Weekend wingnut content

[buckaroobanzai]

I was in a new local Ma & Pa guitar store on the weekend, killing time while the wife & kid got manicures at the local overly-scented nail salon. Nice store, but I'm not sure they'll be able to compete with the uberchain up the road. They had a bunch of interesting guitars, including the Blade line which I hadn't seen locally before. Blade makes a nice looking Tele copy, but the neck was too chunky for me.

I was looking over the used stock, when the lady working the counter started talking about the Tele I was holding, saying that it had been customised by the previous owner, had special pickups and switching, and was a one-of -a -kind that the guy was selling because he's just been endorsed by Gibson and couldn't play Fenders anymore. Selling price was $1195.

"Hmm. " says I. " Actually, this is a bone-stock 90 or 91 Tele Plus with Lace Sensors. I have the same one."

Cue all hell breaking loose.

How dare I besmirch the good name of *********, a well-respected legend who knows more about guitars than I ever will, and Fender never made a Tele that looks like this. ( the stars are because I can't remember the guy's name who supposedly customised this Tele).

When I managed to get a word in, I asked if she's ever heard of Johnny Greenwood of the band Radiohead, a noted Tele Plus user. Nope.

Having had enough, I took my leave.

However, later that day, when my wife discovered that the polish on her nails was defective ( don't ask), and she was returning to said nail emporium for a re-do, I couldn't help myself. I grabbed my Tele and offered to drive her back.

I went back into the store, plopped my case on the counter and opened it.

" Here's MY one-of-a-kind, customised, never-before-seen, Fender-doesn't make-this-Telecaster."

Have a nice day. Surf the Internet. Don't believe everything the nice Gibson endorser tells you.

Plus, the ice cream place across the road makes its own waffle cones. Win!

[Maxer]

Great tale! And the moral of the story is: do your research... don't take just one person's word on a piece of gear - especially if it's one he wants to sell to you.

[Milkman]

Good one Buck. I'm no expert on makes and models, partcularly when it comes to historical data, but I know what I own.

Sometimes it's worth a little drive to straighten someone out.

[Mooh]

Everyone is an expert these days, and the internet doesn't help. I saw a "custom" Epiphone Les Paul once...someone had installed Schaller straplocks!

Fun eh!

Peace, Mooh.

[devnulljp]

Sounds a bit like this:

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png

Although the all hell breaking loose part and the waffle cones probably made it worth it :D

[buckaroobanzai]

I don't normally bother with insufferable bozos, but since I was going back that way anyway, I figured I'd make an exception. If it had been one of the know-nothings from the local WalGuitar-Mart, I wouldn't have bothered.

It would be interesting to have someone go back in there now and see if she's still trying to sell it as a one-off custom job...hopefully the buyer would do some research before plunking down that much cash....

[Metal#J#]

There's a new music store close to where I live........dude tried to convince me this Boogie he has in there is something special and worth $6999:eek:
Same thing with this Strat with a big story behind it.......tried telling me it was worth $4000. Just looked like a normal American black Strat to me. Also tried to tell that all his never heard of before imports have actual maple tops and not veneers.

I REALLY have a hard time keeping my mouth shut when dealing with people like this. Sometimes I think the uninformed are safer buying on-line.

[a Pack of Wolves]

any fo that "so and so plays such and such,so you should to"
is mumbo-jumbo for the foolish

good on you fer doing that dude

-----------------------------------
general speaking and slightly off topic
it's good to find what works for yourself and don't get the exact same gear as yer heros

more guitarists need to think (and sound) more like themselves

-------------------------------------

gear is just (or should be) the jumping off point for yer ideas

--------------------------------------

carpenters probably don't sit around and judge each other 'cause they don't have the right brand of hammer,do they?

[iaresee]

Stupidity certainly isn't limited to the small stores. I have a Steve's GC I got for Christmas that I tried to spend on Saturday. Walked in and asked for a Voodoo Lab's Pedal Power 2+. Got a, "What's that?" from the guy at the counter. After I explained he said they didn't carry VL stuff but the DC Brick is better. I know how they work in explicit detail but I gave him a chance and asked, "Oh really? How is that?" His answer: "It's smaller". That's it. Any how...we went back and forth, I'd ask for something (George L's, Nova Reverb) and he'd tell me they don't carry it...it was silly. So finally I point at the RV-5 under the counter and asked how is that for big washy, spacey echos compared to the Holier Grail sitting next time it? "I dunno man. I use amp reverb...why would you want a pedal for reverb?"

I walked out. Screw it. I've always hated Steve's. I'll see if my brother-in-law can get his money back for the GC. It's just not worth the pain.

[greco]

Everyone is an expert these days, and the internet doesn't help. I saw a "custom" Epiphone Les Paul once...someone had installed Schaller straplocks!

Fun eh!

