I love my Telecasters...

Devil#20 · February 10

of which I have a few. However, I don't own a thinline and feel I should, or at least would like to. I know they are more expensive to build compared with a solid body but wtf are they so expensive? Anyway, I'm going to get one. Now the question is, what major difference should I expect (aside from weight obviously) compared to a std solid body. What should I look for specifically when looking for one? 60's or 70's reissues or just push the boat out and go custom shop which is probably a stupid idea if I don't like them? Unlikely to lose much selling on a CS in any case. Except in certain circumstances you never actually own a guitar anyway. You just rent it for a period of time. On that basis and without going completely off piste my budget is £300 to £3000. Wood and wires at the end of the day. It's a question for those that realise the Telecaster is the best guitar ever produced.

tone1 · February 10

I was playing my Nash Thinline this morning, and I thought it was just absolutely amazing

Devil#20 · February 10

tone1 said:

I was playing my Nash Thinline this morning, and I thought it was just absolutely amazing

Yes but what makes it different from a solid body bolt on neck?

tone1 · February 10

It’s the airy-ness….335/Les Paul/acoustic quality….If you’d asked me this morning, I’d have said it was my number one.

Devil#20 · February 10

What do I need to look out for and what to avoid?

SquireJapan · February 10

Is a thinline louder acousticly? I don’t understand the point of them … not in a negative sense, just that in clueless.

GoldenEraGuitars · February 10

Thinlines are awesome

Devil#20 · February 10

SquireJapan said:

Is a thinline louder acousticly? I don’t understand the point of them … not in a negative sense, just that in clueless.

Me and you both. Thought I might have got a bit more practical advice on here rather than they are great.

HAL9000 · February 10

I’ve owned a G&L Tribute thinline and loved the sound of it. More ‘air-y’ than a regular Tele. Only moved it on as it brought back bad memories due to a death in the family around the time I bought it. Would like to buy another thinline in future but not G&L - my experience was that it wasn’t that well finished or put together. My current choice would be for a Fender 60s Thinline since I like the clarity of single-coil pickups.

Paul_C · February 10

Devil#20 said:

SquireJapan said:

Is a thinline louder acousticly? I don’t understand the point of them … not in a negative sense, just that in clueless.

Me and you both. Thought I might have got a bit more practical advice on here rather than they are great.

I can offer "they look horrible" if that's any help ?

(not a fan of F holes) but I'm sure they sound fine if you can live with that

richman6100 · February 11

If you don't require 'Fender' on the headstock, check out a Suhr Alt T Pro if you can find a second hand one with Thornbuckers. Should be within budget pre-owned and it's a very special guitar.

Lebarque · February 11

SquireJapan said:

Is a thinline louder acousticly? I don’t understand the point of them … not in a negative sense, just that in clueless.

I believe it was just to reduce weight originally. Sonically, there's a slight semi-acoustic quality, but nothing compared to an ES335, Gretsch etc.

BillDL · February 11

I find that they still sound like Telecasters, but have more of a shimmering sound. It's a fairly subtle difference from a solid body and hard to describe until you play one, especially through a clean warm amp.

I like my Vintage V72 with the mini humbucker in the neck.

https://vintageguitarsrus.com/products/vintage-v72-custom-spec-tl-electric-guitar-flame-tobacco-burst

Musical_Mystery_Tour · February 11

Devil#20 said:

what major difference should I expect (aside from weight obviously) compared to a std solid body. What should I look for specifically when looking for one?

Thinlines with standard Tele pick ups are usually a bit less bright and twangy than regular Teles, although the difference is subtle, so it depends on if you want that, however...

The Wide Range Humbuckers on a '70's Telecaster Thinline (and Deluxe) offers a pretty unique sound. The original '70s ones have CuNiFe magnets and large bobbins, which gives them a distinctive treble-ish tone for a humbucker (sort of like a more gutsy P90). Unfortunately the modern reissues of the '70s Tele Thinlines with what look like the original wide range humbuckers (but are not the same) don't have those magnets in them, so they don't have that unique sound, although they do still have a unique sound of their own, so it's not all bad news.

However, you can get re-issued versions of those original-spec pickups from Fender which replicate that construction including using those magnets, and those do get that sound, but they ain't cheap; I think they are about 250 quid each, so that'd 500 quid to stick a pair of them on a Squier version of the Thinline, which itself is about 450 notes, but that would mean you could have a Telecaster Thinline which does replicate the sought-after sound of 70s wide-range humbucker-equipped Tele, for a total of just under a grand. Or you could add them to a Fender version (for obviously more money), or, you could seek out an original with the original pick ups, but good luck finding one of those which doesn't require you to sell a kidney. Or you could stick them on a Harley Benton Thinline and really piss everyone off by having a Telecaster copy, but one which sounds a shitload better than everyone else's real Fender Thinline and which only cost you 700 quid all-in lol.

