String Trees, Telecasters, and Barbara Mandrell.

[Glimmer]

vikingred – I suspect you are a pushover when it comes to guitars.  :icon_smile: Course you need a Tele. This year, next year, whenever. Just keep an eye on what's currently on offer and snap up the one that strikes your fancy. Quite a few lookers on there right now...

:glasses10:

 

[Glimmer]

I didn't get my first Telecaster or even spend any time playing one until I had already been playing guitar for over 20 years.

FWIW, it's the first electric guitar I ever owned (was a bass player in a former life). Got it from a friend. Never gave a $hit about it, just played it. Drug it all over town, clubs, bars, sessions, wherever. Still smells like cigarettes. Never realized what a fine guitar it was until much later. Now I'm just kinda humbled by it.

 

[Glimmer]

Admittedly, we've gotten far fu¢king away from string trees, but, once again, on the subject of Teles, check out Josh Smith's solo in the following vid. Starts about 6 mins in. Not my favorite Tele tone, but he's a mofo and tears it up:

[youtube]jHUsPEOrTOc[/youtube]

 

[Surf n Music]

I wanna join the fun. I made a tele. Although I made it as twangy as I could. I love it  :icon_biggrin:

 

[vikingred]

Ugh.  I'm not a twanger!  I'm a shredder and a banger!  Also not a color guy.  Woodgrain all the way.  Those bodies, man I love the Korina one.  I would set it up hot and mean sounding.  More dark.  Tone!  :hello2:

Next year, though.  So many projects.

 

[Surf n Music]

Ugh.  I'm not a twanger!  I'm a shredder and a banger!  Also not a color guy.  Woodgrain all the way.  Those bodies, man I love the Korina one.  I would set it up hot and mean sounding.  More dark.  Tone!  :hello2:

Next year, though.  So many projects.

Can't ya have both. A little twang and bang  :laughing7: all right back to sting trees.

 

[mayfly]

Admittedly, we've gotten far fu¢king away from string trees, but, once again, on the subject of Teles, check out Josh Smith's solo in the following vid. Starts about 6 mins in. Not my favorite Tele tone, but he's a mofo and tears it up:

[youtube]jHUsPEOrTOc[/youtube]

Kay-rist.

 

[Guitarsan]

Ugh.  I'm not a twanger!  I'm a shredder and a banger! 

Twanger?! Ha!  :laughing7:

Check out this twang, all recorded with teles.....

[youtube]UA7v0zknMCo[/youtube]

[youtube]s4nWy8pmIM4[/youtube]

[youtube]awc41KCxx0g[/youtube]

[youtube]66v2lnpvorE[/youtube]

Mr. Page twangin'.....

Roger Fisher and his "Barracuda" twanger....
(you heard it here first!)

 

[Glimmer]

I wanna join the fun. I made a tele. Although I made it as twangy as I could. I love it  :icon_biggrin:

Mighty purdy.  :icon_smile:

 

[mayfly]

Ugh.  I'm not a twanger!  I'm a shredder and a banger! 

Isn't that the same guitar that 'Born to be Wild' was recorded with?

 

[musicispeace]

I've gone around and around with techs in my city on this and here is what I have found as a strat player as of 2010. The one person here in town I trust and Cagey on the forum both have impressed me with basically the same conclusion. If the nut is properly cut and properly dialed in and you have adequate break angle without sitaring on the high B and E open strings then you can easily forgo string trees. I have 3 strats and not one of them has a string tree and I have experienced no issues. (also bearing in mind I have neither a light-as-a-feather touch nor am I a basher...somewhere in between) Now the luthier/tech I trust in town qualifies this with saying there may be some instruments that do need a string tree if all the angles and adjustments just don't provide enough in sum total to take care adequate break angle. Staggered tuners are certainly one additional tool for the job and I have them on one of my guitars. I believe Cagey feels about the same and may have added the observation that you see them on factory guitars because of the mass production of nuts and just how much time major manufacturers spend setting up a guitar. (Let alone what their idea of "set up" amounts to) There are many techs who think anything that has ever left the home (kids, pets, and certainly all Fender style guitars) need a string tree but I have not found that to be the case.

 

[fdesalvo]

 

[Guitarsan]

Isn't that the same guitar that 'Born to be Wild' was recorded with?

Ding ding ding! Sign the man up... yes, this '66 Telecaster was also used to write and record "Born to be Wild", another twangtastic song! Here's then guitarist Mars Bonfire of The Sparrows (pre-Steppenwolf, 1967ish) playing it. Talk about major mojo!

Actually I think I was wrong about the original photo caption, that is Roger Fisher, but I believe it's Howard Leese's guitar.

Complete with vintage string trees.  :headbang:

 

[Guitarsan]

Since I own an Eric Johnson Signature Strat, I know this also, about it:

"Johnson wanted his Strat to look as 'normal' as possible. Due to his desire for a string-tree-free headstock, one millimetre or so has been skimmed from its front surface and staggered Gotoh tuners fitted.

"The reason I did this is because the guitar stays in tune better," explains Eric. "It was my idea to stagger the tuners, then Michael Braun at Fender made it work by skimming the face of the peghead to increase string angle over the nut."

So they created a big enough string break angle by both using staggered tuners and shaving a bit off the front of the headstock, thereby slightly lowering the headstock and tuners, relative to the fretboard level. By the way, it must have worked, because this is one resonant Strat.


Regular Strat headstock:

Eric Johnson Strat headstock:

 

[vikingred]

I am now convinced I need to build a tele with string trees.  Ah, fuggit.

 

[stratamania]

I am now convinced I need to build a tele with string trees.  Ah, fuggit.

And a Floyd ?

 

[vikingred]

I am now convinced I need to build a tele with string trees.  Ah, fuggit.

And a Floyd ?

Ya know....maybe!  I actually saw a tele with a Schaller Hannes bridge (which I'm getting put on a soloist body right now) so if I love the Hannes, I may go that way, but I love me some FR, so that could also be a choice.  I ain't doing that classic ugly ass tele cage-bridge lookin thing, no friggin way!

 

[sixstringsamurai]

I want me a "Bakersfield Special".....
Cut my teeth watching Hee Haw...
I'd name her Tiger's Tail
AKA The TTTele

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Yup, Saturday afternoons in our house started off with HeeHaw, then the Barbara Mandrell Show, then Donny & Marie!

 

[sixstringsamurai]

Yup, Saturday afternoons in our house started off with HeeHaw, then the Barbara Mandrell Show, then Donny & Marie!

First Off... Sorry about the thread Hijack....
Mmmm...Barb Mandrell....
One hot country biscuit that could pick the hell outta a pedal steel.
I think she was my first TV lady crush.
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