What Tele got you hooked on Teles?

Squier CV tele custom

 

I was a long time acoustic player. When I decided to add an electric, I bought a Epiphone Sheradan and a small Orange amp (not the best pairing). One day my brother brought over a black Fender Nashville Tele, after a few minutes with the Tele I traded the Epi for the Nashville on the spot. I now have a dozen electrics three of which are T types in my stable with that Fender being the guitar I have had the longest. I have since added a G&L ASAT Classic and recently a Squier CV Thinline.

 

A couple years ago I got in my head I really wanted a Tele, partly from reading here a bunch, partly because I never really felt in love with a couple strats and Gibson style guitars I've owned. I found a Baja Tele for a good deal locally and absolutely love it! I've mostly played acoustic for a few years, this is the first electric I've ever really loved ,(including an American strat, neck was too skinny on that one). It just feels right all around. Now whenever I get an inkling for a different style electric I start by searching for something that plays most like my Baja!

 

This

 

When I got into Teles there were only two kinds - Telecaster or Telecaster Custom (the bound one). Shortly thereafter came the Thinline, the Rosewood Telecaster, the Pink Paisley and Blue Floral Telecasters, then the Telecaster Custom (one humbucker) and Telecaster Deluxe (two humbuckers).

But I liked it when there was just one kind.

 

Although I had two Fender teles (a 72 thinline and a 67 blond) and made a couple of partscasters in the mid 80's, I was more of a strat guy at that time, so I sold them all.

In 2001, I came upon a used, double bound sunburst (ala 62 Custom) Fernandes that was hiding in it's case under a pile of other cases at a podunk little music store. I fell in love with it's looks, playability and tone, so paid the man two hundred dollars and went on the merry go round of mods. Ended up with a Twang King in the neck and a Van Zandt in the bridge. Wish I still had that one.

Still have the late 70's Tokai strat and a whiteguard partscaster with Don Mare Nancy's in it, (that I'll be parting out soon) but the chambered mahogany tele I put together in 2002 with a USACG body and neck is simply the best feeling/sounding tele (for my needs) I've had the pleasure to play.

 

I've told this story before but when I was 9 or so my neighbor announced to the kids playing in has yard with his son would we like to see the first electric guitar?

I mistakenly thought he meant THE VERY FIRST ELECTRIC GUITAR but what he really meant was the first production electric guitar etc. So he hauled it out and it was a black guard Telecaster and we touched it etc. My first impression was this is so cool and hey it looks like I could make one of these or at least fix it if it broke. So from that moment when anybody said electric guitar that was the image that popped into my head.

 

The cool black and white cover of Arlen Roth’s “Nashville Guitar” made me dump my Strat the minute I saw it the mid 80’s at my friend’s family music store. Bought it with my paper route money. It looked like such a refreshing opposite take on all the Kramers and Floyd Roses that filled that store.

Another prominent memory of that store was the cache of “crap” (as they called it) Fender 70’s stuff hanging from the ceiling in a part of the store no one went in. I think they were Coronados or some step sister of that. And there were WR/HB on their bench in a pile that I laughingly recall now, maybe three, at least two. And the last thing you’d be caught dead with back then? A Fender that was made in Japan. I never understood this even then as a youngster. Those “cheapo” Japanese Strats and Teles spoke to me as anything but cheap, and there were others, I wasn’t alone. It’s just funny how tastes change, and the accepted axioms of one decade will be seen as bonkers 20 years after.

Teles, though. They’re always cool.

 

They would have given away those CUNIFE pickups, I bet, if anyone asked. Something so valuable today, I remember as being totally worthless to Average Guy in 1986.

 

Younger folks will also not probably understand how few Teles were on display at the average Fender store in 1985. They seemed to me, a kid with no internet, a holy grail. First one I saw in the wild was a MIJ Paisley RI, probably around ‘86.

 

You know I like this picture and I don't have a clue who they are! But it is GREAT

 

I'd say my '68 maple capped neck Tele. It was a working man's guitar with a brown tolex case (obviously not the original case). Still have the case but stupidly sold that guitar to a friend for the price I got it for - $125.

Well now I have my '02 52 AVRI and 5 partscasters, some of which are outstanding guitars.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

It's this little band called Radiohead. Ever heard of them?

 

Listening to Jeff Beck and Roy Buchanan- the sound they got out of just a lil ole country gee-tar was both inspiring and intimidating.I've often regretted trading my 78 for an Ephiphone Wilshire ( eventually stolen sigh).In the past few years I have become a partscaster addict. So far all the ones built have amazing tones( GFS filter-trons, Mini H/Bs and their noiseless traditional style) but none so far will never equal that 78 for its mojo.

 

Well it really was hearing Don Rich (again) back in the mid 1970's. We here in San Antonio really leaned on ES-330's & ES-335's in our country music gigs back then but I started to see and hear Tele's appear more and more. This was the same time that I rediscovered Don Rich.

At the second music store I repaired for (about 1985), I held a nice 1950 something real butterscotch Tele in my lap. I was not allowed to plug it in, just hold it. It was in very, very good shape and just holding it TRANSFORMED me! It really did. I knew what the fuss was all about and I knew I could not afford the real deal. Still can't but that's OK. The music store failed to buy the guitar, I think the price was too high for a small profit margin at that time.

This cemented me as a hard as rocks Telecaster nut!

* In the 1970's I also held a 1957 (I think) SB Strat with a V maple neck. That also tremendously shook me up.

 

The first tele I bought was more out of necessity than because I wanted it; I had the headstock of my Less Pauly japanese copy broken and was without a guitar. This yellow one was all that was available and south of what I could afford at that moment. An Indonesian Squier with a top loader bridge, and multiply body. This was '90 or '91 or so.

A year or two later I was determined to either get the Less Pauly fixed or get a new Lester like guitar. That was until I got at the guitar store and spotted this sunburst tele. It looked nice and had a humbucker at the neck and a standard tele bridge pickup. It was cheap for that time ( around 200 -250 €) and it was again a Squier. I was still there to get a lester, picked the tele up and asked if I could try it. Next thing I knew is they came asking me if I had tested it enough by that moment and I looked at my watch and noticed we where more than an hour later.

Needless to say I did the gentleman thing and after an afternoon fondling I took her to my place and made an honest wife out of her.

 

I like to think of Telecasters as a purist's guitar. Very basic, but very capable.

 

After seeing Michael Bloomfield with a blonde Tele, I went to Art Kubera's music store and bought a beat up '55 Tele with a replacement neck and rewound bridge pickup for $75. It was, and is the best sounding guitar I've ever played. The neck pickup is hotter than any I've ever heard, and balances really well with the neck pickup. All together it is super full, dynamic and versatile. The neck it came with is worn too thin to use and the Fender replacement I bought changed the sound completely, so it's retired for now. Tele is still the only guitar I like to play after these 54 years. I've got a custom ordered Fender made one with a roasted ash body roasted maple neck that sounds almost as good as the original now.