Telecaster bass popularity?
Question:
I have a good friend with whom I swap equipment once in a while. He has a ‘73 Telecaster Bass that I used to drool over until I played it for awhile. It’s definitely ‘all show, no go’ for me. However, one cannot argue with the results Verdine White used to get from his. There might have been a time when that fat, deep, and indistinct tone was exactly what I wanted, but my ears want something more nuanced now. As for the original VW Beetle, it was a well-crafted piece of shit that went too slow and handled bizarrely. Edward G. "Facts are things that stand in the way of the truth.’ –Don Quixote of La Mancha
Response:
> I have to jump in and disagree about the humbuckers – I have a Tele bass > with the humbucker which I use for Rockabilly/Trad Country/Swing-Jump Blues
Yeah, that was poor choice of words on my part. Re-write: the humbuckers, compared to the single coil, are much warmer and lack attack. BTW, I use James Jamerson LaBella flats (when I can find them!) or similar thick scale, flats on my fretted Tele. Various other strings on my fretless Tele.
Response:
Didn’t Leo take a step back and redesign the ASAT in the spirit of how a Telly should be?
The Fender Jazz and Precision basses are incredibly popular bass guitars. Why wasn’t the Telecaster bass popular? -Pacifier
Response:
I have to jump in and disagree about the humbuckers – I have a Tele bass with the humbucker which I use for Rockabilly/Trad Country/Swing-Jump Blues gigs; basically anything I would use an upright for (if I had one). I’d prefer to call the sound fat and warm, especially with the Thomastik Jazz Flats on. It would never be my main bass; I certainly wouldn’t want to use one on a Funk or Metal or Top 40 gig, but it’s unbeatable for the gigs I use it for. It’s definitely a case of horses for courses and I wouldn’t take it to a gig where I wasn’t sure what was going to be played. Joe S.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Why wasn’t the Telecaster bass popular? > > -Pacifier > First version: No body contours, single coil pickup hums, 2 saddle > bridge makes proper intonation diffcult. > Second version: the humbucking pickup sounded like mud. > I own a couple of Telly’s and love ‘em. I originally bought one because > hauling a ‘52 Precision out on the road was a little bit worrisome, i.e. > theft, damage, playing in smoky bars (it was the 70’s…) > However Brian is right on re. the reasons why the original Tellies went > over, sales-wise, like a fart in a space-suit. I’ve modded both mine: > The single coil pickups sound GREAT for a very lo-fi, R&B type sound, > and the humbuckers that went on around 1970 SUCK big time… > but yes, they are single coil and will hum at the slightest > provocation. The workaround is to rout out the cavity, and install a > dummy-coil immediately beside the pick-up. I used bobbins from 80’s > Stratocasters, they fit just right, and the pole-pieces can be punched > out, unlike the earlier ones. Wound to the same impedance and reversed, > they make the bass silent. The cool thing is that the pickguard hides > the modification. > A jazz bridge fits right onto the original screw-holes, and voila, four > string saddles. Interestingly, my ‘69 Tele intonated perfectly with the > original bridge (it looked like the previous owner had gone at it with a > pair of pliers to adjust it!!) – however, changing types of strings > became too much hassle, and I went to the jazz bridges on both > instruments. > Body contours? Ah, baloney!! That’s just one of them thar new-fangled > conveniences they dreamed up in the mid fifties!! Only needed if you’re > a bone-rack and your ribs can’t take the grief…. !! > Kristoff said: >Cos its damn ugly! …oh wait, so are the Jazz and Precision basses… > Blasphemy!!! Twenty lashes with a ‘68 Floral Tele bass (ouch!) > Lemme guess, — you play one of them Flying Toilet Seat models….. > (just kidding… put down that flamethrower ;-0 ) > – actually, I just noticed Kristoff’s website — some cool stuff you’re > doing there, man!!
Response:
In article > Too bad I haven’t found one that plays well.
I like the neck width mostly, plus the vintage look…. One of mine has the widest neck I’ve ever seen on a Fender, a real tree-trunk! The other is skinny closer to a jazz neck.
Response:
> but the signal out of them > is so hot and boomy that it is practically uncontrollable.
This sounds like it had the humbucker pickup… yes? >I thought I wanted > one until I had one, then I realized that advertisers were having their way > with me, sorta like with the original VW Beetle.
Uh, don’t follow you… how old was this bass, when did you buy it, etc? You make it sound like a reissue – something I’m unaware of. Details?
Response:
>I think they look sexy. Too bad I haven’t found one that plays well.
I think they are beautiful, particularly in white, but the signal out of them is so hot and boomy that it is practically uncontrollable. I thought I wanted one until I had one, then I realized that advertisers were having their way with me, sorta like with the original VW Beetle. Edward G. "Facts are things that stand in the way of the truth.’ –Don Quixote of La Mancha
Response:
The Fender Jazz and Precision basses are incredibly popular bass guitars. Why wasn’t the Telecaster bass popular? -Pacifier
Response:
> The Fender Jazz and Precision basses are incredibly popular bass > guitars. Why wasn’t the Telecaster bass popular? > -Pacifier
First version: No body contours, single coil pickup hums, 2 saddle bridge makes proper intonation diffcult. Second version: the humbucking pickup sounded like mud. — Brian Rost Stargen, Inc.
