PRS vs Telecaster

[CVS]

I was in the local GC a few days ago and they had a used 52 reissue Telecaster for sale, so I decided to try it out. I was able to get that nice country twang sound out of the treble pickup using a tube amp, but the bass pickup sounded horrible to my ears. I don't want to buy a guitar that has just one usable pick up. Is there a PRS guitar out there that can give you that "country twang" sound when you want it?

 

[László]

Brent Mason is one of the busiest session players in Nashville history. His signature model might be a good starting place.

 

[Michael_DK]

I have the Brent Mason sig model, and I absolutely love it - best guitar I've ever had (also the most expensive, but never mind that ). But it is NOT a telecaster. Brent also still has his telecasters, I think, alongside with the PRS sig. I highly recommend the BM sig in general, but not for somebody looking for the telecaster sound.

Get a nice telecaster and get a neck pup replacement if it doesn't have "it" would be my two cents. Or just find the RIGHT telecaster, not the one on sale

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Side note...the Tele reissues came with original 1952 wiring, which is a very bass heavy, dark neck pickup sound. They also come with the stuff to modernize the neck PU...

And yes, the Brent Masons are amazingly versatile!

 

[tbp0701]

Ditto Bill SAS 513's comment. The 52RI's stock wiring is vintage, so the middle position is the neck pickup with the tone control and the top/#3/#1 position (depending how you count them) is the neck wired to be very bass heavy. (And as said above Fender includes a modern wiring kit with the guitar). So first I'd suggest trying other Teles. Or if the guitar you tried had the modern wiring but you still hated the pickup there are a lot of other options/Teles available. (G&L's Bluesboy with a humbucker or P90 at the bridge comes to mind). And even if that weren't the case the bridge pickup on a Tele is remarkably versatile and nothing sounds quite like it.

Anyway, I've never played a Bent Mason model and have limited PRS experience (although I now have a Mira). My general thinking is that my PRS's bridge pickup can be pretty bright and snappy--and has the option to coil tap--and is capable of quite a bit of twang. However, it won't sound like a Tele. There's a lot of lore behind the Tele sound but I'll guess it has a lot to do with a bridge single coil sitting on a large metal plate which is screwed onto a slab of often bright sounding wood.

So I guess my answer is kind of a cop-out as this is a "vs" thread. But in short I think both guitars are capable of playing any type of music and have enough control for infinitesimal tone-scaping, but I don't think a PRS is going to have a Tele's characteristic gnarly, wicked twang just as a Tele won't quite get the full spectrum vibrance of a PRS (or at least those I've played).

 

[CVS]

I have the Brent Mason sig model, and I absolutely love it - best guitar I've ever had (also the most expensive, but never mind that ). But it is NOT a telecaster. Brent also still has his telecasters, I think, alongside with the PRS sig. I highly recommend the BM sig in general, but not for somebody looking for the telecaster sound.

Get a nice telecaster and get a neck pup replacement if it doesn't have "it" would be my two cents. Or just find the RIGHT telecaster, not the one on sale

I did play a number of different Tele's when I was at GC - none of them had quite the same sound out of the treble pick up as the 52 reissue. I did also talk to GC about a bass pickup change out. Still mulling this over.
Thanks for your feedback

 

[Maertl513]

Yes, I underline the statements of LSchefman, Michael_DK, Bill SAS 513, and tbp0701. But bear in mind it depends on the capability of the player. Look, Greg Koch is able the reproduce this twangy sound on every guitar: Humbucker, Singlecoil, Hollowbody. It doesn´t matter.

I gonna tell you my Tele experience: I was about buying a Tele because everybody wants to convince that only a Tele sounds like a Tele. The Tele Twang...

I attended to Musik Messe in Frankfurt, Germany, last year via wild card. So I took the opportunity checking out a couple of Teles at the Fender booth. And I met Greg Koch, too. Anyways.

