My "to be built" blues guitar

[Cagey]

I've never owned a Tele. But, I can appreciate what you're saying. One of my favorite guitars of all time was one of my first, a '61 Melody Maker. It had a similar attraction to the Tele - there was nothing to think about but playing. Very few switches/knobs/pots cluttering the thing up. Straight, fat neck. Relatively accessible frets. No fancy mechanics. Just a straightforward guitar.

That's what's nice about Teles. Very straightforward. Has two pickups, so you get an inside voice and an outside voice, and a way to switch between them. One volume/tone. What else do you need?

My only problem with them has always been appearance. I've never liked the look of a Tele. Of course, that was before I started seeing what could be done with one here. Now, I'm getting the urge to finally make the jump. Just gotta get through a few other projects, then it'll be TeleTime. Probably in the spring, unless something falls in my lap.

 

[mayfly]

Just a reminder:

 

[stubhead]

He who spend excess hour poking through "Showcase" needs have heap big lap for things to "fall into."

- Ancient Chinese proverb, told to me by an old gypsy woman - you know, Chinese one - at a crossroads.

I was appalled it's made it all the way until the third page before I was reminded that the "blues is a feeling." You guys are off your Wheaties or something. Those Walmart Wheaties are not real Wheaties, kids - try the Sears Wheaties... I'm pretty sure Rachmaninoff is a feeling too, a kinda jumpy one.  :toothy12: I know where there are 47 versions of what the blues are, shoot a man in Memphis, proper blues cars etc. but I already used up all my stupid for the week. Three pages without it already? Well, I woke up this afternoon. Oh lawzy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXU7I_Yyi2Y

 

[Cagey]

Just a reminder:

Definitely not your father's Tele.

 

[mayfly]

Definitely not your father's Tele.

Yep  :headbang:

 

[Cagey]

He who spend excess hour poking through "Showcase" needs have heap big lap for things to "fall into."

- Ancient Chinese proverb, told to me by an old gypsy woman - you know, Chinese one - at a crossroads.

Hehe! Yeah. Well, you never know. EvilBay and Craig's List have been known to let a nice piece through here and there, and I've gotten a couple nice pieces from people here.

 

[Cagey]

Definitely not your father's Tele.

Yep  :headbang:

Channelling your inner Hendrix on a Tele, eh? <grin>

 

[juwel1998]

Hey to all of you,

well, I actually just look for an excuse for myself to start my first build. So let it be the body style pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee..... :icon_biggrin: :toothy10:
Yeah, blues is a feeling, whenever I hear (not very often) a nice blues song or even just the melody, it makes me cry, since I seem to remember all the mishaps that had happened to me.

Would you guys & gals advise to get the contours on the body or leave it without the contours?


@ reluctant-builder

Well, I am thinking of either mahogany or black korina on mahogany.  And my neck I would like it to be either zebrawood or goncalo alves on indian rosewood. The pickups I am thinking about either the Gibson '57 classic vintage or plus, or the Gibson 490T/R.


Ciao  JULIA

 

[Cagey]

The contours are for comfort's sake, so always get them. Unless, of course, you don't like to be comfortable. Don't laugh - some folks seem to enjoy not only uncomfortable instruments but dysfunctional hardware and noisy pickups as well. Some of them even go so far as to deliberately wreck the finish. I'm not making this up. Fender even makes some models like that on purpose and charges extra for them.

 

[mayfly]

uncomfortable instruments but dysfunctional hardware and noisy pickups as well. Some of them even go so far as to deliberately wreck the finish.

I think you just perfectly described an old tele  :icon_jokercolor:

 

[reluctant-builder]

I think, with either the korina + mahogany combo or just mahogany, that it might be worthwhile to consider P90s.

A lot people will dissuade you from P90s because of the hum, but they really do grit with such bite and clarity, unlike any other pickup, in my opinion.

Think "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood. The riff of that song is just gut-wrenchingly awesome; it reaches in, finds that feeling and pulls it out, with force. Granted, George uses an ES-125 archtop, which certainly imparts character to his sound. A solid body would not precisely replicate that, but that doesn't mean the tone of P90s in a mahogany solid body wouldn't be gut-wrenching in its own way.

Again, just my $0.02 ... but, just like with the blues itself, go with your gut-feeling once you get that feel for all the elements of your build.

 

[Cagey]

uncomfortable instruments but dysfunctional hardware and noisy pickups as well. Some of them even go so far as to deliberately wreck the finish.

I think you just perfectly described an old tele  :icon_jokercolor:

Old Teles and the majority of the Gibson line.

 

[hannaugh]

Build whatever style of guitar you want, but if you can get the comfort contours... do it.  It makes the guitar a hell of a lot more comfortable to play. 

If it were my build, already having the Strat and LP, I'd do either an old fashioned Tele, or an L5S with f holes and P90s.  Both of my Warmoths sing the blues quite nicely, as will just about any guitar that has appropriate pickups, but if you really want that good old blues vibe inside and out and you don't want a Strat or LP, that's where I'd go. 

