Forgot how much I love Teles, AKA Tele Appreciation Thread

[Maggieo]

Those are such great guitars! My MIM Esquire was a favorite until I got my Kelly Snakehead.

[i love sharin foo]

Yeah, they are really good! Everything about it just feels right. Great fretwork, really snug neck pocket, comfortable neck shape.

[kamillebidan]

I have always loved Teles but I only had one for the longest time, which was my first ever guitar, a 2007 MIM Standard (fantastic neck on that thing). But late last year I had an itch to scratch when I saw a video on those Custom Shop CuNiFe Teles that were making the rounds. I almost forked over the money to buy one but the shop that had it kinda scoffed at me and didn't seem to care who you were unless you were a high profile customer, so I said fuck it I'll make my own version and save some change. Funnily enough that Tele is still for sale sitting there while the other ones from other shops already sold, nuff said...

Anyways, I found a used 2017 AO60's Tele that was already beat up at a small shop and got a decent deal on it. Since it was already secondhand, I didn't feel bad about having the rout made for it to accommodate the WRHB. I wired it up with 1 Meg pots for authenticity and put a Fralin Hum cancelling P-90 in the bridge. Sounds great and surprisingly not shrill considering the pots. Put an Andy Summers bridge too, so maybe that has something to do with it. Just wish I could swap out the neck for maple one, but maybe I'll do that in the future...

[sal paradise]

Should I swap my classic vibe for an AVRI 52 Tele? Been offered a great price, and I’ve always wanted one.

The squier sounds mind-blowingly good. It’s not the most comfortable guitar to play, I mostly use it for recording these days.

Feels like I don’t really need to upgrade- keen to hear any experience from anyone who’s compared the two though, just in case…

[RobDux]

Just finished this up after it's sat for too many years waiting for me to put it together. Still needs the intonation sorting out and I need to decide on what knobs to put on it but it's basically done.

It's a Hosco double bound mahogany body with Allparts TMO-V all maple neck. The neck's huge compared to what I'd usually go for but it feels pretty great so far.

[Gordon]

It started as a HH Tele, so the bridge was wider, and there were screw holes to hide... I'm still not fully convinced my option was the best (very thin plastic from a folder). Maybe black racing stripes? Also, I wanted a one pickup guitar, and I had those parts lying around I wanted to use, but the knobs aren't wired: pickup goes straight through the jack. I photoshopped a blank control plate, but it felt naked (though if one day I stumble on a one-hole plate, just for the jack, I'd get that). Original pickguard was a light parchment one, but I found this thin bakelite one: I love it, but the outline don't match well around the horn, so I'll be looking for a new one. And there's a chrome armrest in the mail.

[countertext]

That looks pretty dope just like it is. Don’t change it TOO much!

[dezb1]

I have always loved Teles but I only had one for the longest time, which was my first ever guitar, a 2007 MIM Standard (fantastic neck on that thing). But late last year I had an itch to scratch when I saw a video on those Custom Shop CuNiFe Teles that were making the rounds. I almost forked over the money to buy one but the shop that had it kinda scoffed at me and didn't seem to care who you were unless you were a high profile customer, so I said fuck it I'll make my own version and save some change. Funnily enough that Tele is still for sale sitting there while the other ones from other shops already sold, nuff said...

Anyways, I found a used 2017 AO60's Tele that was already beat up at a small shop and got a decent deal on it. Since it was already secondhand, I didn't feel bad about having the rout made for it to accommodate the WRHB. I wired it up with 1 Meg pots for authenticity and put a Fralin Hum cancelling P-90 in the bridge. Sounds great and surprisingly not shrill considering the pots. Put an Andy Summers bridge too, so maybe that has something to do with it. Just wish I could swap out the neck for maple one, but maybe I'll do that in the future...

Nice! I Really like this... stick with rosewood on a bound Tele

[kamillebidan]

Nice! I Really like this... stick with rosewood on a bound Tele

I hate to break your heart but I quickly sold that neck for a maple AVRI 52 neck. I just can't get on with a rosewood Tele neck for some reason...

[garyfanclub]

Been absolutely loving the hell out of my '76 Greco TE-500 Thinline Tele copy lately. Pretty much on par with my '75 Tele custom insofar as feel, and it's definitely got the same vibe as the early MIJ Fenders (duh, these guys because MIJ Fender in the 80s!)

Yeah, they're not real WRHBs, but they've got their own amazing thing going on with those Maxon WRHB copies. This is a LOUD guitar, but it sounds surprisingly excellent clean. SUPER mean with the right fuzz. Also check out that swanky original case!

[dezb1]

Nice! I Really like this... stick with rosewood on a bound Tele

I hate to break your heart but I quickly sold that neck for a maple AVRI 52 neck. I just can't get on with a rosewood Tele neck for some reason...

I'm the same for all other teles but for some reason I prefer rosewood with binding.

[Shane110111]

Recent addition to the family. 2013 MIC Squier Classic Vibe 50's Telecaster modded with a white pickguard and compensated brass saddles. Seriously amazing guitar for the $330CDN I paid for it.

[sal paradise]

Recent addition to the family. 2013 MIC Squier Classic Vibe 50's Telecaster modded with a white pickguard and compensated brass saddles. Seriously amazing guitar for the $330CDN I paid for it.

Wow, the white pickguard really solves the body colour issue.

I love the sound of my cv, but the fake wood finish is uuugly. I resprayed mine v badly in sonic blue.

[Embenny]

Does this count?



It's honestly my perfect Telecaster if not the perfect telecaster.

-CS pickups. Fat, twangy Broadcaster in the bridge, Twisted Tele in the neck for strat-like tones. That combo is like a greatest hits combo of two of the best Fender tones.

-AV65 JM neck profile. Just perfect. Thicker than modern MIM teles, more tapered than '52 baseball vat necks.

-The deepest/most perfect-feeling forearm contour and back contour. None of that "Tele digging into my forearm" syndrome than keeps me from playing my purple Tele for extended sessions.

I initially scoffed at these when they came out because of the black blocks without binding - just seemed like a poor aesthetic choice. I believe this model was a bit of a whipping boy around OSG.

But now that I've gotten to play one? I don't even care about any of that, the flipping thing sounds and feels so much better than any Tele I've ever played. I got this one out of curiosity when it popped up locally, and figured I'd flip it once my curiosity was satisfied.

But I'll be damned if it isn't the best Telecaster I've ever played, and I got it at the same time I received a CS Esquire as part of a trade. The CS is gone and the Meteora remains. It's one of those things you wouldn't believe unless you experienced it firsthand. I never thought that this, of all models, would be one I could rave about.

It can do everything in the neck position that you could ask of a strat. It does everything in the bridge position you could ask of a Tele. The middle position is amazing and pretty much classic Tele. The bridge has the side walls of the ashtray cut down so they don't his the side of your hand. It feels like a Tele in all the good ways when you dig into it, but the contours make it more comfortable to play than even my JMs and Jags.

[JVG]

I can’t tell if you like it or not

Tele in a trenchcoat!

Haha, it’s great when you get something that completely surpasses expectations. The Meteora has been a bit polarising, but I love the body shape and think it will stand the test of time. Not as keen on the headstock in this application; Fender were a bit safe/lazy here, and should have designed something to compliment the body.

With DeedPoll/Guitarform now offering the Meteora shape, I’ve been giving a custom build serious thought. It’s my only opportunity as a lefty!