the fairy tale that this guitar is "just for Country Music": it's the gratest country guitar of them all, it's true, but it's also a lot of other things. Ask Robben Ford, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Van Halen... the list is pretty long.

P.S. go for a Tele!

[Dana]

Guitars are only limited by what the person can do. Pick any guitar model and you'll find Jazz players, Country Players, Rock players using them.

[ashtray]

Hate country music (sorry!), love my teles! :D

Tele's *do* country music well, but they do a lot of other stuff well too. For being so "simple" and basic instruments, they have a lot to offer tonally. I play a lot of blues stuff - use the neck and middle pickup positions 99% of the time. Bridge alone sounds too thin - but the neck pickup on the tele just sounds so much fuller than the neck pickup on a strat. (I own a strat as well - which are also good instruments.)

But in the end - there might be many guitar types that will suit your needs - it just comes down to which one you like the best (feel, sound, looks, etc). For many of us, the tele just does it all!

[boogaloo]

and roll, and jazz and funk and skat and ..well you get the idea.

I think the Tele is a perfect platform for rock and roll and blues- my two genre choices for performance. And the list of pros that use 'em were started above but certainly the list doesn't end there.

I play a tele and a G&L Legacy in the bands I'm in. And often, my bandmates and some musicians who've heard us too, comment on how "soulful" the tele is, or how "that tele screams man!" etc. Maybe they're surprised; maybe they too thought that the tele was relegated to country pickin'. No my friend, the Tele is probably one of the most versatile guitars on the planet and you've come to the right spot for learning about them, their capabilities and their nuances.

Welcome.

Brian

[0le FUZZY]

There are onlee tew types of music Country and Western

Now on yer way down the road of life toward music if yew buy a real TELECASTER from a feller hoo says its fur country onlee yew are haff way there.

As yew pick yer way down the road headed fer Western yew mite git a liddo tired and sit down with yer TELECASTER and bend a string or tew in a strange manner cause a woman dunn leff yew and find yer bad seff a pickin the blues.

After yew rest fur a spell yew mite git ta thinkin yer purdy good sew yew start pickin sum fancy smanchy chords and be a doin sum Jazz.

Now yew gonna be a wantin tew mix all these thangs yew dunn lernt on the road of life and next thang yew noe yer doin rock and roll.

Then yer gonna meet sum fellers hoo like tew take the rock and roll they lernt tew a nutter level and the tunes they dew haff ta haff a name sew they come up with all kinna stuff tew call it. Yew fine yew can gitter dunn on yer TELECASTER jes like they dew.

Yew turn yer pick on edge and scrape it up and down the E and/or A string and hear a scratch and match that with a record player thats broke and tew hear sunthin that almost makes sum kinda music and yew talk tew sum udder fellers and yew rap back and forth and yew may even call that music.

After a spell yew try the or-kest-tra stuff from waaaay back when and fine it don't match watt chew lernt sew far sew yew move on.

Whence yew git there yew say "Country and Western? MMMMM I got it now".

Don't worry, be happy cause yew dunn it all on yer simple liddo piece of wood and wire and noe body knew difference.



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[timgreene]

Tele can get you where you want to go. plenty of growl.

[maestrovert]

Also, Welcome to the TDPRI !
There's quite a wide spectrum of Tele players herebouts....
the Tele is a valid choice no matter the "style" of music you play....
i for one, think it's the best choice....as do some well known, not to mention world class musicians who have the Tele as their instrument of choice, to wit:

Jazz: Ed Bickert, Ted Greene, Danny Gatton
(highly recommended listening:Greene's "Solo Guitar" & Gatton's "Relentless")

Country/Western: Redd Volkaert, Bill Hullett, Brent Mason
(Volkaert's "Telewacker", Hullett's "Two Lane Blacktop", Mason's "Hot Wired")
{all 3 men are TDPRI'ers b.t.w.}

Blues:Muddy Waters, Joe Bonamassa, Tab Benoit & countless others
Rock: too many to list
Punk: " "
etc etc etc

Highly recommended is Arlen Roth's "Masters of the Telecaster" book/cd combo (also out on dvd too), there are loads of pics, audio examples and detailed instructions of Tele techniques for every style of post war American music you'd care to name....

never feel shortchanged because you're playing a Tele, it'll handle whatever you care to throw at it !

