In search of the best and simplest Tele tone.

[rocknrolldork]

I have always loved the sound of Telecasters. Just got a couple of mine out for the first time in too long. Tonight I'm trying a couple simple stock combos to try to get as close to some of the classic sounds from country, funk, soul and rock. I'm trying an early Mesa Studio (pre-Studio .22) 1 x 12 and a Tweed Fender Blues Deville 4 x 10. Any of you all play Telecasters? Any advice on other simple amps and/or setting to make the Tele sound like it should?

[CSM]

Try a '59 Bassman reissue as far as an amp. as for amp settings on any amp to get that tele twang drop the bass to almost nothing 2 or so bring up the mids to maybe at 6 or so. crank the treble and use very little presence. That'll keep things bright and twangy.

[GAR]

99 black MIM Tele here, pawn prize $100.00

Last month I stripped the finish with a heat gun, did a strat-style belly cut and armcut on the bandsaw, then picked up a Stetsbro trem for it.

I got a '68 lead pickup and bridge for it, then picked up a Stetsbro trem for it instead with a zebra PAF from an ES-175(?) some shit.. output is a nice 8.1K.

What I liked about it most was price, good tuners and nice stock chromey bridge.

What I didn't like was having to rebuild the thing completely - the necks' like a baseball bat and needs a shave.. also paint was too thick and I hated the radiuses. I expect a Tele to have the sharp edges and its a shame I had to strip it down to get it back to the proper edges... the bowling-ball finish just was so thick the edges' radius grew to like 5/16" and the original 50s thru early 70s had 1/8" radiuses.

I'm planning on doing an antique pink paisley from an old roll of wallpaper. I have enough to do dozens of tops and backs if I wanted..

I'm using my most-used amp with it, Gallien-Kruegar GK250-ML Microlead Stereo with the stock 2x12 cab and although it's piercing twang is not beset by the EQ or solid-state output, I have a wah and an FET preamp with a tube-based treble booster to warm things up for it.

For the record, the stock Made In Mexico pickups come from China and they are horrible.

[Nitro Express]

Telecasters sound wonderful through a Fender Champ.

Fender '57 Champ Reissue Combo Amp MINT, NO RESERVE! - eBay (item 250572967030 end time Feb-07-10 15:06:42 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-57-Champ-Reissue-Combo-Amp-MINT-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ250572967030QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a57500c76#ht_720wt_923)

[Nitro Express]

I have one of these. Run it through a clean power amp (I use a Carvin DCM 1000) and a good speaker cab and they sound wonderful.

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[Hardrock69]

99 black MIM Tele here, pawn prize $100.00

Last month I stripped the finish with a heat gun, did a strat-style belly cut and armcut on the bandsaw, then blah blah blah

Awwwe BULLSHIT!

STFU already!
:fufu:

Let someone have a fucking thread about gear without all your self-important Mr. Know-It-All lying!

[GAR]

Coolest Tele amp, though I don't own one would be original Fender Twin.

[Diamondjimi]

I have always loved the sound of Telecasters. Just got a couple of mine out for the first time in too long. Tonight I'm trying a couple simple stock combos to try to get as close to some of the classic sounds from country, funk, soul and rock. I'm trying an early Mesa Studio (pre-Studio .22) 1 x 12 and a Tweed Fender Blues Deville 4 x 10. Any of you all play Telecasters? Any advice on other simple amps and/or setting to make the Tele sound like it should?

Go with a Fender Deville. Great tone...


Awwwe BULLSHIT!

STFU already!
:fufu:

Let someone have a fucking thread about gear without all your self-important Mr. Know-It-All lying!

Is there such a thing as over-replying? Christ he just rambles and rambles. Seems like GARfail's been on the receiving end of one too many donkey punches...


Coolest Tele amp, though I don't own one would be original Fender Twin.

Yeah, maybe if you're playing in a Beach Boys cover band...

My fav. Tele tone is with a Marshall...
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[GAR]

This thread ultimately develops the question "what best speaker" for a Telecaster.. and having owned an original 61 Bassman must say: the ceramic-mag Oxford that came stock is one shitty speaker.

They turn rubbery when you go past 4 in a 2x12 configuration, using the stock Bassman which might be 22 watts.

I don't like ceramic magnet Oxfords OR CTS's. I like the alnico's though.

[Kristy]

My fav. Tele tone is with a Marshall...

Is it just me or does Beck seem to be walking all over Clapton without even trying?

