Duceditor
Joined: Mar 09, 2014
Posts: 83
The Monadnocks, NH
|
Posted on May 14 2015 05:04 AM
JObeast wrote:
Duce,
Great detail pic of the B5 for Tele. I see it's an all-in one kit with Mustang bridge, plate and tailpiece.
Maybe I'll go this route and swap out the Teisco/Hofner tailpiece for a more expensive Bigsby.
It really is a great system. Stays pure Tele with little change in character, but with the addition of both the Bigsby AND the rocking bridge (See video below)which makes the trem (actually vibrato of course)  action as silky as can be.
BTW, that is a JM/Jag bridge. The Mustang bridge, though favored by some, does not have the ability to adjust individual string height, be it to match neck radius or (as important to me) individual preferences, nor string spacing -- another great plus IMO. The two are drop in compatible.
-don
— Still rockin' after all these years!
Last edited: May 14, 2015 05:05:35
|
TVTheWiredTurtle
Joined: Dec 03, 2009
Posts: 855
Sandy Eggo
|
Posted on May 15 2015 03:53 AM
togergo wrote:
Hi! It's not surf, but I have to show you 've found this today, amazing work with telecasters, and maps.. eh beautiful 
TKSmithDesign
My TK Smith'd guitars surf better than my jazzmaster jr and my dipinto. I wouldnt have ever guessed before I took the red pill and entered into the world of TK!
ps.. video is about catalinbread topanga and a spring tank BUT the guitar is a double cut rutters tele body in fiesta red with TK Smith C.A.R. blade pickups,TK Smith Neck and a b5 I cut down. Tell me tele's dont surf, I can prove they do!! (the player used to surf when he was younger and in shape)
— http://www.thenocturnebrain.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nocturne-Brain-Preamp-Zombies/240721872969
Last edited: May 15, 2015 03:55:22
|
novamax
Joined: Jan 23, 2015
Posts: 105
|
Posted on May 15 2015 08:09 AM
Well... The question might not be so much: Can a guitar with a Telecaster shaped body be re-designed to surf? But rather: Can a typical Telecaster with T-Pickups, T-Bridge without flouting trem sound as surfy as you'd expect it from a surf guitar?
Otherwise the answer might be as simple as that: Put Strat/Jag pickups and an Offset / Bigsby bridge/trem-package on a broom stick stringed with flat-wounds, and off you go diving into spring reverb ocean... ;)
A little exaggerating, but you know what I mean... At some point I realized that "offset" started with the body shape, but rocking bridge / floating trem / break-angle is what makes an offset sound like an offset.
Last edited: May 15, 2015 08:12:27
|
Duceditor
Joined: Mar 09, 2014
Posts: 83
The Monadnocks, NH
|
Posted on May 15 2015 08:17 AM
novamax wrote:
Well... The question might not be so much: Can a guitar with a Telecaster shaped body be re-designed to surf? But rather: Can a typical Telecaster with T-Pickups, T-Bridge without flouting trem sound as surfy as you'd expect it from a surf guitar?
Otherwise the answer might be as simple as that: Put Strat/Jag pickups and an Offset / Bigsby bridge/trem-package on a broom stick stringed with flat-wounds, and off you go diving into spring reverb ocean... ;)
A little exaggerating, but you know what I mean... At some point I realized that "offset" started with the body shape, but bridge/trem/break-angle is what makes an offset sound like an offset.
That, IMO, is the true question.
I've been a Tele player for about fifty years. In the beginning it was an occasional voice, chosen as much for the designs toughness. (I used to travel mostly by motorcycle), then long after I'd left surf and pre-surf and moved more into primitive rock and blues did it become my principle player.
When I returned to surf I tried various guitars and in the end found that the surf tradition had it right. Nothing did it so flawlessly as an offset. Jags for some, JMs for other.
But still, if I go somewhere with just one guitar nothing does everything as well for me as a Tele. And the Squier Cabronita Tele w/ Bigsby top even that short list. Nice to know that Surf can be included in the rep.
-don
— Still rockin' after all these years!
|
novamax
Joined: Jan 23, 2015
Posts: 105
|
Posted on May 15 2015 09:31 AM
Would you consider the cabronita a "true" Tele (soundwise), or does that little Bigsby / HB Tele sound more like a thing of its own?
