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  #31  
Old 08-29-2017, 06:20 AM
HesNot HesNot is offline
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I concur with much of what has been said already. I'll augment a few things -

The neck. Regardless of what you end up purchasing play a bunch of different models - Fender, G&L etc... that you can put your hands on. I can't speak for acoustic variations particularly but I can attest to the very wide variations in Tele necks over the years and various reissues etc... tend to mimic those variations. There are tele necks like a have of a Louisville slugger - there are soft v shaped necks - U shaped, C, modern C, etc... You could adapt to any of the above and as noted it is often possible to change the neck - but start with one that feels comfortable given what you've played and enjoyed on your acoustic instruments. I freely admit that due to a long time playing a rather slim profile vintage Epiphone I'm not a fan of v and thick necks. Others love them so it's just a personal preference (I have small hands as well which is a factor). There's enough variety on the market to find what you want. Also it's worth checking out maple and rosewood finger board models. Some on the tele forums will argue a tele must have a maple fretboard but I like the feel of rosewood and the teles I've owned all had rosewood. Again a preference and while there is some tonal difference they still sounded very much like teles. If anything the slight mellowing of the tone was more to my liking and style.

To that point - it's worth considering a USA made G&L as they are all essentially custom guitars - you pick what you want in the guitar and while not inexpensive they are still comparable to stock US Fenders.

It's still a bit unclear on your budget - but if the necks work for you the US Fender teles, special, professional, etc... are all fine guitars - and they can be found used consistently via the usual channels. If looking used the American Standards are excellent and widely available (that name is no longer used in the tele range by Fender).

Amps - hard to go wrong with the Deluxe or Princeton amps. Marty Stuart and Kenny Vaughan recorded his last album exclusively using mostly teles and Princetons and they sound pretty doggone good. But as also noted, they both sound great playing whatever they have in their hands. Also the Hot Rod amps (pro jr, blues jr, deluxe and deville) amps are popular and well regarded - they'll get you to a similar place.

I do think amps are perhaps more challenging than even the guitar. So many options including kits etc... at various wattages and sizes and loudness levels. I agree that it may be worth considering solid state - a ton of country players used solid state Peavey's over the years. I had a Peavey Renown 400 2x12 for a number of years before I got a Twin Reverb and it sounded great actually if you want a ton of clean headroom - it's still loved by pedal steel guys (who bought mine). Boss Katana and the Vox Valvetronix amps sound good and can be used at lower volumes with arguably less loss in tone.

It is a trade off - lower watt amps sound great at lower volumes - but if you want to gig with them to get enough volume you'll likely run out of headroom - higher watt amps will give you more headroom but even with an attenuator built in may not sound as good at lower volumes. I ended up with 2 tube amps - a 40 watt for playing with other people and a 5 watt head for practice. But there are plenty of options that dont necessitate having two amps.

Good luck!
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  #32  
Old 08-29-2017, 03:35 PM
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If you're interested in a vintage Tele sound the most important thing to look for are lower-wound, vintage-style pickups. A lot of Teles come with hotter pickups to "push the amp harder" (if that's ever a problem just add a clean boost pedal like the Xotic EP Booster).

Arguably, the mass of the big brass barrels of the original Tele bridge, and the tight break angle of the string-through design, play an important role in the traditional Tele twang so you might prefer a Tele with an old-style bridge.

A Fender Classic Series 50's Tele might be what you're looking for (are they made in the US? I'm not sure).

Probably what most people like about champs is that they can snarl and roar like a much bigger amp. I think they also have great clean tones - just not for very long. You'll get to the break-up point quite quickly. That's much more of an issue with hotter, humbucker-style pickups and less so for vintage single coils.

A vintage-style Princeton or Deluxe will be a better buy if you need to project clean sounds at higher volume (particularly the Deluxe).
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  #33  
Old 08-29-2017, 07:04 PM
EasyEd EasyEd is offline
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Hey All,

Consider a Baja Tele. I luv mine. Listen to Laura Cox.



I would also echo Steve on Gretsch Chet Atkins and Duane Eddy can't both be wrong.

-Ed-
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  #34  
Old 08-29-2017, 09:57 PM
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I've had about 8 Telecaster's including a beautiful G&L ASAT Classic from 1993. The best sounding and playing Tele I've owned, surprisingly, is a new one from 2016, American Standard Ltd. Ed., rosewood neck, matching headstock.