Anyhoo, My all-time (yes all-time fav) solo by Jeff Beck was the one he played in 'Too Much To Lose' I apologize for the Spinal Tap-esque cheesy YouTube "vid" Solo starts around 1:49
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[Diamondjimi]

Is it just me or does Beck seem to be walking all over Clapton without even trying?

Yeah , pretty much... :D

[Hardrock69]

Funny, I never wanted a Tele. But my Fender Lead II has a pair of single coil EMGs in it, and it's tone is so Tele-snarly it sounds like a rabid wolverine. :D

[jackassrock]

THE classic Tele setup is as follows;

Telecaster, Fender Tweed Deluxe.

None more awesome. You can even throw a TS-9 in between in case you want to rock it up a bit. And don't forget the reverb. If you are going with what you've got use the Blues Deville. I have one of them too, and it will deliver a real close approximation to the classic F clean tone, should do you just right for your telecastonation.

[Hardrock69]

I would tend to agree.

My best friend had an early Tweed Twin that must have been a one off. It was a mid-50s amp, all stock parts from the factory, but it had differences that set it aside from all other production-model tweed Twins.

Anyway, he also had an early 70s Tele, and man...that was the ultimate.

Being an old Twin, you could turn that sucker up and it would ROAR.

[Nitro Express]

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[Nitro Express]

I got to play a GE Smith Telecaster at the Fur Peace Ranch. Great guitar. The bridge pickup is screwed into the wood so you get more sustain.

YouTube - The G.E. Smith Telecaster® (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnQYoRYedF0)

[Hardrock69]

Steven Seagal has one of the Iceman's Telecasters.

[jhale667]

Steven Seagal has one of the Iceman's Telecasters.

He's actually supposed to be a pretty decent guitarist, from what I hear...and a huge blues freak.

[Nitro Express]

Steven Seagal has one of the Iceman's Telecasters.

He's an asshole. He owned some land next to ours up in Ennis, Montana. The first thing he does is close all public access from his property which meant people didn't have access to the river anymore. In Montana there's an unwritten rule that you leave sportman's access open and the sportman closes the gates behind him. He also let the weeds grow to where they were sprouting up in neighbors pastors. He didn't pay his bills. He was obnoxious. He sold the property rumor being he had financial problems.

[GAR]

I got to play a GE Smith Telecaster at the Fur Peace Ranch.

Even when he's smiling, GE Smith looks like he's taking a shit.

Same as EVH. You shoulda smashed GE Smith over the head with a Telecaster and saved us all the discomfort of looking at him again.

[Hardrock69]

You shoulda smashed GE Smith over the head with a Telecaster and saved us all the discomfort of looking at him again.

Why waste a good Tele on a good player? Better to use one to smash your fucking face in so nobody has to hear the farting sounds coming out of your mouth! :hee:

[LEFTY is Gar's Bitch]

Why waste a good Tele on a good player? Better to use one to smash your fucking face in so nobody has to hear the farting sounds coming out of your mouth! :hee:

your a mean ugly man.dont you dare threaten gary or ill break my foot off in your ass tougf guy.

[rocknrolldork]

I have one of these. Run it through a clean power amp (I use a Carvin DCM 1000) and a good speaker cab and they sound wonderful.

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That pedal looks pretty cool.

At higher volumes the Deville was closer to what I was looking for than the Mesa. The Mesa surprised me a bit though. I got a pretty good Champ-ish sound out of it. The Mesa sounded better with the MIJ Tele and the Deville LOVED the American Tele. I wish I had recording gear on my computer so I could post sound clips. Tonight I'm trying an old Bassman setup and JCM800/1936 cab for shits and giggles. Such a simple great guitar.

Anyone like the feel of the MIJ Tele necks? They seem to fit my hand a bit better than the American and MIM necks.

[kentuckyklira]

My favorite Tele tone is my 78 standard Tele through a Peavey Classic 20. Then again, I´ve never owned a Fender Twin so I can´t say how much I´d like that tone!

[Nitro Express]

I wish I still had my Classic 20. It was a great amp. With a Tube Screamer it got great overdrive and the clean tones were great.

[Nitro Express]

I don't own a Telecaster but if I play my Wolfgang through my Mig 50 with the volume pot turned down, it get's this cool Tele type raunch. Actually those pickups on that guitar are very versatile and they clean up nicely with the volume knob. Using the volume knob you can milk all sorts of tones out of that guitar.

[GAR]

I like the old Mig50 sounds, and I don't.

One thing it does well is go from clean to semi-clean, to a barely-Plexi tone but not quite. And things inbetween.

It's its' own thing, but I imagine it would do a tele very well.

[hideyoursheep]

...Straight through an old Princeton, no pedals. Can't get much more "Tele" than that.