nathan_393
Inspired
I’ve got an Ultra Luxe Tele that I bought last year (the NGD thread is somewhere in here). It was my first Tele. It’s not doing it for me.
When I brought my DGT home a couple weeks ago (again, see the NGD thread somewhere, I’d find links if I wasn’t on my phone), I realized very quickly it is basically a right proper Tele on steroids. And it makes my expensive American Tele sound like poop. I have lost all interest in it. It’s got no place in my home.
The Ultra Luxe suffers from the same problems Players, Performers, and Professional line Teles do (in my opinion): it sounds brittle. The Ultra Luxe isn’t very twangy either. Just sort of pop-focused, very aggressive, no snap, no crackle, no pop. The noiseless pickups don’t sound like single coil pickups, but they’re not good at sounding humbuckers either. I am somewhat certain the thing I dislike about all those guitars is the way the pickups and the polyurethane finish interact. They all sound plastic and fake.
I also find the neck profile uncomfortable in long playing sessions. I get a weird thumb cramp. I think it’s the thin D neck. It’s super thin. Not a fan.
So I went on a bit of a tour of vintage style Teles. The reissues all have fairly modern necks that I don’t like. The Brad Paisley Tele sounds good, but the finish details on the one I’ve played wasn’t great (needs a lot of fretwork and the truss rod needs a real good adjustment, and none of that filled me with confidence). I also didn’t like the U shaped neck. I had similar issues with an American Original 50s. Hated the U neck. I want something in a C shape, but the modern Fender necks are too thin and their “high gloss” plastic finishes are gross.
Finally, I came upon a Custom Shop 51 Aged Double Esquire. My word. What an instrument! That was the sound! It hit me like a ton of bricks. Warm, clear, thick. Instantly started busting out my favourite Jimmy Page riffs into the store’s crappy DSL40, and had a blast. Perfect neck too (why don’t they make them like that anymore; it’s not a difficult shape, just a good one).
So my question, after all this rambling, is this:
Should I trade in my Ultra Luxe Tele (and a couple other things) for this CS Tele, or one like it? If I swapped out the pickups, the saddle, and the bridge on my Ultra Luxe, would I be in the same tonal ballpark? I feel like the different finish and thinner rosewood neck (vs maple) would still sound very different and probably not as vintage as I’d like.
The goal for me is to get something low output. I haven’t played a 60s Custom Shop (trying one on Sunday), but I am leaning 50s just based on my preferences (I don’t think I want a Tele that’s as aggressive as anything made after 1958).
Would love some feedback on this. Y’all are way smarter than me about vintage sounding instruments.
One last note: I know other manufacturers make great instruments. I’d prefer to trade in gear at the store local to me (otherwise I can’t afford it, and trading things in has tax implications for my studio that I like), so it has to be Fender. (That’s just what they carry there.) But I’m sure the boutique stuff is amazing!
When I brought my DGT home a couple weeks ago (again, see the NGD thread somewhere, I’d find links if I wasn’t on my phone), I realized very quickly it is basically a right proper Tele on steroids. And it makes my expensive American Tele sound like poop. I have lost all interest in it. It’s got no place in my home.
The Ultra Luxe suffers from the same problems Players, Performers, and Professional line Teles do (in my opinion): it sounds brittle. The Ultra Luxe isn’t very twangy either. Just sort of pop-focused, very aggressive, no snap, no crackle, no pop. The noiseless pickups don’t sound like single coil pickups, but they’re not good at sounding humbuckers either. I am somewhat certain the thing I dislike about all those guitars is the way the pickups and the polyurethane finish interact. They all sound plastic and fake.
I also find the neck profile uncomfortable in long playing sessions. I get a weird thumb cramp. I think it’s the thin D neck. It’s super thin. Not a fan.
So I went on a bit of a tour of vintage style Teles. The reissues all have fairly modern necks that I don’t like. The Brad Paisley Tele sounds good, but the finish details on the one I’ve played wasn’t great (needs a lot of fretwork and the truss rod needs a real good adjustment, and none of that filled me with confidence). I also didn’t like the U shaped neck. I had similar issues with an American Original 50s. Hated the U neck. I want something in a C shape, but the modern Fender necks are too thin and their “high gloss” plastic finishes are gross.
Finally, I came upon a Custom Shop 51 Aged Double Esquire. My word. What an instrument! That was the sound! It hit me like a ton of bricks. Warm, clear, thick. Instantly started busting out my favourite Jimmy Page riffs into the store’s crappy DSL40, and had a blast. Perfect neck too (why don’t they make them like that anymore; it’s not a difficult shape, just a good one).
So my question, after all this rambling, is this:
Should I trade in my Ultra Luxe Tele (and a couple other things) for this CS Tele, or one like it? If I swapped out the pickups, the saddle, and the bridge on my Ultra Luxe, would I be in the same tonal ballpark? I feel like the different finish and thinner rosewood neck (vs maple) would still sound very different and probably not as vintage as I’d like.
The goal for me is to get something low output. I haven’t played a 60s Custom Shop (trying one on Sunday), but I am leaning 50s just based on my preferences (I don’t think I want a Tele that’s as aggressive as anything made after 1958).
Would love some feedback on this. Y’all are way smarter than me about vintage sounding instruments.
One last note: I know other manufacturers make great instruments. I’d prefer to trade in gear at the store local to me (otherwise I can’t afford it, and trading things in has tax implications for my studio that I like), so it has to be Fender. (That’s just what they carry there.) But I’m sure the boutique stuff is amazing!