Mahogany Tele w/ humbuckers...???

[Stratmandu]

I've been jonesing for a Warmoth for years and now may finally be the time. 

I have a Strat and want something tonally different yet similarly styled. In short, I want an LP-sounding guitar with humbuckers, but in the shape of a Tele (non-carved top) with a pickguard.

So would a mahogany Tele like that achieve a sound similar to an LP? I know it won't be exact, but would it be close?

Thanks!

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Yeah, it won't be too far out. Any difference you can fix with pickup choice.

 

[Stratmandu]

Thanks! I've been thinking Bareknuckle Mules, but they are pretty expensive. SD '59s instead?

 

[Jumble Jumble]

59s are lovely. I have one in the neck of a tele. No hint of muddiness.

It might also be worth using a 24 3/4" conversion neck. That makes quite a difference.

 

[drewfx]

I'd say you can get in the ballpark with the right PU's and a conversion neck. But the reality is you never know exactly how a new build will turn out.

 

[bagman67]

What the others have said.  Mahogany body, and go with a conversion neck if you want to replicate the LP string tension as well.  In mahogany, too, for the neck, if you want to replicate Les Paulyness.

 

[tfarny]

If you really want a classic PAF sound, there are a million good options, I wouldn't pay through the nose. Duncan, Dimarzio, etc., all make a good PAF type. Your tele will probably be pretty close sound-wise. Don't get a super light body, solid mahogany at least 5 lb. Scale length matters too, if you are trying to really get an LP sound I'd get a conversion scale neck, '59 profile, and maybe even angle it back a bit like an actual LP and put a TuneOMatic on it. The last two, not so much for the sound, but it will feel different in your hands with a Gibson bridge and Gibson neck angle.

If you just want humbuckers on a tele, that's great, too.

 

[Stratmandu]

Thanks everyone!
Is a conversion neck a matter of tone as well as feel? Because I love the feel of a Strat compared to an LP...

 

[tfarny]

The biggest difference is in feel, but the tension also affects the sound to some extent. It's just a question of your priorities.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

There's a slight increase in treble with the longer neck - but if you want to keep the Tele feel, then go with the longer neck and get slightly hotter pickups to tame that treble a bit. So rather than the 59s, you might go with Pearly Gates (which are awesome anyway). Pearly Gates are stock in quite a few Fenders  - seems to be a good way to keep the feel and still get a PAF tone.

Or, you know, turn the treble or presence on the amp down a little.