If you want an example of that wide range humbucker sound, you can hear it on Yes Into the Lens, (note that guitar in the vid is not the one on the actual recording), in fact the entire album that track is from (Drama) has lots of that kind of guitar sound coming from those wide range Fender pick ups on a Tele, and from the P90s on a LP Gold Top. At the time it was recorded, some people in the studio were critical of Steve Howe's tone, suggesting there was way too much treble on it, but upon completion of the mix, those people recognised that the sound he was going for really did suit the rest of the band's tone and that he was - as was usually the case - way ahead of his time.

That's why Fender stopped making those wide range pickups, but when they realised that all the tone-deaf tin-eared bastards who never originally liked that sound and prompted Fender to discontinue producing them, now do like that sound, Fender started making them again. A case of pearls before swine if ever there was one. Anyway, no Tele collection is complete without a Thinline and one with a humbucker or two, so why not do it all in one guitar?

stickyfiddle · February 11

I love a good thinline with proper WRHBs. strongly considering one for my next build.

chris78 · February 11

I like them and my avatar tele is a thinline.
They have a little less balls than a solid body. Not dramatically different but it’s there.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob · February 11

If you don't mind it not having Fender on the headstock, then the Thinline that @Castro is selling on here looks pretty spectacular...

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/261433/fs-frank-brothers-signature-4-299-mario-martin-72-thinline-2-299

chrisj1602 · February 11

I’ve only owned one, a Squier Pro Tone, it was really nice. The new Vintera II 60s Thinline looks great and has tempted me.

I didn’t know until reading a couple of years back that the Thinline was designed by Roger Rossmeisl, who had designed the Rickenbacker 330 and 360, so the body is constructed in the same way.

Neil · February 11

When the wood used for Teles started to get too heavy Fender just carved lumps out and called it the Thinline - genius!

CarbonCopy · February 11

Musical_Mystery_Tour said:

Devil#20 said:

what major difference should I expect (aside from weight obviously) compared to a std solid body. What should I look for specifically when looking for one?

Thinlines with standard Tele pick ups are usually a bit less bright and twangy than regular Teles, although the difference is subtle, so it depends on if you want that, however...

The Wide Range Humbuckers on a '70's Telecaster Thinline (and Deluxe) offers a pretty unique sound. The original '70s ones have CuNiFe magnets and large bobbins, which gives them a distinctive treble-ish tone for a humbucker (sort of like a more gutsy P90). Unfortunately the modern reissues of the '70s Tele Thinlines with what look like the original wide range humbuckers (but are not the same) don't have those magnets in them, so they don't have that unique sound, although they do still have a unique sound of their own, so it's not all bad news.

However, you can get re-issued versions of those original-spec pickups from Fender which replicate that construction including using those magnets, and those do get that sound, but they ain't cheap; I think they are about 250 quid each, so that'd 500 quid to stick a pair of them on a Squier version of the Thinline, which itself is about 450 notes, but that would mean you could have a Telecaster Thinline which does replicate the sought-after sound of 70s wide-range humbucker-equipped Tele, for a total of just under a grand. Or you could add them to a Fender version (for obviously more money), or, you could seek out an original with the original pick ups, but good luck finding one of those which doesn't require you to sell a kidney. Or you could stick them on a Harley Benton Thinline and really piss everyone off by having a Telecaster copy, but one which sounds a shitload better than everyone else's real Fender Thinline and which only cost you 700 quid all-in lol.

If you want an example of that wide range humbucker sound, you can hear it on Yes Into the Lens, (note that guitar in the vid is not the one on the actual recording), in fact the entire album that track is from (Drama) has lots of that kind of guitar sound coming from those wide range Fender pick ups on a Tele, and from the P90s on a LP Gold Top. At the time it was recorded, some people in the studio were critical of Steve Howe's tone, suggesting there was way too much treble on it, but upon completion of the mix, those people recognised that the sound he was going for really did suit the rest of the band's tone and that he was - as was usually the case - way ahead of his time.

That's why Fender stopped making those wide range pickups, but when they realised that all the tone-deaf tin-eared bastards who never originally liked that sound and prompted Fender to discontinue producing them, now do like that sound, Fender started making them again. A case of pearls before swine if ever there was one. Anyway, no Tele collection is complete without a Thinline and one with a humbucker or two, so why not do it all in one guitar?

The modern reissues do have Cunife pickups:

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/electric-guitars/telecaster/american-vintage-ii-1972-telecaster-thinline/0110392802.html

CarbonCopy · February 11

chris78 said:

I like them and my avatar tele is a thinline.
They have a little less balls than a solid body. Not dramatically different but it’s there.

This was my experience too, but that experience was quite limited. It seems to make the guitar less like a Tele, softening the attack. That's not a bad thing necessarily, just different and not what wanted from a Tele.

My friend has a Custom Shop Thinline though which I've not tried yet but would be interested to see if it shares similar traits.

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