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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
I had my middle position swapped (after I made my review) to the beefier sound, much improved in my opinion, but I know some folks like the way that middle position sounds normally. Series and parallel, I can never remember which is which. In any case, it’s an inexpensive mod to have done.
Thanks,
Baron
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Series is the beefier mode. I prefer parallel, but wiring it out of phase sort of goes in the opposite direction from series - it gives a thin, nasal tone. If I knew my way around the inside of a guitar I'd experiment to see what's going on, but I'm afraid I'd destroy the thing in the process. Next time I'm visiting a tech I may have it looked at.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
I wonder what the feasibility is of having a 4-way switch installed.
With a smaller control plate, I'd imagine the factory installed 3-way switch is smaller. The body cavity may need to be routed out.
Something for me to inquire about at the local guitar shop.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Series/parallel switching can be easily done using a push-pull pot. And it's reversible.
Seonachan - sounds like you're pickups were wired incorrectly. If these are being done by hand, which I assume is the case for a limited short-run, Monday morning mistakes are easy to make. Fender's are typically wired in parallel so if you're getting nasal try reversing the leads on one of the pickups.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Made a visit to Jake Wildwood yesterday for some other work, and brought the Tele - he fixed up the wiring and it sounds much better now.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Verne Andru
Series/parallel switching can be easily done using a push-pull pot. And it's reversible.
Thanks for the idea! I've just done it, using a Bourns push-pull pot in the tone position, and it works really well, gives a quite different and very useful extra sound, much punchier and more up front than the three factory positions.
Even the Bourns switch only just fits, there's not a lot of room behind there - I had to be very careful not to trap wires when fitting it back together.
Cheers,
Andy
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AndyM
Thanks for the idea! I've just done it, using a Bourns push-pull pot in the tone position, and it works really well, gives a quite different and very useful extra sound, much punchier and more up front than the three factory positions.
Even the Bourns switch only just fits, there's not a lot of room behind there - I had to be very careful not to trap wires when fitting it back together.
Cheers,
Andy
So glad it worked out.
The 2 mods I do on single-coil instruments are the parallel/series and phase-reversal. Both work on push-pulls so they are reversible.
Phase-reversal gives a nasally tone that works well in certain situations - with some effects I get a pretty convincing saxophone tone out of my emando.
Between the 2 mods you get a ton of new tonal options and much more utility out of your instrument.
Cheers - V
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Quote:
Originally Posted by
trodgers
Let the gouging begin! I just saw a listing for a Fender Tenor Telecaster on a popular instrument buy-sell-trade site for $100 over list price.
This really is no fun at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
fox
That is strange but it would make the few available very desirable!
The guitar in the top video above sold for the $1000 he throws out there at the end of the video.
https://reverb.com/item/35629645
According to Reverb's Price Guide: one sold four days ago for $950.
https://reverb.com/p/fender-alternat...ic-guitar-2019
It seems a Grand is the new asking price.
https://reverb.com/item/36356868-fen...ic-guitar-2019
In ten months the value went from $100 over issue price to almost double.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
I'm a fan of teles, but not sure what to do with a tenor. Play fiddle tunes? I'm looking anyway...
Many of my favorite guitarists play telecasters. Of course all the brilliant country players, but also quite a few fine jazz musicians use telecasters. Ted Greene, Ed Bickert was famous for it, Mike Stern plays a clone, the great Bill Frisell, Julian Lage does beautiful work on his, and those are a few. They work great for jazz because you can get a nice warmth and clarity with the neck pickup, without worrying about a boomy E string like many archtops.
Too many blues players to mention, but I will mention a couple anyway: Mike Bloomfield, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Tab Benoit plays a thinline with humbuckers, but that's still a tele. And I had to laugh when I read in this thread that they are no good for rock. Are you kidding me? Jimmy Page is known for his Les Paul, but he recorded a lot more with the telecaster, and that's what he played live as well for the early years of Zeppelin.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lowtone2
I'm a fan of teles, but not sure what to do with a tenor. Play fiddle tunes? I'm looking anyway...
It's designed for Chicago tuning, which is E standard minus the lower 2 strings, so it shouldn't be too hard to transition. You can tune it in 5ths but the fret marker is in the wrong place which some might find difficult to work around.
I picked up a few books on tenor banjo/guitar written "back in the day" - one for blues and another for jazz. They both came with standard notation and tab for CGDA and DGBE, so they cover 4th and 5th tuning. When playing in a band setting, rhythm guitar sits in the tenor range anyway, so you really don't lose much and don't step on the bass player. When I play my 7-string jazz-box I use the lower strings for bass and DGBE for rhythm/lead. That keeps the parts nicely in their own sonic space while providing a good tonal spread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lowtone2
Many of my favorite guitarists play telecasters. Of course all the brilliant country players, but also quite a few fine jazz musicians use telecasters. Ted Greene, Ed Bickert was famous for it, Mike Stern plays a clone, the great Bill Frisell, Julian Lage does beautiful work on his, and those are a few.
Many of those, Mike Stern's and Brent Mason's being prime examples, are more specifically "Telecaster-shaped-objects." Bridges get changed as do pickups - usually from single-coils to humbuckers. John 5's even has comfort cuts in the slab body. At what point does it stop being a Telecaster?
