Describe the 3 Tele Switch Positions

[pippoman]

- BRIDGE - can be a useless treble ice pick on certain models... with better pups, turn on the distortion and you have the lead solo to Stairway to Heaven (which was recorded on a Tele...not a Les Paul) - clean amp with a compressor (a volume squishing type of effect pedal) and you could do country chicken picken (if you know how to do chicken picken, I don't do country ever)

- MIDDLE - if the guitar has an ice pick treble bridge, middle position won't be much better, still useless... the more output the bridge pup has, the better the middle position will be. Creates a signature "Fender sound" you may like or not like, depending on your ear. It also depends on your skill level as to what kind of sounds you'll get out of any guitar or switch position. Beginners aren't going to be able to apply any knowledge as to how to get tone... until they actually learn how to play...

- NECK - now go to YouTube and do a search for "Ted Greene"... he could do amazing things with jazz style music with the neck pickup. But Ted was a master of the Telecaster... in some of his videos you'll hear him switch away from the neck pup to other positions.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ted+Greene

Check out the mini switches on Ted's Tele on the cover of his "Jazz Guitar - Single Note Soloing" book...
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I know this is a "Tele Forum" but I'm not really into Telecasters... I love all guitars (and Teles) but my Faves are Strats and Les Pauls... and of late (the last 10+ years of my 40+) I tend to go for guitars that are not just the plain jane 2 pickup, volume/tone models made popular... but rather stuff with advanced switching. My fave Tele was the Classic Player Baja Tele... lot's of pickup selector choices.

Right now my eyes are on one of the Fender Player Plus Nashville Tele's... not a traditional Tele at all, plus has the "much forum hated" Fender Noiseless pickups. But they made that one for me... I like "different"...

FWIW, I really don't think it's possible to correctly describe audio items with the English language. But shopping for pickups, we all get mass quantities of language in every ad for a guitar pickup. Some add audio examples, but they are still not in your guitar. I always thought if I were a millionaire, I could buy every pickup available, and solder-un-solder-re-solder all of them to hear what each would sound like in MY guitar. Until then I have no idea until I am able to buy every one. Using "I heard it's" on web forums isn't really the best way to HEAR what it sounds like in YOUR guitar. And with the price of some Bare Knuckles, Fralin, Lollar and other makes, it's ridiculous to think someone like me (disabled and lives on $900/mo.) could afford to buy even one, let alone dozens and dozens to try.

And I'd tell them "welcome to the hell of guitar playing:" Hundreds of choices, typically once you fall down the aftermarket Rabbit Hole, there is no way out, haha. And oodles of "hear-say" reading forums... remember not every poster is Jimmy Page, even though many pretend to be behind their hidden Internet hideouts. People who tell others (to build authority/confidence in what they say) tell folks their band is a "gigging band"... but the last "gig" the garage band bring the beer and the bong band did was the drummer's ten year old's birthday pool party last year. But boy do they know everything about gear, haha.

Sometimes the forums can be "wisdom is in the counsel of many"... meaning if many people say something sucks or is great, there MIGHT be some truth in it... -- But hear-say is not necessarily correct. Bad rumors can be started in the forum world, and pretty soon people are boycotting otherwise great brands (such as how Squiers and Epiphones constantly get trashed)... My current real life budget is only for Squiers and Epiphones, or something more expensive has to be on a longer than normal layaway plan (Wolfe Guitars in Jupiter, Florida will do a 6-month layaway).

Then there is the ancient debate about "tone is in the hands, not in the gear"... which because of how they market music gear, a beginner buying a $4,000 USA PRS is not ever going to bring that person better "tone" especially since they haven't even figured out which way to turn the tuners to get it in tune... let alone anything decent coming out of the thing... But give that same PRS to someone who knows his business, and you'll find "tone"... BUT... give the same advanced player a Squier or an Epiphone (that is set up right) and he'll still be making tone out of the cheap guitar. There is no replacement for mileage on the instrument. You only get experience by taking the thing out of the case and putting your fingers on the neck (as many hours or minutes in a day as you can afford). A guitar sitting in the case while you brag about it's cost and rarity (and show fancy pictures) on a forum isn't building you any tone.

I can appreciate a Ferrari automobile, but I'm sane enough to know I will never afford one. Same thing with today's American made (IMHO way way over-priced) Gibsons or PRS's. no way in hell I can justify paying $4k-$5k on ONE guitar, so I'll never have one, like a Ferrari... I'll never have one of those, either. And I have no desire to have one. Same with "vintage guitars"... price is way to prohibitive for me, plus not ever "vintage" guitar was a good one. Minus all the modern quality control ways, a lot more skunky duds fell through the crack "way back then"... and I am not at all interested in am instrument I'd be afraid to play at a bar where a 7-foot tall Sasquatch of a man climbs on stage, grabs it off the stand, and plays bad Hank Williams Jr. tunes on it, breaks a string, then spills his beer on it, then leaves it with sweat droplets covering the front and back... weeee... (witnessed that exact thing when I went on break one time and came back in and the Sasquatch guy was playing my 1980 Les Paul Artisan... haha... to a crowd of locals who knew him and were cheering him on... yes, that vintage guitar scenario

My 2 or 3 cents

That was more like a quarter lol!

 

[pippoman]

Pretend you're talking to a total newcomer who has never played or heard a Telecaster. Describe the sound of each switch position and say what kind of music you think each position is perfect for.

And I'm talking about just a bog-standard Tele, two single coils in the Neck and Bridge plus Middle position that combines them.

