TheCross Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 ? I thought about a re-designed Tele based guitar kind-of bla. with a deep set neck tenon and a Tele baritone neck. so what's more important for the crisp sound? the bolt-on construction or the string tension/ scale length? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 Pickups, not kidding. Most important of all. Second scale length. Then material and construction (bolt on, string through body etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 A lot of people say that bridge plate has a lot to do with it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 Attitude and a good hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oz tradie Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 he he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 dont you mean "he-haw"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumphead Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 I have to agree with Mr. Swede. But I would say scale legth first, then pick-ups as even after market tele-type pups sound twangy too. I guess I would say pick ups first as long as they are tele-ish. Lip stick tubes sound pretty tele-ish in the neck pos of a strat, at least mine does. R- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glimmertwin Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 I would think the combination of scale length & pickups define the tele tone. I sure love me some teles.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 For those of you saying the scale length makes a tele sound like a tele consider this, the tele has a 25.5" scale length. What do ya know TONS of guitars have the 25.5 scale length and none of them sound like a tele. It's not in one thing alone. It's in the maple neck, the pickups, the scale length, the body wood, ant the construction (not in that perticular order) If I had to say one thing it's most in it would deffinitly be the pickups. Stick a strat pickup in a tele and it sounds much more like a strat, reverse that and stick a tele pickup in a strat and it will bring it much more into the tele territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 It's not in one thing alone. It's in the maple neck, the pickups, the scale length, the body wood, ant the construction (not in that perticular order) It's the bridge plate. Think about it...what's the big difference between a telecaster and every other guitar? Simple: it's the fact that the bridge pickup is set in metal, not wood. The other parts add to it, sure, but as Godin points out, there are tons of guitars with maple necks, same scale length, same wood, pretty much the same construction, and some of them even use single coil pickups. But they don't use that plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 Technically, I think it's the metal base plate of the tele pickup itself that re-focuses the magnetic field, rather than the bridge plate. Or so I've heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 I would think that the bridge itself is a just a solid mounting spot. It's still suspended by springs and a trio of screws. It's the windings and the polepieces that make it sound like a tele pickup. I believe it's more the pickup itself than the bridge. Particularly since many bridges (including the originals) are made of brass, which is non-magnetic. You can have a tele with a brass bridge, and it'll still sound like a tele. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 In my mind, it has -always- been the bridge plate, and not just -any- bridge plate, but it has to be the cheap stamped steel Fender bridgeplates, not that machined Brass Gotoh stuff, no no no no no...that is the heart and soul of a Telecaster is that cheap $5.00 stamped steel bridgeplate, it sets the stage for -everything- else. Pickups come next, very low impedance, nothing over 7k or so. Maple neck next. Then scale length. My opinion only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 Cool, I like cheap! So where you get them five dolla tele bridges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Well, I say woods are important too! I don't think a mahogany telecaster will sound very tele-like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Cool, I like cheap! So where you get them five dolla tele bridges? I think "five dollar" means "cheap." Try this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Cool, I like cheap! So where you get them five dolla tele bridges? fi' dolla for Fender...$15 for you... I bought a Fender plate for my tele...it's not exactly the same metal as those cheapos (I have a couple from the Chinese tele copies I butchered). Different kind fo metal --and the Fender plate is magnetized. You'd figure that that would have an influence too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCross Posted May 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 hm... so what do you think about a Tele bridge plate with a bucker spacing and loaded with a hb sized p90... good chances for a Tele-ISH sound(not 'THE' Tele but pretty similar spank with some more p90 growl to it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Ah well.. I kinda figured. Still a good price, but the $5 thing had me excited. A little more cheepnis pleez! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Actually, there's more I forgot to add. Besides the cheap stamped plate, which adds the 'twang' factor, you have the three sets of saddles instead of 6 individual saddles which add a lot more downward pressure per saddle on that stamped plate, those two things acting together are generally touted on the Telecaster boards as the biggest influence on the typical Tele sound. Having said that, you know that a lot of the hollows and semi-hollows from the 60's can sound an awful lot like a Tele, take the James Bond theme music, sounds a lot like a Tele, but was a semi-hollow or fully hollow guitar, FWIW. It is also spoken of that the typical Tele sound is as much in your playing style as anything else. If you don't know how to drive, the finest Mazzerati will just sit in the driveway and go nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 It is also spoken of that the typical Tele sound is as much in your playing style as anything else. Yeah, that's what I said. Attitude and a good hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCross Posted May 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 so if I go with a six saddle bridge and a hb sized p90 combined with a tele baritone scale not having a good hat.... what will I get? is it right that the 3 saddle tele bridge is pretty dang hard to get a proper intonation from? and if one string breaks the other one is pretty F intonation wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 FWIW, there's a company (I'd have to do a search unless someone knows offhand) that makes a semi-intonatable 3-saddle aftermarket replacement. Er, that was convoluted... let's try again: There's a company that makes these saddles that fit "traditional" 3-saddle Tele bridges, but are actually somewhat staggerred where the strings 'break' over the saddles, meaning that they are semi-intonatable. A picture would say a thousand words here, but I don't have the link handy. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 so if I go with a six saddle bridge and a hb sized p90 combined with a tele baritone scale not having a good hat.... what will I get? is it right that the 3 saddle tele bridge is pretty dang hard to get a proper intonation from? and if one string breaks the other one is pretty F intonation wise? A P90 and a long scale is gonna sound more like a Dano "tic-tac" bass or a Fender Bass VI, good hat or not. More than likely. If you want a Tele sound, play a Tele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 There are a few companies doing that, here's the one I prefer: http://www.glendaleguitars.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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