Les Paul vs '72 Deluxe tele

[Dmoney]

So, I learned to play using a strat, then eventually on to SG's, then I got my Les Paul Custom (after a bunch of other axes).

Recently I've been looking and strats and teles and thinking about getting involved. I've not played a tele ever really, just a few mins here and there when trying out gear. I quite like the 80's superstrat things that pop up around the place (carvin's, kramer, G&L Rampage). Tonight i've been looking around...

found a 80's strat with a kahler trem. looked pretty cool, but one guitar thats always got my attention is the '72 Tele with Dual Humbuckers.

How do these sound compared to a Les Paul? I think ive very much a les paul guy, but I kind of fancy a change.

EDIT: obviously they'll be different... but in what way is what im asking.

[LazyNinja]

Just tried a roadworn tele deluxe in white and it was great. Nice played in feel and the relicing wasn't too cheesey either. Had nice bite to the tone closer to an SG than a LP. Thinline tele on the otherhand sounded muffled in comparison. Glossy tacky feeling think epiphone yuk.

[AndyR]

^ That's what I'd have guessed, nearer to an SG that an LP...

I used to have a humbucker in the neck of a tele when I was last gigging, that pretty much did the same job as an SG I had at the time...

I just couldn't use the single coil in the tele through the same amp settings, so I ditched the idea.

[Prawnik]

The Fender Wide Range Humbucker as found in Tele Deluxes and Tele Customs =/= standard humbuckers. They are physically bigger.

The re-issue Fender Wide Range Humbuckers are stank-tastic.

The original Fender Wide Range Humbuckers are legendary.

Nobody makes a good repro of the original Wide Range Humbucker; apparently the CuNiFe magnets contained in the originals are expensive to reproduce. Talk to the folks on the TDPRI as there is a whole cottage industry devoted to making the re-issues somewhat useable.

Even then, a '72 Tele Custom will not sound like a Les Paul, primarily because the Tele has a different scale length, and hence resonant frequencies. It can sound cool, but it will always be a different kind of cool from a Les Paul.

[HTH AMPS]

what are the mods to make Wide Range humbucker RI's usable?

The best I could do was to use 1M pots to give them less mud, though I suppose you could always use a cap in-line with the hot lead to roll off some bass (never tried that though).

[Prawnik]

Never had a guitar with the Wide Range Humbuckers so I am not a huge expert on them, but I recall that the 1M pots are a key ingredient.

Best to look on the TDPRI (Tele board) and use the search there. The guys there have forgotten more about Telecasters than even Roo.

[Dmoney]

Im planning on going denmark street in a while and making checking some teles and strats out.

[WezV]

if you can, try out an original wide range.   The originals are great ... but not for everyone.   I love mine, just re-wired it in a guitar with normal tele bridge pickup (BG flat 50) and a 4-way switch.   Its very fendery - but huge sounding at the same time.   very different to traditional humbuckers, but then they were designed to be

problem with the re-issues is they are just normal humbuckers and lots of filler in a wide range case - not particularly nice humbuckers either but the size difference of the cover makes replacing them awkward without changing/modifying the pickguard

[Dmoney]

I got there,

Didn't like the look or the price of any of the strats or tele's I saw apart from maybe one in Wunjo.
I didn't play it as I was too 'hmmmmmm' about it. Maybe I'm just a les paul guy, or I should keep my eye out for a real cheap strat to mess with,