Why does it have to be a Bigsby tremolo? There are other options.
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
The Telecaster ~ Surf Guitar?
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Joined: Dec 12, 2006 Posts: 2685 Ventura, CA 
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Posted on Feb 26 2007 12:25 PM
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Joined: Mar 16, 2006 Posts: 923 
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Posted on Feb 26 2007 01:50 PM
Russ of the Aquamarines gets great surf tone out of a G&L... Then again I tend to like twang in my tone, so teles are fine for me tone-wize... I agree it's the lack of decent trem that makes em not so surf. —THe NEpTuNeS |
Joined: Feb 19, 2007 Posts: 12 |
Posted on Feb 26 2007 08:19 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlGdR_9zcAI |
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Joined: Nov 10, 2000 Posts: -180 |
Posted on Feb 27 2007 08:35 PM
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Joined: Aug 19, 2006 Posts: 958 Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii
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Posted on Feb 27 2007 09:32 PM
For The TakeOffs i use my Tele because our other guitar player, Billy Mello uses his Strat with a tremelo bar and i use my Tele with a tremelo pedal and it gives us each a different sound when we play leads. I find the Tele sounds really good on the Duane Eddy tunes and some of The Ventures tunes too. I also use my palm a lot to kinda mute the strings and it's easier on my Tele than my Strat and Billy never uses his palm to mute. Also.....is there a thread about reverb feedback? I been getting that sometimes and can't figure out why. The TakeOffs |
Joined: Feb 23, 2007 Posts: 1650 Santa Rosa, CA
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Posted on Feb 27 2007 09:39 PM
Nokie Edwards does just fine with a Tele...really...any guitar with single coil pups will do the job. — |
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Joined: Aug 19, 2006 Posts: 958 Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii
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Posted on Feb 27 2007 09:43 PM
Duh.......my signature is me playin' my Strat so here's my Tele. Don't freakout i play upside down like Dick Dale....i guess. The TakeOffs |
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Joined: Feb 05, 2007 Posts: 7 |
Posted on Feb 28 2007 12:26 PM
well im fresh to the sounds of surf and i play a tele. it seems i can capture the 'sound' alright. i play a tele with a humbucker up top, so with the right juggling of toggles i can get a good warm twang. like someone already said, it does not have a whammy bar, and eventually i will probably break the neck off tryin to get the bends. i will say this, if i could only play one guitar for the rest of my days...it'd be a tele. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.
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Posted on Mar 27 2007 08:45 AM
I've been telecasterless for awhile now but I think they do have the sound for surf. If the guitar has single coil pickups and is played through a reverb tank to some sort of "surf" amp it then ANY guitar can work. But for me, strike 1, 2, and 3 against the telecaster is the lack of a trem arm. Also, if your telecaster has a trem arm, then it's not a telecaster. —"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ |
Joined: Sep 27, 2006 Posts: 328 central Pennsylvania |
Posted on Mar 27 2007 11:48 AM
Ugh! I hate Telecasters, period. Gimme a Stratocaster any day.
Vincent —Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!? |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.
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Posted on Mar 27 2007 12:25 PM
Because God played one! Case closed. "as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ |
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Joined: Dec 12, 2006 Posts: 2685 Ventura, CA
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Posted on Mar 27 2007 01:27 PM
Huh? Thems fightin' werds. |
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Joined: Nov 10, 2000 Posts: -180 |
Posted on Mar 27 2007 09:02 PM
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Joined: Jan 30, 2007 Posts: 448 50,000 Light-Years Beyond Planet Claire
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Posted on Mar 27 2007 09:53 PM
.....gotta love that sine-wave across James face..... NOT. .....and the pack of Winstons on the music stand..... YES. |
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Joined: Apr 21, 2006 Posts: 265 San Antonio, TX |
Posted on Mar 27 2007 09:57 PM
<img src="klzzwxh:0000"></img> |
Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 132 So Cal
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Posted on Oct 18 2011 06:31 PM
I'm going to revive this thing by saying Telecasters can surf. In my opinion, the thing a lot of people classify as that "surf" sound is twangy and bright, although there is a sort of smoother sound to it. I find that if I roll off the tone just a little, I can get plenty surfy. Picking a little further from the bridge also helps me get that surfy sound I like. —Maybe a Univox does surf... |
Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 813 Boise, ID
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Posted on Oct 18 2011 06:44 PM
mournblade wrote:
Danny Gatton could play rockabilly as well as anyone, and on a Tele —Shawn Martin |
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Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 813 Boise, ID
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Posted on Oct 18 2011 06:47 PM
surfneptune wrote:
To be fair, Russ uses an ASAT with their MFD pickups, which aren't standard Tele pups, and a trem. While a regular Tele can surf fine IMO, his G&L isn't really a Tele beyond the body shape —Shawn Martin |
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Joined: Sep 06, 2011 Posts: 132 So Cal
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Posted on Oct 18 2011 07:03 PM
My brother has one of the Leo Fender signed G&L Tele's, and though it doesn't entirely sound the same, it still has a certain Tele sound about it. possibly a little more body to the sound. —Maybe a Univox does surf... |
Joined: Jun 20, 2007 Posts: 351 Toronto, ON 
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Posted on Oct 18 2011 08:24 PM
I think that you can get any guitar to sound like a surf guitar. Sure, if you have something like a Jackson with active pickups it's gonna be a lot harder but it's possible. I think a Tele might work quite well for surf. They're bright, they're twangy and they've got single coils. If you fine-tune the tone using the tone control then it's even more possible to nail a proper surf tone. I've been wanting to get an Esquire for a while now. If I ever get it, I'll probably use it for a bunch of different things but I'm sure I'll be able to get it into surf territory. If you need any proof that Teles can surf then I encourage you to listen to a recent recording by Lost Acapulco (México's most popular surf band), its lead guitarist Crunchy has a red Tele and I can tell you that it sounds awesome and as surfy as surfy can get. —Augusto Vite |
still says teles are fine for surf. 
seriously now----the telecaster is the best guitar leo ever made. i'm not dissing strats, jm's or jags or mustangs or whatever leo and friends came up with. you can play anything on a tele--just learn to use that wide range tone control--thats the secret to that guitar. gonna start looking for a new one. need a new project since i got my blues jr. gonna be a blaster of the telecaster!!!!!!!!!!ooooooooooo yes!
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