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Post subject: Tele Gear Snobs
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:50 am
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Location: Eugene Or
Hi:

I saw a post for this but couldn't find it so I'm posting something that happened to me last month.

Our band was hosting an open mic for one of our weekend gigs. It's in a town an hour south of wher I live, Really didn't know most of the musicians that showed up.

We had an entire band show up (which was good) The guys were older than me. I'm 41 this band had members from late 50's to late 60's in it.

We were getting them set up and plugged in and one of the guitar players had a brand new American Deluxe Tele. He looked over at my Tele (A red 1994 MIM Std.) This guy started going off about my "Cheap Tele" he told me it wasn't a "Real Fender"
I was kinda shocked and said "Sorry...but back in 94 when I bought it...it was all I could afford"
I have 4 Teles......A 1989 Fender/Squier, 1994 MIM Std (Texas Special and a MOTS pickguard) 2004 Hwy 1, and a 2007 Baja Tele.

These guys started off playing...The were pretty good for what they did.

After they finished their set the guy kept going off about my guitar. I got up to play, and I played everything I could think of that had lots of weird chord progressions and tons of hot riffs. This guy just stared at me and my Tele. Then he comes up and said..."That guitar don't sound half bad boy"

I was irritated, but when he called me Boy..it made my blood boil.
I didn't yell, but firmly told the guy, It was none of his business what model Tele I played. I also told him I had a USA Tele at home and a couple others, The people dancing do not care where my guitar was made, as long as the music was good. I also told him his musicianship was far less than his arrogance and he was the weakest link in his band.

I never put other musicians down, this is a subjective business and everybody has their own right to play, but this guy was a real jerk and not that great a player. I haven't dealt with people like that in quite a while.

Our band is going to be playing this club fairly often, I just hope that I don't have to deal with him on the next one.

I did tell him, that the next Tele I bring will be even cheaper than the one I was playing that night. I'll bring my 89 Squire that's been slightly modded (52 reissue pickups, Music Man Tuners Speical Nut made of medrone wood and USA pots and switch) This is my FAV Tele of all 4 that I own.

Guys like this really tick me off.

Fender makes a great guitar and they make great stuff in every price range. I've been Really happy I have stuff from Squier to USA and all have served me well on Gigs and would sell any of them :D


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:57 am
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If you like it, why does it matter what he thinks? Is your band satisfied with your playing and sound/ do your audiences complain? do you get paid and/or have fun? If so, put him on the ignore list. some people will start conflict for the sake of conflict and they don't really matter in the big scheme of things.


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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:17 am
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I agree with you 100%.....Just couldn't believe this guy kept going off about that guitar, he even followed me when I just tried to walk away.


Biloxi23 wrote:
If you like it, why does it matter what he thinks? Is your band satisfied with your playing and sound/ do your audiences complain? do you get paid and/or have fun? If so, put him on the ignore list. some people will start conflict for the sake of conflict and they don't really matter in the big scheme of things.


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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:43 am
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Well done for not slapping him.

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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:38 pm
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guido wrote:
I agree with you 100%.....Just couldn't believe this guy kept going off about that guitar, he even followed me when I just tried to walk away.


Biloxi23 wrote:
If you like it, why does it matter what he thinks? Is your band satisfied with your playing and sound/ do your audiences complain? do you get paid and/or have fun? If so, put him on the ignore list. some people will start conflict for the sake of conflict and they don't really matter in the big scheme of things.


I started off in my first "serious" band with a cheap Korean LP clone. It was made during that brief period when someone at Gibson messed up and forgot to renew the patent. Bottom line: it played (and still does) like a dream, has a great mellow sound (somewhat unlike a real LP) and weighs much less than a real LP. I paid $159 for it when real ones were in the $900 range and the Ibanez clone was around $499.

From roughly 1970 to 1975, my band played steadily and even though we never made it to "headliner" status, we made a fair living at it. All with my $159 Korean clone. My only other guitar (backup) was a Mustang. That's it ... all I had. Yeah, we did run into snobs and jerks because we didn't have big name gear, a slick light show, etc. but we didn't care. Half those snobs weren't even working at the craft except maybe for jams and a few maybe-they-paid gigs here and there.

It's you, how you feel and whether the audience takes to it. Plain and simple. I never once had someone walk up to me and say, "Man, I would have really liked what you played and my GF would have gotten into to it too ... if only you hadn't been using that cheap Korean knock-off. But you know, I can only move my feet and her body if you have an authentic Les Paul and a REAL Marshall stack ... sorry dude!"


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Post subject: Re: Tele Gear Snobs
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:45 pm
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guido wrote:
This guy just stared at me and my Tele. Then he comes up and said..."That guitar don't sound half bad boy" I was irritated, but when he called me Boy, it made my blood boil.


Boy! Congratulations on keeping your cool.
Nice job.

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 2:11 pm
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Hi:

My first Brand New Tele was a Fender/Squier I bought back in 1989. I had the 52 re-issue Tele Pickups Installed at the store as soon as I paid for it, I later put Fender 250k pots and 3 way switch in it and later Music Man Tuners (similar to Klusons) This guitar has been on thousands of gigs and it's my Fav guitar out of 28 that I own, It sounds better than my MIM with Texas Specials that I was using, I'll take that one next time we do the open mic thing. I bet if that was the guitar I was using that night it would have been worse

But what really frosted me, is this guy only banged chords he wasn't a lead player his peavey amp make his tone sound like he buried his amp and all you heard was this muddy sound coming out of the ground. He's playing a $1200.00 Fender American Deluxe Tele....He would have sounded the same on any of my Tele's or a $159.00 Affinity Tele




philip602 wrote:
guido wrote:
I agree with you 100%.....Just couldn't believe this guy kept going off about that guitar, he even followed me when I just tried to walk away.


