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Post subject: Never cared for Telecasters...until I got one
Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:16 am
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I'm a wise rocker (born in '59) and have known Jimmy Page played his Tele on the first album and occasionally since, and that may guitarists prefer them but still I always associated them primarily with twangin' country music (not that there's anything wrong with that) and was never keen on the look, from the body shape to the apparant lopped off portion of the headstock.

I've a number of pretty nice guitars. 3 Gibs; 335 Dot Gloss, LP Studio and Special (vintage P-90's); 2 FMIC Pro-line GreTschs, Dyna'd Club and Country Classic (Gent) an American Deluxe Strat and American Deluxe P-bass.

I bought a pre-loved '08 American Deluxe Ash Tele a week ago now. Butterscotch Blonde (only color combo that's ever really struck me for a Tele...imagine that), that I've really fallen for. It quickly became and will quite likely remain my favorite guitar.

Price was less than 2/3 of best on line prices. Has some pic scratchs on the guard, a couple slight dings that didn't crack the finish a little smaller than 1/8" I had to use my reading glasses to see, and a tiny bit of buckle rash on the back. Nothing else. No fretwear.

This is really a remarkable guitar. The easiest of my guitars for me to play...just splendid...and it sounds excellent. I play through a pair of DRRI's with a good selection of quality pedals or when at work (I've a great job and play here a lot) straight through a stock Blues Jr. NOS (excellent little amp, btw).

I've not taken any pics yet but will.

One question regarding the vintage treatment on the neck. I didn't think I'd care for it, but it's absolutely perfect with the bodys finish and is quite a contrast to the maple necks on my Strat and P-bass. But it was obviously applied after the frets were installed and is flaking off the tops of most of the frets. Looks kinda tacky upon close inspection and I'd thought of trying to dress the frets up and remove it. Concerned that I could end up knocking off a hunk somewhere on the actual board though, and when I expressed this concern to the rep, he suggested I leave it alone. Thoughts?

It really tickles me that this is the first production solid body guitar, introduced 60 years ago, is quite simple, and yet such a guitar.

In fact this is the color combination it was introduced in.

Second question...I understand the Strat is the most produced and most copied guitar of all time...I'd guess the Tele is probably right up there with the Les Paul?

I've got 8 Fenders, others not mentioned are a Pro Jr and a Bassman TV Twelve and I remain so impressed with this company.

My hat's off to all involved.


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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 6:31 am
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I always considered myself as a strat man, until I picked up my american ash deluxe tele, butterscotch, blk. pick-guard, an 06 and first tele, its my main axe now. :D, I'd leave it as is, Its gonna be a collectors item for sure.

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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:01 am
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>I'm a wise rocker (born in '59)<

How can you call yourself wise when you say you never cared for Telecasters !!

Well I was born in '59 too, and have three Tele's.


Just a :P

WELCOME to the club !!


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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:33 am
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I never cared for the Tele either...until I got one last week. I can`t put it down and it has become my go to guitar. The treble that their known for is great for that country blues style and I`m really enjoying mine.


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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:19 am
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In another 59er virgin to the tele's. But I am starting to want her badly. Mmm would like a light one perhaps vintage... I saw a few clips of guys playing a '69 tele and perhaps the amps had something to do with it, but compared to all others I heard the '69 was the best... Maybe its subconcious :lol:

Dan


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Post subject: Re: Never cared for Telecasters...until I got one
Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:53 am
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dafreeze wrote:
But [the finish] was obviously applied after the frets were installed and is flaking off the tops of most of the frets. Looks kinda tacky upon close inspection and I'd thought of trying to dress the frets up and remove it. Concerned that I could end up knocking off a hunk somewhere on the actual board though, and when I expressed this concern to the rep, he suggested I leave it alone. Thoughts?


This is normal for maple necks. Frets are installed before the neck is sprayed. It won't hurt anything to leave it alone and lots of it will wear off in time.

I've taken the time to remove all of the finish from all frets on a couple of maple Tele necks like this:

1. Tape between all frets. I use low-tack painter's tape for this and to even make the tape less tacky, I stick it on a towel or a tee shirt first and then apply it to the board. If you use tape that's too sticky, it can pull off chunks of the finish on the fingerboard when you remove it - don't ask me how I know this. :oops:

2. Use a sharp X-acto knife, a razor blade, or some similar sharp blade to slowly and carefully chip and scrape the finish off the frets.

3. When you're done, polish the frets with 0000 steel wool. I do this by rubbing the 0000 steel wool back and forth over all the frets in the same direction as the strings run, not side-to-side. I few good scrubs up and down the neck is all you really need to make the frets shine like chrome. Before you do this, tape over pickups, bridge, and controls to prevent bits of steel wool from sticking to the magnetic pickups and getting into places where they shouldn't be. I generally tape a piece of newspaper over the whole front of the guitar or bass when polishing frets. I also do this outdoors with the neck of the guitar pointing down at the ground. Those little bits of steel wool end up everywhere if you do this indoors. Ideally, I do this when the neck is off the guitar and I don't have to worry about taping up the body.

4. Carefully and slowly remove all the tape.

I should mention the necks I've done this on weren't on a brand new American Deluxe Tele. These were inexpensive MIM and MIJ necks from eBay and other sources and while I've been pleased with the results, I wasn't risking damage to a brand new $1000+ guitar.


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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:46 pm
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Don't forget you can rock out quite madly on those things too!

Tom Morello, Izzy Stradlin, Jim Root, John 5, Chris Cornell etc...

Enjoy!!

CC

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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 4:55 pm
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I lusted after Teles since I saw and heard Pete Townshend with one in the late 60s at that time they were his favourite.My wife finally surprised me with a Tele Christmas of 07 I was ecstatic to say the least.

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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 4:59 pm
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I had my tele awakening late in life too!! Always liked them but I always bought strats and then......... 8) :wink:


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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:46 pm
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fhopkins wrote:
I had my tele awakening late in life too!! Always liked them but I always bought strats and then......... 8) :wink:


+1 as my name implies...LOL but once I got my first Tele back in September...that was it. I rarely use my Strats...I am totally a Tele man now!


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:46 am
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Ha...perhaps I should have said 'wiser than I was a week ago'.

And it looks like I'm not alone, neither with my new found love or my age.

Thanks George, that's exactly how I thought I'd go about it, but I'm probably just gonna let it alone for a while.

I didn't take these pics, but they are of my guitar. Was gonna snap some last night but left the guitar at work in my locker. Will take some this evening.

Image

Image

Image

Image


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:03 am
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WOW what a site, now how can someone not love that !! That would be the same as not liking puppies!

You don't even have to play a Telecaster to love it .


Your subject:

>Never cared for Telecasters...until I got one<



ONE ??

Your in BIG trouble now
8)


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 1:15 pm
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What do you work as that they let you play guitar at work?

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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:20 am
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...same as not liking puppies.

That's funny!

One should be enough. Have a number of other guitars and if I started getting 2 or 3 or more of everything it'd get too crazy.

I work here. Rotating shift worker at a hydro-electric facility. Weekends (Fri-Sun; maint crew works 4 ten hour days), backshifts and holidays I make noise.
A little over 80% of my workdays fall into this category. And I average less than hour and a half in an 8 hour shift of chores. Tough job but...

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