Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
Who's got it, talk to me, how many Teles, what are they, projects, parts, Esquires?
I've got a purdy special one, and I'm working on another, and I don't even know why I'm working on another, just because.
There's just something about these things...
I'll got first.
I've had a couple dozen easily but my special one I've had for over 10 years (that's like a hundred in guitar owner years ;-) is a '52 Reissue ButterScotch that was the last in a series of the same I've owned over the years. I've had one after another of these since they've been around used, same with the early Fullerton reissue Strats, had one after the other (still have an '84 Sunburst Strat, serial V00xxx), they were what was out there before the MIJ Strats/Teles of the late 80's, which everyone by now knows are pretty fantastic guitars also.
This particular one came off eBay, when all great guitars were sort of a dime a dozen, blatant side deals went on all the time...
I had picked it out because it was pretty incredibly naturally relic-ed, in the original case with COA from Bill Schultz (COA from CEO?), the extra bridge, the strap, dead nuts original, it was a 1992 (extremely good years for both Gibson and Fender guitars), which was (even though Fender hardly made a big deal of it) a 50 year anniversary for the Tele, and that's what I consider it, a 50 year anniversary Tele.
Seller (bad pics?) forgot to mention the neck was all it up in flame. A first for me, getting a flamey neck you didn't even know about... These days, they'd have 20 different angles of the flame, screaming "Custom Shop". Custom Shop was just everyday for these folks, who went on to become Fender's "Master Builders" when Fender decided to do a Custom Shop and sell $8000 strats...
And to boot, there was an extra "matte" guard with it, a bakelite guard. I put that on almost instantly, curled edges and all, looks amazing.
The problem was, and there's always a problem... was also that the seller forgot to mention (I didn't ask, in those days nobody cared) that this Tele was a chunky one, I mean, like a Les Paul chunky, weighing at 9lb 6oz, I never played it that much, the weight bugged me.
Until I decided to do something about it.
Out of the blue a non relic (rare) MJT 2 piece Butterscotch ash body weighing only 4lbs showed up on the bay, I snagged it and it went through the Polar Vortex to get here... never so glad to see a box. Swapped everything over, and I have a Tele that's under 7lbs. That's right, under 7lbs with that flamey ball bat neck. Neck weighs 1lb 8oz with tuners.
Real Tele freaks know the weight of every part of a Tele right down to the weight of the 3 saddle bridge vs a 6 saddle, there's .02 oz difference, the one with the three brass saddles is heavier. The brass vs steel controversy can go on for days, and I hear Brad Paisley likes to mix and match and use Steel under the low E and A strings for added bite over the brass of his other four saddles.
So I'm loving life all over again with a featherweight Tele, a 4lb 5oz D35, a 4lb 2.0oz F30, a 6lb '65 2 p'up Dano "Page" model, a 5lb 12oz 2 p'up 1960 Supro so I'm blessed with featherweight guitars. By comparison my D5CE is 6lb even, and that's a tank for an acoustic?
Then some "other" Tele body popped up on eBay, with really cool p'ups, it's in the mail. Super vintage Warmoth body with ancient Seymour Duncans in it, basically some of his first p'ups. So then I needed a neck, Rosewood this time, this one's going to have a White guard/Rosewood board, neck is in the mail (a neck as unique and cool as the body), and a set of tuners (Gotoh factory aged), and a decal, etc etc, if I needed it I scored it, on eBay. Rverb seems to have a dearth of certain things, cool tidbits or whatnot.
Super excited about this one, 6 saddle bridge, Alder body, oldest and coolest Warmoth body and guts I've seen on eBay in ages.
Been wanting a 60's Rosewood style Tele for a long time, among others, Tele Thinline, Tele Custom, Micawber clones (I've had two, why oh why did I sell them?) and don't forget, you should have a Tele with a Bigsby on it, and one with as Parsons B Bender, and if I had a lot of money, I'd have a '69 or so Ivory White Tele with Rosewood board, Big F Bigsby Trem, eye candy for miles...