Idea #2: You can't enjoy a Deluxe Reverb in an apt. or a condo, unless the building is vacated, they're too loud. Try a Yamaha THR-10, or learn to practice w/ headphones. I've had the same 1965 Deluxe Reverb since 1968, best small amp every designed. But whoever said you have to push it a bit, is absolutely right, you have to play them loud to appreciate their sound.
Good luck, you have good ideas.
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  #35  
Old 08-29-2017, 10:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry D View Post
A bit of general advice. Beware of those who say "Oh, Mexican Fenders are nice, if you don't like the pickups, you can always upgrade", etc. I think I would make sure I would be happy with the Mexican as it stands.

I recently bought an American made strat, because I found out that if I bought a Mexican and then added a case, better pickups, a trem block, and the labor to change it all out (I'm not friends with soldering irons) I was actually gonna have more $ in the Mexican than in a MIA American Standard. No-brainer.
I just got my first MIM Fender telecaster, with a Made in America price: the Brad Paisley model. Good sound, playability, and about 2/3 the weight of all of my other US telecasters!
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  #36  
Old 08-30-2017, 05:04 AM
dave42 dave42 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aknow View Post
....You can't enjoy a Deluxe Reverb in an apt. or a condo, unless the building is vacated, they're too loud...
I live in a condo. You are correct in the above comment. I'd really like to have one, but it's not in the cards. Too loud to enjoy. I use a Roland Cube-80x. 12" speaker for a richer sound, line out to the board if I use it live, plenty loud if I need it, and a headphone jack if playing late at night. And.. lighter in weight!
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  #37  
Old 08-30-2017, 02:58 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aknow View Post
...You can't enjoy a Deluxe Reverb in an apt. or a condo, unless the building is vacated, they're too loud...I've had the same 1965 Deluxe Reverb since 1968, best small amp every designed. But whoever said you have to push it a bit is absolutely right, you have to play them loud to appreciate their sound...
Until we bought our current house ten years ago I always lived in an apartment, in four different locations...

During that time I practiced through:
  • Ampeg Rocket R-12A (a loud, clean 15W - more DR than Princeton)
  • Univox U4100-II bass combo (100W)
  • Randall RB-120 bass/guitar combo (120W)
  • MusicMan 410-65 (65W)
  • Peavey Studio Pro 40 (40W)
  • Peavey Bandit 65 (65W)
  • Peavey Studio Pro 50 (50W)
  • Peavey Studio Pro 110 (65W)
  • Line 6 Flextone Plus (60W)
  • Ampeg Portabass 250 combo (250W)
Never any complaints from my neighbors, of whatever age - quite the contrary, in fact - and while my preference runs toward early/mid-60's Fender blonde/blackface and Ampeg blue-check "American big-clean" I never had any problem with adequate tone either...

Finest electric jazz combination I ever heard was some guy with a 2-PU Johnny Smith, through a silverface Deluxe Reverb with a JBL (not sure if it was OEM): that rich, sweet, creamy, "tone-you-could-eat-with-a-spoon" that represents the Holy Grail for most jazzcats - at a level that wouldn't have folks rising up with torches and pitchforks...

When Leo Fender and Everett Hull first developed their high-power (anything over 30W in the context of the times) amps, it was with an eye toward increased headroom and broader dynamic range - overdriven tones and ear-damaging volume would not enter the picture for another decade; IME all but the very highest-power amps are quite useable at home/rehearsal/small club volume - and if the late Les Paul could run through a siverface Twin without parting people's hair in the first ten rows, I doubt there's anyone here who can credibly challenge his tone credentials...

PSA: "great" electric guitar tone isn't always measured in terms of distortion...
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  #38  
Old 08-30-2017, 06:20 PM
Puerto Player Puerto Player is offline
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Grosh tele and '65-67 Super Reverb, or Bruno Cowtipper 22 or 35. Enjoy forever.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tony-Bruno-C...AAAOSwONBZBmJ5 Actually, this is a killer price for this amp.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Don-Grosh-El...gAAOSwQWlZnJbs
This is a bit too much for this but nice.
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Last edited by Puerto Player; 08-30-2017 at 06:25 PM.
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  #39  
Old 08-30-2017, 09:31 PM
Jerry D Jerry D is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Puerto Player View Post
Grosh tele and '65-67 Super Reverb, or Bruno Cowtipper 22 or 35. Enjoy forever.
(See my signature).
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  #40  
Old 08-31-2017, 06:31 PM
3notes 3notes is offline
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I am not a purist by any means and I've played very little electric guitar. Recently I've been playing my Ibanez AF-75 hollow-body through a Fender Champion 40. The amp has a wide range of effects and in my limited opinion this set up has been great.

