Emulating a Fender strat tone with a tele

ravelle · June 9th, 2006, 11:34 AM

Hmm i miss the thin strat tone.

Been playing lotsa RHCP stuff and the tone on my tele is abit too broad to play those stuff.

Could someone share with me (and other tele players ) how to tweak the EQ in such a way i could get something close.

Taavi · June 9th, 2006, 01:21 PM

Buy a stratocaster? :D

d. meyers · June 9th, 2006, 01:40 PM

Are you trying to incite a riot?

Kidding. Are you referring to the middle position quack tone (maby some RHCP leads?), or the jangly "Power of Equality" rhythym tone? I dont know how you'd get that on a tele.

Wild Rice Chris · June 9th, 2006, 02:11 PM

My vote goes for putting a strat pickup in your tele (the middle and maybe the neck).

Iceman · June 9th, 2006, 02:20 PM

A Nashville Tele with the strat pup in the middle will get you close but nothing but a strat will nail it.

telemandan · June 9th, 2006, 03:55 PM

the nashville will be fine for you,,i have one and its awesome,,,, for rhythnmnnmnmn playing its very vice and different tele tone,,,but thin it is,,,i started in to the lead on folsom the other day with it and with out switching to a more potent effect it sucked ,,thin it was ,,weak it was ,,,,,so lesson learned ,dont use the nashville to play strong leads

Wild Rice Chris · June 9th, 2006, 07:17 PM

http://ricecustomguitars.20m.com/non...e/nashpow.html

ravelle · June 9th, 2006, 08:14 PM

hmm when i 1st picked up my tele at the 2nd hand shop.the pup selector was 5 way.when i bought it , it was changed to 3 way.

whats the tonal diff in 5 way and 3 way...is it the same like strat?

i simply have the usual 2 pups . 1 lipstick and 1 bridge.

vic108 · June 9th, 2006, 08:27 PM

I agree, the Nashville tele is a sweet mix
of Strat and Tele - Get cake and eat it too!

crawdad · June 9th, 2006, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravelle

hmm when i 1st picked up my tele at the 2nd hand shop.the pup selector was 5 way.when i bought it , it was changed to 3 way.

whats the tonal diff in 5 way and 3 way...is it the same like strat?

i simply have the usual 2 pups . 1 lipstick and 1 bridge.

The five way doesn't change the tone--it just allows you to have five positions when you have three pickups. Hey--have you ever taken your pickguard off? Maybe it had a middle pickup at one time. See if there is a rout for a middle pickup.

Wild Rice Chris · June 9th, 2006, 11:02 PM

A 5-way switch can be wired to give you 5 distinct tones from a 2-pickup guitar as well, either with a megaswitch for phase/series wiring, or with a regular 5-way and a tapped pickup.

Tim Bowen · June 10th, 2006, 01:38 AM

Ah yes, the age-old quest of attempting to get one sort of guitar to sound like another sort of guitar. Won't happen.

That said. My main working Tele has Harmonic Design pickups - 54's in the bridge and neck, and a "mini-strat" in the middle. I don't use position #4 very often (nor do I with Fender Stratocasters), but position #2 in this configuration offers, by far, the most strat-like ducktone vibe that I've played with a Telecaster guitar.

crawdad · June 10th, 2006, 01:59 AM

I've got a couple of Teles that have an added Strat middle pickup. I agree--the #2 bridge plus middle is a pretty good scooped middle, bell-like Strat tone. Its not exactly the same, but its great for the few songs I play where I want that Strat sound.

My preference is to keep the three way switch, just like a stock Tele. I add the middle pickup with a switch on a push pull pot that doubles as my tone control. I can then add the Strat PU to any of the three existing stock settings. I can,t get the middle alone, but I never liked that sound.

The Brent Mason model has an extra volume pot to blend the middle in. I like the idea but it gets in the way of quick volume changes and volume swells, so I have been content to just switch the middle in or out. I wanted to keep the bridge+neck combo intact.

