Telecasters

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Russ Gannicott
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Russ Gannicott » Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:51 pm

Ok here we ....without the aid of a safety net!!

Steve Cropper
Jeff Buckley
Bruce Springsteen
Bob Dylan
Danny Gatton
Dave Gilmour
Steve Howe
Syd Barret
Rick Parfitt
Francis Rossi
Will Ray
John Jorgenson
Pete Townsend
and of course not forgeting........
WILKO JOHNSON!


Interesting mix when you look at it; some virtuoso players, some songwriters and some who weild their guitars like tools. As we have said - The Telecaster, all things to all men! I do feel a little guilty that I haven't thought of any women though. Perhaps someone else could help out there?

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GORDON
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Re: Telecasters

Postby GORDON » Sun Apr 14, 2013 10:15 am

Chrissie Hynd?

Great list Russ.

G.

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Roger USA
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Roger USA » Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:52 pm

For sure Chrissie Hynd.

I think Mike Oldfield was primarily a Telecaster player in the 70's. Well I say primarily....that is when he was playing a guitar.

I am sure there are others!

Roger

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Russ Gannicott
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Russ Gannicott » Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:07 pm

Thinking about it, it would probably be shorter to compile a list of guitarists that own or play a Tele!!

Trevor Raggatt
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Trevor Raggatt » Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:32 pm

I was going to nominate Steve Cropper and the great Wilko so instead I'll throw in...

The Iceman, Albert Collins

Then there's also Graham Coxon and Joe Strummer

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Roger
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Roger » Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:10 pm

Russ/Trevor,

Nice to see you both mentioning Wilko :D Really admire him for always letting folks know that it was Mick Green who inspired his playing style.

Russ - any ideas about a replacement neck for my cheapie Tele - any thoughts much appreciated!

Roger

PS Continuing the theme, Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music played a Tele around 1974/5, but now favours his Strats, Les Pauls and his trademark Firebird. And I read somewhere that Brian May used a Tele for the solo on "Crazy Little Thing called Love" :D

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GORDON
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Re: Telecasters

Postby GORDON » Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:27 am

Hi Roger.

You being a leftie may make it a tad more difficult to find, but E BAY is always a good option guv.If you thought it was worth it you could always get one made, but my guess is that it would cost more than the guitar is worth.Can you remind me of the make again please Roger?

Love to both.

G.

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Roger
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Roger » Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:21 am

Gordon,

The guitar is a Harrier Mistral. I have fitted a Trev Wilkinson bridge and tuners, but even after doing a fair bit of work on the neck I've come to the conclusion that the it needs a new one. There's money in the kitty for this project, as the guitar was £40 (they usually sell for about £100), while the bridge and tuners came to about £35. It probably would be easier to look for a better quality Tele copy (which I'm doing anyway), but I see the Harrier as a "project" guitar which I would like to get to a reasonable standard and then keep for a few years.

Great news that the Guernsey show was a sell-out!

Roger

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Jon G
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Jon G » Sat Aug 03, 2013 2:17 pm

Names not on above lists, and maybesome more unexpected:

"Habitual" Telecasterers:
Hugh Cornwell
Prince (famous for a Hohner copy)
Robyn Hitchcock

"Sometimes" Telecasterers
Martin Carthy (a nice blue one in Steeleye - unimistakeable sound)
Kimberley Rew (a Cambridge contemporary - apparently using Teles by default nowadays)
Steve Howe (breaking the Gibson habit)
Katrina Leskanich (more often than not with the Waves)
Justin Hayward (Days of Future Past vintage)
George Harrison (on Get Back +)

The one that got many of us going was the cream one on Bruce's chair on the first Shadows album - actually borrowed from a shop and never used by the band.

I bought a black Hohner Telecaster off e-Bay a couple of years ago to back up my Tokai Strat, and after a quick setup it wasn't bad. I used it almost exclusively for Stones songs in open G till last week, when I found a crack in the nut of the Strat after a gig and am awaiting a replacement.

A more careful setup was needed, since which I'm beginning to be sold on it more and more. A very meaty sound, even with the Hohner pups, that Tele bite from the bridge pickup, and a pretty nice action now - the flattish neck allows more bending than the more convex (7 1/8") Tokai - though the latter has a superior action and a better finish overall. The Hohner also has a lot of sustain from a maple, rather than ash or alder, body, and the small advantage of a Strat-type rear cutaway to save ones bony chest from bruises. And being black it brings out the punk in one...
Nothing can possibly go wrong...

