Forums > Gear talk > Telecasters
Jump:
Forums > Gear talk > Telecasters
Original message:508 days 13 hours 27 minutes ago
0  
6
WebCred
I want a telecaster. I say it is because I want the twanging sound, but I think that is a lie. I like the way they look. I'm holding out for a telecaster with a humbucker at the bridge and a single coil at the neck with a rosewood fingerboard (I hate the piney looking fender standard fingerboards).

I really want to know this though: besides looking cool is a telecaster really going to work for me?

I generally play semi-hollows (ibanez artcores).
I play blues, ska, indie and classic rock.

So, can I make a telecaster sound like jimmy paige, keb mo and reel big fish without needing to change the pickups?
And how is the overall feel going to be compared to ibanes (I own 6 ibanez guitars)?

I know I could just go mess around in the local guitar shop, but I want some input from other people to.
Reply:508 days 2 hours 12 minutes ago
Member: Richey
    + 1  
1645
WebCred
I have a tele. I put a stacked humbucker in the bridge but have since gotten a Les Paul so I am about to have the stock single-coil put back in. My tele doesn't have a "true" humbucker in it so I can't speak to that. When I switch to my tele, I have to turn the volume up because the pups aren't as hot as the Burstbuckers on the LP. I use the LP for hard driving stuff and the tele for cleans and sounds that aren't so aggressive. For Jimmy Paige, for example, you definitely need some real humbuckers. Maybe the humbuckers that will come with your tele will do the trick, maybe not.
My music recommendations:
My gear recommendations:
  
Reply:508 days 2 hours 2 minutes ago
Member: shanejohnson2002
    + 2  
1867
WebCred
Here's an option: since you're already playing Ibanez guitars, you can buy an Ibanez RG321. It's a hard-tail guitar, 2 humbuckers, so you're already starting out ahead. It's really difficult to mount a full-size humbucker in the bridge of a tele without modifying it.

I would suggest, if you buy this guitar, to do one of the following:
1) Install a push-pull coil split switch. This will give you a very tele-like single coil sound when it's engaged, and the normal humbucker sound when it's not. This is probably your cheapest option, as all you'll have to pay for is a push-pull pot, and installation if you don't know how to do it yourself.

2) specialized pickups. Since you want a humbucker bridge / single coil neck, they make humbucker-sized pickups that will do that. Dimarzio's Humbucker from Hell sounds like an old Gretsch Country Genlteman. Seymour Duncan and Gibson make P-90 singles that fit in a humbucker slot. You can also just install a regular single-coil pickup if you want (although I think that would look pretty horrible). Either way, this is the more expensive of the two routes.

Your other option is to buy a tele and install a bridge humbucker. Like I said, a full-size bridge humbucker would require some body work on a stock tele, but you'd keep your single coil neck pickup. Here's some options for that:

1) Route the body for a humbucker. This is you buying a stock tele, telling a guitar tech what you want, and then paying him to do it. It's pretty expensive though.

2) Buy a pre-made body. Warmoth makes excellent tele bodies that you can have routed any way you want, to fit any pickups you want. You can even install a floyd rose bridge if you want. This is kind of expensive though because you'll also have to pay for paint.

3) Install a single-coil sized humbucker. Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio both make these. I would suggest either the super distortion or tone zone for tele by Dimarzio, or the seymour duncan lil''59 or JB for tele.

Hope this helps some.
My music recommendations:
My gear recommendations:
  
Reply:508 days 58 minutes ago
Member: Richey
    0  
1645
WebCred
Yes...the stacked humbucker I have in my tele bridge position is a DiMarzio and it is pretty good. Again, it is no Burstbucker but it does the job well enough.

Also, Shane, you can buy Teles with a humbucker in the bridge.
My music recommendations:
My gear recommendations:
  
Reply:508 days 1 hours 41 minutes ago
Member: Conor Mc Killen
    + 1  
45
WebCred
If your an indie guy the Telecaster is the guitar for you
My music recommendations:
My gear recommendations:
  
Reply:508 days 25 minutes ago
Member: Charles Morgenstern
    0  
6
WebCred
yeah... I have an rg already...

I'm definitly going to buy a tele with a humbucker at the bridge... I like the idea of putting a single coil sized humbucker in the neck spot though... that could give me a real nice guitar...
Reply:507 days 23 hours 5 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG
    0  
3077
WebCred
A tele should indeed work for indie and rock... However a tele is a tele and sounds like a tele. Making it sound like an SG or LP (Jimmy Page) is asking the tele not to be a tele any more.
I've seen teles with two full sized humbuckers. I think you'll have a tough time finding a tele with a full-sized bucker in the bridge and a lipstic in the neck...

I don't know if your relationship with guitars is on the worship or practical side, but here's what I would do (I'm on the practical side). Since the bridge pickup is surrounded by the bridge plate, it wouldn't be visible if the routing for the pickup wasn't perfect (it would reduce the value though...). So I would get a normal tele (which are ambundant), buy a humbucker replacement bridge and a humbucker pickup and do the routing for the humbucker myself (without even a router drill). I've done it on my RG and if you saw it without the pickguard you'd kill me *wink*.
My music recommendations:
My gear recommendations:
  
Listen to my music!Listen to my music!
Jump:
Contact us   |   Spread the word   |   Interested in Advertising   |   Provide Content
© 2009 Guitar.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Guitar.com, Guitardotcom and the logo, are service marks of Guitar.com, LLC.