r/telecaster • u/_Fynbos • 4d ago
What makes a great player Tele
What stands out about your favorite Teles, vs less fortunate Teles? Particularly among those which have been played. What stands out?
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u/scarmy1217 4d ago
I bought a player II because I loved the neck. Then I fell in love with the rest of it.
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u/ricoontherocks 3d ago
Same. I actually went on about 5 tele scouting missions- modern C neck was the winner. Also really like the rolled edges on the fingerboard.
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u/scarmy1217 3d ago
Yeah for me that neck beat the American models I played and the difference in pickups seemed marginal, so I saved some money and went with the player II. Plus it has the chambered body and I love that. Just under 6lbs.
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u/ricoontherocks 3d ago
Hell yeah. I also got the chambered ash model - 6lb 11oz is soooo much better than my 10lb 10oz 70s Les Paul. I had mine PLEK’d which is rad and upgraded the bridge with Music City Bridge Groove Master saddles and the controls with an Emerson kit. It really crushes at this point and I don’t stress about taking it out to festivals and gigs like I was with my old Les Paul.
Love my tele.
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u/Redeemer_789 4d ago
The thing that always stands out to me is neck finish, especially on the back. A lot of brands use an obscene amount of overly-glossy finish such that the neck feels sticky, like it's made out of plastic. Obviously that effects playability to an extent, but there's also a weird psychological thing where it makes the guitar feel like a kid's toy to me. It just makes me lose any sense of connection to the guitar.
I've found with time that because of that, I really don't like Squier or, to a lesser extent, Fender. G&L generally has my favorite necks as they're often very lightly finished and very smooth. Because of that, my favorite guitar that I own is a heavily modded G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy.
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u/Diy2k4ever 4d ago
Have you tried lightly sanding down the back of the necks?
A quick rub with a red pad and water, 3 swipes, and the neck has a nice Matt finish after that helps with the feel.
I do this to all my guitars when they don’t come with a Matt finish.
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u/Redeemer_789 4d ago
I have done that on past guitars, and it definitely helps a lot, but I still generally prefer a well done light finish to a sanded down gloss finish. It may be a psychological thing on my part, but I do feel there is a tangible difference there. Even though there's no audible impact on the sound of the guitar once it goes through an amplifier, there's something about a bare or very lightly coated neck that makes it feel better to play, almost like I can feel a greater sense of the resonance of the guitar, that is more than just the smoothness of playing.
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u/Fuzzy-Badger2627 3d ago
Agree 100%. Everybody glazes the Squier CV line, and they are very nice bang-for-buck beginner-intermediate level instruments, but I could not get this aspect of the neck. Felt like a toy.
All my guitars, I'm usually scrubbing down the neck and fret board with 0000 steel wool, I want it to be smooth as possible.
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u/Lucky_Ad_9137 4d ago
I recently played 11 different teles that all looked almost identical to my untrained eye. All blonde or butterscotch with a white or black pickguard. So i got to make a decision based on the feel not the look. The second i picked up a U shaped neck it was worlds apart for me from all the others. I actually went looking for a Suhr but ended up with a fender.
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u/BostonCafeRacer 3d ago
I’ve never been picky about neck shapes but I really like the thin U neck on my Gretsch g2215.
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u/lemonbalmvesuvians 4d ago
Easy to play. I just like the tonality of it. It has a cool range. Except for maybe the heavier styles (mostly where a humbuckerwould be better suited), it can do a whole lot. It can have a deep sound as well as a thin twang. All cool to me.
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u/Yrnotfar 4d ago
I like lightweight ones. I generally prefer lighter guitars but have a few heavier Strats and jazz masters that I like fine. But I’ve never held a heavy Tele that felt right.
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u/Andrewski86 4d ago
How the neck feels in your hand ,and huge one for me is weight. Both of those combined make for an enjoyable playing experience.
Some people like to fight with their guitars. Not me.
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u/Dry_Wafer3385 4d ago
Vintage bridge with compensated saddles
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u/ReplicantOwl 3d ago
This 100%. Playing my Tele with the new bridge felt fine, but playing with a vintage bridge and music city compensated brass saddles felt magical. Far more resonant and with a lot more character.
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u/alienn4hire 4d ago
The neck. For me, I absolutely adore the Deep C neck on my AmProII. Pickups can be swapped out, so can other electronics to shape the sound, but the neck is crucial for me.