THE COURAGE TO TELL MYSELF THE TRUTH. I DISLIKE MY CURRENT TELE.
- Thread starter Kandinskyesque
- Start date
Tricone
Friend of Leo's
Sounds like you are just spinning your wheels with your current Tele. Don't sink any more money into it. Cut your losses, move it along, and save for the one guitar that checks all the boxes for you. We generation X members are growing older. Get it now and in 30 or so years it will be an "original" relic.
Telekarster
Poster Extraordinaire
Ever thought of doing it yourself? I built mine with zero prior experience, and she's my #1 today. I love telling people when they ask me where I got my T type "I built it" and then watch their eyes do something like this
bgmacaw
Doctor of Teleocity
It would be a typical used MIJ Fender at that point.
Kandinskyesque
Friend of Leo's
regularslinky
Tele-Afflicted
It took me many years to figure this out. 100% true.
Happy Enchilada
Friend of Leo's
As your TDPRI therapist, I recommend this proven remedy:
1. Put away the turd polish. Although everyone adores shiny turds, they make better wallhangers than players.
2. If you can't bear to part with said turd, place the remains in the case and sequester it beneath your bed.
3. Begin a course of immersive partscaster therapy. To Wit:
1. Find a Telecaster neck that you love. Try a bunch, find the one that makes your socks roll up and down, and buy it.
2. Poke around on eBay and Reverb and find a body that makes your heart skip a beat. Since the turd was black, try one in a nice bright color that has features that will endear it, such as binding, thinline style for reduced weight, or to accommodate pickups you've always wanted to use in a build such as TV Jones or P90s.
3. Shop around for a pickguard that intrigues you - maybe Haggard style?
4. Get some pickups you have been dying to try (such as Bootstrap Pretzels for $50 the set).
5. Put quality CTS or Bournes pots in the mix, along with a new tone cap (try a .033?).
6. PureTone jack and Electrosocket package for $12, GraphTech nut for $15, and whatever knobs and switch you wish.
7. Try some different tuners, like Sperzel lockers or Gotohs or some other quality brand.
7. Weld 'er up and see how it goes.
I did this and ended up with Linda Lou, and she's satisfied my needs and kept me from lusting after more Telecasters. Maybe it can work for you too.
Good Luck!
1. Put away the turd polish. Although everyone adores shiny turds, they make better wallhangers than players.
2. If you can't bear to part with said turd, place the remains in the case and sequester it beneath your bed.
3. Begin a course of immersive partscaster therapy. To Wit:
1. Find a Telecaster neck that you love. Try a bunch, find the one that makes your socks roll up and down, and buy it.
2. Poke around on eBay and Reverb and find a body that makes your heart skip a beat. Since the turd was black, try one in a nice bright color that has features that will endear it, such as binding, thinline style for reduced weight, or to accommodate pickups you've always wanted to use in a build such as TV Jones or P90s.
3. Shop around for a pickguard that intrigues you - maybe Haggard style?
4. Get some pickups you have been dying to try (such as Bootstrap Pretzels for $50 the set).
5. Put quality CTS or Bournes pots in the mix, along with a new tone cap (try a .033?).
6. PureTone jack and Electrosocket package for $12, GraphTech nut for $15, and whatever knobs and switch you wish.
7. Try some different tuners, like Sperzel lockers or Gotohs or some other quality brand.
7. Weld 'er up and see how it goes.
I did this and ended up with Linda Lou, and she's satisfied my needs and kept me from lusting after more Telecasters. Maybe it can work for you too.
Good Luck!
Put it back to stock and sell it.
I have never bought any guitar that I didn't like 100%. I've never bought a guitar thinking it was decent--except for the neck, bridge, tuners, screw heads, etc.
A truly great guitar is greater than the sum of its parts.
Many players are unhappy with something about a giutar because they compromised, they got in a hurry, etc. I have lost count of the number of times a player has griped about not seeing a flaw or damage or other issue on a guitar until they got it home.
Be patient. Play lots of guitars before you plop down your hard-earned money. I took more than a year to find my holy grail Les Paul.
I have never bought any guitar that I didn't like 100%. I've never bought a guitar thinking it was decent--except for the neck, bridge, tuners, screw heads, etc.
A truly great guitar is greater than the sum of its parts.
Many players are unhappy with something about a giutar because they compromised, they got in a hurry, etc. I have lost count of the number of times a player has griped about not seeing a flaw or damage or other issue on a guitar until they got it home.
Be patient. Play lots of guitars before you plop down your hard-earned money. I took more than a year to find my holy grail Les Paul.
Yes, I probably went through four or five early guitars before I finally realized what it was about a guitar I liked most. They were great guitars, but for one reason or another, they didn't work for me; not to mention ones I got rid of later on because my tastes changed.
Also, I strongly dislike red on guitars. But I have two that are red, and play them very often. One is my only Tele.
Kandinskyesque
Friend of Leo's
A beautiful looking girl and very similarly to my pet name for Mrs K.
