What do you as a Bad Dog member actually think of a Telecaster?

[Chester P Squier]

I was never a Tele person until about a year before I actually purchased one back in January of this year. I’ve never had a Gibson, but I did like the sound of the humbuckers. I did get a Gretsch Electromatic with humbuckers and have liked the sound of this guitar.

Things I like about my Telecaster, in addition to the fact that I play it better than other guitars I own:

• The humbuckers.
• The belly cut.
• The 6-saddle bridge.
• These, in addition to the maple fretboard with the 9 ½ inch radius.
• You can play the bridge and neck pickups together, which you can’t do with a Strat unless you get one with the special switch that turns on the neck pickup in all positions.
• The simple controls. One switch, one volume, one tone. (Well, mine has a pull-up on the tone control to split the coils.)

Telecaster random thoughts:

People comment about the ugly bridge pickup area of a Tele, but it was originally covered up with the “ashtray,” which looked really cool but prevented players from picking in that area or muting the guitar.

Leo would be the first person the deny that he “got it right the first time.”

There might be a reason Fender doesn’t produce HH Teles in Butterscotch Blonde.

I have long thought that the most ergonomic musical instrument there is (including strings, brass, woodwinds, keyboards, and percussion), is the Fender Stratocaster. That is certainly true of my Squier Strat.
But I have really bonded with my Telecaster. I do my best playing in my Telecaster.

For further opinions of mine, see my post in the thread in The Telecaster Discussion Forum titled “Hey would you tell us about your introduction to the Fender Telecaster if you could.” I posted there on October 27, 2022.

 

[8bit]

I thought about this for a while, but then I forgot the question. Oh yea, I like only having to mess with two knobs and a simple switch. That combination has a majority of the sounds my simple mind can conjure.

This is why my SG Junior is currently my main squeeze. Except my mind is so simple I can't even deal with having a switch. Just give me the two knobs!

 

[Dan R]

I've owned and played many guitars, including three teles. My only electric is a 1975 blond tele. I've had it for 20 years or so. It's all I really want. Maybe get a humbucker guitar as a backup just to have something different. I guess a tele just suits me. You can do almost anything with a telecaster, and they stay in tune better than any other guitar I've owned.

 

[Eddiebaby1]

Never wanted a Tele. Been a Strat guy. Wanted to sort some guitars away from home due to travel restrictions of the the last couple of years (for unnamable reasons) so I bought a JTV59 Variax and an Am Pro II Strat that I loved. Then I bought an Am Pro II Tele, fitted Twisted Tele PUs and a 5 way switch and now thats all I want to play.
5 great tones from 2 pickups and all I need.

 

[MelodicBend]

Fender Telecasters :
*utilitarian work horses
*amazing default sound
*good looks (I might be more smitten than most)
*durable
*ergonomic (along with the Stratocaster it is unparalleled even without the belly cut)
*great for beginners and experts alike. Very important in keeping you playing and practicing. Outgrowing a deadbeat instrument is a long, needless, and crappy experience.
*can go to very high end specs without burning too much money

A billion other positive attributes but you get the point.

 

[Weazel]

I have several of them.

They are practical guitars.

That is it.

 

[rarebreed]

Although they are as different as night and day, a good Telecaster and a Gibson 335 are the best and most versatile electric guitars out there. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Tarkus60]

I love my strat and tele equally....but
My Martin D18 is my guitar.

 

[4pickupguy]

The body is sharp and hurty….

 

[Chester P Squier]

The body is sharp and hurty….

Not if you have one with the belly cut.

Hey, one great thing about the Telecaster is you're not likely to poke your eye out. It's round.

 

[brookdalebill]

I still like Teles.
I like the shape, great upper fret access, tuning stability, simplicity, and dependability of them.
I actually don’t play them anymore.
Both my avatar guitar, and my working guitar are technically Cabronitas.
I just like TV Jones pickups (Supertron and Classic+) much more than I like (any) single coil.
To my ears, the sound of the Jones pickups is clear, full and hum/noise free.
Single coils are bright, noisy, and “weaker” by comparison.
Teles were my working guitars for four decades.
First my Chet took over, then the Cabronitas.
Most of my country guitar heroes (Burton, Nichols, Rich, Lee, Flacke, Stuart, Jorgenson, and Morse) play, or played them.
My Dad actually hipped me to how cool Teles were when I was about 12.
The guitar player in his weekend band played one.
Thanks for listening.

 

[4pickupguy]

Not if you have one with the belly cut.

Hey, one great thing about the Telecaster is you're not likely to poke your eye out. It's round.

I’m actually ok with hurty sharpness,.. but, I’ve said before and I’ll say it again. The volume knob might well be mounted underneath the bass drum pedal… If you spent any time with your pinky wrapped around a strat volume knob, you’ll know what I mean.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I’ve played just about every type of production guitar and quite a few boutique guitars I can get my hands on. I still go on guitaris (guitar safaris)…even went on one today…

And I still come back to that funky little MIM Telecaster I bought almost 20 years ago.

So yeah, I like ‘em.

 

[1955]

I do like telecasters, because there is no hiding if you suck. They made me become a better player.

 

[Blackmore Fan]

I had a Baja Tele that was one of the most beautiful guitars I ever owned. It had a thick neck to die for.

But I kept playing it like a Strat and wondering why it didn't sound like one.

Love the forum though!

 

[UserNotAvailable]

i do think about them allot thxz

 

[metalicaster]

I enjoy it as a piece of mid-20th-century industrial design. It has just enough parts and labour put into it to satisfy the requirements as an electric guitar, and nothing more.

Its modular nature is a happy accident that benefits us tinkering guitarists greatly.

 

[Tobias]

I traded out my only “tele” - a fine G&L ASAT special tribute - last week. Reason: I like strats better. When a strat doesn’t cut it / suit, I grab my gretsch or Emily Wolfe.

Still have an SG… that’s gonna leave for a 5string bass.

 

[cousinpaul]

I'm surprised that in spite of evidence to the contrary a lot of players still think a tele is harsh, unforgiving and only good for country music. I get a kick out of proving them wrong.

 

[Jared Purdy]

I hope they don't move this thread to a more guitar type forum, because I don't want to know what Tele aficionados think of the Tele, I would like to know what guys who post on here think of them.

Personally, I've owned several, and only one of them I really liked. I actually wish I'd found something else to play, since they are a study in how to cheaply build a guitar. There are tons of people who will argue for the simplicity of the Tele 3 saddle bridge, but it is just another way to build cheap, no matter what you do to it, it will never be in tune. I finally gave up and put a Kluson six saddle on mine which is WAY better, IMO and that's the only one that counts. The same can be said for most of the tuners found on many teles, I replaced mine with Klusons. Again, much better in the only opinion that counts, mine!

The question is:

Do you actually like/love Teles, or are you just a creature of habit, and that not of your own doing, but by someone Elses opinion foisted upon you?

PS:

Everyone seems to love the sound of a Tele, if that is true; Why are there so many people who have posted that they have changed the pickups in theirs?

I have never been a big fan of the neck or the bridge PU's in Teles, that has always been my biggest hang up. That being said, I love the tones that Roy Buchanan gets out of them, especially on his second album. I once owned a AVRI 52 Hot Rod, and I kick myself for selling it. It was a different beast as it has a mini hum bucker (Seymore Duncan) in the neck which for me fills out the sound quite a bit. I may end ups buying another one one of these days. I miss that guitar. I currently have no Teles, and aside from the Hot Rod, I'm not jonesing for one. .