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Okay, I've been GASing for both a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Telecaster. I tried my first LP this weekend, a 1979 Wine Red Custom that was SWEET, but I've been flipping through the Fender Catalog and have gotten a hankering for a Tele.

It's going to be one or the other. Right now, the Paul's winning out because I've had problems with a Fender (MIM Strat) in the past. However, I've seen this Fender Blackout Telecaster HH and was wondering if it was any good? Would you consider it a quot;realquot; Telecaster? Or just something with a Tele-shaped body? Are there any American Tele's you'd recommend over and above all the others?

Thanks for the help!

i wouldn't say the blackout is a quot;realquot; tele...it's kinda got the shape but it's a set neck and a carved top baswood body body with two hums so i don't think it's very tele but it is a pretty cool guitar...just don't try and get it to sound like a tele b/c i doubt that's gonna happen with it. plus it comes with duncans so it's got potential IMO.

how much are you looking to spend, that will help find the quot;rightquot; guitar.

-Mike

I'm going to go pretty high up. The '79 LP Custom is about $1800, so I'd be willing to go that high...but if I can get something for less that's just as good I'll take it!

I'll be saving up money over a long period, so I'll pretty much consider anything that comes along that peaks my interest.

well your talkin tele and LP...two very different guitars...even though i own both, i'm more of a tele fan to be honest. in the tele market if you can spend that much, forget the blackout and go for either an american tele HS if you want typical tele style bridge and a hum in the neck...or if you want a H/H setup i'd go with the american tele HH...these are closer to a quot;realquot; tele than the blackout and can be very versitile with the right pickup choice since your working with either two hums or a single and a hum. what type of music are you looking to play with either guitar...that will also help you decide since you can get a tele to do it all...from twang to strat like to LP like (with a single coil sized hum in the bridge) a LP your getting one sound...thick and meaty...which is great also! so you also need to think about what you want from the guitar since your right now looking at two ends of the guitar world IMO.

-Mike

Drew_half_empty has the blackout tele. Maybe he'll chime in on that one.

I agree with XSSIVE. I favor Teles, although I own a couple of Gibsons. With judicious use of the tone control and a good slightly to moderately overwound Tele lead pickup, you can get some convincing LPish tones (just listen to Jimmy Page on Led Zep's first release and the solo to Stairway to Heaven for good examples). The neck HB further expands your options, although it will likely be brighter sounding than most LP's. The Atomic II neck HB in the 2003 Fender Tele HS models was excellent, but I'm not sure what is in the current models. I would replace the Tele lead pickup with something hotter like the STL-2 Hot Tele lead, among several options. The combination of the those 2 pickups is very sweet and all Fender. This makes for a very versatile guitar.


Originally Posted by skyydogg01Drew_half_empty has the blackout tele. Maybe he'll chime in on that one.

I'm hoping he will!
Originally Posted by XSSIVEwell your talkin tele and LP...two very different guitars...even though i own both, i'm more of a tele fan to be honest. in the tele market if you can spend that much, forget the blackout and go for either an american tele HS if you want typical tele style bridge and a hum in the neck...or if you want a H/H setup i'd go with the american tele HH...these are closer to a quot;realquot; tele than the blackout and can be very versitile with the right pickup choice since your working with either two hums or a single and a hum. what type of music are you looking to play with either guitar...that will also help you decide since you can get a tele to do it all...from twang to strat like to LP like (with a single coil sized hum in the bridge) a LP your getting one sound...thick and meaty...which is great also! so you also need to think about what you want from the guitar since your right now looking at two ends of the guitar world IMO.

-MikeWell, I'm looking for both ends to be truthful. But, I can either buy a guitar and an amp or two guitars with the total I'm going to rake in with this summer job. I'd rather get the guitar and the amp. I've got a Yamaha AES620 (LP-like) and a Yamaha Mike Stern Telecaster (Tele-copy). I really like the sounds coming out of both, particularly the Hot-rails in the Telecopy though I love the thick sound of the JB in the AES620.

The AES620 is pretty much (and happily) my Drop-D tuned guitar and, this being the case, I'm looking for a quot;professionalquot; guitar to use for standard tuning.

I enjoy and play rock, hard rock, and indie/garage stuff. (down the spectrum from Rage Against the Machine to The White Stripes)

Xssive you had to mention an HS Tele, I couldn't resist the temptation to check it out, now I'm going to have to get one. Dam GAS.

the HS tele is my main guitar...well the older version '04 which came with no pickguard. i love those guitars and i'm thinking of getting a red or black one in the future....i've decided i'm a tele addict and to make highly modded tele's my main guitars!! there's just something about a tele with a hotrails in the bridge that no LP can touch...it's got the grunt of an LP down low but it also has this nice edge to it (no not harsh) that my LPs can't seem to get...it just a great sound! people think i'm nuts for playing punk and metal with a tele but man can that guitar do it all thanks to Mr. Duncan and his amazing pickups!!!

-Mike

Hmm...thanks for all the information guys!

One additional question: does anybody know what kind of Telecaster Brandon Boyd used in the Incubus Alive At Red Rocks DVD for the song quot;Pantomimequot;? I really like the 3-tone sunburst and the white binding!

I think I'm leaning more towards the Telecaster now, simply because a lot of the stuff I've been playing lately doesn't require the humbucker'd LP sound.

I personally think that there's a lot of similarity between Les Pauls and Teles. Two pups, one switch, very utilitarian design. There's nothing on either a Tele OR a LP that doesn't need to be there. My Tele plays a lot like my LP and vice versa. And that's probably the reason that those are the only two instruments that I haul to any show. Not much reason to haul anything else. But....as much as I'm a die hard Gibson FREAK, I'd be lost without my Bastardcaster Tele.