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Post subject: Fender American Professional, two Tels sound different
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:58 pm
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Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:54 am
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I went to a store and compared a Butterscotch Tele and a sunburst professional. I was surprised about two things.

1. Even though there is more work to paint the sun burst, the butterscotch version costs $100 more.

2. The sunburst version had more spank than the butterscotch version.

Anyone know why the price and sound difference?


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Post subject: Re: Fender American Professional, two Tels sound different
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:19 pm
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Location: Denver, CO, USA
The sunburst is Alder, the butterscotch blonde is Ash.

Ash requires grain-filling before finishing, Alder doesn't. More labor, more cost.

And translucent colors like blonde are hard to spray evenly. Takes just as much skill and time as sunburst.

Wood prices vary, but Ash is usually more expensive.

So that all explains the pricing.

Ash sounds a little different than Alder. But that's only part of the sonic difference.

You can play two identical Teles, and sometimes they'll sound remarkably different. Wood varies, even if it's the same species. Even if it comes from the same exact tree -- the lumber from the base of the tree is denser than the lumber from the top of the tree.

Plus other variables. Pots, caps, pickup coils all have tolerances.

Pickups adjusted a mm closer to the strings sound different.

And the strings themselves -- if both guitars were out on the sales floor (not fresh out of their shipping boxes), one of them may have been played more than the other, so the strings are deader.


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Post subject: Re: Fender American Professional, two Tels sound different
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:02 pm
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Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:34 pm
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Location: Athens, Greece
Alder matches perfectly with a rosewood neck, resulting to a warm, mellow sound.

Conversely, ash is more suitable with a maple fingerboard, providing snap, spank and brightness. This combination works in conjunction with single-coil pickups.

Pot resistance is an important factor affecting the tone.


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