Here's my attempt:

NECK: Easier to get dark sounds, can get a little too thumpy. Ideal for rolling off the tone a bit and pretend it's 1959 and you're playing jazz
BRIDGE: Max Twang, tends toward too bitey. It's ideal for when you want to sound like a Tele and nothing else.
MIDDLE: Smooths out the Bridge sound or gives a bit of twang to the Neck sound, take your pick. Maybe best if you want to sound like an acoustic guitar except electric?

I read the replies through page 2 and there are really some hilarious, clever descriptions! What surprises me is how many players are NOT primarily using the bridge position. I use all 3 positions personally, but primarily the bridge. Of course I ride the tone and volume controls, but that’s mainly why I love my Teles. I love Strats and LPs too, but I gig almost exclusively with a Tele in the bridge position, sometimes the middle, and occasionally the neck. I’ve been playing Teles for 50+ years and suddenly feel like I’m missing something! Old dogs can learn new tricks.

 

[Weazel]

No apology needed (for me at least). Now I know about 2V2T. Next time I'm in the guitar store and see a Les Paul I'll be sure to refer to it like that

"Hey, can I have a look at that Tooveetootee over there?"

 

[Brent Hutto]

"Hey, can I have a look at that Tooveetootee over there?"

Or maybe "I wanna Tooveetootee fo' my Tele".

 

[proxy]

Ohhhhh

Ahhhhh

Unhhhh

 

[AquariumRock]

Neck- doodoodoodoodoo

Bridge- deeeeedeeedeeedledeee

Middle- dawowowowow

It literally could not be simpler.

 

[KyAnne]

I’d say “nice Tele!, before you even take it home have them wire it series-parallel with a 4 way.” Just me?

True! But I ain't done it yet. Yet.

 

[2HBStrat]

Bridge - Chikin Pickin'
Middle - Indie
Neck - Jazz

 

[KyAnne]

Neck....oh yes.

Middle....sometimes.

Bridge.....where's that.

Damn Straight!

 

[badscrew_projects]

Bridge: don't
Middle: won't
Neck: can't

 

[Chiogtr4x]

I just bring one of 4 electrics to a gig ( each different, including a stock Tele).

and enjoy just hearing how all different kinds of music ( old & easy!) come out sounding with that one guitar.

So I seem to use the same pickup positions, broadly to play the same styles- of course each guitar and its pickups bring its tone or timbre to the table:

- neck pickup: Jazzy swingy Blues with Tone backed off a bit; more of a biting lead tone ( still warm) with Tone cranked; Hendrix too...

- middle pickup ( single on Strat, or both ON with Tele or SG): R&R rhythm &lead ( Chuck Berry); rockabilly lead; Dickie Betts lead; Garcia lead; R&B rhythm and double stops; also good when playing 'acoustic guitar' parts on electric

- bridge pickup: biting Country lead or GD Jerry lead ( clean); Duane Allman, Cream, or growly bridge humbucker lead ( I use OD and back off Tone on pickup to sound more like a PAF); 'skanky, nasty' Jeff Beck or Billy Gibbons style low string riffs, for blues & funk...

 

[Wrighty]

Pretend you're talking to a total newcomer who has never played or heard a Telecaster. Describe the sound of each switch position and say what kind of music you think each position is perfect for.

And I'm talking about just a bog-standard Tele, two single coils in the Neck and Bridge plus Middle position that combines them.

Here's my attempt:

NECK: Easier to get dark sounds, can get a little too thumpy. Ideal for rolling off the tone a bit and pretend it's 1959 and you're playing jazz
BRIDGE: Max Twang, tends toward too bitey. It's ideal for when you want to sound like a Tele and nothing else.
MIDDLE: Smooths out the Bridge sound or gives a bit of twang to the Neck sound, take your pick. Maybe best if you want to sound like an acoustic guitar except electric?

I think you can only describe the sounds relative to each other, not in absolute terms. The latter will be totally dependent on the Pups. Ceramics will sound different to Alnico which will sound different to CS Texas Specials etc. I’d simply relate them to tone settings, Bridge is a treble, Middle is, well, Middle and Neck is Bass.

 

[Wrighty]

I can now describe nearly all of the women in my life in terms of Tele pup switch positions

 

[TokyoPortrait]

Hi.

…total newcomer who has never played or heard a Telecaster.

I would say ’Don’t worry about it.’

What surprises me is how many players are NOT primarily using the bridge position. I use all 3 positions personally

Yep, re surprised about the bridge.

I’m neck or bridge. Sonically, one or the other. Never kinda.

Pax/
Dean

 

[Bruxist]

"Hey, can I have a look at that Tooveetootee over there?"

"Tooveetootee, oh Rudy"

 

[Tagliatellecaster]

Neck: McCartney
Bridge: Lennon
Middle: Harrison

 

[Mur]

Besides the obvious bridge pup bright, neck pup darker ..a trick I found when playing live was using the neck pup for an acoustic guitar sound. Strumming lightly and close to the neck seemed to work!

 

[glenlivet]

Neck --- Mrs. Howell

Middle --- Mary Ann

Bridge --- Ginger

 

[NoTeleBob]

Neck - James Earl Jones
Middle - Tommy Lee Jones
Bridge - Jon Lovitz

 

[Hodgo88]

Neck: Like the Internet Explorer of guitar pickups, it exists only to be replaced.

Bridge pickup: One of the best sounds in the world of country and rock guitar

Middle: The mother of strat positions 2 and 4