Your #1 Telecaster

[bettyseldest]

These two go out to pretty much every gig;

The Baja is stock, I bought it used four years ago, I have never checked the serial number so cannot say how old it is. EDIT - just checked and it is 2012. It weighs in at marginally over 7lbs. The partscaster was originally a black MIM Classic 60s. The hardware has all been relic'd, the neck replaced with a MIM standard and modern die cast Fender tuners, pickups are Bare Knuckle Brown Sugars, and the paint job includes painted on grime. It's all the work of the previous owner. It came in the case with original pickups and neck.

 

[Dbrian66]

This thread is full of fantastic Telecasters!

I have 3, but my favorite and most played is this partscaster I built. Neck is off of a Squier. CV or VM? I’m not really sure, but it is very comfortable and looks fantastic. The body is an ash body I bought on eBay. It was unfinished and routed HH. I wanted to do something different so I went with a set of SD P-Rails. They are controlled with a regular three position pickup switch and then each one has its own mini-toggle that will select P90, Humbucker, or single rail. The P90 and Humbucker are awesome. The single rail is a little weak, but still pretty cool. The finish is just wood stain that I sealed with Tru-oil. In the end it’s a cool looking and very versatile Telecaster!

 

[gb Custom Shop]

My #1 is one I built myself!
It's a chambered, torrefied alder body, and comes in at 7 lbs on the nose. The maple top was lots of fun to stain. The neck is all torrefied maple with Evo gold frets and black MOP dots. I'm a sucker for some nice flame maple and aluminum guards

 

[skydog6653]

The flame top with staple pickups is a Ron Thorn from before he joined the Fender CS, right? I never had had the pleasure of playing one (or even seeing one in person) but was always interested in his work.

Mine is #5/10 Junior Ninety Curly Koa.

 

[skydog6653]

The flame top with staple pickups is a Ron Thorn from before he joined the Fender CS, right? I never had had the pleasure of playing one (or even seeing one in person) but was always interested in his work.

Good eye, John! Mine are the original JR-91 & JR-92 pickups. Entirely hand built and assembled in house.

GT-90 Staple-Top

Originally designed and developed as the JR-91(neck) and JR-92(bridge) pickups exclusively for the Thorn "Junior Ninety" models, the GT-90 is the updated version available either installed in a new Thorn or as an "aftermarket" pickup for existing guitars routed for P-90s.

The GT-90 is our take on the rare and classic alnico P-90 staple-top from the 50’s. This pickup is the perfect blend of traditional style and Thorn innovation. A balanced output that retains warmth and drive without being overly distorted or midrange-heavy.

The neck pickup produces thick, yet clear, bell-like tones with just enough bottom-end to handle even the heaviest of overdrives or distortions.
GT-90 Neck ~ DC Resistance 7.5 k / AlNiCo V


The bridge pickup can drive the front-end of your amplifier like a classic humbucker, but still retains note definition with the added girth and grind that is inherent in the sound of a P-90 pickup.
GT-90 Bridge ~ DC Resistance 9.0 k / AlNiCo V

 

[tomasz]

I may not exactly have a #1, but the is the one I play the most in the last few months. It's a Haar Trad-T, with all the features I like:
- belly and arm cut,
- a fat C shaped quartersawn neck, roasted
- narrow and tall jescar frets
- 9-11" compound radius
- Amber 50 pickups and a Lollar Imperial

What is funny, it's one of the ones with no treble bleed and I learned to use it as a feature to "hide" in the mix with a slight roll off of the volume. That guitar was audible on all recent backing track challenges here on Twanger Central What makes it special, is the amount of sounds I can get out of it.. I usually don't edit or touch up the takes, nor switch any drive pedals on or off, all I need is on board and I'm able to adjust my sound, just by a flick of the switch or a turn of a knob on the guitar

 

[Danb541]

Pine body partscaster I built. Currently has tex mex pickups. I know they're

cheap but I really like them.

 

[msalama]

Hmmm... was a sidejob pro back in the day & am just now getting back into the fray again - maybe - but anyway, nowadays it's a tie between these two:

 

[donrichfan]

This Creston tele has been my favorite gig guitar for a while. It’s got a Lollar low wind imperial in the neck and a new Gemini Suprocaster in the bridge. This combo works really well for me, quite versatile.

 

[Maguchi]

Let’s talk about your #1 Telecaster. What makes it your workhorse? Any upgrades? Please give details and show a pic of available. Thanks!

2020 Fender American Professional Telecaster. One a the last swamp ash ones before the shortage from the flooding and boring beatles. Anyways notes seem to have a musical ring to it and they bloom after the attack. The neck and body vibrate nicely when playing it. Smooth satin finish neck and the rosewood fretboard is really slinky. I changed the bridge and switched out the selector switch to a 4 way switch which gives a real nice both pickups in series for a second lead sound. Everything else is stock from the factory.

