Fender Telecaster country sound

[rmp]

Originally Posted by nostatic

The other things to ponder are a compressor and delay that will do slapback. Depending on what Tele sounds you're looking for, those can help (e.g. chicken pickin')

yes! a well deployed compressor and a bit of slap back seals the deal with the tele twang in mind.

[Wardo]

A production run 70th anniversary broadcaster will do the job quite nicely.

[rockabilly69]

I have built a ton of partscasters for both myself, and friends, and to get the vintage Tele sound certain specs need to be there.

Lightweight resonant alder or ash body, thin finish, traditional 3 saddle bridge, traditional kluson tuners, vintage style Tele pickups. The custom shop has the recipe down

If money is an object, partscasters are cheap to build. I would prefer one of those to an mexican, indonesian, or china built instrument.

Most Mexican teles are mostly too heavy (check the body weights at stratosphere), and the overseas imports (ie classic Vibe) are Nyatoh bodies which to me are dead sounding compared to good lightweight alder or ash.

The OP obviously has the money to get a good Fender Tele

[davidd]

Originally Posted by EZYPIKINS

Never got too excited about Telecaster.
But this. This is a player.
Attachment 84183
1986 G&L Broadcaster

That ain't a Tele... cool guitar though.

[gr81dorn]

That Merle Model is such a cool guitar, but also doesn't retain one essential thing that I think really does matter and that's the bolt-on neck. More about feel, less about tone. Proof being he sounded like Merle whatever he played and when Redd Volkaert was in his band, he also had a Fender Merle model and changed pickups and such but a always had an awesome country tone cuz, as has been mentioned...his hands.

They are also criminally expensive. That's just too much for a telecaster, even one built like a Les Paul. They are supposed to be crappy planks of wood screwed together.

[kellyb]

I think any Custom Shop tele modeled on a vintage is going to get you there. Wholeheartedly agree that it's pretty much all in the fingers (and IMO) how close you're plucking/picking to the bridge. When I was shopping for a tele for country last year, as much as I loved the American Pro II teles I found, I didn't much care for the bridge PU. Great aftermarket vintage broadcaster PU's seem like a cinch these days tho!

[RickRS]

Just mucking with everybody.
Don Rich, a genius with a Telecaster, playing something else

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r_i1awPKXlU

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by RickRS

Just mucking with everybody.
Don Rich, a genius with a Telecaster, playing something else

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r_i1awPKXlU

Not bad but not as cool sounding as his Tele playing...

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Going off the rails here but Don Rich was originally a fiddle player.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by rmp

yes! a well deployed compressor and a bit of slap back seals the deal with the tele twang in mind.

Twang is still in the fingers…

[L'Etoile]

If you can find one, Fender made a Lite Ash Telecaster (made in Korea) in the early 2000s. Used to own one....I miss her. Had an amazing tone with Seymour Duncan pups. Like a said, tough to come by but an amazing Tele!

[Italuke]

All great info. But from the peanut gallery, it doesn't HAVE to be a Tele.

My fave country sound is Albert Lee with his custom Music Man "Strat." (And yes, he did play Teles back in the day.)

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Italuke

All great info. But from the peanut gallery, it doesn't HAVE to be a Tele.

My fave country sound is Albert Lee with his custom Music Man "Strat." (And yes, he did play Teles back in the day.)

A Strat in position 2 will get you some nice twang.
Once upon a time in Nashville, we saw a country band in a bar where the lead player was using a Strat. If you couldn’t have seen it, you would have thought he was playing a Tele. It was so dead on.
Between sets I had to go up and ask him how he made that thing sound like a Tele. He just smiled.

[TiffanyGuitar]

Originally Posted by 1929-00

I want to say thanks to everyone for the recommendations and suggestions on a Fender Telecaster sound that Im looking for. I’m leaning towards getting the Fender Custom Shop ‘60 Telecaster Custom Journeyman Relic, Rosewood fingerboard. If I’m not satisfied with the sound after getting the telecaster then I will look at changing the pickups in the guitar.

I am sure that will be an awesome guitar and a beauty to boot! But, if you have never played a tele, it may take you awhile to get the sound you are seeking. I can assure you the sound is in there, but playing a tele on the bridge pickup with a cranked amp can be an intimidating experience. Every noise will come through, no place to hide, without practice and experience (and sometimes even with those two things!) This is why a lot of people say that there is no place to hide on a tele - the bridge design is so "direct" that it amplifies squeaks and mistakes. I say this not to discourage you - far from it - but to tell you to not give up if what you are looking for isn't there when your first pick it up. The first time I played a tele, I thought it sounded thin and awful - and I am sure it did - because I had to learn how to play it. ( And possibly I still sound awful - but I have gotten used to the fun I am having sounding awful on a tele and have learned to ignore it )

This is probably also why some here might seem to be encouraging you to try a cheaper tele first before going the custom shop route.

[Nymuso]

I saw a guy get an honest to God Tele sound out of a Les Paul. It’s all in the knowin’ how.