Some like 'em, some don't. I had a very nice Fender Aerodyne Tele for a time, but aside from that I enjoy other guitars like Stratocasters, 335s and Les Pauls much better. To each their own.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Huck
In ten months the value went from $100 over issue price to almost double.
Now I feel extra lucky!
I picked a Lake Placid Blue tenor tele, new in store, this week for $849 Australian ($606 US).
I was a bit shocked to even stumble on one in an Australian store at all.
When you add in that normally Australian consumers end up paying over the odds on imported instruments I was more than happy with the price.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
You could say the same of any guitar, I guess. How many versions of the Les Paul are there, even without custom modifications? Someone changes the bridge saddles and it's no longer a Les Paul? That said, Ed Bickert played both an off the shelf tele with single coil and one with a humbucker, and even a broadcaster. Ted Greene played the single coil, as does Julian Lage. Some jazz players prefer the clarity over a humbucker, and some blues and rock players the bite and sting. Mike Stern's instrument is a signature yamaha-built copy with single coil. Yes, Bill Frisell's instrument is custom, even to the scale length. Still it's a telecaster. What else would you call it?
Sure, to each their own.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Here's one use of it, Lowtone2, EADG octave mandolin tuned ....
https://youtu.be/JGLUqkAFNf8
Great fun neck to play ....
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Thanks Kevin,
I was going to point lowtone2 toward your videos in this thread. Fine examples of Gaelic music played well. It's always a pleasure to hear and watch you play!
Thought of you the other day - I got a Martin LXM Tenor awhile back with a SKB case like the one you modified for your Tenor Tele. I had the case out moving around some instruments - so I figured I would check the fit for the Tele. I stuck a towel under the body for support and the Fender fit great. I'm going to try and fashion a removeable cushion so I can use the case for 3 different guitars (fits a Martin 5-15T as well). Nice case.
Hope you are well - stay safe.
Huck
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
I've been reading through this thread a while back. Interesting re prices. I note on UK sites two things (eg Richtone or Andertons)... they are saying it's preorder - Andertons advise end of Nov. But the price is £429 as I'd expect.
Also they're saying they will only ship to the UK.
So what's our hypothesis for the latter statement?
Have Fender indeed made another batch?
No real interest as our house is groaning at the seams with tenor guitars.... :))
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Dear Andertons.
It is not a Ukulele. It does not have to be in DGBE, in fact I suggest Mr Beattie does his homework...
Yours
Diehard Fifths Man
*not flaming anyone here who actively chooses Chicago since they will no doubt be aware it's not the default tuning for Tenors...
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lord of the Badgers
Have Fender indeed made another batch?
Could be. I posted this a few months back:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Huck
I called Moore's guitars back in May... The fellow at the guitar shop was under the impression that they were going to go back into production this summer for a short run. Interested to see if any 2020 serial numbers start popping up.
Rob - sell the Eastwoods and preorder this guitar. I'm guessing that it's a guitar you'll want and there is the chance they will not be available again. It appreciates 100% upon deliver! Worse case scenerio is you get it and hate it so you'll have to sell it for a profit.;)
Only my opinion.
Huck
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
i am finding it impossible to sell the Eastwoods... People just want to buy them for a third of the price. Nightmare.
I've tried!
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Rob, there is such a limited market in the UK and it is so easy to flood it.
i have sold around 20 tenors this year, that is most of my collection and found it really hard to get half of what i thought they would fetch!
Several VGC vintage models went for less than £200.
I did get a good price for a couple of six strings that i had made, one went for £730 but it took me 150 hours to build it!
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Hi Fox
Yeah I know - it's a hip, but small market. I'm more into just selling than getting another. Well I'd consider the baritone tenor eastwood as i like the idea of that.
Some makes go easy. I sold on my Shippey Octave Mandolin with some ease, and I told the buyer that the asking price was final. No quibble. Paul's a premium make with a two year wait list. His stuff rarely appears on the market for a good reason.
Very much harder with Eastwoods as they are readily available.
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
In the US, I conjecture, both Eastwoods would fetch $400-$450 each in little time. Used Eastwoods are not all that plentiful.
Buying (pre-ordering) a new Tenor Tele in the UK is an opportunity that screams buy me. If I had the opportunity to buy another Tenor Tele I'd buy two - sell one and get one practically free! Perhaps the demand isn't the same in the UK. History is showing us their value thus far in North America.
Run-of-the mill ca. 1960 Chicago made birch tenor instruments are offered at twice the price they were just 5 years ago. Now ~$500. Prices seem higher that ever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
fox
i have sold around 20 tenors this year, that is most of my collection...
Mon Dieu fox!, you sold off most of your tenors. You didn't sell your Blueridge did you?
Huck
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
Hi Huck yep sold the blueridge 40t but i have kept one of my own made 21’’ scale tenors and a harmony baritone uku tuned in 5ths plus two tenor banjos .
I also have a half finished tenor guitar in my shed but i have bought a new Blueridge BR 163a six string!
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Re: Alternate Reality Fender Tenor Tele
i never play my beat up martin - you sure you don't want a bit of vintage mojo...
I don't play it cause I don't have the room in our house :( sad times.