You're idea sounds like a fine one, which means I'll have to stick with the guitar I have for the next 6-12 months because it's my only electric (the others are either acoustics or Godin hybrids). Plus I've a couple of old band reunion gigs in the next few months.
I'll do what I can in the meantime to get it playing/sounding better but nothing that will cost any more than 100 bucks.
I've a wish list on what I'm really looking for right down to the translucent green colour but lacking the confidence for DIY after the health bomb for the past few years.
First things first though, inspired by your suggestion, I've just pulled the trigger on enrolling on a 1 night per week class in guitar restoration and repair at a college in Glasgow.
The college has a very good full-time luthier department.
Happy Enchilada
Friend of Leo's
I *LOVE* red guitars. LMK if you wanna get rid of it ...
Happy Enchilada
Friend of Leo's
You sound like a very well-organized and smart fella!
Don't be in a hurry.
Find your neck first. Put it in a box. Then a body ...
By the time a few months pass, you'll have accumulated all the components you need.
And by then you'll have the education to put it together.
Always take your time. It's like with casting a fly - never be in a hurry. Enjoy the simple pleasures to the fullest.
And don't forget to post a thread for it so we can all check it out!
Cheers!
Ben Harmless
Poster Extraordinaire
Kandinskyesque my friend, we are two different individuals. I've had my MIM '72RI for almost 20 years now. It's been my stalwart partner though hundreds of rock and roll shows. I've played this thing at shows where literally everyone else was playing pointy guitars. I'll never get rid of it. I LOVE the neck. I LOVE the pickguard (it's different). I mostly LOVE black guitars - though black is ALSO for clothes. This is the one I'm playing in my avatar. It's beat to hell and back, but it will never die because Telecasters. That said, I also didn't like the WRHB either. Eew. If I want mud, I'll walk outdoors in my New England weather. To each, their own though - obviously. There are certainly other cool teles out there.
Oh, and it occurs to me that you can look for meaning in this. If the '72RI is something that represented a milestone or success in your sobriety, perhaps moving on from it is symbolic of no longer needing to hold on to these things to continue your journey under your own power. Take it or leave it, but well done, nevertheless.
Oh, and it occurs to me that you can look for meaning in this. If the '72RI is something that represented a milestone or success in your sobriety, perhaps moving on from it is symbolic of no longer needing to hold on to these things to continue your journey under your own power. Take it or leave it, but well done, nevertheless.
Toast
Tele-Afflicted
After playing my Telecaster for a couple years straight, I pulled out my Danelectro Hodad. I wanted to hear it through my amp. Anyway, I haven't been able to put the Dano down since. Certain songs in my repetoire sound amazing on the Dano. Sometimes doubt begins to creep into my mind about the way my tele sounds. Problem is, both guitars have their strong points. The open D chord sounds great on the Danelectro, but not so much on the Fender. The neck of the Telecaster, on the other hand, fits my hand perfectly whereas I feel like the string spacing on the Hodad is too dense (maybe if I were a 16 year old Korean girl I'd have an easier time arpeggiating on it). Anyway, I have never found a perfect guitar, but my ear for guitars has definitely improved so maybe one day . . . I focus more on improving my playing than I do on improving my guitar. I feel like if my playing is good, the guitar quality is less of an issue. Just my two cents.
stxrus
Doctor of Teleocity
Ive tried to be a strat guy but I just can’t. There is no bonding. I love my MIM Tele, SG, LP Special, and cheapie Washburn acoustic
There, I’ve said it again, I don like Strats
There, I’ve said it again, I don like Strats
Kandinskyesque
Friend of Leo's
Thanks. I hadn't thought of that.
This place is becoming as insightful as my fortnightly visits to my Neuro Guy.
Coming up for 10 years this autumn and there's been a lot of changes in the past 5 between moving rural, a few years illness and quitting a few unhelpful music projects/starting new ones.
I've taken the guitar apart to give it good clean, fix the wiring and shim the neck because I'll be hanging on to it until I find a replacement. Then I'll pass it on to my nephew rather than sell it.
I didn't pay full price for it; a friend had it gathering dust after giving up on the idea of learning to play and the upgrades have cost almost as much as I paid for it. My nephew has looked after the Squier Bullet I gave him 3 or 4 years ago and at least I'll know it's getting played regularly.
I noticed when I took the neck off that there's a 2003 stamp, which means our guitars must be around the same age.
Kandinskyesque
Friend of Leo's
This is the only one I have to hand on this computer at the moment, it's currently dismantled.
Taken when my rowan fell into my fire pit back during the December storms.
You know it's funny, back when I was selling off guitars, I had a raft of Fenders a couple AVRI 52s, an American Special Diamond issue Tele, a really good American Standard Strat, a Les Paul Special with P90s a lovely guitar. I can't remember all the guitars that went through here, both electric and acoustic. For whatever reason, I kept the AV 72 Tele Custom and got rid of the rest. One time I like it, one time I don't but I've given up on ever doing anything about it, I hardly play anymore anyway, one guitar sitting on the stand next to my DRRI is about the same as the next.
Similar threads
