software

i've always been intrigued by telecasters, i've heard they're mostly for blues, country, etc. is this true? what kind of sound/feel do they have? (alas, i am in a town with no music store, aka the wasteland, TX) can they be used for rock? anyone with exerience, your input is appreciated, thanks.

Telecasters are THE most versatile instrument made. Name me a style of electric music and I can name you players that use them for that. They're great for jazz, rock, blues, country, and just about anything in between. I'm not an avid fan of them, and have a self proclaimed love / hate relationship with mine, but would you like to guess which guitar goes with me to EVERY job I do? If you guessed the Tele, you are correct.

As to their feel, they're kind of a chunky feeling instrument. Every guitar I play feels quot;smallquot; compared to the Bastardcaster. As to their sound, I think they sound like a Strat on steroids, a Showmaster with hair on its chest. Ballsy, full bodied tone. Plug it in and it's there.

a tele with the right pickups can be used for ANYTHING and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!! i play mostly metal and punk and my main guitar is a US made fender tele with a duncan hot rails in the bridge. this guitar has a nice thick sound with a nice amout of high end bite but not harsh and shrill or thin. plus if you do alot of palm mutes a tele is very comfortable for that due to the bridge design. it also has more sustain than any strat i have tried since it is a string through body with much more wood than a strat. so in short, yes if you pick the right bridge pickup for it it will do rock as good as any les paul!

-Mike

I've found my Tele to be my best guitar for recording with my guitar port.
You can go from Twang to Buzzsaw with a few mouse clicks!! Just listen
to Led Zep I. It was ALL done with a Tele into a small combo.

Jeff Beck
Jimmy Page
Eric Clapton

Danny Gatton
Mike Bloomfield
Steve Cropper
Joe Perry
Dean Deleo
Muddy Waters
John 5
James Burton
Albert Collins
Keith Urban
Dave Grohl
Roy Buchanan
The Edge
Andy Summers
Frank Zappa
Keith Richards
Radiohead
Albert Lee
Merl Haggard
Johnny Hiland
John Frusciante
Prince
Billy Gibbons
Lenny Kravits
Joe Walsh
George Harrison
Rick Neilson
John Lennon
Brent Mason
Will Ray
Vince Gill
James Hetfield
Jerry Donahue
James Iha
Tom Morello
Jerry Cantrell
Webb Wilder
Rich RobinsonThese guys all have something in common...

Lately I can't put my Tele down. I've had it for about 2 years now but up until about 3 weeks ago I played it on occasion. I've been experimenting with humbuckers for another guitar trying to find a tone and just was'nt making any progress. Tried differant speakers in my Classic 30, tried a few differant OD and distortion boxes. All close but not quite there. I read how many people were impressed with Lindy Fralins Blues Specials (sorry Duncan fans) so I took out the SD Quarter Pounders out that came with the guitar, put the Fralins in, cranked the C30's OD channel and YOW!! I could not believe how great the tone was. Chunk city, clear driving chords and a great lead tone. I have'nt touched my pedals since. This guitar really revived my interest in single coil pickups. You will not regret buying one.

If you want to hear what a Tele can do outside of blues and country, check out Richie Kotzen. Richie uses the Tele for solid rock, funk, blues, and shred(when he feels the need.) Personally, I think the Telecaster is the coolest guitar ever made.

I'm a Tele player. Teles and Strats.

When I was a kid and had been playing for only a few years I hated Teles! They sounded ice pick bright and steely and I could not get a good tone out of one.

And the action always seemed to high on the new Fender/CBS Teles that were available in the late 60's.

Then I saw Roy Buchanan playing his '53 and that changed everything.

I found a '51 Tele and found that a big part of the problem with the late 60's Teles was lousy pickups and heavy ash bodies.

My '51 had a pickup that sounded like a cross between the Duncan Antiquity and Jerry Donahue. Both of those are alnico 2 pickups with strong plucky mids and lacking in the ice pick highs of the newer Teles of the time.

I was hooked.

I still think it's harder to get a great tone out of a Tele than a Gibson. You have to be mindful that it's YOU who has to shape the tone with your hands and soul.

But the result is that it's YOU who will come across. Your own personality will shine through with a Tele more so than with any other guitar, IMO.

Because YOU have to do all the work...the Tele won't help you.

I jokingly say that it takes a real man to play a Tele...but it's worth it.

One thing I feel is worth noting is recently I returned my Lite Ash Telecaster to GC within the 30-days. Great guitar....extremely playable and love the cleans from the APII's. However, I had problems getting the crunch I liked out of it.

I'm sure with time I would've learned how to dial in a crunchier sound with the bridge pup or would've found a better bridge pup suited for that. However, coming from a humbucker background both playing wise and with regards to what I love to listen to, I didn't have the patience right now to go thru the learning curve.