Guitar Nerds Anonymous

I haven't done le YouTube to date actually, might have to!

I've got a softspot for Dunable guitars too, although if I had over $2k to spend on a guitar I think I'd struggle to get past the 'courier' branding on the headstock.

i dunno... all these custom builds all look like they're trying to skate as close to being an SG without incurring a lawsuit. might as well just get an SG for that dorrah.

each to their own.

I was just thinking they all look like Yamahas!
Has there always ben this many custom builders around?

I also very much love Dunable!

I'd be lying if I said this wasn't the catalyst for my Dunable aspirations...

They have launched a budget range though...

They're about £1,000...

There's more than ever right now and in fact I'd almost argue that it would be difficult to choose an off-the-peg guitar if you had a decent budget these days...

There's also Urquhart Guitars who are building my custom bass if it ever gets finished, it's been a year now...

Ooh, a Sleep rig rundown, going to treat myself to that later.

I always see a Ibanez JTK2 when I look at this model, a mate of mine had one, it was pretty sweet for a low priced guitar.

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Anybody got a Telecaster and a Strat? I got a Strat over a year ago, after only being acoustic for years. And now I’ve got the itch to get a Tele too, but I’m not sure what I’d be gaining? How differently do they play/sound? TBH, it’s more to get for something to play with than any real reason or rational need.

I learned on and played a Strat for years and now main a Tele. What’s your Strat configuration?

There is a definite and distinct sonic signature to each, especially in their classic configurations.

Some of the differences can be mitigated a bit depending on spec... eg you can get a top loader bridge and six saddles on a Tele if you want (and even humbuckers). Of course the vibrato/trem setup you have on the Strat is one of the biggest differences. With the rock solid bridge on the Tele for example you can bend one string and the others keep their tune.

The Tele is super stripped back, more raw and usually more trebly. The Strat often sounds a bit more polished to me. And it’s such a distinctive sound. Scale length is the same, playing feel is basically the same aside from the trem (everything else being equal, eg neck profile), the tone is the big difference. I love both, for me it’s not a waste to have one of each (though, er, I don’t have a Strat right now).

Guitarist in my old band had strats and teles. Songs with more twinkle/emo/math bits got the tele, fatter biffy-esque songs got the strat, though not exclusively.
I've always felt I could thrash a tele (because I just want to be Jonny Greenwood) whilst a strat needs to be played "nicely"... I know there are plenty of examples of strat abuse, just personally.

What’s your Strat configuration?

I’m not really sure. I just bought it and play it. Not touched it since purchased apart from changing the strings. However, the previous owner did change the pickups (I still have the originals). I think it’s early 90’s.

@Yukirin I think I might just want something different to play?

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That’s a nice guitar. Pickups look like Fender noiseless? So yeah, totally classic Strat configuration, three single coils and a two point trem.

Is there anything you’ve seen or heard that prompted your interest in a Telecaster? You’d probably need to get quite a nice one to measure up to an American made Strat.

If you fancy more points of difference how about thinline? Or a 70's with the neck humbucker and a maple neck?

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The American Original Tele Custom is really nice, I’m coveting one... they started remaking actual cunife magnets for the humbuckers. Nitro finish as well.

https://youtu.be/IQjbXXMw5ZU

they started remaking actual cunife magnets for the humbuckers

Oh really?!? That is good news!

There was one independent pickup maker knocking them out but they seem to have stopped because they were encountering production difficulties...

Yeah, and they seem to sound really nice. Currently that’s the only model they’re on. They haven’t done a Tele Deluxe with them yet but you can order a pair of the pickups from the custom shop.

They're great pickups, I was very blasé about them for a long time but they do have a unique sound... Nobody wanted them BITD!! A Tele Deluxe was the cheapest vintage Fender you could buy for years and years...

Yeah, I think it coincided with Fender build quality going down the pan in the 70s didn’t it? Hence the prices. This reissue looks super nice. Surprised they didn’t offer a black one for maximum Keef vibes.

I locked down my Strat tremolo years ago and since getting a Tele the former hasn't been out of it's case from under the bed. I'm sure if I upgraded the nut, string trees, bridge block, saddles and tuners then it would stop going out of tune, but I think I'll just stick with the Telecaster instead

Noice, Jimmy of Mars Red Sky had a Matamp Green (Gt200?) going through Orange OBC cabs when I saw them which sounded so good, I don't think I've seen any other bassists use one live.

Our old bassist had one of those - it was an absolute monster. Lugging the damn thing up the stairs to gigs kept us fit but the sound was worth it. Between that and the two Matamps me and the guitarist had, it was entirely too loud but brilliant fun.

My Apogee One has passed on through the pro-audio gates of heaven. I've decided to replace it with a Duet Firewire which is oooolllllllddddddddd tech but Apogee kit is lovely. I'll need a thunderbolt to firewire adaptor and a 6 to 9 pin firewire cable to use it with my MacBook and I haven't even spared a thought if it will work with my iMac yet... Have I made a terrible mistake?

I've also joined in on a production challenge with a mate where there's a specific theme for a piece of original music or a cover version every other month. The current theme is a beautiful love song to be finished for Valentine's Day...

Would anyone here be keen on setting up a similar LFGSS challenge? I might make a separate thread as I'm sure there may be music production people who would be game too?

I've not done anything about my tele/dano shape thing - classic me. But pleased to have sent the drawing to a member of this parish @Libraio who expressed an interest. Here was the final iteration.

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Pickups look like Fender noiseless?

Yes, although the logo's a bit faded now. What's a two point trem?

Is there anything you’ve seen or heard that prompted your interest in a Telecaster? You’d probably need to get quite a nice one to measure up to an American made Strat.

TBH, I've just been doing a lot of Youtube browsing of guitar tutorials to try and learn new stuff and get me out of my 20+ years of playing the same rubbish. Saw quite a few Tele's and sort of started to hanker after one. Also, need to get a whammy bar for the Strat as I'm missing having one.

@Yukirin I don't really mind what I get to be honest, as long as its a bit different from the Strat. The Tele came up because it was just about looks and seemed a bit different. I've already got a massive Gretsch for acoustic/hollow body stuff. Neck humbucker would be good. Haven't got anything with that.

What's a two point trem?

Leo Fender called his vibrato system a tremolo, so they get called trems. The two point trem on a Strat pivots against the two screws on either side of the bridge plate under the saddles. It is held in balance between the strings and the springs in the body cavity on the rear.

It’s the standard Strat trem design these days, though the original “vintage” style is the six screw design. Works similarly but often with more friction, hence a heavier feel. Some people swear it sounds better though.

You also get some more modern style Strats with Floyd Rose tremolos which are a locking design that gets paired with a locking nut at the other end. Generally this is metal/shredder territory. And finally sometimes you get hardtail Strats without any tremolo/vibrato system - much rarer though.