TG · June 10th, 2006, 03:34 AM

Try out a thinline. I find that they have something of that strat-like woody thinness to the sound, even though they still sound very telecaster.

ravelle · June 10th, 2006, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crawdad

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravelle

hmm when i 1st picked up my tele at the 2nd hand shop.the pup selector was 5 way.when i bought it , it was changed to 3 way.

whats the tonal diff in 5 way and 3 way...is it the same like strat?

i simply have the usual 2 pups . 1 lipstick and 1 bridge.

The five way doesn't change the tone--it just allows you to have five positions when you have three pickups. Hey--have you ever taken your pickguard off? Maybe it had a middle pickup at one time. See if there is a rout for a middle pickup.

never took it off before..do i need to remove the pup selector head / knob to remove the pick guard?

crawdad · June 10th, 2006, 12:41 PM

ravelle--not if your tele has the standard pickguard--like the pic that Wild Rice Chris posted in this thread.

kingalingus · June 12th, 2006, 02:44 PM

What Strat tone are we talking about here? Position 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5? Also, are we looking for a hard tail, floating trem, Hendix, Clapton, Knopfler, Guy, Beck, Gilmour....You see, there are entire Strat forums dedicated to getting hundreds of differing Strat tones. Also, so much of it is in the hands. If it were only as simple as adding a pickup...

O.D.CRUISERS · June 12th, 2006, 07:39 PM

I am not positive but I think when people want their Tele to sound like a Strat they are referring to the "quack" of position 2 and 4. Which I could do that too. Instead, I have a Tele and a Strat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingalingus

What Strat tone are we talking about here? Position 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5? Also, are we looking for a hard tail, floating trem, Hendix, Clapton, Knopfler, Guy, Beck, Gilmour....You see, there are entire Strat forums dedicated to getting hundreds of differing Strat tones. Also, so much of it is in the hands. If it were only as simple as adding a pickup...

GUITARmole · June 12th, 2006, 07:43 PM

You can get close to the in-between Strat tones with a two pickup Tele by installing a push-pull toneswitch that puts the neck pickup out of phase and adds a resistor (like the Fender Jerry Donahue modification)

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/...ry_donahue.pdf

ravelle · June 12th, 2006, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crawdad

ravelle--not if your tele has the standard pickguard--like the pic that Wild Rice Chris posted in this thread.

ahh yes mines the same...thanks for the heads up :)

ravelle · June 12th, 2006, 09:14 PM

i want the tone of the 2nd video..the 3rd video sounds close. That thick and heavy sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W604Va9Lmjg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_-NDsJSRkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd8LnVutYPw

GlennLewis · June 12th, 2006, 10:30 PM

after watching #2, and not to detract from RHCP or anything.... but after watching vid #2, I will never, ever, ever feel self conscious trying to sing in front of an audience again.... ever. OMG, that was... well, I was going to say horrible, but maybe it is an acquired taste.

Anyway, back on topic, I've made a couple teles with dual mini-rail humbuckers in bridge and neck position, with 5 way switching, and it does a credible job of strat tones while still having the classic tele tones as well.

Thanks again for those vid links, it makes me feel better about my attempts at singing. My oldest son agrees, and he KNOWS I can't sing two notes in a row.

O.D.CRUISERS · June 12th, 2006, 11:10 PM

You said what I was thinking. I could not get past the singing to even think about the guitar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennLewis

after watching #2, and not to detract from RHCP or anything.... but after watching vid #2, I will never, ever, ever feel self conscious trying to sing in front of an audience again.... ever. OMG, that was... well, I was going to say horrible, but maybe it is an acquired taste.

Anyway, back on topic, I've made a couple teles with dual mini-rail humbuckers in bridge and neck position, with 5 way switching, and it does a credible job of strat tones while still having the classic tele tones as well.

Thanks again for those vid links, it makes me feel better about my attempts at singing. My oldest son agrees, and he KNOWS I can't sing two notes in a row.