Last edited: May 15, 2015 09:31:57
|
Duceditor
Joined: Mar 09, 2014
Posts: 83
The Monadnocks, NH
|
Posted on May 15 2015 09:48 AM
novamax wrote:
Would you consider the cabronita a "true" Tele (soundwise), or does that little Bigsby / HB Tele sound more like a thing of its own?
The lead PUP was pure Tele, although the Squier "standard" pup is not/was not equal to that on my American Standard. (thinner) I had Rose do a custom wind with the specific goal of getting more bottom and as always with Rose they nailed it.
The Cabronita model has a Fender "Fideli`tron' in the neck position -- their take on the classic Gretsch PUP. This works for me because as much as I like Teles I've never really found a voice for myself with their neck PUPs. I'd put such a PUP, taken from a Gretsch that burned up in a club fire (The once famed "Juicy's Cafe" in the Hamptons, where I was gigging ) on my my very first Tele, a late fifties model, and loved it.
I have several of the Vintage Modified Squiers -- also a Jag and a JM along with the Cabby -- and just love them. Play them far more often than any of the several "classic" MIA guitars in my collection. The Cabronita is mind-blowingly fine in every sense. Fit, finish, neck, fingerboard. Without question it'd be my 'take it with me' guitar for a unplanned jam and the like.
But for surf-focused playing it'd still be an offset -- likely a Jazzmaster.
-don
— Still rockin' after all these years!
Last edited: May 15, 2015 09:56:19
|
SinNombre
Joined: Nov 14, 2011
Posts: 79
San Diego
|
Posted on May 15 2015 11:06 AM
My Warmoth Tele is my #1 for everything except surf. My Strat is set up for surf and I am happy with this arrangement. But I am intrigued with all the praise for the Squire VM offsets, specifically the JM. However they are not on the wall in Guitar Centers and I would like to try one, or any standard JM, before considering ordering one.
|
novamax
Joined: Jan 23, 2015
Posts: 105
|
Posted on May 15 2015 11:46 AM
Perfectly understand that - Bought my SQ VM Jag of a shop wall ("Well, maybe just have a short test, whether those tilted Strats really sound much different than the straight deal..." 10 Minutes later: "OK, sorry, it can't stay here - Honey, it was not my fault..." :D).
The SQ VM Jazzi I bought online, had to send 2 back and asked to have them look at it before sending, in order to get one with nearly perfect finish, a straight neck and a bridge that could be set up to non-rattle without shimming. I'm happy I did stick to it, though.
Sorry for the off-set off-topic I do like the Tele-Twang, though. And I can imagine the Filtron-Sound well for the neck.
Well, and "Surf" is different for everyone, I like the low-sustain bell-like sound of offsets, other like strats - why not have the tele-sound as a basis for surf-songs... I just wanted to point out that some of the guitars discussed here are not what I would expect when asking the shop guy for a "Tele" (although they seem like fine guitars, anyway).
Last edited: May 15, 2015 11:49:40
|
Surfdom
Joined: Feb 15, 2014
Posts: 5
|
Posted on May 16 2015 11:32 AM
|
Surfdom
Joined: Feb 15, 2014
Posts: 5
|
Posted on May 16 2015 11:33 AM
|
DeadRanchHands
Joined: Apr 15, 2008
Posts: 1281
|
Posted on May 20 2015 06:09 AM
novamax wrote:
Well... The question might not be so much: Can a guitar with a Telecaster shaped body be re-designed to surf? But rather: Can a typical Telecaster with T-Pickups, T-Bridge without flouting trem sound as surfy as you'd expect it from a surf guitar?
Otherwise the answer might be as simple as that: Put Strat/Jag pickups and an Offset / Bigsby bridge/trem-package on a broom stick stringed with flat-wounds, and off you go diving into spring reverb ocean... ;)
A little exaggerating, but you know what I mean... At some point I realized that "offset" started with the body shape, but rocking bridge / floating trem / break-angle is what makes an offset sound like an offset.
Yes, you can modify a Tele to hell until it sounds more like a Jazzmaster or whatever, but is it still a Tele?
On the other hand, offsets aren't the only word in surf guitaring. If you're playing Dick Dale style tremolo picking stuff all day and don't need a vibrato, a stock Tele should really make a fine surf guitar. And if you do add a vibrato, then I think a Tele makes a fine all-purpose surf guitar, even if it doesn't sound identical to traditional models.
