It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:45 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 2:12 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:11 am
Posts: 190
What's the purpose of the Thinline Tele? Does it have special tonal characteristics (different to the solid body) or/and is it the idea to just have a lighter version of the Tele? I have never played one so I am curious. Thanks


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:01 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:29 am
Posts: 937
mine is a little bit louder played unplugged compared to a solid body. it is also obviously a bit lighter, though be aware the hollow bit only runs from the top edge (as you hold it to play) to where the bridge starts at the low E string, so only about 1/3rd of the body is hollow. the rest is still solid. tonewise, its hard to say unless you play a thinline next to a solid body that both have the same pups. my thinline is the JA90, which is nothing like anything else i have, so cant really compare it to the '62 custom tele. im sure there is a difference in tone, but unless you play clean/clean-ish or unplugged i doubt you'd notice.

also i think they look great, which is to be honest the main reason i wanted one.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:29 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:19 pm
Posts: 60
Hi tremolo arm,

I have tested (many) and owned (only 3) teles to date. Particularly, I have A/B box (side by side, same amp) tested solid vs thinline teles which were set up comparably. I believe blindfolded I could tell you the difference, if all other factors were close. The difference is more obvious the higher the volume. The difference is less obvious to me, but still there when the bridge pickups are compared, and most obvious on the neck pickup. Others have described the thinline as "open, airy, has bloom, an ethereal sustain...", as opposed to the solid tele "in your face, punchy, aggressive" tones. I would agree with all this. There are all kinds of genuine Fenders, clones, partscasters and such built as thinlines and a lot of these have humbuckers in either or both positions. I prefer single coils myself, and I think the thinlines tonal difference is more obvious with single coils. Some folks like humbucker thinlines for jazz guitar.

See comments including mine in the "Tele Select" thread recently added on this page. One of the 3 new tele Selects is a chambered (ash with maple top) tele but without the traditional thinline f-hole in the top, and it sounds like a thinline compared to other 2 Selects (empress wood, no chamber with maple or koa top).

Hope this helped. I think the Thinline sound is a great choice for rhythm guitar. Craig H


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:51 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 3:32 pm
Posts: 3
I own A 72 (mim) Thinline with 2 humbuckers. I find it a really mellow guitar when you want it to be. I'm not much of a player so I play a lot of slow moody stuff. The Thinline seems to give me mellowness without muddiness and as someone said, it is really good for rhythm. I'm not saying that other Teles fall short in that area but with the Thinline, it just seem easier for me to get there. I own several other teles and I do think there is a disinct difference in tone but the twang is still there at the bridge pup when you want it. I own other makes with humbuckers but there's just something about a Tele. If you get a chance, try one. Mine is natural (Ash) and it's beautifu.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 5:43 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 3:13 pm
Posts: 108
If you are player, the Thinlines can sing with the best. I have a 72 thinline and I play regularly. Been at it 40+ yrs. and use either my Les Paul, Stratocaster, or the Thinline when I play out. It has a unique sound that, when you get use to it, you won't find it in another type of guitar. The Thinlines excel in low volume playing unlike any solid body guitar can do.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 6:09 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
As I understand the history of the Telecaster there was a point in time when the ash that Fender was buying was very dense and heavy and they apparently decided to hollow out some of the Teles to keep weight down. There are some very subtle differences in how the Thinline sounds compared to a solid body but the average person would be hard pressed to describe that difference in words, assuming he can even hear it in the first place. Most players will use the words "vibe" and "resonance" somewhere in their descriptions but those words have always seemed subjective to me and without any established hard scientific definitions. In my experience it's pretty hard to find a Tele that doesn't sound like a Tele. Neck buckers or Thinlines make some difference but they still sound more like Teles than anything else. I suspect the average newbie would not hear the difference at all.

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 7:42 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:35 pm
Posts: 1212
Location: No way
Playing- and doing it well-comes easier when you're inspired. Good instruments gives loads of inspiration :D Good playability & good sound (and good looks !) makes a big difference IMO. I was thinking much about these thinlines ,and their sound -and was 'GASing' for one. When I heard these guys live, they just confirmed my desire. I arrived late to their gig , and I did not know anything about the band,except friends telling me they were good (locals here) Before entering the room i heard sweet sounds - and I was very eager to see if they used thinlines. And they did ! I could spot it without having one. You can hear their mellow tone in this (poor) vid- (even the sound is poor), but still easy to spot the tele-thin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF_lCVTBEC0
So here the sound is quite mellow -but I must say mine are pretty easy to pull out some serious Hendrix-sounds from! I don't really know , but I find the neck-pups to transmit more overtones than in a solid body ,and thereby add up the sound to be real fat , but airy.....still having the tele-spank in the bridge. Just had a set-up and cleaning to my MIM , the newest I own. Took a pic w phone when finished:
Image
Love it , and recommend trying one :D

_________________
ImageA-man


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 11:36 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:52 pm
Posts: 37
Location: New Jersey Pine Barrens
asgeirman wrote:
Playing- and doing it well-comes easier when you're inspired. Good instruments gives loads of inspiration :D


That is so true. I had thinline back in 1973 but sold it long ago. Getting back into the electric guitar now, I traded in my MIM solid body telecaster for a new MIM Classic 72 thinline which is virtually identical to my original one. I love it - like coming home again after almost 40 years away.

It's fun to practice with it unplugged. I also agree with Rockerduck that it sounds nice amplified at low volume, so that you can still hear a bit of the acoustic sound directly from the guitar. And the lower weight is also a big plus.

But really, you could also ask "why" about any other model telecaster. And the answer is "why not"? As long as people buy them, they will keep making them.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:15 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:54 am
Posts: 2573
Location: Laurel, MD
Definately a different sound.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:11 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:46 pm
Posts: 2041
Image

Tab Benoit thinks Thinlines sound the best!

_________________
Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:20 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:52 pm
Posts: 37
Location: New Jersey Pine Barrens
I just got a Modern Player Thinline Deluxe to keep my Classic 72 Thinline company. It is terrific; very playable, sounds great and appears to be well made. Very impressive for a $400 guitar! :D

Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 7:20 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:35 pm
Posts: 1212
Location: No way
Boyd01 wrote:
I just got a Modern Player Thinline Deluxe to keep my Classic 72 Thinline company. It is terrific; very playable, sounds great and appears to be well made. Very impressive for a $400 guitar! :D

Congrats on that ! Nice guitar-nice picture ! :D

_________________
ImageA-man


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 1:16 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:52 pm
Posts: 37
Location: New Jersey Pine Barrens
Thanks! :)

BMW-KTM wrote:
As I understand the history of the Telecaster there was a point in time when the ash that Fender was buying was very dense and heavy and they apparently decided to hollow out some of the Teles to keep weight down.


I just weighed my guitars, and the Classic 72 Thinline comes in at 6.5 pounds while the Modern Player Thinline is only 6.0 pounds. I believe the solid body Telecasters are somewhere around the 7 to 8 pound range.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:52 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:29 am
Posts: 937
i just roughly weighed my '72 custom tele, as i think its my heaviest tele, at a tiny smidge under 7 lbs.

my JA90 Thinline weighs 5.9lbs, and thats WITH a bigsby ive fitted to it, which was a bit hefty in itself.

Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Thinline Telecaster - why?
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:54 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:52 pm
Posts: 37
Location: New Jersey Pine Barrens
Wow, what a beautiful guitar! 8)

I traded a MIM Classic 72 Custom for my Classic 72 Thinline. The 72 Custom definitely felt a lot heaver than the thinline.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: