Top Telecaster Tones (aka Return Of The Blog)

It creeps! It crawls! Beware of... THE BLOG!

If you got that classic B-Movie reference then you're all right in my book.

If you didn't, however, here's a picture of Steve McQueen looking at you discerningly:

Think about what you have done.

After a fairly anti-climatic start, we are back with a new tantalising topic; my top 10 Telecaster 'tones'.

I use the word 'tone' very lightly because I'm not trying to sell you anything. Just as I won't be using the words; 'vibe', 'mojo' or 'transparent'. Yuck.

Ultimately I would rather have entitled this instalment 'Top Telecaster Sounds' but I'm a sucker for alliteration.

Anyway, I digress.

Suttykin's Top 10 Telecaster 'Tones'

10. Frank Black

Just making it into the top 10 is Mr. Frank Black.. or Black Francis.. or Charles Thompson.. or whatever the hell he wants you to call him, the man practically invented Alternative Rock for crying out loud! There's nothing quite like the sound of a Telecaster through a cranked combo amp and Black is testament to this. As the front-man of the Pixies, he changed the sound of Rock music for the next 30 years (and counting).

Inspired by the punk and surf music of his youth and his love of Sci-Fi and avant-garde cinema, Black set his bleak, tortured lyrics of incest and self-harm against a backdrop of crashing guitars and Beatles-esque melodies. This dichotomy created something truly unique, often imitated but never matched.

Over the course of just five studio albums, the Pixies mastered the art of their famous "loud, quiet, loud" school of song writing until their break up in 1993. From the hugely influential Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa to the often over-looked later albums such as Bossanova (just listen to 'Is She Weird' and try to tell me it's not one of the best Pixies songs ever written.. go on, I dare you!)

Black's guitar sound during his work with the Pixies and later on during his solo career isn't one for the cork-sniffers though. It's not what one would traditionally think of as 'great tone' but it has a sense of urgency that fit perfectly with his lyrics and vocal style. It's not pre-meditated and it's not pretty but it sounds flipping brilliant.

9. Dante Schwebel (Hacienda)

Hacienda are a good old fashioned rock and roll band from San Antonio, Texas. It can be difficult to play classic rock music nowadays without coming across as clichéd and insincere but these boys do it with ease. They have reached minor recognition with the backing of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who, as well as having the band back him on his 2009 solo tour, has produced all three of their albums; Loud Is The Night, Big Red & Barbacoa and 2012's Shakedown.

What earned guitarist Dante Schwebel a place in this (clearly, very prestigious) list is just one song though. In fact, just a couple of seconds of one song.

Check out 0.55 of this video for the single; 'She's Got a Hold on Me'.

Holy smokes, what a sound!

Due in some part to Auerbach's production skills (listen to Dr. John's recent record Locked Down for ample evidence of this) but boy can this guy play.

In Schwebel's own blog, which I will include a link to below, he highlights some of the elements of his sound, musing on the common misconception that he relies heavily on fuzz boxes for that over-saturated, splattering goodness.

"When I'm asked about the fuzz tone I was getting on stage, I dont have the heart to tell people that my amp is just really really really really loud and I use that treble booster. So there you have it, get a great guitar, play your amp loud, get a treble booster and an echo and thats what I sound like"

It's a great read and there's some really useful information on there so take a look. I'm currently flying the flag for Hacienda here in the UK because I really want them to make it big. They seem like cool guys with some great tunes and a totally legit attitude towards their music and touring, so if you haven't already, check them out!

http://texasdante.blogspot.com

8. Jim Campilongo

There's not much to say about Jim Campilongo. When internet know-it-alls tell you that "Tone is in the fingers" they might well be referring to Jim Campilongo. In which case they would be excused.. and then almost immediately scorned for their abhorrent use of the word 'tone'.

Campilongo seamlessly floats between country, jazz and rock in a way that is totally fresh and again, unusually sincere. Here is a man who uses his guitar as a tool, knows its nuances and idiosyncrasies and makes every single note count.

It's impossible to pick a standalone example of Jim demonstrating his craft but I find his work with The Little Willies alongside the fabulous Norah Jones particularly charming.

Of course, the Telecaster is only one half of the equation in this case and Jim's sound owes a great deal to his impressive collection of vintage Fender Princeton amps.

Check out his website for lots of drool-worthy shots of his gear and a lot of insightful information from the man himself.

http://www.jimcampilongo.com/

7. Jeff Buckley

The guitar sound on Hallelujah.

Need I say more? No, but I will...

Jeff Buckley is the man responsible for my long standing love affair with reverb. His use of dynamics and effects to create dream-like textures and spaces, darkness and light and earth-shattering crescendos of sound.

This technique of creating dense, roaming textures to augment his incredibly acrobatic vocals was clearly influenced by the use of drones in Eastern music, particularly that of Buckley's hero; Pakistani musician, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. This is more clearly reflected in songs such as 'Dream Brother' from 1994's Grace album.

There are also themes of spirituality found in Buckley's music, his lyrics often focusing on mortality and the concept of "eternal life". This ties in with the imagery he creates with the almost church-like spaciousness and meditative guitar sounds, not to mention the hymn like falsetto vocals on songs such as 'Lilac Wine' and 'Corpus Christi Carol'. There is undoubtedly something other worldly about his music and this is reflected in his guitar playing.