[Fatmanstratman]

Originally Posted by DSeibel

However I have heard, and even the sales guy told me that Tele's are geared toward country as they have a twangy sound...I am a blues and rock guy.

Dave, welcome to the TDPRI! The GREATEST place to hang out on the web - by far!

Sorry, 0F (you know I love ya really....) but Country is simply NOT my thing. Give me blues, rock 'n' roll, and good ol' rock music anytime.

I have 8 Telecasters in my collection, which are played WAY more than any others. The only guitar that can hold its own in the revered company of the mighty Telecaster is my Gibson 335, but I can't remember the last time I had it out of its case!

Dave, once you buy your first Tele, you will be hooked - for life. Pretty soon you'll realise just how versatile it is and you'll want another. And another. And another...

Check out previous threads about "G.A.S." - and you will soon see why we all LOVE our Telecasters so much

[kickz28]

Originally Posted by 0le FUZZY

<li>There are onlee tew types of music Country and Western
<li>Now on yer way down the road of life toward music if yew buy a real TELECASTER from a feller hoo says its fur country onlee yew are haff way there.
<li>As yew pick yer way down the road headed fer Western yew mite git a liddo tired and sit down with yer TELECASTER and bend a string or tew in a strange manner cause a woman dunn leff yew and find yer bad seff a pickin the blues.
<li>After yew rest fur a spell yew mite git ta thinkin yer purdy good sew yew start pickin sum fancy smanchy chords and be a doin sum Jazz.
<li>Now yew gonna be a wantin tew mix all these thangs yew dunn lernt on the road of life and next thang yew noe yer doin rock and roll.
<li>Then yer gonna meet sum fellers hoo like tew take the rock and roll they lernt tew a nutter level and the tunes they dew haff ta haff a name sew they come up with all kinna stuff tew call it. Yew fine yew can gitter dunn on yer TELECASTER jes like they dew.
<li>Yew turn yer pick on edge and scrape it up and down the E and/or A string and hear a scratch and match that with a record player thats broke and tew hear sunthin that almost makes sum kinda music and yew talk tew sum udder fellers and yew rap back and forth and yew may even call that music.
<li>After a spell yew try the or-kest-tra stuff from waaaay back when and fine it don't match watt chew lernt sew far sew yew move on.
<li>Whence yew git there yew say "Country and Western? MMMMM I got it now".
<li>Don't worry, be happy cause yew dunn it all on yer simple liddo piece of wood and wire and noe body knew difference.



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FUZZY! That was awesome!!
I wish I was cool like you!!

Joe

[Teleagain]

Dave,

You have to pick a guitr that sound good to you. MUCH of how the guitar/amp sounds is how you play

you have to pick a guitar that sounds good to you. Play the guitar through what ever amp/pedals you'll use as this can change the sound

I've owned a Strat, Tele Copy, Les Paul, SG and now a "real" Tele...I like the Teles the best

My first tele was a Japanese copy, after replacing the tuning machines, bridge, pickups, it was a fine guitar. I put Dimarzio pickups into it. I had a humbucker put in the neck position. It was very versatile.....I foolishly got rid of it. I wish I had kept it.

Ultimately, pick a guitar that sounds good to you. The Tele has a unique sound....

You'll find champions of every make and model.

As you've seen here, there are LOTS of Telephiles...a wide variety of players, blues, jazz, country, rock, etc....the tele seems to work well for them....maybe one will work for you

good luck

Michael

[6stringLady]

I just got my first tele a few days ago. I used to keep 2 guitars sitting on the stands to play. A strat for the blues and a SG for rock and roll. Since I got the tele, the strat and the SG have been polished up and put back in their cases for a long rest, cause..

The tele does it all very well all by itself. ;)

[Heather Anne Peel]

Among my guitars are six Teles and among those are my two faves, a '72 Tele Deluxe RI and a '72 Tele Custom RI. Teles are awesome for any kind of music, including rock and blues. Get that Deluxe and you'll see!!!
8) Heather