markesquire
Tele-Afflicted
I am at a crossroads. I've played one tele exclusively for over a decade. Although my 62AVRI is great, playing boutique quality guitars has made me consider cashing it all in to buy one perfect guitar and one perfect amp. (Let's avoid the "buy them both" comments; I don't have the money or talent to warrant that!)
I have long planned on making a dream tele: featherlight 1959 double-bound tele custom with all my perfect specs.
Then I played a 335.
The 335 made me realize a lot of things that I've always wanted out of my telecaster, but was never able to achieve. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the general "fendery-ness" of teles, especially the neck pickup. It's almost as though there is a continuum between the Fender and Gibson worlds, and Tele is to Romeo as 335 is to Juliet; they both bridge the gap. However, the 335 nailed a lot of what I've wanted.
Aesthetics: I think that a sunburst 335 is the most attractive guitar ever created . . . by a long shot. It made me realize why, with all the teles out there, guess which one I have: a sunburst 62 AVRI.
Sound: This is where the "continuum" comes in. The tele neck pickup is my favorite, I play it 99% of the time. When I play a tele, I often feel that it is a bit thin, it doesn't even register on the low frequencies (the low frequencies on a Fender are the mid frequencies on a Gibson). I'm always maxing the bass and mids on my amp and turning down the treble. I've always wanted to add an EQ pedal and a Compressor to my tele for a bigger sound. When I played the 335 neck pickup through a TRRI, I was able to approximate a "fendery" mid-scoop voice, but without any need for a compressor or EQ to tame the ice-pick or add lower frequencies. However, it's not EXACTLY the fendery goodness that I know and love. As far as the bridge pickup goes, I think the 335 wins hands down for my needs. The tele bridge has always been too bright for me, and I only think it sounds good distorted with the tone rolled off, trying to cop some gibson tone. The 335 just nails that for me. Again, I can dial the 335 bridge in to get all the twang I want, but without all that I dislike.
Playability/Build Quality: The build quality for both Fender and Gibson varies a lot. However, in general, the fact that Gibsons average price is in the thousands, while Fender is in the hundreds, means that Gibsons may generally have a higher quality level. This doesn't matter because I'd be buying a really top-notch quality guitar in either style. Teles feel much more solid and simple, but they aren't as tweakable in terms of intonation, pickup height, individual pickup pole height. Also, on the 335, I can keep the neck pickup bright and "fendery" while keeping the bridge pickup similarly voiced, where on a tele I HAVE to change the tone control a lot every time I switch to the bridge pickup.
Question of the day: If you wanted a really top-quality guitar, and could only afford one, would you build/buy a 59 Custom Tele or buy a ES-335 "fat neck?"
I have long planned on making a dream tele: featherlight 1959 double-bound tele custom with all my perfect specs.
Then I played a 335.
The 335 made me realize a lot of things that I've always wanted out of my telecaster, but was never able to achieve. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the general "fendery-ness" of teles, especially the neck pickup. It's almost as though there is a continuum between the Fender and Gibson worlds, and Tele is to Romeo as 335 is to Juliet; they both bridge the gap. However, the 335 nailed a lot of what I've wanted.
Aesthetics: I think that a sunburst 335 is the most attractive guitar ever created . . . by a long shot. It made me realize why, with all the teles out there, guess which one I have: a sunburst 62 AVRI.
Sound: This is where the "continuum" comes in. The tele neck pickup is my favorite, I play it 99% of the time. When I play a tele, I often feel that it is a bit thin, it doesn't even register on the low frequencies (the low frequencies on a Fender are the mid frequencies on a Gibson). I'm always maxing the bass and mids on my amp and turning down the treble. I've always wanted to add an EQ pedal and a Compressor to my tele for a bigger sound. When I played the 335 neck pickup through a TRRI, I was able to approximate a "fendery" mid-scoop voice, but without any need for a compressor or EQ to tame the ice-pick or add lower frequencies. However, it's not EXACTLY the fendery goodness that I know and love. As far as the bridge pickup goes, I think the 335 wins hands down for my needs. The tele bridge has always been too bright for me, and I only think it sounds good distorted with the tone rolled off, trying to cop some gibson tone. The 335 just nails that for me. Again, I can dial the 335 bridge in to get all the twang I want, but without all that I dislike.
Playability/Build Quality: The build quality for both Fender and Gibson varies a lot. However, in general, the fact that Gibsons average price is in the thousands, while Fender is in the hundreds, means that Gibsons may generally have a higher quality level. This doesn't matter because I'd be buying a really top-notch quality guitar in either style. Teles feel much more solid and simple, but they aren't as tweakable in terms of intonation, pickup height, individual pickup pole height. Also, on the 335, I can keep the neck pickup bright and "fendery" while keeping the bridge pickup similarly voiced, where on a tele I HAVE to change the tone control a lot every time I switch to the bridge pickup.
Question of the day: If you wanted a really top-quality guitar, and could only afford one, would you build/buy a 59 Custom Tele or buy a ES-335 "fat neck?"
