I want to get a Tele

[SnoSkiDrew]

Okay friends--

I've come to the point in my acoustic playing life that I believe it it now time for me to perfect my lead electric skill. I love hearing the bluesy riffs of BB King, Clapton, Mayer, so on and so forth, etc... and I feel bad that I haven't put in more effort to learn them. Part of the reason is that my acoustic's action makes lead work more difficult than it needs to be.

I love the look of telecasters, and I'd like to spend my money on something that is a quality tele (new or used), but won't be toooo over the top on the price range.

Also, any suggestions on a good amp to pair with it would be great. I've done a little but of homework, but I'd just like to see what everyone's general opinion is..

[tbondo]

http://www.fender.com/vgstrat/home.html

Strat, Tele, etc. in one guitar

[Lewguitar]

I think if you like John Mayer and Strat players in general, that you should get a Strat...not a Tele. I love both and own both. My fave Strat that doesn't cost an arm and a leg is the Fender MIM Jimmie Vaughn Strat. Great guitar! Look for a used one on Ebay.

As for an amp, I'm out of touch with the new stuff. All my amps are old 50's and 60's Fenders.

But my fave is the Fender Deluxe Reverb with a replacement Celestion G12H30 speaker. Can't be beat, IMO.

Lew

[konavet]

If you're looking to buy new, the Crafted in Japan (CIJ) teles and strats are very good quality (some say better than the standard US Fenders) and very reasonably priced. I have a '62 RI Tele CIJ that is very nice, but I'm primarily an acoustic player, so what do I know?
________
Volcano Classic Vaporizer

[Jeff M]

I asked the same question a few days back.
Here is a link go that thread;
http://69.41.173.82/forums/showthread.php?t=99056

[SnoSkiDrew]

Jeff-- thanks for the link.. sorry for not searching sooner!


Keep the responses coming!


Also, is there any way someone could explain the major differences (other than # of pickups and shape) between the Tele and Strat?

[Nelson]

Look into a G&L Tribute Tele. They're as much Tele as a Fender since they were designed by Leo Fender himself. After He sold Fender to CBS in 1965, he wanted to get back into the guitar building business so he and his goof friend George Fuller started G&L guitars in Fullertron in 1980. Many say their instruments are better than the current Fender line.

Look here at Guitar Adoptions. http://www.guitaradoptions.com/store...rt_direction=0

[Deadduck]

Originally Posted by SnoSkiDrew

Also, is there any way someone could explain the major differences (other than # of pickups and shape) between the Tele and Strat?

I once heard it said that a Tele was just a Strat with balls.

Biggest difference is the sound. Teles twang, strats quack.

Teles have a very bright and midrangy bridge pickup, while the neck pickup is more mellow and jazzy. Teles have a fixed bridge and string through body design, which gives it more tuning stability and sustain. It's body is not contoured. Tele's are used a lot in country music, rock, and blues. Think Albert Collins and Ray Buchanan for blues, REM, Bruce Springstein, and Keith Richards for rock, and just about any "chicken pickin" country song.
Tele's are often used opposite a Les Paul for the difference in sound between the two.
I love Teles, and I play rock and contemporary christian, not country.

Strats generally have floating bridges which tend to make the notes die off a little quicker, giving it a plucky sound. 5 way swich provides many tone options, including the in between 2 & 4 postions with the pickups out of phase that really make it quack. Bridge pup is bright, but lacks the "bite" of a Tele. Strats are very versitile have been used for pretty much every type of music out there. Clapton, Mayer, and SRV are/were all blues Strat players. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits probably defined the quacky Strat sound in "Sultans of Swing".

I don't like floating/tremelo bridges and have owned several strats and not cared for them. Maybe I'd like a hardtail Strat better.


What you need to do is go play some of both. In the meantime, go to YouTube and do a search for Telecaster and one for Stratocaster and listen for the differences.

The Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue (DRRI) is a great amp to compliment either one of these guitars, as are a Fender Bassman, Twin, heck any Fender amp will probably get you where you want to go.

Keith

[Bluelew]

Some say Leo got it right the first time with the Tele, I'm a bluesman and use both tele and strat. My tele has a contoured body and three lace sensor pups like a strat. It's a '96 anniversary american deluxe.

[franchelB]

As much as I love my Mexican Telecaster, other guitar players at the thought of playing a Fender Telecaster that is NOT made in the U.S.A.! Try finding a Fender U.S.1 Telecaster and a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp...a classic guitar and amp combination!!

[dahn8]

Like before mentioned, if you like those artists, a strat sound is what you ought to be looking for. That being said, Fender does make a tele model with a strat PU in the middle position (it has 3 pickups). its supposed to give it the ability to sound a little more strat like. i dont know though b/c i never played one. but you might want to look for one.

[Kabookie]

G & L....ASAT Special or ASAT Special Deluxe. You will notice a difference in these single-coils versus the ones in the ASAT Classic series. You can tell the Specials by the rectangular-shaped pickups. They give you a more pushed, hard-rock distorted tone while still retaining that clean, twangy vibe.

For Teles, go G & L made in USA ASAT series (not Tribute).
For Strats, go G & L made in USA Legacy series or George Fullerton model (not Tribute).

My dos centavos' worth. Happy hunting. Best regards....Kabookie

[Hotraman]

Originally Posted by dahn8

Like before mentioned, if you like those artists, a strat sound is what you ought to be looking for. That being said, Fender does make a tele model with a strat PU in the middle position (it has 3 pickups). its supposed to give it the ability to sound a little more strat like. i dont know though b/c i never played one. but you might want to look for one.

I own one of these Telecasters. Its the American Tele Nashville, not the MIM. Mine has a
5 position switch. But this one goes neck and bridge only in the middle P/U position, rather than the middle p/u only. Makes sense?
Overall, a telecaster is a very versatile guitar... I bought one with a B bender.... which opened up a whole new world of bending notes!

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Bluelew

Some say Leo got it right the first time with the Tele, I'm a bluesman and use both tele and strat. My tele has a contoured body and three lace sensor pups like a strat. It's a '96 anniversary american deluxe.

Yup, Leo did get it right the first time. Perfect combination of form and function. It is amazing the amount of tone that Plain Jane guitar can put out once you figure the beast out. Mike Bloomfield & Muddy Waters showed just what a slug magnet single coil plugged into a narrow panel Twin or Super Reverb could do.

[Pvee]

My favorite Tele player.
CHeck out several of his tunes and hear all the voices he gets from that old Tele and watch his right hand technique very closely.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IRJbg1XyEbo