 

[Chuckster]

My workhorse is my 18’ A.O

I am powerless to resist a double-bound Tele, especially one as cool as this.
I am weak.

 

[Tommy Biggs]

It’s been my #1 since I got it 40+ years ago. Modded all to hell…

 

[blues]

Fender CS 59'

 

[8bitlooper]

Right now, I bounce between these two:

A Nachocaster with JL Ron Ellis tele pickups, and a Brent Mason. I love them both, although I struggle with the Mason tele a little because a middle pickup feels always ’in my way’, and that’s just my own style.

 

[guitrr]

Let’s talk about your #1 Telecaster. What makes it your workhorse? Any upgrades? Please give details and show a pic of available. Thanks!

I’m fortunate to have several fantastic Tele style guitars, but my #1 is also my favorite of all the guitars I own, regardless of model.
My 2003 Don Grosh Retro T. Upgrades are Ron Ellis pickups, a T-Fin pickup selector (no longer produced), and Callaham heavy knurled knobs.

 

[jvin248]

.

Four pages in and I guess I'm the first Esquire!

Esquier-H with both bobbins controlled with a 4-way switch.
16kohm humbucker, lowered, screw poles raised, reversed control plate V-T-Switch.
Easily gives: Strat middle pickup tone, Strat #2 Quack, Tele Twang!, and LP humbucker.

(The Strat has an Armstrong Blender mod to go between SSS and HSH, plus a reverse\Hendrix pickguard slot).

.

 

[trev333]

my #1 US Tele, an 83 I bought from a guy who runs a studio and was updating to digital equipment and needed some funds.. I got a Super 210 off him as well for a good price... both of which I still use.

my first Tele and first tube amp...

 

[drewg]

This is my #1. In fact, it's the only Tele I own LOL!! 51 Nocaster that I built myself, from raw body and neck to wonderful vintage spec and tone, using the vast knowledge of the experts out here to guide me. She was my first build ever, and she's still rockin' and rollin' 4 years later without issue! She's getting some nice, natural, wear and tear too... which I really dig I gig/play her regularly. She's a real workhorse. CS Nocaster pickups, and all but the body and neck are 100% USA made Fender vintage parts, as much as I could get my hands on. The neck is Allparts and the body I had cut out of American ash via 51 spec templates. She weighs in at about 9.5 lbs, and that's ok with me I built her to 1951 spec as close as I could do it, paying attn to even the smallest of historic details. I love her dearly, so I guess I did something right LOL!

I really like that semi-transparent finish. You chose nice grain. Beautiful!

 

[loudboy]

My #1 gigger is an Allparts Late-50s Soft-V factory second neck (you can see a mineral stain on the 4th fret at the G-string) that I got unfinished from a local guy who used to build cheap parts guitars. It's also got some chips at the body end that I may have done, not sure. I had a local guy finish/tint it to match the body, he pretty much nailed it. I just leveled the frets for probably the last time, will need a refret in about 12-18 months.

Body is an MJT Swamp Ash I got off eBay, very light, nitro. It's wearing beautifully over the course of few hundred gigs.

Vintage-style Kluson knockoffs, maybe Schaller?

Fender Pat Pending repro bridge, w/Wilkinson compensated brass saddles.

All the hardware was lightly reliced by putting it in a rock tumbler with some gravel for an hour or so.

Neck PU is a body-mounted Duncan Antiquity, which was originally higher, and I didn't like it. Last week I finally dug the body out a little more and lowered it about 1/8", which really helped. Very usable now for a nice warm jazzy sound.

Bridge PU is a Bill Lawrence OSL, which I got from the same guy I got the neck from. Comparable to the L48TL, IIRC. Killer PU, can't say enough good about it.

Stays in tune great, plays like a dream. and always makes me smile when I plug it into my SFPR. Couldn't be happier with it, frankly.

It was designed to be a stage-friendly version of my '57, which I bought in 1978, but don't take out much.

 

[moosie]

If you ask about my favorite overall, it's the 335, no question. Even though I'm primarily a Tele guy. I can't explain it either.

But if you ask which Tele... There are seven – Five AV / AVRI models, and two scratch builds. And there's an eigth just taking shape on the workbench as I write this. It's to be a Thinline with figured maple top, mahogany body, sipo neck (probably), rosewood fretboard, and a Mastery Vibrato.

Mostly, the favorite is whichever one I'm playing at the moment. Currently it's the 2013 white blonde AV58. I had Stuart pickups, and a Rutters bridge and saddles on there, but just recently reverted it to stock. It's great either way. The odd thing is that I reverted it to sell, because I wasn't playing it. The process of prepping it for sale reminded me how nice it is, and I've been playing it steadily since.

Probably my overall favorite is the Nashville build "Bazooka" (bubblegum). It's the first neck I carved from scratch, and I still can't believe how perfect it came out. Best neck I own, it's a huge soft V.