Tele - Ugly or Beautiful?

**Brian Krashpad** · September 29th, 2009, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Kodiak3D

As for their looks, however, I don't find them ugly or anything, just kinda bland. They don't reach out and grab me. Then again, I used to not care for the SG look but my opinion on that has changed as of late. Probably will for teles someday too.

Fwiw, I think this is pretty common for Teles. I didn't get my first Tele until I'd been playing in bands for over 15 years, and was a couple years past 35!

I currently have 3 Teles. I can't say that of any other guitar.

syo*** · September 29th, 2009, 07:28 PM

Borderline ugly and uninspiringly plain. It's also my favorite guitar. When I went to buy my second guitar 20 years ago I had enough cash for a "pretty" Rickenbacker. When it came to playing, I hated the Rick, played the LP models, Strat etc. Finally picked up the Tele as there was nothing left. It was beautiful after all (to play anyway)!

A Tele is the real deal. Unpretentious (at least it was when I paid $450 for a new Am Std), nothing superfluous. Just a plain, great guitar.

**mrmudcat** · September 29th, 2009, 10:37 PM

I agree I love my 2 teles...........here is koa in her new home(ugly and plain I dont think so

) taken yesterday..its hard being a "pimp"..I am getting ready to purge I think

: ..... a few guits maybe..not her fo-sho....so im taken updated pics for inventory

syo*** · September 30th, 2009, 12:23 AM

ok mudcat, I see your point. Yours at least is neither ugly or plain. Very nice, dare I say even "pretty"...

**Kazz** · September 30th, 2009, 04:28 AM

Originally Posted by mrmudcat

I agree I love my 2 teles...........here is koa in her new home(ugly and plain I dont think so

) taken yesterday..its hard being a "pimp"..I am getting ready to purge I think

: ..... a few guits maybe..not her fo-sho....so im taken updated pics for inventory

Lookout......Muddy is fixing to go wife shopping :-)

**mrmudcat** · September 30th, 2009, 04:38 AM

Originally Posted by syo

ok mudcat, I see your point. Yours at least is neither ugly or plain. Very nice, dare I say even "pretty"...

No worries brother........I think Krashes black tele is "pretty" and has a Clash thing going on,beautiful is in the eye of the beholder

**tot_Ou_tard** · September 30th, 2009, 05:27 AM

Originally Posted by syo

ok mudcat, I see your point. Yours at least is neither ugly or plain. Very nice, dare I say even "pretty"...

Yes, the wood is pretty, but it still has that silly pickguard & cutaway.

I want it.

**MAXIFUNK** · September 30th, 2009, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by mrmudcat

I agree I love my 2 teles...........here is koa in her new home(ugly and plain I dont think so

) taken yesterday..its hard being a "pimp"..I am getting ready to purge I think

: ..... a few guits maybe..not her fo-sho....so im taken updated pics for inventory

nice axe

**Blaze** · September 30th, 2009, 04:16 PM

Here s my new lookin Tele ...

Mr. Telecaster

**Brian Krashpad** · September 30th, 2009, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by Blaze

Here s my new lookin Tele ...

Oh yum!

Desert sand?

**tot_Ou_tard** · October 1st, 2009, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by Brian Krashpad

Oh yum!

Desert sand?

Yes, very nice. Me Likey.

Did I mention the goofy headstock?

**sunvalleylaw** · October 1st, 2009, 07:51 AM

I watched last night "Wings to Wheels", the making of Born to Run, and it made me want a tele again. Some great footage of the process of making that album, and a lot of Bruce working things out on a piano, and his tele, which he says has a broadcaster neck.

**ZMAN** · October 1st, 2009, 08:00 AM

In reading the book the Stratocaster Chronicles, it talks about Leo Fender and his frist guitar the Broadcaster. Leo of course was an Engineer and not a musician. He could NOT play guitar. The Statocaster was in Leo's words the evolution of the Telecaster. What a lot of people don't realize was that the Tele/Broadcaster was a more mass production oriented than the orginal custom guitars produced by Paul Bigsby. Leo acquired one of Bigsby's guitars before he engineered the Broadcaster.
Here are some quotes about the Broadcaster/Tele.

"I took the first guitar to the 1950 music trade show, and it was, "What's that thing?" We got all kinds of comments. "Do you paddle your canoe with that thing? Swat flies?" They all laughed." -Don Randall (head of marketing)

"When Leo's guitar came out we weren't too surprised, because we were familiar with the Custom solidbodies Paul Bigsby built. We discovered that out in California there were solidbody guitars and they were beginning to get a little section of the business away from us, so we decided that we had to do something to compete with what Leo Fender was doing. We had to buck this competition from the West Coast." -fomer Gibson president Ted McCarty, on the origin of the Les Paul.

"That thing 'll never sell." -Fred Gretsch to Harmony's Jay Krause, upon seeing the Broadcaster for the first time.

It was funny because Leo thought that the Strat would make the Tele obsolete.
I just thought I would add this. All of it comes from the book The Stratocaster Chronicles by Tom Wheeler. A great read.
Also some intersting reading. Make sure you note the time line.
http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/vibe/?page_id=3
This one as well. Check out the 1947 Bigsby guitar.
http://www.stratcollector.com/newsde...es/000103.html

**sunvalleylaw** · October 1st, 2009, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by sunvalleylaw

I watched last night "Wings to Wheels", the making of Born to Run, and it made me want a tele again. Some great footage of the process of making that album, and a lot of Bruce working things out on a piano, and his tele, which he says has a broadcaster neck.

Watching that vid made me want one, and listening to the second side of Abbey Road again yesterday.

:

: I love the feel of my strat, and do not know how to work teles yet, but there are some awesome tones available from them.

**Blaze** · October 1st, 2009, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by sunvalleylaw

Watching that vid made me want one, and listening to the second side of Abbey Road again yesterday.

:

: I love the feel of my strat, and do not know how to work teles yet, but there are some awesome tones available from them.

Hey Sun,

Here s a little something i ve made with my new lookin tele on a Guitar Center King of the Blues B.T. few months ago..
Hope it will make you want one ,Tele does have awesone tones..

A Road To You

**markb** · October 1st, 2009, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by sunvalleylaw

Watching that vid made me want one, and listening to the second side of Abbey Road again yesterday.

:

: I love the feel of my strat, and do not know how to work teles yet, but there are some awesome tones available from them.

The tone control is your friend. Who needs humbuckers

**@nthony** · October 14th, 2009, 03:32 AM

My main guitar is a tele. It is a simple MIM Standard, in Desert Sand. I love it.

The tele is such a beautiful guitar, simple, elegant, and unpretentious. While being heavy enough and sharp enough (treble wise) to let you know she is around.

The one thing I don't like (and maybe this is my string choice or just my poor playing) is that the bass E 6th string can sometimes choke out upwards and over the neck radius.

**Mike S.** · October 16th, 2009, 05:29 AM

Great looking, sounding, playing guitar design, with an ugly (to me) head stock shape. Fortunately I don't choose an instrument primarily on looks.

player*** · October 16th, 2009, 10:04 PM

younger brother recently acquired a Black one with white guard.she sure is pretty,can't beat the action on it either.

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