Tele - Ugly or Beautiful?

[sunvalleylaw]

It is handsome in an eclectic way. Teles are not female to me. They strike me as a solid, not flashy, dependable friend.

[Ro3b]

Is a hammer ugly or beautiful?

[just strum]

Is a hammer ugly or beautiful?

That's a great way of looking at it. A hammer, is a hammer, but in the hands of someone that appreciates the tool and knows how different hammers provide different results, they can become a beautiful tool.

If my statement about Tele's seldom being the first guitar is accurate, that may be the reason. You have to develop an understanding of the use of tone or at least recognize the difference.

Ro3b, I hope you don't mind me using that in my sig.

[wingsdad]

Took you a while to come around, Strummy :

"Beauty's Only Skin Deep (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)"
- The Temptations

"You can't judge a book by its cover."

I suppose one can either hate it or love it. Whatever floats one's boat.

Plank of wood, indeed.

When I ordered this ASAT Classic Bluesboy, I considered going for it as a solid body with back & front edge bindings or WITH an optional back body belly contour, like a Strat, to be less of slab, and thus with no back binding. But I ended up going for the chambered semi-hollow swamp ash body without an f-hole (to let the ash's grain show & go undisturbed, both for looks and for tonal quality) as much for lighter weight as for some acoustic resonance. Body contour and back binding is n/a on semi-hollows, although the body 'bindings' are actually just the top's wood left unstained along the edges.

I went for the 'Classic' string-thru-body integrated bridge & slanted pickup assembly with brass barrel saddles, because THAT was Leo's design concept that produces that undeniably Tele clean, biting, snappy metallic twang with a ringing sustain, the slanted pup gathering some bottom end picking up the low strings vibes away from the bridge. Unlike the original Fender set polepieces, the G&L Magnetic Field Design bridge pup has adjustable polepieces (Leo's innovation to improve on his original design).

I also opted for a glossed maple fretboard on a 7 1/2" radius to be true to the original Leo design to ease chording and multi-string bends (A 'true' Start has a flatter 12" radius, one reason why it works so well as a slide guitar), the slick surface easing sliding (slippery) chords and multi-step string bending, another factor in the 'Tele' sound, a guitar originally designed by George Fullerton & Leo (duh...G&L) to be a country-western lead guitar player's portable, standup answer to a steel guitar.

I went for the Bluesboy to get a G&L Alnico V humbucker at the neck -- fairly bright because of that grade of Alnico, not prone to muddiness, like the 'typical' Tele lipstick single coil neck pup, and not as 'warm & fuzzy' as the optional Duncan 55N Seth Lover. (BTW: until Leo sold to CBS, that neck pup has/had a preset bassy tone, non-variable. CBS starting screwing around with the circuitry things around 1967).

I was estimated it would take 14 weeks to build. It only took 5. All I hoped for was a Really Nice Piece Of Ash and a well-done Cherryburst finish over it.

I got it. I don't think it's ugly. At all.

[just strum]

Wingsdad, a couple of you guys own some very nice Tele's and the G&L's can make converts out of the people that are not Tele fans (I for one have fallen victim). After playing a couple of Fender and admiring your latest G&L, I wouldn't be surprised if the day will come when I will purchase a higher end Tele.

The guitars I see posted here lead me to purchasing an inexpensive Tele. I like it and with a little more "tweaking" I think I will find myself playing it often.

[tjcurtin1]

Au contraire, Strum! The Tele was the guitar I always desired from the time I was a kid - when, many years later, I bought my first electric, it was a Squire Tele. However, as I mentioned somewhere else, I couldn't make it 'sing' (probably because it was my first electric!) and I no longer have it But I still love the looks!

[just strum]

Au contraire, Strum! The Tele was the guitar I always desired from the time I was a kid - when, many years later, I bought my first electric, it was a Squire Tele. However, as I mentioned somewhere else, I couldn't make it 'sing' (probably because it was my first electric!) and I no longer have it But I still love the looks!

Did you ever buy another one? I'm not saying no one buys a Tele as their first guitar, but I think they tend to be an acquired taste after some playing on other guitars. IMHO I think of them more as a specialty guitar that really isn't suited for all types of music. Again, just my opinion.

[t_ross33]

However, as I mentioned somewhere else, I couldn't make it 'sing' (probably because it was my first electric!) and I no longer have it But I still love the looks!

I think Tele's are very unforgiving and a bit tougher to wrangle out the tones you hear in your head, or from masters like Brent Mason or even Marty Stuart or Vince Gill. That distinct "Tele Twang", in my experience, is all in the hands. (I'm not implying that I am anywhere CLOSE to mastering this beautiful little slab of wood - far from it. But, like everything else, it's a work in progress )

It's tone can be biting to the point of "ice-pick" and doesn't immediately lend itself to smooth tones you get from an LP, or even a Strat.

Maybe that's why it's not a popular "first guitar" choice. That being said, I grew up on a steady diet of Buck and Don, Merle, Waylon etc. I think Tele's are beautiful to look at and beautiful to play or hear.

Here's mine:


KEEP ON TWANGIN AND BANGIN IN THE FREE WORLD :

Trev

[warren0728]

i love my tele...i think it's been said a tele is the hardest guitar to play....not physically but it so raw that it exposes your every mistake (and i make a lot of them!)

my tele gets equal playing time with my gibson lp special.

here's mine....a mim 2005 agave blue standard (click for larger pics)

ww

[tjcurtin1]

I think Tele's are very unforgiving and a bit tougher to wrangle out the tones you hear in your head, or from masters like Brent Mason or even Marty Stuart or Vince Gill. That distinct "Tele Twang", in my experience, is all in the hands.
Trev

You're absolutely right - two experienced guitar playing friends played my tele and immediately made it sound ways I couldn't get it to... and I could tell it was 'in the hands' - very frustrating, but at least it proved it wasn't the guitar. One of those buddies ended up taking it off my hands... Maybe someday I'll try again.

As for ugly - that term doesn't fit the classic look of the telecaster. I agree with Tone E about the guitars I'd class as UGLY -