— http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk
|
novamax
Joined: Jan 23, 2015
Posts: 105
|
Posted on May 21 2015 12:44 AM
Agreed - Surf is a wide field that offers room for a stock tele, and if you want a tele to cover more, you can modify it in a few selected aspects.
Then again, that may be true for most Single Coil and quite a few HB guitars
Last edited: May 21, 2015 00:45:06
|
Matt22
Joined: Feb 15, 2007
Posts: 2826
Fredericksburg, Virginia
|
Posted on Nov 17 2015 08:51 PM
Stock Telecasters surf just fine! Look ma, no whammy bar!
https://www.facebook.com/OttoandtheOttomans/videos/vb.266630056845155/516908461817312/?type=2&theater¬if_t=like
— Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-2020
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html
Last edited: Nov 17, 2015 20:52:54
|
Bob_Kennedy
Joined: Feb 27, 2012
Posts: 316
Mesa, AZ.
|
Posted on Nov 18 2015 08:49 AM
Matt22 wrote:
Stock Telecasters surf just fine! Look ma, no whammy bar!
https://www.facebook.com/OttoandtheOttomans/videos/vb.266630056845155/516908461817312/?type=2&theater¬if_t=like
Not bad for three months without practice!
— Otto & The Ottomans
Kennedy Custom Guitars
|
CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4052
Nashville, TN.
|
Posted on Nov 18 2015 09:35 AM
|
Pihabeach82
Joined: Sep 29, 2015
Posts: 479
|
Posted on Nov 18 2015 12:05 PM
I wanted to convert my tele for surf so I filed slots in the bridge and banged on a bigsby. Didn't like it at all. Didn't sound like a tele should sound anymore. Put it back to stock and happily play a few of our grittier tunes on it 
|
CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4052
Nashville, TN.
|
Posted on Nov 18 2015 12:13 PM
Pihabeach82 wrote:
I wanted to convert my tele for surf so I filed slots in the bridge and banged on a bigsby. Didn't like it at all. Didn't sound like a tele should sound anymore. Put it back to stock and happily play a few of our grittier tunes on it
I had this same experience about twenty years ago.
I traded the Tele away to a friend and he loves it so....
everyone makes different things work for them and it's all good.
Cheers,
Jeff
— http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic
|
Samurai
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2230
Kiev, Ukraine
|
Posted on Nov 19 2015 03:07 AM
|
arny
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 611
Netherlands, Europe
|
Posted on Jul 29 2016 10:12 AM
OK most of you know of my telecaster addiction. I have five, of wich 3 are original fenders (plus a Tokay and a Squier). But in Aloha Sluts I play mostly a hollow body Guild 175B or a Gretsch. When we were invited by Lorenzo to play at the Surfer Joe Summer Festival 2016, I knew I couldn't take a hollow body. The airfare for carry on was to expensive and as check in luggage? No way!
In the past I bought some guitars when on vacation in the USA and unscrewed the neck from the body to fit the guitar in our suitcases. Works like a charm!
So which guitar to take to Italy? Hmmm... I was thinking of modding my MIJ Bigsby Telecaster for years now. So maybe it was time to finally make the jump.
Soundwise I wanted it to be a bit closer to my Guild and Gretsch (the last one has GFS Surf 90's) but without losing the classic Tele twang.
After some reading and experimentation I choose this configuration:
- Neck: GFS Surf 90
- Middle: Fender Texas Special neck pickup
- Bridge: GFS Dream P90
The middle pickup has a on/of with mini switch between the volume and tone pot. So when I mute the volume of the neck and bridge pickup with the pot, I have the middle pickup only. Lot's of sounds in there  And it plays like a charm!
I also put a pearl pickguard on it, to make it a bit more 'billy' style. It looks a bit like a Cabronita.
It really sounds amazing! Just like I hope it would, somewhere between my Guild and Gretsch and with the middle pickup it has the typical Tele twang!
Here is an action shot with it in Livorno... ah, sweet memories
— www.alohasluts.com
Aloha Sluts on BandCamp
www.arnyzona.com (my photography)
Aloha Fest on facebook
Last edited: Jul 29, 2016 10:16:27
|
CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4052
Nashville, TN.
|
Posted on Jul 29 2016 10:16 AM
|
November Birthdays 