Whenever I've played a Telecaster or a Strat the playability has a very light touch and I've always struggled with that being an acoustic player. However, this hollow-body plays much more like an acoustic. I can strum it with a relatively strong hand. I think it has medium strings on it which helps my playing style on the electric.

I've been playing it everyday for a month now and THAT just never happened when I had Strats.

I love the amp too. I paid just $158 for it through MusiciansFriend as it was an open box deal.
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  #41  
Old 08-31-2017, 09:21 PM
DukeX DukeX is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry D View Post
A bit of general advice. Beware of those who say "Oh, Mexican Fenders are nice, if you don't like the pickups, you can always upgrade", etc. I think I would make sure I would be happy with the Mexican as it stands.
Well...no, this is not very good general advice IMO. To each his own.
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  #42  
Old 09-01-2017, 07:34 AM
Humbuster Humbuster is offline
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Long time Tele player offers 2 cents of opinion.

Agree with the comments about American Standard/Professional Teles.

They are very nice guitars.

Also agree with comments on G&L ASAT. A superb "Tele"

I have owned and loved many USA Teles and ASATs. From custom shop Fender masterbuilt to plain jane USA Standards. I am down to one Tele, a G&L and it is a stellar guitar.

Do your research and decide on your own.
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Last edited by Humbuster; 09-01-2017 at 07:40 AM.
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  #43  
Old 09-01-2017, 08:49 AM
gregsguitars gregsguitars is offline
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I would not rule out non USA made Telecasters because that may limit you. The early Highway one Teles were killer guitars, also try as many as you can, find the guitar that is comfortable to play , yes there are differences in fingerboard radius,weight and some guitars just "feel" better in your hands, that to me is the very first requirement, it must be comfortable to me. Hopefully once you narrow the choice down you can then decide on pickup "hotness" and fret size as some models will vary. I personally would not even worry about a color as this really has no effect on playability(to me). As far as an amp , just about any Fender amp will do the job, my suggestion is a silverface combo model as they are abundant and reasonably priced "IF" you can play them at good volume in your local, if not a blues junior or something smaller will also do the job.Good luck..

Last edited by Kerbie; 09-04-2017 at 04:53 AM. Reason: Edited
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  #44  
Old 09-01-2017, 10:04 AM
stevecuss stevecuss is offline
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Lots of great options and advice so far. Here's mine:

- American Standard Tele with the current pickup configuration is a really great guitar, right off the shelf.

- The next step up, IMO is an AVRI Tele or a Wildwood Tele

- Any "american" sounding amp will do the trick. Bassman, Fender Deluxe or Princeton etc. If you're on a budget, the Blues Jnr is quite nice. If you're not on a budget, see if you can get a boutique amp that comps the American sound.

- Are you comfortable buying used?

- Have you considered a budget for a couple of pedals? Overdrive, compressor and delay would all make the journey really fun.
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  #45  
Old 09-01-2017, 01:35 PM
jljohn jljohn is offline
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Thanks so much for all the replies.

I played a couple of guitars this week--a MIM Telecaster (Standard, I think), an American Standard, and a AVRI '52. I have plans to try out the AVRI '58 this week, but, wow, that '52 is nice. The neck has such a great feel in hand, and tone is fantastic. Frankly, I liked the tone of the other two as well, but I couldn't deal with those thin necks. I'll be curious to see how the '58 feels in hand.

I didn't do too much with amps, but I tested a Blues Jr. NOS and a Princeton ('68 reissue, I think). I like the way the Blues Jr sounded when pushed, but the Princeton had a nicer clean tone to my ears.

That was the first foray, and I'll keep looking. I'll try to find a G&L to check out, and Carvin amp too, but I have a hard time imagining a better feeling neck than the '52 AVRI.

I've even been mulling over building one (well, assembling one anyway.) I've not done sufficient research yet to really know what I'd be getting into, but those Warmoth parts look nice.
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