I have a tele, I don't want another tele. I want something that sits in between my tele and my 594. I want all the clarity I get from the neck position of the Tele with a little more juice from the bridge position. My 594 sounds great on the bridge position, I really love it, I do wish it was just a little punchier with more attack and clarity but overall it's pretty good. Is there a prs that offers the best of both?
What PRS does the best "Telecaster" impression?
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Ovibos
Naughty Wood Librarian
Maybe a Vela?
RickP
Established 1960, Still Not Dead
I haven’t played it in a while, but the NF-3 was a great “between the guitars” guitar for me. Wish I still had it!
markd21
New Member
None. I went down thst path. I love the Fender Esquire. It is an essential "color" for me while recording. Here are my experiences:
Vela - AWESOME guitar, but despite the plate bridge with brass saddles, it lands firmly in Gretsch territory. I have owned a lot of Gretsch guitars and the pickups in the Vela are totally in Gretsch land.
Johnny Hiland Signature - this guitar is supposed to have a bridge pickup that's the closest PRS ever came to a tele (PRS Book). Nope. It's just a really sweet CE24 eith a maple fretboard. I did really like the switching though: the neck humbucket is always split unless you pull the tone pot UP, then you get neck humbucker.
Actually, this next one was the closest to a Tele, but I think it was on accident and due to the Artist Package woods...
DGT - this one had a Brazilian fretboard. I think that gave the little bit that made it seem more Tele-ish than the others. But, it only sounded thst eay with the bridge pickup split, the volume on 8 and the tone on 7. Lol. VERY specific.
Oh, almost forgot about this one...
DC594 - I thought this one could get close, but it was like the DGT...very specific knob placements, and not easy to do on the fly.
FYI, for my Tele reference tone...for several years I owned a 1958 Fender top loader Telecaster that was all original, except for having Esquire wiring. The neck pickup was still there, just it wasn't in the circuit. Later I had the Fendet Custom Shop recreate it in a less "rickety" format. I hste vintage guitats - they don't feel robust enough for daily use.
Vela - AWESOME guitar, but despite the plate bridge with brass saddles, it lands firmly in Gretsch territory. I have owned a lot of Gretsch guitars and the pickups in the Vela are totally in Gretsch land.
Johnny Hiland Signature - this guitar is supposed to have a bridge pickup that's the closest PRS ever came to a tele (PRS Book). Nope. It's just a really sweet CE24 eith a maple fretboard. I did really like the switching though: the neck humbucket is always split unless you pull the tone pot UP, then you get neck humbucker.
Actually, this next one was the closest to a Tele, but I think it was on accident and due to the Artist Package woods...
DGT - this one had a Brazilian fretboard. I think that gave the little bit that made it seem more Tele-ish than the others. But, it only sounded thst eay with the bridge pickup split, the volume on 8 and the tone on 7. Lol. VERY specific.
Oh, almost forgot about this one...
DC594 - I thought this one could get close, but it was like the DGT...very specific knob placements, and not easy to do on the fly.
FYI, for my Tele reference tone...for several years I owned a 1958 Fender top loader Telecaster that was all original, except for having Esquire wiring. The neck pickup was still there, just it wasn't in the circuit. Later I had the Fendet Custom Shop recreate it in a less "rickety" format. I hste vintage guitats - they don't feel robust enough for daily use.
bodia
Authorities said.....best leave it.....unsolved
I agree with with your assessment on the 594. I thought I got some convincing Tele sounds out of it after some serious knob twisting.
xjbebop
Yippy ki yay...
No PRS does a proper Tele tone.....
Some get in the neighborhood, but......
Some get in the neighborhood, but......
Completely agree. My next project involves replica pickups from a ‘58 Les Paul Std., which, if my calculations are correct, would mesh well with the bridge on the Vela and give a very Tele-like experience. With the stock pickups, you only get a Tele feel with the bridge. The Starla pup is like a hot TV Jones.
markd21
New Member
Oh yeah, another....
Brent Mason Signature - For a sig for a guy that's known to use Teles, the BM was VERY strat-like. The 408 pickups split nicely, but the tone is more P90 than F-style single coil.
Brent Mason Signature - For a sig for a guy that's known to use Teles, the BM was VERY strat-like. The 408 pickups split nicely, but the tone is more P90 than F-style single coil.
Grapeshot
Awesomely Outrageous
Wasn’t the 53/10 based on a ‘53 Tele pickup?
The 594 does some of that tele vibe but it's not near punchy enough to nail it. It's just totally different sounding. What I'm really looking for is something that sits in between the 594 and Tele in the bridge position. Want more low end punch, clarity, and note separation on the bridge without losing the sustainy focused midrange character that I love so much about the 594. I also love that the 594 pushes an amp better than a Tele. I don't need boost pedals I can just wind the volume to 10. I want that punchy strat-like clarity on the neck position. I don't care for the neck position on a Lester or similar it's just muddy and useless in my opinion. I want to be able to blend the bridge and neck pickups in the middle with a 4 knob control type setup. I prefer guitars without a trem, I never use so I figure it's unnecessary. If I were famous I'd call Paul and ask him to help me develop something because I'm betting I'm not the only one who would like this sort of thing but I'm pretty far from famous so hopefully someone already makes something that fits the bill.
Mike Duncan
DGT Player
My DGTs pull off a convincing Tele. I can Twang and Surf with my DGTs.
Tone-y
New Member
Who knows quite what the 53/10 was based on but to me it's still a humbucker all the way
GuitarJammin
Guitar Player
My playing doesn't delve deep into Tele territory...but i have owned severalTeles and like certain colors of tone from it...I think the Brent Mason Signature works out...for me it grabs at the tone. I think it's worth trying out if you find one to pick up.
dcm_guitar
New Member
I can speak to both the Vela and the 594 in reference to the Tele. Both guitars will get you close; potentially very close. Of the two, I like the Vela a little better in terms of Tele tone. FWIW, I sold my Tele to fund my new 594 purchase. The Tele sounded like a Tele (which I LOVE), and while I have two guitars that get me close, they are not exactly like the Tele. The reason I was okay with selling my Tele (even though the new guitars could not provide exactly the same sound) is that there is ALWAYS a Tele available to buy.
Alnus Rubra
Loving nature’s wonders
bodia
Authorities said.....best leave it.....unsolved
Yes!Was that before, during or after the conference call?!
Turkeyhead
New Member
- Joined
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Nik Huber Twangmeister is the best “PRS” Telecaster. I don’t think PRS has a Tele type. I couldn’t believe it when I saw one. He’s captured so much of the PRS greatness and put it in the form of a Tele and the sound is not completely Tele but is what you might expect a PRS Tele type to be. Nik did it right.
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