Groo

Besides that, I'll bet part of the buzz problem is the 9's - that's way too light of a gauge, especially for that type of neck (probably contributes to the intonation problem as well).

Balls, I wish I had heard about this sooner.

Doubt it. As an acoustic player I'm assuming the radius/width isn't the problem for you. Is it the shape and profile; (C-D shape?).

Forgive me for my ignorance, but I hear this stuff mentioned all the time, and I am not totally sure what it refers to.

The uncomfortableness doesn't stem from the shape of the guitar itself, but how my fingers feel on the fingerboard. Playing an American Tele feels fantastic, it's like playing a stick of butter with spaghetti noodles. It feels warm, fantastic.

Playing this guitar makes me fingertips burn, like they do when I play cheaper Squiers. The finish on the neck itself is OK. It's not as bad as the plasticy finish I've seen on some Squiers, but not as nice as the Americans.

PS Thanks for the compliments! The "decal" on the neck is actually a drawing the previous owner made in Permanent market. I really dig it as well!

Just took it over to him last night. It took him a couple hours, but here it is:

For some reason, these pictures turned out really dark. The color of the guitar is a Midnight Wine.

Here are my impressions:

The guitar sounds a lot louder unplugged with the new saddles. It sustains for miles, and sounds GREAT unplugged. And I love the look of the bronze saddles with the Midnight Wine.

Intonation is a bit off (according to the tuner) but it still sounds pretty much dead on to my ear. The guitar plays a LOT nicer after the setup, but I'm not too crazy about the neck, especially when comparing it to the American Telecasters I've played (the Highway 1 is my favorite). The guitar tech spent a lot of time working all the buzz out of the guitar while setting it up, and it still has tendency to buzz if I'm not RIGHT ON the string. It feels kind of cheap, almost like a Squier neck. Is there anything I can do about this without breaking the bank?

I had the guy put 9s on it, which is a lot smaller than I'm used to (acoustic player here, 12s is the smallest I've gone). It's taking some time to get used to, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

I haven't had the opportunity to plug it in to an amp and really jam out on it (my Pro Jr still isn't here yet), but the pickups sound good from what I've heard. Definitely noiseless, but I think that kills a little bit of the personality. The neck pickup sounds gorgeous. I can't wait to really try these out.

The Elecrosocket jack is fantastic, a great, deal, and a quick install. Highly recomended.

http://www.ocmusic.com/guitmodes.htm

Oh, I see. The way that this site is explaining it, what I posted previously:

e----------------------------------------------3---5----7------

B------------------------------------------5----7-----------------------

G--------------------------------4--5--7-------------------------------

D----------------------4--5--7-----------------------------------------

A-----------3--5--7-----------------------------------------------------

E-3--5--7---------------------------------------------------------------

Is the Ionian mode of the G major scale, because it starts at G. So, the Dorian mode would be ABCDEF#G, or this on the guitar neck:

e---------------------------------------------------5--7--8----

B----------------------------------------5--7--8--------------

G---------------------------------5--7-------------------------

D-----------------------5--7--9-------------------------------

A------------5--7--9-------------------------------------------

E--5--7--8-----------------------------------------------------

Same notes as the G major scale, just starting from the second note (A) instead of the first note (G).

You have 12 notes:

A A#(aka Bb) B C C#(Db) D D#(Eb) E F F#(Gb) G G#

Going from one note to another is commonly referred to as a "step," either a "whole step" or a "half step." For example, from A to B is a whole step, or from A to A# is a half step. From A# to C is a whole step, etc.

A "mode" is a way of arranging these "steps" so that they sound pleasant to the ear. The major scale is WWHWWWH (W = whole step H= half step), starting from the root note (the key you are in). So, the major scale in the key of C would start with C. Then, a whole step from C is D. A whole step from D is E. A half step from E if F, etc. Eventually, you get (for the key of C): C D E F G A B C

Try it for yourself, with the key of G.

What you should get is: G A B C D E F#

There are myriad ways to play this sequence of notes on guitar. One such way is:

e----------------------------------------------------3---5----7------------------------

B------------------------------------------5----7---------------------------------------

G--------------------------------4--5--7------------------------------------------------

D----------------------4--5--7---------------------------------------------------------

A-----------3--5--7-------------------------------------------------------------------

E-3--5--7--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are many ways to play this, probably why you saw so many different versions.

The root not here is G (3rd fret, low E string). You can move this pattern anywhere on the guitar neck, and get the major scale for that key for the note that you start on on the low E string (hope that isn't too confusing).

That's great news!

 

Before you call that guitar guy, you should read this: http://www.fender.com/support/telecaster.php

 

If you still feel uncomfortable about doing it yourself, definitely go with a good tech (especially if you have a guy you trust). But it's not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be.

I really trust this guy. He does a fantastic job, for a very reasonable price. The time/frustration and money I'd put into tools for doing the same work makes it worth it to just have him do it, especially since he does such a great job. I figure that he will get everything together much better than I could, much faster.

But thanks for the link, though! It will come in handy at some point, I'm sure.