The Jeff Buckley sound is, in my opinion, exemplified by the Live at Sin-é album.

Nothing more than his 'borrowed' '83 Telecaster into a Fender Vibroverb. So pure and clean, nothing but class.

Like Frank Black, there seems to be a sense of urgency to Buckley's sound. It is as if the guitar is a means to an end, a way of accompanying his vocals and a vehicle for transporting his music. It is perhaps because of this that despite his heavy use of effects later on, his guitar never loses that pure, organic quality that made Sin-é such a joy to listen to.

Jeff Buckley. Gone but never forgotten.

6. Bill Frisell

Again, there's not much to be said about Bill Frisell. He is an incredibly talented, intelligent and humble musician and composer who has created his own unique brand of folk-infused, experimental jazz.

There is something very cinematic and visual about his music and this is heightened by his innovative use of looping techniques. He also draws influence from popular music such as his love of John Lennon and this is evident in his use of melody and a lot of his chordal work.

Frisell is another figure-head for the argument that expensive, boutique gear does not maketh the 'tone' and he is often seen coaxing some incredible sounds out of very readily available equipment.

This is a video of Bill demonstrating his use of effects and some of his techniques. I must have watched this video hundreds of times, it blows my mind every time.

5. Stephen Stills

Ok, we're halfway through and I have a confession. This next sound isn't technically a Telecaster but an Esquire. I had to include it though because it's just awe-inspiring; one of the best guitar sounds I've ever heard in my life.

I must also confess that I'm not too familiar with Stephen Stills' other work outside of a handful of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young albums I listened to as a kid. However, as I say, it's a guitar sound that has stuck with me ever since I first heard it and it needed to be included on this list somewhere.

So in the very respectable number five spot; Stephen Stills performing 'Love The One You're With' live on a German television show in 1983.

4. Steve Cropper

Pick any classic soul tune released on Stax Records in the 1960s.

Any of them, you can't miss.

Got one..? Good.

It's more than likely that Steve Cropper (or "The Colonel" as he has been known) co-wrote and/or played guitar on that track and if he did, he did so on his trusty blond Telecaster.

As part of Stax's in-house band; Booker T & the MGs, Cropper's timeless guitar playing on songs such as Sam & Dave's 'Soul Man', Eddie Floyd's 'Knock On Wood', Otis Redding's '(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay' and Booker T & the MGs' own hit; 'Green Onions', would change the electric guitar's role in contemporary music forever.

As Booker T famously said of Cropper:

"We were writing sounds too, especially Steve. He's very sound-conscious, and he gets a lot of sounds out of a Telecaster without changing any settings, just by using his fingers, his picks, and his amps."

3. George Harrison

Ok, so maybe between the Gretsch and his "Rocky" Stratocaster, the Telecaster isn't the first guitar you think of when you hear the name George Harrison.

Well it should be! Here's why.

The following is an extract from the book; Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970. It's an absolutely fantastic book, beautifully put together with extensive information and some beautiful photography. A compendium of Fender history that I highly recommend.

"In 1968, Don Randall met with The Beatles at their Apple headquarters in Saville Row, London, and an arrangement was made to supply the group with a full complement of Fender equipment including guitars, keyboards and amplifiers for the recording of their new album 'Let It Be'. Back in Fullerton, at Fender's research and development department, the idea was hatched to build special, one-off versions of the company's best-loved six-strings, made entirely from expensive, heavy rosewood. These instruments were some of the most lavish solid-body designs Fender would ever produce and it was decided that a prototype Telecaster would be presented to George Harrison and a matching Stratocaster to Jimi Hendrix."

But how did it sound? Well the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Just watch any of the footage of The Beatles last live performance on the rooftop of the Apple headquarters to hear both Harrison's unique approach to melody and lead playing and how well it worked on a Telecaster. A match made in heaven.

Let It Be gets a lot of criticism, mainly by Paul McCartney himself, because of the way it was produced by Phil Spector leading to McCartney eventually remixing the album as Let It Be... Naked 33 years later. I actually prefer the original release though. Spector's characteristic "add nine of everything" 'wall of sound' approach lends the songs a lot of charm and whimsy, especially Paul's ballads. It's like watching an old, low budget movie from the late 70s. The way certain colours blur together in a hazey, over-saturated mess, and most importantly of all; George's Telecaster sounds great!

2. Graham Coxon (Blur)

Ok, this entry is a little specific.

Coxon is renowned for his Telecaster abuse and for creating some of the most disgustingly beautiful (or beautifully disgusting) sounds ever recorded.

Any of his work with Blur is stellar and would deserve a place on this list but there is one example in particular that never ceases to amaze me; the lead break from this version of Tender:

Starting at around 3:30, it's a tour de force of fabulous, fuzzy, sputtering noise.

Makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, doesn't it?



1. Ted Greene

So here we are; the number one spot.

If a picture says a thousands words, then the music of Ted Greene must be a whole gallery.

A smörgåsbord of sound; there is very little I can say about this man and his playing so I will say just this:

If you don't own Ted's 1977 album; Solo Guitar, buy it! You will be glad you did.

He was a pioneer of chordal melody and harmonic structure and is a criminally underrated voice in both the jazz and guitar world.

I will leave you with this:

If you got this far (I know I didn't), thank you for reading. More to come soon!