"Better" to have numerous kinds of Teles , or , just different guitars altogether ??

Both.

 

I'm in favor of entirely different guitars. They bring a different approach to your playing and your sound.

You might consider these basic types of guitar and/or their derivatives:

Tele

Strat with whammy

Les Paul

335

Hollow-body jazz

Steel string acoustic


Lower on the list I'd put

12-string acoustic

12-string Rickenbacker

Classical guitar

 

For me, it's all about fun... My fun at that.
Since I don't have the money for redundancy, unless that is all I did.

I go for variety. I don't play out so have no need for a "backup" And I like to fart around with lots of different sounds.

 

I have three tele styles - G&L ASAT Special Semihollow, a Tele style baritone and a 52 style Esquire - both in process, and one Casino. This will cover me for just about everything. I have always thought it would be nice to have a Strat but it has never felt like a really urgent need.

 

I'd rather have an arsenal of Teles but as it is I only have one and am personally very happy with that for now. In fact if I ever got another one I'd sell this one. Pretty much a one guitar kind of guy.

 

Variety is the spice of life. A big +1 on something semi-hollow. They're warm, fat and fun, especially if you love controlled feedback the way I do. I have an '88 Yamaha SA-2100 that is as good as any 335 I've laid hands on, and my Rick 330 would be spectacular if I could afford the reissue toasters I want for it. (As it is, a pair of toasters will cost as much as the Yamaha did... yikes!)

 

I'd say if a Tele is your main sound, then you maybe need another one as a backup if you gig. After that, why bother having loads of guitars that essentially sound the same?

I own five electric guitars, all differnt. I usually take the Tele and either a Gibson SG Classic with P90's or a Les Paul Junior to a gig, that covers most of the sounds I need. Sometimes I take a 335 instead of the Junior or SG, but I always take the Tele.

I also have a Jaguar, which I don't gig with, but I love to record with it as I find the inherent lack of sustain and short scale on a Jag makes you approach stuff in a totally different way. About five years ago I played in a band where the Jag was the main guitar I'd play though, so its whatever suits the music.

The Telecaster is a great electric guitar and very versatile, but there are lots of other great guitars out there, most of which have been suggested in the previous posts. Sometimes a different guitar can give you a new outlook on what to play and when. Without trying to sound too pretentious, an artist generally does not have just one paintbrush, one type of paint or one pencil, he has loads to create art with.

Try lots of guitars, there are loads of great ones out there.

 

Well, this year I'm hoping to:

Replicate Harrison's Tele
Buy a Gibson or Epiphone 335
Buy a Casino (Lennon, stripped down version)
Buy a Gretcsh Country Gentleman (Harrison style)
Buy a Tele '52RI

ALLLLL in left handed models.

ARGH! Far too much GAS!

 

that blue burst Rickenbacker is really nice looking...
I just weed myself a little bit.​

 

I changed my mind - more teles, even if they are all identical.

 

Been following this thread with interest, but now the guilt is overpowering ... must confess:

I only own one electric — my homebrew Tele — and it does everything i need a guitar to do. OHHHH the anguish! the humiliation after seeing all these sweet collections!

 

My Plan...

I am going for the tele for all seasons approach...

(Currently Own)
Standard Tele - AVRI 52 Stock except for a 4-way and modern wiring
CV 50's Tele - P90 in Neck, P90 (inspired) bridge both from BG Pups
Korean FMT Telecaster - Dual PAF Humbuckers with set neck
MIM 69 Thinline - Bardens

(Will soon Own)
Gretsch inspired tele with dual TV Jones, from Logan, which is being built now.

(May own if I can somehow sneak them into the house )
Nashville Tele for some strat sounds and some type of Rickenbacker inspired one with toasters

 

About 5 years ago, I made a list of the guitars that I felt had THE classic tones.
A fun exersize.
The guitars I eventually bought to add to my collection are here
I am still considering a resonator and a Mosrite at some stage, but just for the sake of completion.
Everyone's choices are different. This is mine. Definitely a small collection by some folks standards, but the rules of the game were that it had to be a classic IMO and only one of each.

 

If you decide to take a serious look at an ES-335 type guitar, do yourself a favor and check out the Tokai clones. Many say they are better than the Gibsons, and they cost far less.

BDM

 

Though I love the Telecaster, there are just some tones you can't get out of it. I have a Strat wired up to get the Tele Bridge/Neck setting, and even that doesn't coax the kind of tones the Tele can do. Conversely, the Tele is pretty incapable of generating the tones my Epi Casino offers.

It really depends on your tastes, but if you adore the Telecaster over all, you may be better off just diversifying your Tele portfolio As for me, my music requires tones that a Tele cannot pull off exclusively, so I went with the multiple-makes route.

 

Nope. Completely lost. Did you decide on more teles, more other kinds of guitars, be happy with what you have or ???

And BTW - I vote for more teles. I am biased.

 

Well the amplifier will have the most significant effect on your tone, compared to other pieces of the chain.

When it comes to guitars what matters most are :internal circuit and p'up type.

p'up types include: Single coil; lipstick, lapsteel, strat style, soapbar, and p90.
Humbuckers: High output, low output are the most significant variants to my ear.

The body is mainly an aesthetic, the woods will add some bit to the tone, depends on how resonate they are. But the internal circuit will have the most profound difference.

So you can have a whole line of teles. Just get some with different circuits, and different p'ups.

Jeff Baxter constantly would buy pawnshop guitars and rewire them to his liking.

 

I assure you, all my guitars sound different through a clean amp.

The only way I see getting various telecaster "flavors" to make sense is if you are one of those players that ergonomics need to be just right. And they have to be like a telecaster in order for you to be comfortable playing.

In that case I would buy all telecasters with different electronics. To me this would be an acceptable compromise.
Only if I had trouble adapting to the necks and shapes of other guitars.