Response:
Cos its damn ugly! …oh wait, so are the Jazz and Precision basses… :-P — ^`~`^ ( ‘ Y ‘ ) ) / / (( | | | /)) Kristoff Lajoie – www.kristoff.4t.com The Fender Jazz and Precision basses are incredibly popular bass guitars. Why wasn’t the Telecaster bass popular? -Pacifier
Response:
> Why wasn’t the Telecaster bass popular? > -Pacifier > First version: No body contours, single coil pickup hums, 2 saddle > bridge makes proper intonation diffcult. > Second version: the humbucking pickup sounded like mud.
I own a couple of Telly’s and love ‘em. I originally bought one because hauling a ‘52 Precision out on the road was a little bit worrisome, i.e. theft, damage, playing in smoky bars (it was the 70’s…) However Brian is right on re. the reasons why the original Tellies went over, sales-wise, like a fart in a space-suit. I’ve modded both mine: The single coil pickups sound GREAT for a very lo-fi, R&B type sound, and the humbuckers that went on around 1970 SUCK big time… but yes, they are single coil and will hum at the slightest provocation. The workaround is to rout out the cavity, and install a dummy-coil immediately beside the pick-up. I used bobbins from 80’s Stratocasters, they fit just right, and the pole-pieces can be punched out, unlike the earlier ones. Wound to the same impedance and reversed, they make the bass silent. The cool thing is that the pickguard hides the modification. A jazz bridge fits right onto the original screw-holes, and voila, four string saddles. Interestingly, my ‘69 Tele intonated perfectly with the original bridge (it looked like the previous owner had gone at it with a pair of pliers to adjust it!!) – however, changing types of strings became too much hassle, and I went to the jazz bridges on both instruments. Body contours? Ah, baloney!! That’s just one of them thar new-fangled conveniences they dreamed up in the mid fifties!! Only needed if you’re a bone-rack and your ribs can’t take the grief…. !! Kristoff said: >Cos its damn ugly! …oh wait, so are the Jazz and Precision basses…
Blasphemy!!! Twenty lashes with a ‘68 Floral Tele bass (ouch!) Lemme guess, — you play one of them Flying Toilet Seat models….. (just kidding… put down that flamethrower ;-0 ) – actually, I just noticed Kristoff’s website — some cool stuff you’re doing there, man!!
Response:
I think they look sexy. Too bad I haven’t found one that plays well. (I’ve only tried two, so I guess it’s not been an exhaustive search.) — O< "Pthbt!" (( )) <( ) Z | |_ Steve
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Why wasn’t the Telecaster bass popular? > > -Pacifier > First version: No body contours, single coil pickup hums, 2 saddle > bridge makes proper intonation diffcult. > Second version: the humbucking pickup sounded like mud. > I own a couple of Telly’s and love ‘em. I originally bought one because > hauling a ‘52 Precision out on the road was a little bit worrisome, i.e. > theft, damage, playing in smoky bars (it was the 70’s…) > However Brian is right on re. the reasons why the original Tellies went > over, sales-wise, like a fart in a space-suit. I’ve modded both mine: > The single coil pickups sound GREAT for a very lo-fi, R&B type sound, > and the humbuckers that went on around 1970 SUCK big time… > but yes, they are single coil and will hum at the slightest > provocation. The workaround is to rout out the cavity, and install a > dummy-coil immediately beside the pick-up. I used bobbins from 80’s > Stratocasters, they fit just right, and the pole-pieces can be punched > out, unlike the earlier ones. Wound to the same impedance and reversed, > they make the bass silent. The cool thing is that the pickguard hides > the modification. > A jazz bridge fits right onto the original screw-holes, and voila, four > string saddles. Interestingly, my ‘69 Tele intonated perfectly with the > original bridge (it looked like the previous owner had gone at it with a > pair of pliers to adjust it!!) – however, changing types of strings > became too much hassle, and I went to the jazz bridges on both > instruments. > Body contours? Ah, baloney!! That’s just one of them thar new-fangled > conveniences they dreamed up in the mid fifties!! Only needed if you’re > a bone-rack and your ribs can’t take the grief…. !! > Kristoff said: >Cos its damn ugly! …oh wait, so are the Jazz and Precision basses… > Blasphemy!!! Twenty lashes with a ‘68 Floral Tele bass (ouch!) > Lemme guess, — you play one of them Flying Toilet Seat models….. > (just kidding… put down that flamethrower ;-0 ) > – actually, I just noticed Kristoff’s website — some cool stuff you’re > doing there, man!!
Response:
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