I got my bridge in yesterday. I lined it up on top of the one currently installed, and it looks like it will fit. Hooray! That's good. Now all I need to do is give my guitar guy a call, and get this thing all set up.

I can verify this. I got a Mexican standard Tele about 7 years ago, and have since modified it to '50s specs, more or less:

 

"Vintage" tailpiece (with threaded steel saddles - better sustain in my opinion), USA '52 "Nocaster" replacement neck (U-shape profile, nitro finish), Fender USA Vintage pups, Klusion tuners. To top it off, I switched to flatwound strings (d'Addario Chromes .010-49). Unbelievable tone on this thing - it's my favorite guitar.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v168/scopdom/IMG_1402.jpg

 

My son actually made his own Telecaster using the extra parts I had laying around, plus some stuff he got on ebay. His is pretty unique:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v168/scopdom/nutele1.jpg

^note the GFS dual rail humbucker in the bridge. When the coil's tapped, it sounds just like a Tele pickup. When both coils are on, it wails like a Gibson. He did a similar trick by wiring two Tele neck pickups together.

Wow, very nice.

OMFG!

That sounds like a cool idea. If I was set up for such things, I could definitely pitch in, even though I'm not the greatest guitard player.

Compensated bronze saddles w/bridge and electrosocket jack ordered. I just got an e-mail from my guitar guy, and he says there might be an issue with the bridge not fitting correctly. That would suck. Hopefully everything will work out once the parts come in.

post

Wow, thanks, exactly what I was looking for!

So, I went down to Guitar Center last night, on a mission to buy some pickups and an amp. They didn't have the amp or the pickups I was looking for. But, they're shipping the amp (Fender Pro Junior) to my house, and they gave me a discount on a similar set of pickups. The pickups that I got the Fender Hot Rod Samarium Cobalt pickups. Does anyone know anything about these?

I know your looking for input and suggestions on how to use your Tele to achieve that classic bright crisp sound but if you really want to know everything about Telecasters may I suggest... The Guitar Book:A Handbook for Electric and Acoustic Guitarists Revised and Enlarged Edition By Tom WheelerandAmerican Guitars Revised Edition:An Illustrated History also by WheelerBoth delve into the history of Fender and the origins and evolution of the Tele in great detail. Neat books.

Get brass saddles. They're great if you want the Tele tone.

Don't these have some disadvantages as far as setup/intonation goes?

I just acquired a 2004-2005 Mexican Telecaster with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail Humbucker in the bridge. It's nice, I like how it plays.

Now, I realize that I know nothing about electric guitars/telecasters, and I want to know everything about them. I've already been furiously googling for information, but I feel like there's some stuff I'm missing. What are some things I should know about my Tele? I don't know anything about electric guitar strings, which ones are good to get?

I love the Tele tone, and the pickup in the bridge right now isn't the best for acquiring that tone. I'm planning on replacing the pickups with the Fender single coil noiseless Tele pickups. Is there anything else I should replace while I'm at it? The bridge plate? What kind of mods do people usually make to these guitars, and what are the best ones to do?

I'm also going to pick up a Fender Blues Jr. or Pro Jr. to complement this new guitar. Are there any pedals that are pretty much a must have? I feel like I should get a Tube Screamer and a Compressor, although I'm not 100% sure if I need them.

I remember that when Jeff played it solo, he would go from G barre to D barre....and that's all I got. I think gumbopages has some more info on it.

I wonder who Jeff will give it to?

Sue.

I sometimes wonder 'what if' John had had room to develop his lead vocal..........

http://www.theautumndefense.com/

Yeah, I'm a dumbass.

 

Regardless, if you searched for "jeff's orange guitar" you'd get results about microwave popcorn and the Grateful Dead, and any number of other things that have nothing to do with Wilco's equipment.

Microwave popcorn? Link please!!

Last night, Nels Cline and Pat Sansone jumped out of my closet and viciously raped me. Surprised the hell out of me.

That is the exact thread that the "do a search before you ask a question" crowd is saying should have never existed in the first place.

I know, it was a joke.

"It's a Gibson Barney Kessel" is easier to type than "We've already been over this. Do a search."

 

Do a search for "Jeff's orange guitar" and see how much irrelevant garbage you have to sort through before you find the answer.

Doing a search for "Jeff's orange guitar" turns up this very helpful topic: http://forums.viachicago.org/index.php?showtopic=30939

I understand what you're saying, but in a way, he is right. New users come here, not to search for information, but to have discussions. Just because a topic has been discussed previously, does not mean the topic can't be discussed again. Pulling up old threads, which are sometimes pages long, filled with nonsense and side conversations, is not always the best way to discuss something. If you see a topic that you don't want to respond to, for whatever reason, then don't...

Looks like someone hit the nail on the head. You win the Golden Hammer Award for 2007.

Oh Christ, can't anyone just answer a question without having to throw in some kind of self righteous statement? I Love Wilco. Thank You for the info.

No, they can't. It's really fucking annoying. Anyways, if this is the one you're referring to:

Then it is, indeed, a Gibson Barney Kessel.

Well, Someone Else's Song uses a lot of pretty standard country music bass line, walk ups/walk downs, etc.