LP or Tele (with possible pick up mods) for garagey/indie/punky sounds?

LP or Tele or other for garagey/indy/punky stuff

  • Les Paul knock off

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Tele

    Votes: 3 100.0%

  • other

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    3
sunvalleylaw

sunvalleylaw

Yep.
This is a cross post from my other forum. I would love to get your opinions as well as my old buddies at my other place.

I am not yet shopping to buy, but am starting to window shop my next guitar. The next set of sounds I want to add is somewhere in the solid body with at least one humbucker. I was thinking either a LP (maybe with a P90 in the neck) or a tele with a bucker in the neck. Thinking mostly vintage/indie/punkie rock sounds here mostly. I know LPs can get nice cleans and jazz sounds, and of course teles can too, but I get those from the my Hagstrom Viking. I am looking more for Joe Strummer, Tom Wisniewski (from MxPx) Rivers Cuomo (I just looked him up, looks like he often uses a Warmoth strat with buckers), Westerberg, Neil Young/Crazy Horse etc. here.

So give me your thoughts. General comments about LPs and Teles for garage rock/indie/ punkish sounds is the focus, but I also am interested in specific recs regarding my pickup thoughts and any cheap models you think might be good options. I would love to go out and play some, to choose, but that is hard here in Idaho, especially if I am thinking about unusual pickup formations in these guitars. That Xaviere on sale with a soapbar in the neck for under $200 looks like a good buy, but I keep leaning toward getting an Agile 3000/3100 and having the option to drop a soap bar in (sized for humbucker holes of course). And the GFS/Agile tele knockoffs are up for consideration as well.

Oh, I had considered a super strat, basically getting a used MIM or a squire to mod, but I had thought for the sounds I am after, it might be better to not go there.


EDIT: Just so you know what I already have, I own a MIM 60th Anniversary strat (SSS), and a Hagstrom Viking (335/semihollow type).
 
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They are pretty different. I like and use both an LP and a tele regularly, and I think they could both be applied to the music you mentioned. It would probably come down to feel and how each would gel with the rest of your rig (effects, amps, etc.)

The neck might be a big factor in your decision should you A/B them in a shop or something. Also the scale.

I can tell you from my own experience that I have to rely a little more on my pedalboard to get the sounds I want out of my tele. That could be my problem, but it seems to be common.
 
sunvalleylaw said:
Yeah, true, and I know I don't "need" one. I was thinking of a cheapie I could mangle around, keep at work, etc. so I could keep my two I own at home.
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with regards to "cheapie" i would go tele instead of LP. it's a more basic platform, is more easily modded and you don't have to deal with nefarious species of "mahogany". plus, they make single coil sized humbuckers that are direct drop in replacements. so if you don't like regular tele pups, you've got a huge range of options.
 
I would say you can easily go either way with success. I would recomend LTD for some super sweet LP style. I had this one and it came with a JB/59, great set up, verdict is still out on the bridge pup, maybe I am not a JB guy.

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Or a tele with some hot pups. I used Texas Specials on my last tele, mainly because I didn't want to wait for BGs and didn't think Lollars. What I like about them is they are hotter for heavy playing and when you roll back on the vol, they sound very tele.

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  • Joe Strummer - Telecaster
  • Tom Wisniewski - Les Paul (some with P90s and some with humbuckers)
  • Rivers Cuomo - what you said
  • Replacements:
    • Paul Westerberg - Lots (SG Junior, ES, Marauder/S1, Strat, First Act Signature (I've never seen him play it though))
    • Bob Stinson - Everything (Humbuckin' Tele, Hard Tail Strat, Firebird, SG, etc.)
    • Slim Dunlap - who knows, who cares
  • Neil Young - Les Paul
Based on the sound you're looking for, anything should do :)

Honestly though, we have similar taste in music and I find P90s to be my favorite. Even though the one I have is freakin' noisy, it's awesome.
Esquire_12.jpg

(gratuitous pic)
 
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Help!I'maRock! said:
with regards to "cheapie" i would go tele instead of LP. it's a more basic platform, is more easily modded and you don't have to deal with nefarious species of "mahogany". plus, they make single coil sized humbuckers that are direct drop in replacements. so if you don't like regular tele pups, you've got a huge range of options.
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I hear what you are saying. If it were an LP type, I would be looking at on of the Agile 3000/3100 series (mid 300s I think, and nice guitars), or the Xaviere that is getting blown out for under $200 that Kerouac got recently that has a p90 in the neck. I also have a DiMarzio Virtual Hot PAF zebra humbucker for the bridge that I could stick in a guitar, or sell to help fund one of these options. Though I think that if I went tele, I would want the bucker in the neck and want a standard tele pup in the bridge.
 
I was going to chip in here but it looks like the "either will do depending on what kind of sound you want" card has been played :)
 
Anything and everything. Really the tones for garage/punk/indie are pretty basic guitar into tube amps w/ effects per genre requirements. P90s might be a good bet. A tele with a P90 in the neck might be a good bet. Also, filtertron-type pick ups are overlooked but work well for these sorts of sounds.
 
Ya, I know. And DVM is the man. You know it is cherry. But alas, I was truly window shopping today. Not ready yet. Someone should get this though.
 
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