Telecaster is the funk music Champ !

[Chunky Tele]

I recently purchased a 2005 chome red American Standard Telecaster. I've been a diehard strat fan for 20 years. Frankly, for the same dollar I thought the strat was more versatile. I never spent any time on a tele. If Guitar Center had not had an American Telecaster on sale I would have never tried it. In short the bluntness and strenght of the tone won me over.

I am in a band that plays funk music. We have a regular gig at a small club once a week. This is clearly a labor of love and not for $$$. I used the tele on our Heatwave cover Grooveline then Parliment's One Nation Under Groove(original funk) my band's jaw dropped! Now our Bass player frequently demands that I play the tele over the strat. When I use the tele we call it the "Chunky Soup Version". The tele seem to bring more articulation in my rhythum playing.

I am still not comfortable soloing on it. I solo much better on my strat. The tele is not forgiving when you flub a note during solo. Distortion does not mask my tele mistakes! I use a Roland and a fender deluxe. I been listening to Albert Collins and Muddy Waters to get a feel for what sounds right when you lay down a tele solo. I have to rule out teles with hum bucking PU. I haven't heard many solos on a standard tele. It's funny I cab solo on a LP and Strat. The tele more simplistic yet my changes sound sloppier on this instrument.

At least When I use the tele both the drummer and the bass player give me more room to groove. I'm impress that my "plain jane' Tele has had such an impact with my groove.

It a long time coming but I am glad to be in the club!!

[AJ Love]

Welcome and congrats... the Tele has always been the funk music champ, from Steve Cropper and the Stax Sound to Prince and many others...

[editorjuno]

Originally Posted by Chunky Tele

I recently purchased a 2005 chome red American Standard Telecaster. I've been a diehard strat fan for 20 years. Frankly, for the same dollar I thought the strat was more versatile. I never spent any time on a tele. If Guitar Center had not had an American Telecaster on sale I would have never tried it. In short the bluntness and strenght of the tone won me over.

I am in a band that plays funk music. We have a regular gig at a small club once a week. This is clearly a labor of love and not for $$$. I used the tele on our Heatwave cover Grooveline then Parliment's One Nation Under Groove(original funk) my band's jaw dropped! Now our Bass player frequently demands that I play the tele over the strat. When I use the tele we call it the "Chunky Soup Version". The tele seem to bring more articulation in my rhythum playing.

I am still not comfortable soloing on it. I solo much better on my strat. The tele is not forgiving when you flub a note during solo. Distortion does not mask my tele mistakes! I use a Roland and a fender deluxe. I been listening to Albert Collins and Muddy Waters to get a feel for what sounds right when you lay down a tele solo. I have to rule out teles with hum bucking PU. I haven't heard many solos on a standard tele. It's funny I cab solo on a LP and Strat. The tele more simplistic yet my changes sound sloppier on this instrument.

At least When I use the tele both the drummer and the bass player give me more room to groove. I'm impress that my "plain jane' Tele has had such an impact with my groove.

It a long time coming but I am glad to be in the club!!

Congratulations and welcome, your bass player is an uncommonly wise example of the breed! Questions: which pickup switch position do you use when soloing with your Strat? Is there a major difference in neck feel or action height between the Tele and the Strat? Teles have a reputation for being more "unforgiving" than Strats, but I thought I should ask some questions first before issuing the usual "That's just the way it is" comment. Fwiw, my younger son loves funk and blues, and his Tele has a neck position 'bucker and a Fender four-way pickup selector switch -- seems to suit him pretty well, ymmv.

[Chunky Tele]

I appreciate your insight. It's great to have complimenting band members as oppose to competingband members.

Most of my stratocaster solos are from the neck pick up with light distortion and a Vox Wah Wah. I use the bridge pick up only on a strat about 30% of the time. I love that scooped but warm sound. I live in the clean channel on my amp.

The tele is new to me. There is not enough presence in the neck pickup only(my opinion) so I solo using position 2 and 3( mainly 2). position 3 sounds a little harsh to me. I understand my ear is still more tuned to a strat since that's basically all I used for years. The neck on the tele is just as fast as the strats. in fact, I get the the notes quicker on the tele because the horn not in the way. when I play live I see the position markers on the neck of my tele easier. ( as sad as it is I look when I read music...bad habit)

All I can say is the tele has me practicing scales again. I haven't done that in years

[editorjuno]

Originally Posted by Chunky Tele

I appreciate your insight. It's great to have complimenting band members as oppose to competing band members.

Most of my stratocaster solos are from the neck pick up with light distortion and a Vox Wah Wah. I use the bridge pick up only on a strat about 30% of the time. I love that scooped but warm sound. I live in the clean channel on my amp.

The tele is new to me. There is not enough presence in the neck pickup only(my opinion) so I solo using position 2 and 3( mainly 2). position 3 sounds a little harsh to me. I understand my ear is still more tuned to a strat since that's basically all I used for years. The neck on the tele is just as fast as the strats. in fact, I get the the notes quicker on the tele because the horn not in the way. when I play live I see the position markers on the neck of my tele easier. ( as sad as it is I look when I read music...bad habit)

All I can say is the tele has me practicing scales again. I haven't done that in years

OK, it's time to consider your very first Tele mod: a Strat neck pickup or an aftermarket Tele neck pickup with either a plastic cover or no cover at all. If you choose a Strat pickup, you'll need a pickguard cut for it because it's bigger than a stock Tele's.

I use Strat pickups in the neck spots of both my Teles and imo once you've experienced the resulting versatility there's no turning back. A relatively low-output humbucker like a Gibson minibucker is another possibility, but since you've already developed a neck pickup sound with your Strat a Strat neck pickup makes much more sense for your situation imo.

Obviously your guitar is brand new and probably under warranty, so that comes into consideration too, but for what you do in your band I think it's something you'll want try eventually, if not right away.

[stantheman]

Please remember that a lot of "The Fun" with a Tele is located right on The Tone Control. There are so many nuances that even after 34 years it still gets Me.
Also, with a Tele You can solo with The Volume set lower
and The Amp cranked higher - try that - i think that'll solve what I call "the hesitation thing" - the fear of letting loose with a major "clam".
FWIW Al McKay of Earth Wind and Fire is a MAJOR Tele Guy as is Cornell Dupree who defined a whole genre of double-stop playing.

[Chunky Tele]

There is an immerse amount of information on this forum! I am not a gear head. I purchased a Roland amp becasue it had chorus built in. I play stock everything.

The Strat looks more complex to play than a tele. I seem to have a much better control with the strat positions. I love your references to Al Mckay. I spent 3 hours on the tele last night. Here where I am at:

R&B funk music basically -the my band's styleplays has me playing mostly partial chords, triads and accents. The tele lays that stuff down better than my strat. It chirps harder and clearer. The sound also gets me out of my keyboard player's way.

The strat textures differently using the same phrases. It sound more like a secound keyboard. However soloing on the strat in much more cleaner for me. I am a creature of habit. I use the melody then pitch harmonics. some some reason - techique probably- the tele comes across messy

[Joe Harris]

George Johnson of the Brothers Johnson used a Tele for quite awhile. And the recently departed guitarist from K.C. and the Sunshine Band ( can't remember his name) did his famous Funk work on a Tele.

Freddy Stone from Sly and the Family Stone dropped his semi hollow bodies for a Tele.

The fellow from the Avereage White band (I'm forgetting everyone's name :? ) funked on a Tele.

Bobby Womack used a Tele for many years.

And don't forget King Sunny Ade used a Tele for his own brand of Juju African Funk.

[weelie]

Steve Cropper, early Meters (Noncentelli)... teles, teles.... Chirp, Chirp! http://www.benoconnor.com/tele101/funk.htm

...But I think you definitely should add a switch for NECK+BRIDGE to your strat. It's not the same as on the tele, but as close as you get on the strat.

I have a mexican Fender Deluxe Super strat that has this kind of a push button to turn the bridge pickup on anytime (on the neck position, you get bridge+neck).

[genelovesjez]

Originally Posted by Chunky Tele

Most of my stratocaster solos are from the neck pick up with light distortion and a Vox Wah Wah. I use the bridge pick up only on a strat about 30% of the time. I love that scooped but warm sound. I live in the clean channel on my amp.

The tele is new to me. There is not enough presence in the neck pickup only(my opinion) so I solo using position 2 and 3( mainly 2). position 3 sounds a little harsh to me.

I may be in the minority here, but I love my Telecaster neck pickup, maybe even more than my Strat's. It gives me a nice full sound, but it cuts through better and has a bit more bite than my Strat. I'm using a Nocaster set in my CIJ TL-52 and I couldn't be happier.

[tweedtone]

Put in a no-load tone control for even more tonal options.

[soulfulsixstring]

I play in a band that does original/new music. We have a heavy leaning towards funk and my Nashville Telecaster covers it well. I usually use the three middle positions on my tele... It works out real great. Gives me tons of tonal options coupled with my volume and tone knob to dial-in exactly what I need. The strat works alright, but yeah, the tele really stands out and gives it the clarity for that percussive funk attack. I know it's doubtful that you'll run out and get a Nashville Tele, but you can certainly modify your tele with a strat pickup in the middle. Hey, and they even make pickguards for that sort of thing. Of course, the routing and rewiring of the pickups is on you. But this is just my two cents.

[Chunky Tele]

I panic when I have to change amp settings! I would have to pay someone to mod a guitar. Certainly, a mod is the fastest way to get this axe out in front for soloing.

Today I played a 72' Telecaster Custom at Guitar Center( sweet!). Is is still a tele once you add HB pickups and controls as such? I haven't seen many of those on stage anywhere. That guitar is a well kept secret.

I however I'm still committed to squeezing my potential out of my stock telecaster.

I heard folks say tele and strat are not much different. Not true. I have played the strat for 15 years. This is different terriority

The Telecaster smokes on AWB’s Cut the Cake. The Tele is also pretty good on most Brothers Johnson covers. George Johnson of the Brothers Johnson played telecaster on most of the group early compositions. either way, I need a Stratocaster to solo on the Brother Johnson’s I’ll be Good to You”

Has anyone used a Tele in covers for Cameo, Brass Construction, Isley Brothers, Rufus, Ohio Players and Talking Heads ( Yes “the Talking Heads” is Funk Music) I would love to hear about your set. I’m experimenting here.

Also, I was told that the solo on Earth, Wind and Fire’s “That’s the Way of the World” is a telecaster solo. It sounds like a Stratocaster to me. If the is a telecaster my American Standard tele does not sound like that. However my Strat hits it dead on.