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LP vs. Tele for indie/punky sounds

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sunvalleylaw

sunvalleylaw

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I was thinking about this out loud in DrumBob's "Are you tired of the Strat" thread, where I concluded I was not, but that I had other sounds available in my Hagstrom when I wanted them. I am not yet shopping to buy, but am starting to window shop my next guitar. The next set of sounds I want to add is somewhere in the solid body with at least one humbucker. I was thinking either a LP (maybe with a P90 in the neck) or a tele with a bucker in the neck. Thinking mostly vintage/indie/punkie rock sounds here mostly. I know LPs can get nice cleans and jazz sounds, and of course teles can too, but I get those from the my Hagstrom Viking. I am looking more for Joe Strummer, Tom Wisniewski (from MxPx) Rivers Cuomo (I just looked him up, looks like he often uses a Warmoth strat with buckers), Westerberg, Neil Young/Crazy Horse etc. here.

So give me your thoughts. I hope to hear from guys like Brian Krashpad and Trev (T-Ross) due to gear they own, and styles they play, but hope to hear from the rest of you as well.

General comments about LPs and Teles for garage rock/indie/ punkish sounds is the focus, but I also am interested in specific recs regarding my pickup thoughts and any cheap models you think might be good options. I would love to go out and play some, to choose, but that is hard here in Idaho, especially if I am thinking about unusual pickup formations in these guitars. That Xaviere on sale with a soapbar in the neck for under $200 looks like a good buy, but I keep leaning toward getting an Agile 3000/3100 and having the option to drop a soap bar in (sized for humbucker holes of course). And the GFS/Agile tele knockoffs are up for consideration as well.

Oh, I had considered a super strat, basically getting a used MIM or a squire to mod, but I had thought for the sounds I am after, it might be better to not go there.
 
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I don't think you can go wrong with either. It all depends on what feels good to you.

If you can afford it, why not go for an Agile and a Squier Tele? With the Strat and the Hag, you would then have all the major bases covered sonically, for whatever style you wanted to play...
 
Tele with a stacked 'bucker, or dual-rail in the bridge would give you the "cut" you need for rock/punk/indie... who plays on the neck p'up anyway - lol! Even Billie Joe's main axe is a LP Jr. which, when you think about it, is pretty much a Tele with a LP shaped body ;)

I agree with Kat... get one of each. That's way more fun anyway :dude
 
I like the P90 sound for that genre of music, but having the option of switching to a humbucker would be nice. I've got a Jazzmaster-ish guitar with P90s that seems to be a good fit for punk/garage rock. Maybe a Tele Deluxe with a (GFS) Dream 90 in the neck and a (GFS) VEH in the bridge.

Hope you find what you're looking for, Steve. I'm interested in what you end up with, and how happy you are with your choice. Good luck!
 
I think either a Fat Tele (neckbuckered) or LP would be fine for what you're considering. As you know, I have a MIM Fat Tele, the actual model name is the unwieldy "Tex-Mex Tele Special." Other past Fender models included the California Fat (painted in Mexico but otherwise made in USA) and an American Fat. A cool current model I haven't had a chance to try is the '52 Hotrod, which has a Duncan mini-HB in the neck slot. I have the same mini as a neckbucker in a Frankentele I have and that thing screams.

Honestly, I think just about any Gibby LP, or on a budget, Epi, would be fine. I have an LP Classic and although the stock ceramics take some grief I found them fine (the bridge pup has been replaced but only because I somehow managed to kill it) and a LP Studio Doublecut (490R and 498T stock alnico HB's), and have used both for the sorts of music you describe.

The Epi Goldtop LP for P-90 sounds has a great rep on a budget though I haven't played one. For a bit more, you could find a USA Hamer Special, if you don't mind a doublecut LP shape. Also, Hamer makes an import doublecut LP with P-90's, iirc for some reason it has the word "sunburst" in it's model name despite that it's a goldtop. I haven't played the import Hamers but their rep seems to be on par w/Epis.
 
My concept of punk/indie sounds may be different than yours but, back in the post-punk/art rock/power pop late 70s and early 80s I used both LP types and teles interchangeably. Fatter tones from a tele are a matter of turning down the tone control and adjusting your amp. A tele with a neck bucker gives a bit more range. My usual guitar at the time had a P90-ish single coil at the neck and a DiMarzio Super Distortion 'bucker at the bridge.

I don't really subscribe to this "strat for blues", "tele for country", etc idea. It seems unnecessarily limiting.
 
Thanks guys. My concept of my full quiver at some point could include a strat, LP, and semi/hollow and Tele. But all in time. So since I have North and West covered, it is a matter of South or East next.

I know I am excluding a lot of other guitars that are not designs from the big boys, but that is just how I approach it I guess from a perspective of trying to capture the most sounds. I am thinking tele next, with either a bucker or a P90 in the neck.

I appreciate the input all. Markb, what was your usual guitar with the p90ish single coil?

I think my main concern about a tele is that it could do the chugga chugga thing for really rocking out. From your comments, seems like it should be able to with some adjustments to tone and amp.
 
Steve, I think I've posted this before but it was a French Jacobacci JSB2, a kind of LP/SG hybrid that came originally with 2 hb sized Benedetti singles. I added the DiMarzio for a fatter lead tone. I think you'd have a job finding one these days. Mine didn't have that mini-toggle. They were pretty much hand made and really quite similar to the British Gordon-Smith guitars.

03s.jpg
 
sunvalleylaw said:
I think my main concern about a tele is that it could do the chugga chugga thing for really rocking out. From your comments, seems like it should be able to with some adjustments to tone and amp.
Click to expand...


A Tele can handle the chugga just fine. I think you'll be surprised just how well it can chug, especially with the right pups.
 
t_ross33 said:
and some more... :dude

Click to expand...

This is interesting, and shows how much I believe we often overthink the issue of which guitar for which sort of sound.

While Joe is playing his Tele in this, and joined by a humbuckered Les Paul on rhythm, note that the high staccato riff that provides the "tommy gun" hook is actually being played by the guitarist in the background, on a doublecut Duo-Jet, most probably equipped with Filtertrons.

I'm no expert on the Clash's gear, but sfaik neither Joe nor Mick had any Gretsches around when Tommy Gun was recorded, or if they did, they do not appear to have used them live or in the studio at that time. Later, Mick used a White Falcon for the "London Calling" video, but that is a hollowbody with Dynasonic singlecoils, a totally different type of guitar and different type of pickup from the Duo-Jet used by the player in the Mescaleros above.
 
sunvalleylaw said:
Well, I am gonna go tele when I get around to it. DVM's CV conversion idea just sealed it.
Click to expand...

Try the 4-way. It's cheap and easily reverted if it doesn't work for you.
 

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