I've got a purdy special one, and I'm working on another, and I don't even know why I'm working on another, just because.
There's just something about these things...
I'll got first.
I've had a couple dozen easily but my special one I've had for over 10 years (that's like a hundred in guitar owner years ;-) is a '52 Reissue ButterScotch that was the last in a series of the same I've owned over the years. I've had one after another of these since they've been around used, same with the early Fullerton reissue Strats, had one after the other (still have an '84 Sunburst Strat, serial V00xxx), they were what was out there before the MIJ Strats/Teles of the late 80's, which everyone by now knows are pretty fantastic guitars also.
This particular one came off eBay, when all great guitars were sort of a dime a dozen, blatant side deals went on all the time...
I had picked it out because it was pretty incredibly naturally relic-ed, in the original case with COA from Bill Schultz (COA from CEO?), the extra bridge, the strap, dead nuts original, it was a 1992 (extremely good years for both Gibson and Fender guitars), which was (even though Fender hardly made a big deal of it) a 50 year anniversary for the Tele, and that's what I consider it, a 50 year anniversary Tele.
Seller (bad pics?) forgot to mention the neck was all it up in flame. A first for me, getting a flamey neck you didn't even know about... These days, they'd have 20 different angles of the flame, screaming "Custom Shop". Custom Shop was just everyday for these folks, who went on to become Fender's "Master Builders" when Fender decided to do a Custom Shop and sell $8000 strats...
And to boot, there was an extra "matte" guard with it, a bakelite guard. I put that on almost instantly, curled edges and all, looks amazing.
The problem was, and there's always a problem... was also that the seller forgot to mention (I didn't ask, in those days nobody cared) that this Tele was a chunky one, I mean, like a Les Paul chunky, weighing at 9lb 6oz, I never played it that much, the weight bugged me.
Until I decided to do something about it.
Out of the blue a non relic (rare) MJT 2 piece Butterscotch ash body weighing only 4lbs showed up on the bay, I snagged it and it went through the Polar Vortex to get here... never so glad to see a box. Swapped everything over, and I have a Tele that's under 7lbs. That's right, under 7lbs with that flamey ball bat neck. Neck weighs 1lb 8oz with tuners.
Real Tele freaks know the weight of every part of a Tele right down to the weight of the 3 saddle bridge vs a 6 saddle, there's .02 oz difference, the one with the three brass saddles is heavier. The brass vs steel controversy can go on for days, and I hear Brad Paisley likes to mix and match and use Steel under the low E and A strings for added bite over the brass of his other four saddles.
So I'm loving life all over again with a featherweight Tele, a 4lb 5oz D35, a 4lb 2.0oz F30, a 6lb '65 2 p'up Dano "Page" model, a 5lb 12oz 2 p'up 1960 Supro so I'm blessed with featherweight guitars. By comparison my D5CE is 6lb even, and that's a tank for an acoustic?
Then some "other" Tele body popped up on eBay, with really cool p'ups, it's in the mail. Super vintage Warmoth body with ancient Seymour Duncans in it, basically some of his first p'ups. So then I needed a neck, Rosewood this time, this one's going to have a White guard/Rosewood board, neck is in the mail (a neck as unique and cool as the body), and a set of tuners (Gotoh factory aged), and a decal, etc etc, if I needed it I scored it, on eBay. Rverb seems to have a dearth of certain things, cool tidbits or whatnot.
Super excited about this one, 6 saddle bridge, Alder body, oldest and coolest Warmoth body and guts I've seen on eBay in ages.
Been wanting a 60's Rosewood style Tele for a long time, among others, Tele Thinline, Tele Custom, Micawber clones (I've had two, why oh why did I sell them?) and don't forget, you should have a Tele with a Bigsby on it, and one with as Parsons B Bender, and if I had a lot of money, I'd have a '69 or so Ivory White Tele with Rosewood board, Big F Bigsby Trem, eye candy for miles...
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