Vela owners, does the neck pickup give you Teleish tones?

IRG

IRG

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I'm without a Tele now, and realize I miss one a lot (and I knew I would). I'm maybe a little odd, in that I really liked the neck setting on my Tele a lot, more so than the bridge. And I used the middle position a lot.

The Vela seems like it could get me there. Similar bridge, and a single coil neck pickup. The body and neck materials are different so that might make it less bright, but I dunno.

So, Vela owners, are getting a Tele vibe from a Vela, something close, or not at all?
 
I can't say as I've never owned a tele. But I did buy the vela in part to sate my desire for a telecaster. Not sure which demo I was watching that made me think that, tho. It was on you tube... (Would have been nice if GC got more than 2 in the entire area before I bought one.)

Oh, probably this one ...

 
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^^ That does sound pretty good. He's a really good player too, that never hurts :)
 
IRG said:
I'm without a Tele now, and realize I miss one a lot (and I knew I would). I'm maybe a little odd, in that I really liked the neck setting on my Tele a lot, more so than the bridge. And I used the middle position a lot.
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I'm right there with ya. The middle position with good/great Tele pups is my very favorite clean sound. And a great Tele neck pup with the tone rolled back a bit, getting that sweet syrupy vocal tone is like sex with a guitar... in fact I pulled out a few of my Tele's I hadn't played in awhile this weekend, and quickly fell in love all over again. Every guitar player should have a decent Tele in the quiver....imho.

As for the Vela, I too am very anxious to try one. I have my doubts that it would truly replace a proper Tele though...
 
FWIW I don't have a Tele, but I have Strats...the Vela is definitely thicker and rounder in the neck than my strats.
 
DarkPenguin said:
I love this guitar. The tones you get are just wonderful.
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I am with you! Have never wanted a Fender of any kind. I'm prejudiced that way, but that's just me. My Vela satisfies pretty much all my tone wants for the music for which it's best suited. Da Blues!
 
CantankerousCarl said:
FWIW I don't have a Tele, but I have Strats...the Vela is definitely thicker and rounder in the neck than my strats.
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Same here. I have a Grosh Retro NOS that has fatter 60s single coils but the Vela is still a tad thicker sounding. I don't really like the ergonomics of a Tele, never have gotten along with any of them that didn't have the S style tummy cut, forearm cutaway, etc. The Vela get's close enough for me. It and the Grosh cover all my single coil tones.
 
I've owned and sold two telecasters, both of which I liked but sold for a number of different reasons. I have never played a Vela but based on the demo, the Vela has a much thicker, punchier tone vs the typical Telecaster or Stratocaster with a few exceptions. The reason why I say 'Typical' is that there are a few rare Telecasters that will sound more like the Vela.

- Fender Telecaster Plus? - Has a Fender Lace "blue" sensor in neck position which gives you a cross between the typical telecaster and telecaster with humbucker in the neck.
- Schecter PT USA Model - Two humbuckers with coil taps. Get any tone you want ranging from full twang to crushing distortion and everything in between.

The first tele that I had was not really sold. I lent it to a friend who needed a guitar while his Les Paul was being re-fretted. I got a check back for what I bought it for two years later he liked it so much. On the second guitar, I added a JB junior in the bridge and kept the stock neck pickup. With the coil tap on the JB and the middle position, it sounded awesome. The neck, however, was like a baseball bat so it went packing.

If you like that twangy, finger picking kind of lap steel sound, you need a telecaster. Not really my sound so I do not own one anymore.
 
My take is that the Vela neck PU isn't quite as scooped, has a slightly warmer top end, and a little more gritty chime. Sort of a love child between a Gretsch w/ DeArmond and a Tele. Unless you're a hard-core Tele purist, I don't think the Vela will disappoint. HIH!
 
I really had my eyes set on one of the 72 Deluxe Reissue Teles that Fender has been making the past few years (also, I'm not so secretly in love with Paramore and love the tones Josh Farro got out of his completely stock) but I'm thinking the Vela may get me the tones I'm looking for? I'd assume it would be a little darker, being mahogany vs alder, but I feel like it might be in the ballpark. Can anyone confirm?

I always love the classic look of Teles but obviously, it can't compare to the comfort and playability of a PRS. Plus I'm not much of a single coil guy. That being said, I've owned a Mexican and a Japanese Tele and I would pit either of them against an American Standard any day.

Edit: I bet an alder body, maple neck Vela would be very interesting...I'd definitely buy one!
 
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I'm liking the Vela more and more. As much as I want another Tele, I think it's history and vibe I like, more than actually playing one. The Vela kind of blends the best of the Tele vibe, with a little more of a rock feel, and less country. Which is fine by me.
 
I've owned my Vela for a total of 8 hours as of now. This makes me an expert ;) My advice is to buy a Vela. It's going to happen sooner or later. Just get it over with. You will not be disappointed.
 
Fro said:
I've owned my Vela for a total of 8 hours as of now. This makes me an expert ;) My advice is to buy a Vela. It's going to happen sooner or later. Just get it over with. You will not be disappointed.
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As soon as I sell my CU24 (now on Reverb), I'm going to do just that.
 
Is there Teles with a Velaish sound?I once had a custom 22 soapbar that I wanted to sound like a strat.Now I have three strats and one DGT.Plus a Gibson Flying V :).If I buy a Vela I want it to sound different to all the guitar I already have.......a tele would be cool too,I'm a big fan of Roy Buchanan.
 
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I FINALLY got to test drive a Vela today, through an Archon amp. First of all, it is one of the most comfortable guitars I have ever played. It's so light, and I loved the feel of the neck and the action. It feels like you could play it all day and never get tired. Sound wise I was amazed at how warm and syrupy it sounded. I was expecting a thinner sound, but found it so much to my liking it scares me. I need a trem guitar, but this was so much fun to play. Now what do I do? It also looked bad to the bone. The brass saddles were so classy against the vintage mahogany finish. But I'd really like one in the ice blue!
 
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