Time To Play...New Guitar Day

LerxstFan

Yup, I think my neck is healed enough now to try playing again, and as much as I love Flying V's, I have not really bonded with the V neck on my Dean. I can play it, but it isn't really comfortable. So, after thinking a lot about it, at least 15 minutes, I got a hold of @bourbonsamurai since I know he is a tele master and that was exactly the guitar I wanted. After a lot of back and forth, we arrived at a consensus....this one:


It's an American Performer Humbucker Telecaster. It arrived today and it's fantastic. Perfect in every way. I wanted something versatile, so it had to have a neck humbucker with a coil split option. The only thing this guitar needs now is a case and to be played. I gotta start slow and build back up, but I already ran through Fly By Night, All Right Now and a couple other songs I still remember. Thanks Cary, yer the bomb!

LerxstFan

Dinosaur David B

Above all else, Chuck, I'm really happy to hear you can start playing again! That's terrific!

FWIW, wherever possible, focus on guitars that are 8lbs or less (which most Tele's are). That's what I've been doing for the last 8 years when I got back into serious playing again. 

LerxstFan

Yep, Cary helped me find a tele at just over 7lbs. Sweetwater is good about publishing the weights of guitars. In fact, the guitar needed a tuning, but it was intonated and had zero fret buzz when it showed up. Pretty decent. 

cvansickle

Congrats, and play it in good health - really!

inmyhands

Love the body color with the maple fret board. It's got a nice vintage vibe. Plus ..... doesn't the "performer" Tele come with Jumbo frets?

bourbonsamurai

i'm so stoked you like it.  i'm also really glad you are playing again, man.  it's brilliant therapy, innit?

bourbonsamurai

Dinosaur David B said:

Above all else, Chuck, I'm really happy to hear you can start playing again! That's terrific!

FWIW, wherever possible, focus on guitars that are 8lbs or less (which most Tele's are). That's what I've been doing for the last 8 years when I got back into serious playing again. 

7-8lbs is a very safe weight range for Telecasters, whether ash, or alder bodied.  with alder, lighter than 7lbs, and you lose some midrange, which, that's what you want an alder body for in the first place.  with ash, heavier than 8lbs, and you lose that fantastic "air" that made Teles famous in the first place.  one of my friends has a Floyd Cassista built Tele, made of sequoia, of all things, that is SIX pounds.  that's a little too light for me, but he sounds great with it.  some of these redwood and pine Teles these custom builders are cranking out are REAL featherweights.

Dinosaur David B

"ash, heavier than 8lbs" is usually going to be Northern hardwood ash (the stuff they make baseball bats from), not the Southern Swamp ash that make great-sounding guitars.  Curt told me he can't even get light swamp ash anymore (even if you want to pay more for it), because the FCS bought it all up.  So the best he could do for me on the Moorecaster was to find a lighter alder body that on completion, put the guitar at 8lbs even. That turned out great, and 8lbs doesn't bother me, but it's about as heavy as I want ANY guitar these days due to my back and shoulder issues.  

And I'm not the only one here with age-related physical issues that make lighter guitars preferable. Chuck hasn't been able to play for several years after his injuries. I know Andy G. almost never plays standing up wearing a strap because he has issues as well. 

So I still see FCS strats listed on the WIldwood site that come in under 8lbs, and some Teles that come in under 7lbs, but you're not going to find very many of them elsewhere unless the companies still have old stock. Perhaps companies like Warmouth still have some in stock, but who knows?

LerxstFan

inmyhands said:

Love the body color with the maple fret board. It's got a nice vintage vibe. Plus ..... doesn't the "performer" Tele come with Jumbo frets?

Yes, and it turns out that jumbo frets are way better than I knew. I love playing with them. 

bourbonsamurai said:

i'm so stoked you like it.  i'm also really glad you are playing again, man.  it's brilliant therapy, innit?

You know, just the little I've played so far and it has put a huge smile on my face. I'm not fighting the guitar like my last two axes and I didn't hurt after playing yesterday. That's a bit of brilliance right there. 

LerxstFan

I think I am going to switch to a black guard when I change the strings. I prefer that look more. Also, I am not looking forward to changing the strings with the vintage style tuners. I never liked those as much, although they do look nicer. 

bourbonsamurai

Dinosaur David B said:

"ash, heavier than 8lbs" is usually going to be Northern hardwood ash (the stuff they make baseball bats from), not the Southern Swamp ash that make great-sounding guitars.  Curt told me he can't even get light swamp ash anymore (even if you want to pay more for it), because the FCS bought it all up.  So the best he could do for me on the Moorecaster was to find a lighter alder body that on completion, put the guitar at 8lbs even. That turned out great, and 8lbs doesn't bother me, but it's about as heavy as I want ANY guitar these days due to my back and shoulder issues.  

And I'm not the only one here with age-related physical issues that make lighter guitars preferable. Chuck hasn't been able to play for several years after his injuries. I know Andy G. almost never plays standing up wearing a strap because he has issues as well. 

So I still see FCS strats listed on the WIldwood site that come in under 8lbs, and some Teles that come in under 7lbs, but you're not going to find very many of them elsewhere unless the companies still have old stock. Perhaps companies like Warmouth still have some in stock, but who knows?

i think a lot of that is hype.  Stratosphere, and Guitar Mill both have SUPER light ash bodies for sale, right now, and their supply seems to be fairly consistent.  every time i look, i see several in the 3lb range.  i'm waiting for just the right looking figure on a guitar mill body, before i pull that trigger.  i've got a rift sawn maple FCS neck that needs a home, and i think a transparent vintage blonde or shell pink would be the ticket.

bourbonsamurai

also, if anybody here is interested in a nice Fender AVRI '52 Telecaster that weighs less than 6-1/2lbs, i know where one is, brand new.  message me, and i'll drop ya the link.

Duojett71

Sweet guitar Chuck! One of these days I am going to have a Telecaster. Glad you got it.....and super stoked you are playing again....that is awesome news. This gives Chris Van C's words even deeper meaning!

LerxstFan

I wish my fingers remembered more and hurt less

Seven Moons

Congrats on the new Tele, Chuck! And as the others said, I'm very happy to hear you can play again, that's the best thing about it. 

I agree about the black pickguard    It will look good with the humbucker.