Cheap ones from Squier were chosen aswell as Mexican and US models. I wasn´t blown away in any sense.
I had the image of that typical Tele Sound in my brain, Andy Summers, Dominic Miller, The Boss.
An uncomfortable shaped guitar rests on my lap with a singlecoil on neck and bridge position.

I had the opportunity touching Paul´s former blue Paul´s Guitar. Even this instrument has more dirt in tapped coil modus than the Teles I played.

I´m very pleased with the SC sounds (and the other modes, too) of my 513 MT.
I´m cured: I don´t need to switch from (my) PRS to Tele.

Sure it depends on everybody´s taste. If you´re conviced that only a Tele could broadcast twang: Buy any!

 

[alantig]

Yes, I underline the statements of LSchefman, Michael_DK, Bill SAS 513, and tbp0701. But bear in mind it depends on the capability of the player. Look, Greg Koch is able the reproduce this twangy sound on every guitar: Humbucker, Singlecoil, Hollowbody. It doesn´t matter.

I gonna tell you my Tele experience: I was about buying a Tele because everybody wants to convince that only a Tele sounds like a Tele. The Tele Twang...

I attended to Musik Messe in Frankfurt, Germany, last year via wild card. So I took the opportunity checking out a couple of Teles at the Fender booth. And I met Greg Koch, too. Anyways.

Cheap ones from Squier were chosen aswell as Mexican and US models. I wasn´t blown away in any sense.
I had the image of that typical Tele Sound in my brain, Andy Summers, Dominic Miller, The Boss.
An uncomfortable shaped guitar rests on my lap with a singlecoil on neck and bridge position.

I had the opportunity touching Paul´s former blue Paul´s Guitar. Even this instrument has more dirt in tapped coil modus than the Teles I played.

I´m very pleased with the SC sounds (and the other modes, too) of my 513 MT.
I´m cured: I don´t need to switch from (my) PRS to Tele.

Sure it depends on everybody´s taste. If you´re conviced that only a Tele could broadcast twang: Buy any!

It's funny that you mention the 513 - I have a 513RW, and it's probably gotten the closest to a Tele sound that I've ever had. Put it this way - close enough for my purposes. Not sure if I have anything posted that I used it for.

I'm not a huge Tele fan, but I've thought about them because of two players - Luther Perkins (I know, he played an Esquire) and John 5. I tried one of the three-pickup John 5 signatures, and it just reinforced my love-hate thing w/Fenders. It sounded cool, but it weighed as much as a small car, and the middle pickup was totally in my way. Never say never, but if I ever get one, it'll be the more traditional single-coil setup.

If the OP is willing to consider used (or really dig online), the Johnny Hiland had some serious twang to it.

 

[László]

But bear in mind it depends on the capability of the player. Look, Greg Koch is able the reproduce this twangy sound on every guitar: Humbucker, Singlecoil, Hollowbody. It doesn´t matter.

This is absolutely true, and important to remember. I've heard David Grissom get some twang out of his DG model as well. And it's nothing like a Tele.

I've played a lot of Teles in 47 years of playing, and owned a couple. I don't miss them, but I'll acknowledge that there's a certain bark a good Tele gets that comes out of the construction of the guitar, the placement of the pickups, and the Tele bridge. For everything good about that one sound, nothing else about the instrument works for me. But that doesn't mean it won't work for someone else, and obviously, Fender sells an awful lot of them for that very reason.

 

[Maertl513]

Indeed. Due to the players specs the Johnny Hiland Sig would be a good proposal, too.
But you only will get it used ;-)

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Yo, Maertl...you must be my long lost brother!...(513 and all)...and yes, see above, tone is in the hands. Well, mostly!!

 

[Brad737]

Teles are sort of a love/hate deal with me. There are a couple things I love about them, but several that I hate. Lots of Tele players NEVER switch off of the bridge pickup. Having said that, I have a set of Lindy Fralin's Blues Special pickups in my Tele. Of course I'm biased, but I think my Telecaster sounds great in every position.

 

[Brad737]

Oh yeah...if you don't mind some surgery, I think a Telecaster bridge pickup into a Swamp Ash Special (with some sort of cover plate) would sound killer.