Joe Harris · June 12th, 2006, 11:14 PM

A Nash Tele with a Bill Lawrence Q-Filter will get you there

stinger69 · June 12th, 2006, 11:32 PM

just food for thought.the guy from the rhcp uses a 62 style tele with marshall amps.

Scott S · June 13th, 2006, 12:31 AM

If you routed the middle position deep enough, you could mount the pickup underneath the stock pickguard. That'd keep 'em guessing!

June 9th, 2006, 11:34 AM	#1 (permalink)
ravelle Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2005 Location: asia Age: 19 Posts: 469	Emulating a Fender strat tone with a tele Hmm i miss the thin strat tone. Been playing lotsa RHCP stuff and the tone on my tele is abit too broad to play those stuff. Could someone share with me (and other tele players ) how to tweak the EQ in such a way i could get something close.

June 9th, 2006, 01:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
Taavi TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Finland Posts: 10	Buy a stratocaster? :D __________________ My girlfriend is called Telecaster. - American Standard Telecaster - Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb - Roland Microcube

June 9th, 2006, 02:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
Wild Rice Chris Friend of Leo's Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rice Custom Dungeon Posts: 2,826 24 Photos	My vote goes for putting a strat pickup in your tele (the middle and maybe the neck). __________________ --Insert Signature Here-- Enjoy, and please visit my homepage.

June 9th, 2006, 03:55 PM	#6 (permalink)
telemandan Banned TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 42	strat tone the nashville will be fine for you,,i have one and its awesome,,,, for rhythnmnnmnmn playing its very vice and different tele tone,,,but thin it is,,,i started in to the lead on folsom the other day with it and with out switching to a more potent effect it sucked ,,thin it was ,,weak it was ,,,,,so lesson learned ,dont use the nashville to play strong leads

June 9th, 2006, 07:17 PM	#7 (permalink)
Wild Rice Chris Friend of Leo's Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rice Custom Dungeon Posts: 2,826 24 Photos	http://ricecustomguitars.20m.com/non...e/nashpow.html __________________ --Insert Signature Here-- Enjoy, and please visit my homepage.

June 9th, 2006, 01:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
d. meyers Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: PDX OR Posts: 462 8 Photos	Are you trying to incite a riot? Kidding. Are you referring to the middle position quack tone (maby some RHCP leads?), or the jangly "Power of Equality" rhythym tone? I dont know how you'd get that on a tele.

June 9th, 2006, 02:20 PM	#5 (permalink)
Iceman Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Central Virginia Posts: 120	A Nashville Tele with the strat pup in the middle will get you close but nothing but a strat will nail it.

June 9th, 2006, 08:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
ravelle Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2005 Location: asia Age: 19 Posts: 469	hmm when i 1st picked up my tele at the 2nd hand shop.the pup selector was 5 way.when i bought it , it was changed to 3 way. whats the tonal diff in 5 way and 3 way...is it the same like strat? i simply have the usual 2 pups . 1 lipstick and 1 bridge.

June 9th, 2006, 08:27 PM	#9 (permalink)
vic108 Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Mudwogweap, VA Age: 52 Posts: 947 9 Photos	I agree, the Nashville tele is a sweet mix of Strat and Tele - Get cake and eat it too! __________________ Guitars will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no guitars

June 9th, 2006, 11:02 PM	#11 (permalink)
Wild Rice Chris Friend of Leo's Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rice Custom Dungeon Posts: 2,826 24 Photos	A 5-way switch can be wired to give you 5 distinct tones from a 2-pickup guitar as well, either with a megaswitch for phase/series wiring, or with a regular 5-way and a tapped pickup. __________________ --Insert Signature Here-- Enjoy, and please visit my homepage.