Biloxi23 wrote:
If you like it, why does it matter what he thinks? Is your band satisfied with your playing and sound/ do your audiences complain? do you get paid and/or have fun? If so, put him on the ignore list. some people will start conflict for the sake of conflict and they don't really matter in the big scheme of things.


I started off in my first "serious" band with a cheap Korean LP clone. It was made during that brief period when someone at Gibson messed up and forgot to renew the patent. Bottom line: it played (and still does) like a dream, has a great mellow sound (somewhat unlike a real LP) and weighs much less than a real LP. I paid $159 for it when real ones were in the $900 range and the Ibanez clone was around $499.

From roughly 1970 to 1975, my band played steadily and even though we never made it to "headliner" status, we made a fair living at it. All with my $159 Korean clone. My only other guitar (backup) was a Mustang. That's it ... all I had. Yeah, we did run into snobs and jerks because we didn't have big name gear, a slick light show, etc. but we didn't care. Half those snobs weren't even working at the craft except maybe for jams and a few maybe-they-paid gigs here and there.

It's you, how you feel and whether the audience takes to it. Plain and simple. I never once had someone walk up to me and say, "Man, I would have really liked what you played and my GF would have gotten into to it too ... if only you hadn't been using that cheap Korean knock-off. But you know, I can only move my feet and her body if you have an authentic Les Paul and a REAL Marshall stack ... sorry dude!"


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 2:14 pm
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thats crazy...
ive only ever seen snobbery towards squires and epiphones. Never seen anybody diss a guitar because of where its made.
After all to me a fenders a fender

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 2:18 pm
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Wow, you seem to have handled yourself well. Me, on the other hand, would have gotten my wire cutters out of my accesory bag and cut his strings at the 12th fret when he wasn't looking.

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 3:10 pm
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Guido,

Well done for keeping your cool. The guys sounds a right jerk.

Remember it only takes a fat wallet to own the best guitar but it takes talent to play it.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 3:45 pm
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Hi:

I was more shocked at this guys arrogance...You know when someone says something so off the wall and stupid...you can't respond very quick.





WORTHINGREBELS wrote:
Guido,

Well done for keeping your cool. The guys sounds a right jerk.

Remember it only takes a fat wallet to own the best guitar but it takes talent to play it.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 3:49 pm
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Hi:

When I was 21 I would have done that, At 41 I just wanted to wait til his back was turned and TAKE his guitar and put it in the trunk of my car and KEEP it...Absolute Jackass...And there wasn't any need for it. Never met the guy before.

I did tell the club he is NOT welcome on that stage when our band is playing, I do all our band's business and am the Bandleader



liveatsix wrote:
Wow, you seem to have handled yourself well. Me, on the other hand, would have gotten my wire cutters out of my accesory bag and cut his strings at the 12th fret when he wasn't looking.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:15 pm
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Today I bought the Squier Affinity Tele that I'd described here. Although I'd explained the good points of it, apparently folks didn't consider that before knocking that the $175.00 price tag was more than what a new, unmodified Squier Affinity Tele sells for. I guess I'll never truly understand why some folks think they absolutely must put down others' guitars/choice in guitars. Some folks buy a guitar at a certain price because that's all they can afford.

As you'd pointed out, there are some that'll buy a more expensive guitar but aren't the best guitar players. My only comment to that is, sometimes folks think the most expensive guitar will somehow make them sound better than they really are. I'll admit that I'm not the greatest player, but I can make nearly any guitar sound good, at multiple price points. If I can't get it to sound good, then it truly is the guitar that's the problem, and that includes the more expensive guitars, such as American Standards and American Vintage Reissues.

So really, when somebody is on their soap box, wondering why I'd buy a cheap model guitar for $10 or $20 more than a new one, my honest answer would be "because the tone/playability/tone and playability was there."

Matt

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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:20 pm
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It doesn't matter what other people think about your guitars. It matters what you think about them.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:55 pm
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Hey There:

I agree,theres a local guy who has one, he sanded the logo off the head because he got the same kind of complaints.

I got that years ago when My 89 Squire was my main and only Tele. I took it to a guy to set it up. He wouldn't work on junk. I asked him if I needed to buy a new guitar or could he set it up. He said the tuners were the only weak link. He set it up made a new nut changed out the tuners, when he was done he offered to trade me a more expensive Tele in trade. I said no It was my First Brand New 6 string Fender. I have played it for 19 years and would never sell it. Now 20 years later guys are looking for these same guitars because they were THAT good.

It just bugs me when these Fender guys think if it isn't USA made it's junk












Surfabilly wrote:
Today I bought the Squier Affinity Tele that I'd described here. Although I'd explained the good points of it, apparently folks didn't consider that before knocking that the $175.00 price tag was more than what a new, unmodified Squier Affinity Tele sells for. I guess I'll never truly understand why some folks think they absolutely must put down others' guitars/choice in guitars. Some folks buy a guitar at a certain price because that's all they can afford.

As you'd pointed out, there are some that'll buy a more expensive guitar but aren't the best guitar players. My only comment to that is, sometimes folks think the most expensive guitar will somehow make them sound better than they really are. I'll admit that I'm not the greatest player, but I can make nearly any guitar sound good, at multiple price points. If I can't get it to sound good, then it truly is the guitar that's the problem, and that includes the more expensive guitars, such as American Standards and American Vintage Reissues.

So really, when somebody is on their soap box, wondering why I'd buy a cheap model guitar for $10 or $20 more than a new one, my honest answer would be "because the tone/playability/tone and playability was there."

Matt


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