[Noodler]

I have so many questions about Telecasters.
I first liked them from the movie Crossroads in the 1980's.

I own a Nashville Deluxe Tele, which has 3 Tex-Mex pickups. Unlike the website, the sticker on the body said it is Ash (not Alder).

So here are my questions:

1. The Tex-Mex pickups are called "Hot-Rodded" as if this is a good thing. Why is it a good thing? It sounds from what others say that vintage PUPs are better.

2. If I want a new Tele with a fatter neck (like a U or D), which model should I go for? Most models seem to come with C-shape necks, but I have stubby fingers.

3. What is it about maple necks that make them sticky in the shop? Does the stickiness go away? Can you get them without being sticky? And how much does the maple vs rosewood affect the tone?

4. What is the difference between a 3 and 6 saddle bridge, really?

5. What is the differerence between Koa, Ash, Alder, etc?

6. Are the Kluson style tuners that come with it any good?

I basically want one that sounds like Lee Kernighan or Brad Paisley, with a fatter neck, and preferably a wider nut, too. Which model would I go for next time?

[Stratrat]

I use the bridge pickup most of the time, but also really like the middle position (bridge + neck), especially for rhythm. With stock pickups the neck can sound muddy (depending on which pickups you have), but with a good pickup in the neck it's a great position for mellow stuff and/or jazz (if you can play jazz, which I can't).

Congrats on your new Tele, by the way!

[Noodler]

Thanks. I've actually had it for about a year. I started this thread to try and get my head around how to use it and get the Tele sounds I bought to get out of it.

It seems I bought the wrong one. My wife loved the look of the Candy Apple, and I though "hot" pickups would sound better. I also got it for what a different shop called "a stupid price" (in a good way for me that is).

I was so wrong. What I actually wanted was something like a classic reissue or the baja player one. I wrongly thought all Teles would be roughly the same. If I had my time again I would have gone the whole hog: 3 saddle, maple neck, standard pickups. Tradish.

[Stratrat]

Noodler - gutting the electronics and swapping out pickups is actually not that difficult. If you can solder and read a fairly simple wiring diagram, you could easily do it yourself. I wired my partscaster up from scratch when I built it and that was the first time I'd ever touched the 'innards' of a guitar. A couple of 'not so hot' pickups, a 3-way switch and a new pickguard without the hole for the middle pickup and you'd be in business.

I'm not sure if the "vintage" 3-saddle bridge is a straight-across swap on the Texas Tele. I know it is on the Standard MIM's, because I did it to one of mine. Unscrew the old one, mount the pickup in the new one and screw it in - done. If you're really curious about swapping it, I'll dig around on the Tele board and see what I can find out for you.

If you really want to 'pimp it out' to your dream specs, a Warmoth or USACG maple neck would be a straight-across bolt-on affair.

I know what you mean about the "hot" pickups. My Hwy1 has hotter ones in it and I don't like them as well as vintage-spec ones either. I'm seriously considering swapping them out at some point.

[Noodler]

I have to keep the neck. There is no such thing as a replacement neck with Fender on it. That's important, because the value of the guitar without that logo is virtually zero in Australia. Better off to sell it with that logo, and buy a different (eg 1952 RI) Tele.

I was reading reviews of MIM Teles and was a bit shocked. In Australia my guitar retails for $1500. I got it for A$1000. But when I read reviews, people in the USA call MIMs "cheap" and a kid's guitar! Scathing Review

Funny thing though (as in strange, not haha) is that my guitar actually had the original sticker on it which said "Ash" body, as opposed to the Alder one it is supposed to have according to the specs on their website. It is quite heavy. I wonder if I got lucky?

If it is an Ash body (and I don't know how to tell, it's covered in Candy Apple), then it'd be worth getting new PUP's. I've touched the innards of guitars before, but never very succesfully. One I had to take to a reapairer anyway, and another I couldn't fix the Earthing issue. Since I'd want a special pickguard anyway, I'd probably take it to a guy I know.

By the way, that guy always puts a horrible bit of gum on the G string of Teles at the nut to shorten the string slightly. Says that they are always "out."

[Noodler]

I'm still thinking about different PUPs for my Nashville, or trading it in on American Vintage-style one. A local shop is getting a fresh batch from the States soon, so I'll look at what's on offer. The local shop recommends Kinman Broadcaster pickups and I'm also looking at Twang Kings (DiMArzio) and Seymour Duncan. Any opinions?

Found out the third knob some people have on their teles is a vol pot for the middle pickup, so they can blend it in or out.

The Nashville Tele is made for dirty tones. Crank it through a valve amp on the boost + driven channels and it sounds great! Just lacks that transparent sound. A bit muffled or something, when clean. Not sure if PUPs will change the guitar entirely or not?