 

[Maertl513]

@Bill SAS 513: I've discovered my long time missed American bro!

513: the most underrated choice of sufficient noise making.

 

[Tag]

I was in the local GC a few days ago and they had a used 52 reissue Telecaster for sale, so I decided to try it out. I was able to get that nice country twang sound out of the treble pickup using a tube amp, but the bass pickup sounded horrible to my ears. I don't want to buy a guitar that has just one usable pick up. Is there a PRS guitar out there that can give you that "country twang" sound when you want it?

Remove the vintage wiring. A schematic and the parts come with the guitar. You are most likely hearing a horrid, muffled sound on the back switch setting. I think those guitars are: Back blade position bridge pup...... Middle position neck pup (which you probably thought was both pups together)..... and back position, neck pick up with some kind of cap which cuts all high end. The modern wiring is just like a 3 position Les paul. Thats what you want!

 

[Duffy]

I have a few tele's most of which are relatively expensive, but I have a Squier Butterscotch Blonde with black pickguard Classic Vibe '50s that is really incredible, especially for the price. The stock pickups sound good and it has a pine body which is very cool. A Pinecaster. I think some of the old tele's had pine bodies, but I could be wrong on that.

I'd say find a tele you like and buy it. There are some nice ones out there like the Baja and even the FMT HH (but you'd have to work to get the twang out of it). I replaced the pickups in my new MIM Standard Fender tele with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro tele pickups and it now sounds wonderful - I didn't care for the stock pickups at all.

 

[prsrocker1988]

I disagree with the twang with a humbucker thing. To me a Tele is the best twang machine with that bridge plate. I prefer 3 brass ashtray bridge for the most twang, but then there is Brent Mason with his 6 saddle Tele. But still, I find a lot of the twang is in the guitar. But I'm also not a believer of tone is in the fingers, so there ya go.

I personally use a compressor to make my flat picking sound like fingerpicking (give some cluck and pop) and it works very well for that task. Teles and Strats seem to work best. I use a flat pick and compressor to pull of the chicken picking stuff.

As far as the twangiest PRS models - without a doubt the DGT and Brent Mason models.

There's nothing wrong with owning both. Hell, in my case I have 4 PRSs (Core CU24, Core SoapbarMcCarty, S2 Singlecut Semi-Hollow, SE CU22), 2 Les Pauls, 2 SGs, 1 ES-335, 1 Music Man Silhouette, 4 Strats, 7 Teles, 1 Doubleneck 1275, 1 ES-225, 1 Mustang (vintage), 1 Explorer, 1 Carvin. And I'm not afraid to take 5 guitars out, even though if I wanted to I could just take my CU24.

 

[jfine]

I have a Brent Mason. It's not a Tele--it's a little darker, even in single-coil mode, but it sounds good, and it'll do stuff that stock Teles won't do, like the humbucker stuff (the neck pickup does a really decent jazzbox thing) and a fatter version of Strat cluck. A DC3 is actually a little closer to a Tele, but they're discontinued.

 

[Desperado]

Get the Amercan Vintage '64 Tele. It's widely agreed that it's probably the best production Telecaster available. I have one, it's amazing. Plenty of twang but has a neck pickup that can be real sweet.

Whilst I believe other guitars will get you close to a Tele. Not close enough IMO. I spent years trying to reproduce a Strat sound from various different guitars because I didn't like Strats. In the end I gave up and bought a Strat.

 

[Boogie]

Get the Amercan Vintage '64 Tele. It's widely agreed that it's probably the best production Telecaster available. I have one, it's amazing. Plenty of twang but has a neck pickup that can be real sweet.

Big +1
Theres something unique and magical about a Tele that I never expect out of any other guitar. I don't feel that way about a Strat or a Lester. If you get one that plays well, it's amazing. I also feel the same about the Tele Cabronita...it's unique and magical. I'd never expect my PRSi to be replacements. They can sometimes sound similar, but they can't be the same.