 

[stubhead]

What's odd about the contour comfort on the top is, it messes up your playing if you try to "float" your right hand at speed. The rib thing, sure (though it's a bit odd on a long-scale bass unless you're chestrocking - a P-bass? But I really like the hard, defined Tele edge for my forearm to rest on. Normally I have my little finger at least touching the top, and of course there's palm-muting... but if you really want to let fly with the machinegun 32nds, you just close your hand into a fist with the pick pointing out and the "comfort contour" means your hand is floating from... the shoulder? Way back in the sixties those guys like Tal Farlow & Barney Kessel took advantage of the big blocky Gibson hollow body for this. And there's a reason Danny Gatton, Johnny Hiland, Brad Paisley and all them play Teles - if you try to combine fingers with a pick, your forearm is your anchor. This guy always knows where he is, even at speed he's doing interesting things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTf7Phrlos&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kwufHazaTU&feature=related

 

[dNA]

I echo the vote for P90's, based solely on the fact that you've got an LP and a strat. Personally, I don't believe in the idea that one guitar sounds a certain way. I dont' think the Les Paul sound is really exclusive to Les Pauls, the Tele sound to Teles, and the Strat sound to strats. I've heard plenty of people flip those ideas on their heads and I think it's all a matter of association and what people want to believe. That being said, a tele is a different aesthetic and design than the guitars you have and I imagine it'd give you something new. I think a guitar with P90's is probably even more a difference, especially if you go for warmer sounding tonewoods like mahogany, korina, rosewood, or goncalo alves. What you don't see that often in production guitars is those kinds of woods used with brighter pickups - more often than not you get maple with single coils and mahogany with humbuckers. P90's on a Mahogany Tele Deluxe or LPS is going to be kind a nice middle-of-the-road with it's own character IMO.

but whatever you do, you'll probably like it as long as you don't compromise too much on the details.

 

[mayfly]

I'd like to echo the above comments regarding the contour cuts and pickups and throw some of my own in:

- regarding the forearm cut - I too use the lack of a cut to stabilize my right arm.  I never noticed this before I got a strat and found I could not play the thing with anywhere near the speed and accuracy that I had become accustomed to with the tele.  In fact, when I got into teles, my speed and picking abilities went up to a new plateau in a few months.  I thought that it was because I was practicing more (new toy to play with dontchaknow), but maybe that flat top has something to do with it.

- regarding the tummy cut - get it if you like, but remember you won't be able to put a bender in it later if you do  :headbang: ccasion14: :guitaristgif:

- regarding P90 pickups - you know what, that's a hell of an (good) idea.  P90s are amazingly fat and loud, but somehow have a lot of clarity.  Pickup lore would have you believe that that's not possible - but P90s do it.  I have one P90 equipped telecaster and it's a beautiful thing.

 

[juwel1998]

@ Mayflown

As it seems to be the Tele Deluxe just offers "tummy cut" and "contoured heel". Sad that they don't offer the forearm cut........ Weird though, since I believe I did it before, but maybe that was with another body.  :sad1: :sad1:
Regardless to all that, since the echo on the P-90's seems to be so overwhelming, I should think to get the P-90's. 


@ dNA

mmhh, OK I gotta rethink on the pu's. "With its own character" that's something I want. My LP has mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard. I actually wanted a different kind of bodywood, but I guess I stay with mahogany for the body. Lam top I'll either use mahogany or black korina. I am actually not sure yet......


@ StubHead

yeah, my English is quite good (I am German), but I don't really get the point you're trying to make. Do you actually support the contours or not?
I thought about leaving them out, since I would like to have top and bottom binding. and with contours I cannot get the type of binding I would actually like.....


@hannaugh

The thought of the contours is cool, but what about the binding I want to have? I will not be able to get it neither on top nor on the bottom.
I know I want it all. Nice looks, comfortable to play, great sound.........



Sure I want a comfortable instrument, please all of you don't get me wrong, but what can I do concerning the perloid binding I want to have on top and bottom.
Any of you have maybe any advices?


Adios  JULIA

 

[juwel1998]

Hey everyone,

I just see, the P-90 is a single coil. What about the HB size hole in the pick-guard and body? What can I do?


Bye  JULIA

 

[Cagey]

I just see, the P-90 is a single coil. What about the HB size hole in the pick-guard and body? What can I do?

That's why they're so noisy. But, if you want to use them and leave yourself the option of putting in humbuckers later on, there are humbucker-sized P-90s available. For instance, there are the "Dream 90s from GFS, or Seymour Duncan's "Phat Cat" series.

 

[mayfly]

Hey everyone,

I just see, the P-90 is a single coil. What about the HB size hole in the pick-guard and body? What can I do?


Bye  JULIA

have you already ordered the body and pickguard?  if so, your only option is the humbucker sized P90s.  If not, you can get any pickup hole size you like when you order!