Peace, Mooh.

I have the same custom Epi ...and it is for sale....any interest ? Mine is red (sort of).

Dave

[Ti-Ron]

There's too many know-it-all like that and in every kind of store! I've try to buy an MP3 player last week and the guy told me that I need to buy the huge shit with blue tooth (!!!) and internet acces for improving my style! It's bigger, cooler and you really need it! Yeah right!
buckaroobanzai: You should have filmed or pictured her face just to show us the vision of the looser! ;)

[iaresee]

buckaroobanzai: You should have filmed or pictured her face just to show us the vision of the looser! ;)

It would have made a great post on my new favourite blog: the FAIL blog (http://failblog.wordpress.com/). Hilarious (and sometimes NSFW...)

[rev156]

wow, off topic but that fail website is fantastic! I laughed my a-- off.
Thanks for the mood lift!
Cheers

[zontar]

I've never done that, but I've been tempted.
More often with albums and books.

And that "Someone is wrong on the internet" cracked me up.

It would be easy to get into that--but I try to keep a distance from it--unless it's dangerous.

[Drazden]

I think we're all ignoring the fact that there was a Fender Tele Plus for sale. I've wanted one of those for years. There was one on craigslist around here a while ago...but I can't find it now.

Crap. I can't find the right teary, crying smiley.

And I am aware that $1200 was outrageous for it... They're just so cool. OP, I am jealous of your owning one. Is it blueburst?

[buckaroobanzai]

I think we're all ignoring the fact that there was a Fender Tele Plus for sale. I've wanted one of those for years. There was one on craigslist around here a while ago...but I can't find it now.

Crap. I can't find the right teary, crying smiley.

And I am aware that $1200 was outrageous for it... They're just so cool. OP, I am jealous of your owning one. Is it blueburst?

The one in the store is blackburst with rosewood , and it's pretty high mileage. Mine's metallic black with maple. I know some Tele purists don't like them, but it's still my favorite guitar. Part Tele, part LP, and it snarls thru the right amp. Believe it or not, it also does a respectable acoustic simulation thru a Zoom A2 into a Roland JC-60. It's been my main gigging guitar for 16 years.

And maybe the price isn't that far off - the last 2 on EvilBay went for $1225 and $1525...but those were mint.

Bad news for those like yourself that want one - where's the gloating smiley?

[Drazden]

The one in the store is blackburst with rosewood , and it's pretty high mileage. Mine's metallic black with maple. I know some Tele purists don't like them, but it's still my favorite guitar. Part Tele, part LP, and it snarls thru the right amp. Believe it or not, it also does a respectable acoustic simulation thru a Zoom A2 into a Roland JC-60. It's been my main gigging guitar for 16 years.

And maybe the price isn't that far off - the last 2 on EvilBay went for $1225 and $1525...but those were mint.

Bad news for those like yourself that want one - where's the gloating smiley?

Wow. I thought $800 street was passable for those. I've wanted one... ever since I got my first Tele, and realized how much more useful the pickup combo on that one would be.

I can't find anything 100% appropriate, so cheers. :food-smiley-004:

[buckaroobanzai]

Wow. I thought $800 street was passable for those. I've wanted one... ever since I got my first Tele, and realized how much more useful the pickup combo on that one would be.

I can't find anything 100% appropriate, so cheers. :food-smiley-004:

A friend of mine has a Nashville Tele with a Duncan Hot Rails Tele Stack in the bridge - also a very versatile guitar, and it kicks major ass thru his Classic 30. Won't set you back a zillion dollars either.

Oh,and Milkman on this board plays a Tele with the EMG active tele set in it. Might be the closest thing to a Plus you can get right now without mortgaging the kids.

[Milkman]

A friend of mine has a Nashville Tele with a Duncan Hot Rails Tele Stack in the bridge - also a very versatile guitar, and it kicks major ass thru his Classic 30. Won't set you back a zillion dollars either.

Oh,and Milkman on this board plays a Tele with the EMG active tele set in it. Might be the closest thing to a Plus you can get right now without mortgaging the kids.

I'm not sure how the Tele Plus is equipped, but from the description I would guess it has humbuckers. If so, my EMG Tele would not compare to it very closely. The EMGs are super clean and not really high in output. I use them because they're silent in terms of unwanted noise, safe (not grounded to the bridge) and because they sound clean and just mildly compressed.

[buckaroobanzai]

I'm not sure how the Tele Plus is equipped, but from the description I would guess it has humbuckers. If so, my EMG Tele would not compare to it very closely. The EMGs are super clean and not really high in output. I use them because they're silent in terms of unwanted noise, safe (not grounded to the bridge) and because they sound clean and just mildly compressed.

Well, I guess we're back to the Plus being a rather exclusive beast. I'm keeping mine.

[Mogwaii]

That made my morning :smilie_flagge17: