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So who on here has a Telebass?


Beedster
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[quote name='99ster' post='367369' date='Dec 31 2008, 07:19 PM']Here's my '74 Telebass II. Love it to bits. The bottom end from one of these babies could knock down a brick wall. A proper bass!
:huh:

[attachment=17903:74_tele2_front.jpg][/quote]
AWESOME! :huh: My one still has flatwounds on it. The best neck I've played(carlsberg moment) :huh:
If you're in a band what do the rest think?
Most comments have been "too wooly" :)

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[quote name='noelk27' post='367332' date='Dec 31 2008, 06:39 PM']First version, with the Gibson-like humbucker?[/quote]
That's the second version.

I had one - a '73. Played like a dream.. sounded awful. It had a tone only earthworms could love. Or even hear.

The output was insane, too. There's a mod you can do which involves unscrewing a couple of polepieces from the back which calms it down and tightens the tone up a bit. It made a difference, but it was still unusuable.

I sold it to the fella out of It Bites in the end.

Had then been now, i would have stuck a Dark Star in it... ah, well.

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[quote name='wateroftyne' post='367482' date='Dec 31 2008, 11:18 PM']That's the second version.

I had one - a '73. Played like a dream.. sounded awful. It had a tone only earthworms could love. Or even hear.

The output was insane, too. There's a mod you can do which involves unscrewing a couple of polepieces from the back which calms it down and tightens the tone up a bit. It made a difference, but it was still unusuable.

I sold it to the fella out of It Bites in the end.

Had then been now, i would have stuck a Dark Star in it... ah, well.[/quote]

Yeah, it's true what you say&other band members aren't too keen on it. :)
What's a Dark star? :huh: Is it a pickup? would it make much difference to the sound? :huh:

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[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='367614' date='Jan 1 2009, 11:58 AM']What's a Dark star? :huh: Is it a pickup? would it make much difference to the sound? :huh:[/quote]

It is indeed - [url="http://www.hammoneng.com/soundclips1.htm"]here be soundclips[/url] :)

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[quote name='wateroftyne' post='367482' date='Dec 31 2008, 11:18 PM']That's the second version.

I had one - a '73. Played like a dream.. sounded awful. It had a tone only earthworms could love. Or even hear.

The output was insane, too. There's a mod you can do which involves unscrewing a couple of polepieces from the back which calms it down and tightens the tone up a bit. It made a difference, but it was still unusuable.[/quote]

Shouldn't post when I'm tired and distracted - that's what I meant - original version (51 P'Bass clone) or revised version (Gibson-like humbucker model). Mine was the revised version - although not sure of the year it must have been pre-77, as it was a string-through version. Found the humbucker on the Coronado II a much more useable proposition - but loved the boom you could get from the Telecaster - the only bass to play Gimme Some Lovin'.

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[quote name='wateroftyne' post='367482' date='Dec 31 2008, 11:18 PM']There's a mod you can do which involves unscrewing a couple of polepieces from the back which calms it down and tightens the tone up a bit. It made a difference, but it was still unusuable.[/quote]

Do you have any more details of the mod Michael?

Actually folks, I could do with some advice on this. As you know I recently bought a Telebass project. Some time in it's past someone has sanded some extra contours into the body so I don't think this bass has any vintage restoration potential or real value, so I'm seeing as a purely musical project and a keeper. I've sourced parts and built it up, and, as I think is suggested above, it's a dream to play and has an amazing low end. In fact the natural tone and feel is so good I can't help thinking it could really benefit from a bridge or mid PUP, as I think I could get a lovely Precision tone from the bass, and that the blend of this Precision tone with the humbucker tone could be outstanding. I've a few questions: firstly how will the humbucker sound blended with another PUP (the HB has a very high output, which I assume is both an electrical characteristic of the PUP combined with the high amplitude vibration at that position on the string. Will this high output dwarf anything that a neck or mid PUP will put out?). Secondly, what PUP would you suggest? I've seen Teles with JPUPs, dual humbuckers and PPUPs (all mods of course). I'm amost tempted to put a JPUP close to the bridge AND a PPUP in the normal position and get all bases (or basses) covered :)

Of course, I could go the whole hog and install two Darkstars, which I have considered. How awesome would that look with a black pickguard (which is on its way from the USA).

Thanks all

Chris

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Hey Chris!

It's an easy (and easily reversible) mod, but my memory is hazy... here goes:

Pop the pup out, and look at the back. There are a number of polepieces exposed at the back (I can't remember how many.. maybe four?). A couple of them will have slot heads. Unscrew them, keep them somewhere safe and pop the pup back in. Job done.

When I did it on mine the output was slightly more manageable, and definitely tighter and more defined (relatively speaking - still nowhere near that of a standard P pickup!).

Let me know how you get on...

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[quote name='Delberthot' post='369898' date='Jan 4 2009, 01:21 PM']If you're interested in the Darkstar mod there's a guy on talkbs did the mod with his one. I can't remember his name. Something like Chef or maybe that was someone else.[/quote]

The thread about it is [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=275848&highlight=telecaster+dark+star"]here[/url].

And you can hear it at [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BMk6Z5Dxxxk"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BMk6Z5Dxxxk[/url].

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Chris

I have absolutley nothing of use to you to add to this discussion, but I did own a Tele' bass back in errrrrr, 1980, maybe 1979!
It was my second bass, the first being a "no name" P. bass copy, the Tele; was my first propa bass, I was still at school and saved every single penny I got my hands on, I was earning a bit from playing as I could read, plus the money I got from selling the P. bass.
Mine was a 1972, natural finish with the big chrome p/up, it only had one sound, deep bass! I bought a Boss 7-band graphic to give it some more zing as I was playing a wide variety of stuff at the time
Mine came from a guy called Diccon Hubbard, bass player with the Salford Jets (who you looking at), he used to come in the off licence my dad owned, so I got to know him that way. Bumped into him many years later at the Bass centre in manchester, "Your the guy who bought the Tele bass off me" he said! It cost me £150 back then, then I had the joy of teling all my mates I had a Fender bass :)

Many fond memories attached to that bass, did a hell of a lot of playing with it considering my age, also lost it a few times after a few sniffs of the bar maids apron!

I know there is a photo of me playing it somehwre on face book, off to find it!

Good luck with the build chris, considered it myself but realised it would be more down to sentimant than practicality!

Tony ([i]off work, sick and feeling sentimental about his old basses[/i])

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