Do I want a tele?

Exorcist

whatever you do, keep the junior.

CarpeDiem

I can understand why you are considering a Tele, and your mixed views as to how they look. However, the range of players and musical styles achievable makes them quite versatile. A key question for me is why you're not playing your Strat or LP Junior? If you don't have any other guitars, I would hold onto them and save up for a Tele.

pintspiller

Have you tried a Nashville Tele? Might cover most of the required Strat and Tele tones.

usedtobe

For a long time, I thought they were the ugliest guitars going. Then one day, I got them. Same with SGs. Get one, keep the junior, and sell the strat - they're gash!

ICBM

CarpeDiem said:

I can understand why you are considering a Tele, and your mixed views as to how they look. However, the range of players and musical styles achievable makes them quite versatile. A key question for me is why you're not playing your Strat or LP Junior? If you don't have any other guitars, I would hold onto them and save up for a Tele.

I would sell them - one good guitar you feel comfortable with is far better than two you don't really play. As you say, a guitar is versatile because of the player, you don't "need" more than one guitar.

rico

CarpeDiem said:

I can understand why you are considering a Tele, and your mixed views as to how they look. However, the range of players and musical styles achievable makes them quite versatile. A key question for me is why you're not playing your Strat or LP Junior? If you don't have any other guitars, I would hold onto them and save up for a Tele.

Sorry should have said, my main guitar is a full fat LP which I love. I'm probably going to keep the strat and the Junior I can take or leave (it's nothing special, just a 2011 one) so if that went I'd look to replace with something. 

I wouldn't mind trying another SG but now I feel like I'm going round in circles! 

Often its the thrill of the chase and then when I get what I've been lusting after I lose interest. Kind of what happened with the LPJ... 

mikeyrob73

I love juniors, wish I had never sold mine actually :-(

Panama_Jack666

http://i.imgur.com/RhAqj54.jpg

Bridgehouse

mikeyrob73 said:

Yes.yes you should everyone should have a tele :-)

Was unsure which of two ripostes to give you, so decided you can have both and choose which one you prefer:

A: But they don't do really pointy mini-teles...

B: Why? The BBC is crap these days, ITV is all adverts, and Sky just peddle endless rehashed American Crap.


Take yer pick

HAL9000

Yes you do.  The plank body and the rugged simplicity are all part of the charm for me. OK, not as sexy as a Strat, but still a classic shape which I love. And, as others have already pointed out, they are far more versatile than you'd probably expect. 

Also, Keef, Wilko, and Brooce play Teles which is reason enough to want one. I suspect Keef with a Strat would look all kinds of wrong. (I know at this point that someone will probably post a picture of Keef with a Strat and he will still look cooler than Pingu's Ray-Bans.)

mikeyrob73

Bridgehouse said

mikeyrob73 said:

Yes.yes you should everyone should have a tele :-)

Was unsure which of two ripostes to give you, so decided you can have both and choose which one you prefer:

A: But they don't do really pointy mini-teles...

B: Why? The BBC is crap these days, ITV is all adverts, and Sky just peddle endless rehashed American Crap.


Take yer pick

Option A please, B was a bit rubbish tbh

CarpeDiem

If you think it's the thrill of the chase that's more appealing, then I would continue the fun of the chase and not rush into buying the Tele. Try your bandmate's again and visit a guitar shop. You'll know if you get an initial bonding with it.

stratman3142

CarpeDiem said:

If you think it's the thrill of the chase that's more appealing, then I would continue the fun of the chase and not rush into buying the Tele. Try your bandmate's again and visit a guitar shop. You'll know if you get an initial bonding with it.

I think this is good advice.

I've always tried numerous guitars until I found one I really bonded with. What I'm not 100% sure about is whether it's a specific guitar I bond with, or whether I might possibly bond with some of the same type with the same spec/model/year. If you bond with your bandmate's Tele then at least you can narrow down your options of where to look.

I wasn't keen on Tele's in my younger days. Back then I considered them a bit puny, but I've grown to like them more and more over the years. I think a turning point was when I saw Robben Ford playing a Tele through a couple of Fender Twins and he got a big fat sound. Plus players such as John 5, Ritchie Kotzen and Greg Koch have probably influenced my perception.

I like the understated look (lack of flash) of a Tele that's the opposite of pointy guitars, yet they can rock out just as well.

After trying many, I finally found the Tele I bonded with a few months back which is a 2017 Professional Series model. It's the guitar I play the most at the moment. From the body markings, I now know for certain that it's the actual butterscotch Tele that appears from 20:14 in the clip below. Also, it's as light as a feather which suits my bad back. It's got fantastic sustain and ready to feedback with a bit of gain, without any hint of microphony.

Rocker

The Tele is the most discussed guitar in the world. Details, mostly trivial, like the body or the scratchplate colour account for millions of words on Internet forums. The reality is that if you play guitar, you need a Tele in your collection. There are so many variations that it is only by playing one, you will find an instrument that you bond with. Some aspects of the design are completely daft: the jack socket retaining clips and the selector switch rather than the volume control at the front of the control panel, for example. But these issues can be fixed. Get yourself one and stop wondering. You won't regret it.

Bridgehouse

mikeyrob73 said:

Bridgehouse said

mikeyrob73 said:

Yes.yes you should everyone should have a tele :-)

Was unsure which of two ripostes to give you, so decided you can have both and choose which one you prefer:

A: But they don't do really pointy mini-teles...

B: Why? The BBC is crap these days, ITV is all adverts, and Sky just peddle endless rehashed American Crap.


Take yer pick

Option A please, B was a bit rubbish tbh

I was also considering option c:

Just like everyone should have a P bass

stimpsonslostson

If you fancy a telecaster I'd suggest building a partscaster as a low(ish) cost way of dipping your toes as it were. 
Teles lend themselves to home building & modding more than any other guitar. 

vasselmeyer

The answer is not whether or not you need a Tele, but how many do you need? The answer is, of course," just one more".

mikeyrob73

i suspect asking a guitar forum if you need another guitar is only going to end one way. 

ChuckManual

Having never owned one before, I bought a Tele - partly because I had some Joe Barden p/ups hanging about, but mostly because a friend makes a new type of bridge for them and I thought it would be a good idea to marry all those things up.

That was a year ago ...and the guitar remains stock - because it's fantastic!

Dive in...

midlifecrisis

i never liked them, thought they looked ugly, not very cool, then i tried one 6 months ago, liked it , bought a cheap squier affinity one, which was excellent and then bought a fender baja off a fretboarder here at the begining of the year and that is my main guitar now, i hardly pickup up my les paul. i would love a few more teles, cant really justify it tho