June 10th, 2006, 01:38 AM	#12 (permalink)
Tim Bowen Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Age: 47 Posts: 3,229	Ah yes, the age-old quest of attempting to get one sort of guitar to sound like another sort of guitar. Won't happen. That said. My main working Tele has Harmonic Design pickups - 54's in the bridge and neck, and a "mini-strat" in the middle. I don't use position #4 very often (nor do I with Fender Stratocasters), but position #2 in this configuration offers, by far, the most strat-like ducktone vibe that I've played with a Telecaster guitar. __________________ "Everyone is different in how they learn, but for me, it's turning the pegs and just playing." - BB

June 10th, 2006, 01:59 AM	#13 (permalink)
crawdad Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,275	I've got a couple of Teles that have an added Strat middle pickup. I agree--the #2 bridge plus middle is a pretty good scooped middle, bell-like Strat tone. Its not exactly the same, but its great for the few songs I play where I want that Strat sound. My preference is to keep the three way switch, just like a stock Tele. I add the middle pickup with a switch on a push pull pot that doubles as my tone control. I can then add the Strat PU to any of the three existing stock settings. I can,t get the middle alone, but I never liked that sound. The Brent Mason model has an extra volume pot to blend the middle in. I like the idea but it gets in the way of quick volume changes and volume swells, so I have been content to just switch the middle in or out. I wanted to keep the bridge+neck combo intact.

June 10th, 2006, 03:34 AM	#14 (permalink)
TG Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Beside a bog in the west of Ireland Age: 46 Posts: 4,427 7 Photos	Try out a thinline. I find that they have something of that strat-like woody thinness to the sound, even though they still sound very telecaster.

June 10th, 2006, 12:41 PM	#16 (permalink)
crawdad Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,275	ravelle--not if your tele has the standard pickguard--like the pic that Wild Rice Chris posted in this thread.

June 12th, 2006, 02:44 PM	#17 (permalink)
kingalingus Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Charleston, SC Age: 41 Posts: 313 7 Photos	What Strat tone are we talking about here? Position 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5? Also, are we looking for a hard tail, floating trem, Hendix, Clapton, Knopfler, Guy, Beck, Gilmour....You see, there are entire Strat forums dedicated to getting hundreds of differing Strat tones. Also, so much of it is in the hands. If it were only as simple as adding a pickup...

June 12th, 2006, 07:43 PM	#19 (permalink)
GUITARmole Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,105 50 Photos	You can get close to the in-between Strat tones with a two pickup Tele by installing a push-pull toneswitch that puts the neck pickup out of phase and adds a resistor (like the Fender Jerry Donahue modification) http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/...ry_donahue.pdf

June 12th, 2006, 09:14 PM	#21 (permalink)
ravelle Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2005 Location: asia Age: 19 Posts: 469	i want the tone of the 2nd video..the 3rd video sounds close. That thick and heavy sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W604Va9Lmjg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_-NDsJSRkk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd8LnVutYPw

June 12th, 2006, 10:30 PM	#22 (permalink)
GlennLewis Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Chicago Posts: 539 4 Photos	ravelle, thanks for those vids..... after watching #2, and not to detract from RHCP or anything.... but after watching vid #2, I will never, ever, ever feel self conscious trying to sing in front of an audience again.... ever. OMG, that was... well, I was going to say horrible, but maybe it is an acquired taste. Anyway, back on topic, I've made a couple teles with dual mini-rail humbuckers in bridge and neck position, with 5 way switching, and it does a credible job of strat tones while still having the classic tele tones as well. Thanks again for those vid links, it makes me feel better about my attempts at singing. My oldest son agrees, and he KNOWS I can't sing two notes in a row.

June 12th, 2006, 11:14 PM	#24 (permalink)
Joe Harris Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 330	A Nash Tele with a Bill Lawrence Q-Filter will get you there __________________

June 12th, 2006, 11:32 PM	#25 (permalink)
stinger69 TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 63	just food for thought.the guy from the rhcp uses a 62 style tele with marshall amps.

June 13th, 2006, 12:31 AM	#26 (permalink)
Scott S Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SW CR IA US NA PE Age: 28 Posts: 1,571	If you routed the middle position deep enough, you could mount the pickup underneath the stock pickguard. That'd keep 'em guessing!