Telecaster. Telecaster? Telecaster!

http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/guitars/ASAT_Junior_II/index.asp

this is the hotness, already on order. they do a double hum version 2 but w/e

goddamn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeBQZ8Aklc

posting here due to lack of roy buchanan thread and too lazy to start one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdytsojiviw

bridge pieces. bridge pieces? bridge pieces!

i need new ones. i figure i ought to get fender ones, but does anyone have any recs?

a 6-saddle, btw.

no?

I have a Fender 6-string saddle on my '75 Telecaster. Based on the filled in holes on the body, I think a previous owner had put a Bigsby on it and then later swapped that one out with a a "hammerhead" style Fender one from the 60s.

The hammerhead style bridge looks like this:

http://www.guitarrepairbench.com/parts/images/genuine-fender-replacement-parts/Fender-Telecaster-Bridge-Kit.jpg

There's a ridiculous amount of chatter on the Telecaster discussion board (avoid if you're allergic to the word "mojo"), but some very good technical info buried in there. The Fender hammerhead style 6-string bridges aren't rated very well and if you're playing hard or twanging out and getting under the strings the saddles will rotate and fall over. Furthermore, string gauge can attenuate the problem and on and on into the black hole of trying to make everything perfect. I've had this happen on rare occasion - more so when I was a punker and playing as hard as I possibly could.

Despite having a six-saddle bridge, my Tele has a minor but pesky intonation problem. It's hard for me to spot it, but studio engineers zero right in on it. It's annoying - the guitar sounds fantastic and it's been my main recording guitar for eons (it's my first guitar - I've owned it for 31 years). I've been promising myself to get it overhauled once I finally get some positive cash flow but all I can do right now is compile notes and hope that whatever I eventually end up doing doesn't take away from That Sound.

#1 is dealing with the bridge. A lot of studio guys like the Gotoh bridge. I think they look gross. Callaham makes a 3 barrel replacement that a lot of folks recommend. FWIW, I have a Callaham bridge on my Strat and it's far better than anything Fender has made. More intriguing are the bridges made by Glendale Guitar - Glendale only makes Telecaster parts and lots of country studio guys use them. More to the point, one Billy F. Gibbons uses Glendale bridges.

awes man, thank u! i'll check that stuff out.

it's a 90s mexican tele that i've never been in love w/, and it needs other work as well, so i prooobably won't spring for something too elaborate. idk anything about gotoh as a company but i don't mind those block-style bridge pieces at all!

i don't get how the opposite beveling on those callaham pieces get you the right intonation either. but that website copy sounds way serious...

I lose focus whenever the info gets into metallurgy ramifications, but I'm glad someone is doing it.

I do think a bit of the twang comes from the barrel bridges.

Tuning is a bit voodoo and kind of knowing how you play, your instrument and type of strings you use. Like if you got a hard attack, tune it a few cents flat that way when you whack the thing it's a bit more in tune instead of going far sharp. Things like that you pickup over time. If you play a lot of cowboy chords with open strings, you got to keep it tighter to the open strings being dead on. If you got a heavy hand and play a shorter scale Gibson, go up to heavier 11s if playing standard tuning, it's more forgiving and stable. You play a Jazzmaster, play heavy strings and put some tension on that bad boy. Little things like that...

Guitars are a relative intonation instrument, I think for recording sometimes you kind of got to tune to where you are playing on the neck. I picked up this a few years ago when Richard Lloyd was doing articles in Guitar Player. This is a cool tuning technique especially say if you are recording something where you are playing chords in the middle strings more towards the middle of the neck. It's setting the 'in tune' more based on the middle of the fret board instead of the open strings and harmonics. It works pretty well and is a pretty good compromise. Sounds great if you are doing a bunch of 70s style dyad riffing in the middle of the neck, it makes those really pop or playing chords with extensions past the 5th fret.

http://www.heartwoodguitar.com/blog/2006/01/21/richard-lloyd-rocks/

Looking for a new perspective on learning the guitar? Richard Lloyd (of the 70′s punk band Television) has a great set of lessons and essays on his site, including a fascinating explanation of why the guitar is such a pain to tune. He suggests a tuning technique that I’ve started using with great success. If you’ve got a good ear for tuning, try this:
First tune the bottom E. string to a tuning fork or tuning machine. Next, fret the E. string at the tenth fret. This will give you a D. Tune the D. string to this note by ear. Next, fret the D. string at the fifth fret. Tune the G. string to the D. string at the fifth fret. Now fret the G. string at the second fret. This gives you an A. Tune the A. string from this note. Now fret the A. string at the second fret. Tune the B. string from this note. It will be an octave up. Next, fret the D. string at the second fret. This gives you E. Tune your high E from this. Again this will be an octave.
Voila! Strum the guitar. It should sound considerably more pleasing.
The site also features some guitar lessons designed to build motor skill (i.e. finger exercises) and, occasionally, make you feel like a spineless lemming (i.e. lots of ranting and raving about the evils of imitating other musicians). So what if I want to be able to play “Little Wing” note for note? Still, it’s a sweet site.

hmm. I will try that tuning technique. My ears have been complaining about the usual 5th, 5th, 5th, 4th, 5th fret arrangement. I've been tuning to open chords instead.

Thought Richard ended up taking down the lessons from his own site. Wonder if they ever reappeared.

Interesting tuning idea. Have to try it out... (and yeah - I've been keeping it in DADAAD lately)

David Crosby's Guinnevere tuning is nice : EBDGAE

My two favorite Tele players not mentioned itt: D. Boon, Robyn Hitchcock

Totally gonna try that Lloyd tuning method since I spend shit tons of time around the middle of the neck

I'm not sure if Lloyd has the lessons still online. I came across it a few years ago in the magazine and found that online writing it out. I've been using at times for a while both on a guitar and bass.

Using the fifth fret 'power chord' harmonics I think are good to check your tuning on the fly too. It's faster to know if you really got something off than hitting on the tuner and going string by string on stage.

I got a buddy of mine from college that was a big jazz improv explorer and got me doing some weird ear training exercises. I don't do the singing ones that he got me doing, but from that I try to tune a guitar or bass to ear no reference when I first string them up, then pull out a tuner to check and tune it down. Nothing happens immediate like but you do start to hone in some stuff after a while doing that kind of thing. Doing that and singing along with about anything on the radio, just trying to match pitches are little things I do just to work out the ear. I think over time it adds up.

Using the fifth fret 'power chord' harmonics

this is what i usually do

Full details on Prince's Hohner Madcat Telecaster copy from a guy who builds replicas: http://www.madcat.ch

Had to take my Telecaster into the local shop to get a set-up. Ended up on the highlight reel:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLppCMGA_vE/

Some good stuff upthread about guitar tuning. I have been thinking a lot lately about how insane guitar tuning drives me. I really hate the damned instrument sometimes.

I found that all my tuning angst just evaporated when I switched to using a wound G, after all the Telecaster is designed for it (as are all the original Fenders, e.g. staggered polepieces, three saddle bridge etc.). Still have issues at times but nothing like the “this will never be quite right” feeling with a plain G.

Posted this on the early Petty thread - the band is totally killing it while Mike Campbell runs through everything a Telecaster can do in 4m11s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t4ygBn6NJM