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Jon G
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Jon G » Sat Aug 03, 2013 2:33 pm

PS - should have included jazzers:

Bill Frizell (whom I saw in New York a year or two before his death)
Mike Stern
Chris Spedding (once saw him do a trio with John Williams and Paco Pena, but it was in Guildford and some of the audience objected to the sacrilege!)
Nothing can possibly go wrong...

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GORDON
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Re: Telecasters

Postby GORDON » Sat Aug 03, 2013 7:36 pm

Jon G wrote:PS - should have included jazzers:

Bill Frizell (whom I saw in New York a year or two before his death)
Mike Stern
Chris Spedding (once saw him do a trio with John Williams and Paco Pena, but it was in Guildford and some of the audience objected to the sacrilege!)


Thanks Jon.

The list goes on and on.What is it about this wonderful guitar?

I think it is because the player can make his or her own mark, because the guitar is a " blank canvas" .I used a borrowed Telecaster for the solo on The Deserter and Revelation,God knows if it was a good one or not.It was just thrust into my hand and told to play it! "But I don't play electric" I cried......."you do now" said the producers...the rest is history.

I just love Telecasters and hope to get another one soon!!!

Presently I have a JD Fret King and a Bitsacaster bought from a shop( sadly no longer there) in Garstang,and I just love playing it.Albert Lee knew a great guitar when he picked up his a Tele all those years ago.Mind you Albert could have made anything sound wonderful...bless him.

Be well all.

G,

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Roger
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Roger » Sat Aug 03, 2013 10:56 pm

Gordon,

I'm still trying to improve my cheapo Tele copy which will do for now, but I have promised myself that one day I will own something a bit better :D

By the way went into one of the charity shops we visited when you and Hilary were in Southsea. Much to my surprise there was a s/h leftie Taylor 110 for sale - £299 was the asking price. Bit out of my price range, particularly as I'm buying the Vintage travel and will probably have a p/up fitted when it arrives, but nice to see such a guitar in a charity shop - not really what you would expect!


Jon G,

Good old Chris Spedding. I've been a fan of his since seeing him tour with Bryan Ferry in 1977 (I think), when he played a basic flying V (one p/up and volume control) with a small amp and no effects. If you saw him playing a Tele I guess that must of been in the days of Nucleus so was it late 60s/early 70s?

I also owned a Tokai Strat in the 80s (along with a Session amp). Regretfully I had to sell it a couple of years after buying it :(

Roger

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Jon G
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Jon G » Sun Aug 04, 2013 7:40 am

Roger -

Quite right re Nucleus. It was late '69 or early '70, I think. At Guildford Civic Hall - just a few months before I first saw Gordon on the same bill as a very young John Martyn. Again a very simple setup - his only effect was a bottleneck - memory says two bottlenecks but that seems unlikely in retrospect.

Re Taylors - a friend of mine (talented singer/songwriter/producer) bought a Taylor and it just didn't work for him. Ended up with a recycled Everly Bros Gibson which was rejected by the distributors but rescued and repaired by their then setup guy. Sounds brilliant, so I guess it's horses for courses. My main acoustic's an old Yairi Lowden, but for recording as a rhythm guitar it's beaten hands down by a Japanese Ariana acoustic I got for 15 quid in 1970.

I shall hang on to my Tokai, though - not least because it's more than doubled in value since I got it new. There comes a point where the new snobbery is to play a Strat or Tele that isn't a Fender!
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Trevor Raggatt
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Trevor Raggatt » Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:36 am

Jon G wrote:Chris Spedding (once saw him do a trio with John Williams and Paco Pena, but it was in Guildford and some of the audience objected to the sacrilege!)



Chris Spedding is a great player (going a bit off topic here). Had the pleasure of seeing him playing guitar in the live version of "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of War Of The Worlds" on two occasions (in a band which included Herbie Flowers, adn variously Laurie Wisefield and Hugh Burns - not a bad line up!). It was so good that Jeff Wayne went to the trouble of "putting the band back together" for the shows and having them playing really brought out the geek in me!

Crhis was playing two of these amazing guitars, Steel Devilles by James Trussart. Looked and sounded amazing.

http://www.jamestrussart.com/models_detail.php?id=4

Image


Image

Image

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Roger
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Re: Telecasters

Postby Roger » Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:16 pm

Trevor,

Hope you find the following link interesting :D

http://manzanera.com/RoxyArchive/RoxyMu ... ipment.htm

Roger


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