I need to sell one of my Telecasters, help me decide!
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:09 pm
This thread could also be titled "First World Problems"
Here is the A/B test of the Trussart and the Tele
I recently went on a bit of a shopping spree and bought some guitars, selling most of them within a short time. The good thing is that I rarely lose money on them if I don't count the time invested. However, one of them somewhat speaks to me: a refinished, beat-up 1975 Telecaster with a maple fretboard.
It is mostly original, apart from a newer 50s style WD Music pickguard (which I will replace with a three-ply one), questionable refretting (I need to have the frets dressed above the 14th fret as the person who refretted it actually made the fretboard too round there, think reverse compound radius), and a GORGEOUS Coca-Cola sparkle refinish. It's on the heavier side (around 4 kg), and I had to have my tech take a look at the truss rod as the relief was weird when I got it (it's fine now). It steel needs some work, but man, it has character.
I am seriously considering it as a replacement for my main Telecaster, which is an '05 James Trussart Steelcaster.
The Trussart has always been a dream guitar of mine, ever since I was 14. All it took was seeing a picture of Tom Morello playing one (a very similar-looking model to mine). Watching Fretted Americana demos of these only cemented my opinion of them as "the coolest thing ever." When I had the chance to buy this one for a very reasonable price, I jumped on it and never looked back. It came with a 4-way switch that had been wired incorrectly from the factory (maybe that's why it was priced as it was), so I replaced it with a traditional three-way and never looked back. It proved itself as a reliable and perfectly working guitar both live and in the studio: I took it to do some session work last summer, and EVERYBODY marveled at it, it sat in the mix so well - my usual No. 1 go-to session guitar for gritty sounds, my '72 JM, ended up being too prominent in the mix compared to the Steelcaster. It is also super light as it is hollow, under 3 kg.
However, in my eyes, the '75 Tele somewhat beats the Trussart in the character department: it has a much more prominent twang, more pronounced treble, while the Trussart sounds fatter but less like a proper twangy Telecaster. It somewhat lacks the fierce attack of the '75. Another thing is the *image problem*: The beat-up, sparkly '75 Tele somewhat feels more at home to me than the Trussart, which gives more of a "rich country dude with a truck" vibe. My friends even call it "The Johnny Depp guitar" as he was seen playing these more than any other guitarist. It also has a rosewood fingerboard, which isn't necessarily an issue, but I definitely prefer maple. Another thing is that it has a 7.25 fretboard radius. I could refret the Tele with a flatter radius to my liking; I wouldn't touch the fretwork on the Trussart as the frets are still original and very fresh. The Trussart is pretty rare (I haven't seen any other for sale in Europe since I bought mine), but I went through like five different '70s Telecasters in the span of a year (the current one being the coolest of the bunch).
To sum up the pros of each guitar:
**Trussart:**
- Works great both live and in the studio
- My bucket list guitar
- Very rare
- Light
- Somewhat unique sound
**'75 Telecaster:**
- Ultimate cool factor
- Classic Tele twang
- Maple neck
- Possibility to refret it to my liking, making it the perfect combination of neck size and fretboard radius.
I really wish I could keep both, but I can't hoard more guitars (I am well past my limit), and there are some incoming taxes I need to pay, so selling one of these would definitely help. I could probably sell the Trussart quickly and definitely for more money than the '75 Tele; a couple of guys have been coaxing me to sell it to them ever since I got it, and they are still interested.
Which one do you like better?
Which one should I sell?
Here is the A/B test of the Trussart and the Tele
I recently went on a bit of a shopping spree and bought some guitars, selling most of them within a short time. The good thing is that I rarely lose money on them if I don't count the time invested. However, one of them somewhat speaks to me: a refinished, beat-up 1975 Telecaster with a maple fretboard.
It is mostly original, apart from a newer 50s style WD Music pickguard (which I will replace with a three-ply one), questionable refretting (I need to have the frets dressed above the 14th fret as the person who refretted it actually made the fretboard too round there, think reverse compound radius), and a GORGEOUS Coca-Cola sparkle refinish. It's on the heavier side (around 4 kg), and I had to have my tech take a look at the truss rod as the relief was weird when I got it (it's fine now). It steel needs some work, but man, it has character.
I am seriously considering it as a replacement for my main Telecaster, which is an '05 James Trussart Steelcaster.
The Trussart has always been a dream guitar of mine, ever since I was 14. All it took was seeing a picture of Tom Morello playing one (a very similar-looking model to mine). Watching Fretted Americana demos of these only cemented my opinion of them as "the coolest thing ever." When I had the chance to buy this one for a very reasonable price, I jumped on it and never looked back. It came with a 4-way switch that had been wired incorrectly from the factory (maybe that's why it was priced as it was), so I replaced it with a traditional three-way and never looked back. It proved itself as a reliable and perfectly working guitar both live and in the studio: I took it to do some session work last summer, and EVERYBODY marveled at it, it sat in the mix so well - my usual No. 1 go-to session guitar for gritty sounds, my '72 JM, ended up being too prominent in the mix compared to the Steelcaster. It is also super light as it is hollow, under 3 kg.
However, in my eyes, the '75 Tele somewhat beats the Trussart in the character department: it has a much more prominent twang, more pronounced treble, while the Trussart sounds fatter but less like a proper twangy Telecaster. It somewhat lacks the fierce attack of the '75. Another thing is the *image problem*: The beat-up, sparkly '75 Tele somewhat feels more at home to me than the Trussart, which gives more of a "rich country dude with a truck" vibe. My friends even call it "The Johnny Depp guitar" as he was seen playing these more than any other guitarist. It also has a rosewood fingerboard, which isn't necessarily an issue, but I definitely prefer maple. Another thing is that it has a 7.25 fretboard radius. I could refret the Tele with a flatter radius to my liking; I wouldn't touch the fretwork on the Trussart as the frets are still original and very fresh. The Trussart is pretty rare (I haven't seen any other for sale in Europe since I bought mine), but I went through like five different '70s Telecasters in the span of a year (the current one being the coolest of the bunch).
To sum up the pros of each guitar:
**Trussart:**
- Works great both live and in the studio
- My bucket list guitar
- Very rare
- Light
- Somewhat unique sound
**'75 Telecaster:**
- Ultimate cool factor
- Classic Tele twang
- Maple neck
- Possibility to refret it to my liking, making it the perfect combination of neck size and fretboard radius.
I really wish I could keep both, but I can't hoard more guitars (I am well past my limit), and there are some incoming taxes I need to pay, so selling one of these would definitely help. I could probably sell the Trussart quickly and definitely for more money than the '75 Tele; a couple of guys have been coaxing me to sell it to them ever since I got it, and they are still interested.
Which one do you like better?
Which one should I sell?