Fender Telecaster country sound

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by TiffanyGuitar

...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 noticed just recently on my Telecaster (plain MiM Player, nothing fancy) that when I pull a different pick out of the pile, I can find out whether the edge is smooth or not by just switching to the bridge pickup and leaving the Volume and Tone pots all the way up.

It's amazing how many older, used picks sound perfectly smooth on the neck or middle but scratchy on the bridge. But a brand new one straight out of the package sounds smooth even on the bridge (unless it's made out of celluloid which can sometimes be slightly iffy even brand new).

[TiffanyGuitar]

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

It's amazing how many older, used picks sound perfectly smooth on the neck or middle but scratchy on the bridge. But a brand new one straight out of the package sounds smooth even on the bridge (unless it's made out of celluloid which can sometimes be slightly iffy even brand new).

I agree with this. For more years than I can count, I was a Fender medium pick user ( I still have some of my original picks - over 30 years old). But, I found that Fender must have changed their celluloid material because the newer ones don't feel the same to me as my old ones. Then, during Covid, I went pick crazy and tried all sorts of picks, including some Blue Chips. Wound up settling on D'Andrea medium heavies. These seem to be the best quality celluloid around that I can find. I still like those.

However, I have found that .88 Ultex picks sound the closest to using a real Tortoise shell pick that a buddy gave me years ago. I don't use the Tortoise shell pick ever, except in sound comparisons. The only thing I don't like about Ultex is if you drop it, they can be hard to see on the floor. I also find that Ultex does not seem to wear, at least not for me. The smooth Primetones are also Ultex but sound ever so slightly different than the clear, yellowish Ultex, so right now I am using the clear, yellowish ones.

[EZYPIKINS]

Originally Posted by davidd

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

You're right. It's not a Tele.

Though unlike the majority of Tele's out there. It was built by Leo Fender. The inventor of the Tele'.

As for that country sound?

Through the 80's the G&L Broadcaster was main ax for the most famous studio guitarist, who's tracks were all over the radio in those days. Carl Perkins.

[KevWind]

I would think first one would have to decide and define for themselves what is meant by " that good old country sound from a electric guitar" ???

I am pretty new to electric guitar only having started with electric some 4 years ago last fall.
So I am by no stretch an expert .
MY telly has P 90's so maybe that is not the sound many associate with "good ol country twang ". But I can't help but think some of that sound also comes from the particular note choices and phrasing (or fingers as some have mentioned ) as it does from particular pickup and amp settings, or maybe that's just my interpretation ?

So I am honestly asking (because I do not know ) if the sound I am getting in this video "good ol county" ? Or just my 1/2
arsed uniformed attempt at country-ish sounding type riffs ? Given it is P- 90's and played direct in to interface DI (no amp cranked or otherwise) with only some plugin tape echo delay

[rokdog49]

My interpretation of what the OP meant in a country sound” on a Tele is “twang”.




Lots of country songs incorporate other guitar sounds like on a Gibby 330.
If you’re Keith Urban, you can get twang out of a P90.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

They'll pretty much all do it.

Secret to that great sound is a single coil bridge pickup, an amp cranked to where the hardest hit notes have just a little hair to them, and picking just a little closer to the bridge than you think you should.

I would add the amp makes a big difference too. A Princeton Reverb would be a great place to start for how it can scale loud or for home playing but it is not as it once was for something like that to get really great tone.

For the rest, in my GAS crazy days I had a few Telecasters and at one point was swapping pickups. All the well regarded models with well regarded pickups sounded good.