Dr. Faustus
Inspired
I don't make enough money to buy a sports car, so for my 50th birthday next week I've bought a Sports Tele.
After years and years of being pretty much a Super-strat guy I bought a MIM Tele back in 2016 and around Thanksgiving 2019 I traded it to my Father for the guitar in my AV. Since then I have missed that simple, heavy, shiny sunburst Tele (modded with the tone knob wah trick).
In the meantime I have my new FX3 and I am dying to play a Tele through it.
I just took delivery of the thing: a brand spanking new Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster. Wow. Out of the box I had to tighten the truss-rod 1/8th-turn, and boom the action is superb. I can lower the high E to 1 mm and it's the same at frets 12 and 22 without fret-outs or buzz. I could go a little lower if I needed to.
The neck is like a baseball bat but for some reason I've never been put off by a thick neck before. It's round fretboards and little frets that I don't like. This thing has jumbo frets and a 22" radius. It has a rib-cage cut and a shallow forearm contour. I am taking all the stock electronics out as well as installing replacement hardware for the Fender gold bridge, knobs, and control plate; as their gold plate tends to rub off way too quickly for a guitar at this price point. Even the machined brass switch tip for the selector, because my God I hate plastic Tele switch tips. Ugh. Gonna store all the stock parts away.
The stock pickups are great for a Rock-n-roll Tele, but I wanted Fralin Stock Teles with the 2/5% overwind on the neck/bridge. My last set went to Dad in the MIM Tele. I usually do my own electronics but I have so much new gear to play with I paid a guy on eBay to build me a reversed harness with CTS pots, the Stew-Mac treble bleed mod, and a 4-way O-G switch. Going to put a gold pearl pickguard on it but if it isn't quite right I'll put the original cream back on. I got all the little bits I want for a Tele that plays like a modern machine but sounds vintage. First thing I want to do is run it through a 5F1 preset and see if I can get Joe Walsh's tone from Funk 49. I read he played a blackface Champ on that album. Early 60's?
I wonder if I need to get creative with the speakers. I always thought that recording sounded like big closed-back cab. Maybe it is?
Anyway, she's a certified keeper. And I am about to gut her right now. Picture time!
After years and years of being pretty much a Super-strat guy I bought a MIM Tele back in 2016 and around Thanksgiving 2019 I traded it to my Father for the guitar in my AV. Since then I have missed that simple, heavy, shiny sunburst Tele (modded with the tone knob wah trick).
In the meantime I have my new FX3 and I am dying to play a Tele through it.
I just took delivery of the thing: a brand spanking new Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster. Wow. Out of the box I had to tighten the truss-rod 1/8th-turn, and boom the action is superb. I can lower the high E to 1 mm and it's the same at frets 12 and 22 without fret-outs or buzz. I could go a little lower if I needed to.
The neck is like a baseball bat but for some reason I've never been put off by a thick neck before. It's round fretboards and little frets that I don't like. This thing has jumbo frets and a 22" radius. It has a rib-cage cut and a shallow forearm contour. I am taking all the stock electronics out as well as installing replacement hardware for the Fender gold bridge, knobs, and control plate; as their gold plate tends to rub off way too quickly for a guitar at this price point. Even the machined brass switch tip for the selector, because my God I hate plastic Tele switch tips. Ugh. Gonna store all the stock parts away.
The stock pickups are great for a Rock-n-roll Tele, but I wanted Fralin Stock Teles with the 2/5% overwind on the neck/bridge. My last set went to Dad in the MIM Tele. I usually do my own electronics but I have so much new gear to play with I paid a guy on eBay to build me a reversed harness with CTS pots, the Stew-Mac treble bleed mod, and a 4-way O-G switch. Going to put a gold pearl pickguard on it but if it isn't quite right I'll put the original cream back on. I got all the little bits I want for a Tele that plays like a modern machine but sounds vintage. First thing I want to do is run it through a 5F1 preset and see if I can get Joe Walsh's tone from Funk 49. I read he played a blackface Champ on that album. Early 60's?
I wonder if I need to get creative with the speakers. I always thought that recording sounded like big closed-back cab. Maybe it is?
Anyway, she's a certified keeper. And I am about to gut her right now. Picture time!
Attachments
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2021 Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster 1.jpg2.9 MB · Views: 41
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2021 Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster 8.jpg1.5 MB · Views: 45
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