Should I sell my tele??(for another guitar)

[BlackCharvel87]

Hey everyone
So.. I am having a bit of a dilemma…

I have a wicked Japanese tele that is the lightest guitar I own. I got it for an amazing deal many moons ago, and I really like the esthetics and feel of it.
The problem is… I don’t reach for it. I play my other guitars significantly more. It could be because I generally play pretty heavy rock/metal in low tunings, through high gain amps, and it’s just not the guitar I go for
I also am looking to hold off from making the guitar herd that much bigger.. again…

I have an offer from a potential buyer that is a great offer, and I am considering putting it towards an 8 string (I’ve wanted one for a while). It would cover the majority of the 8 string.

I guess my concern is, this tele is otherwise perfect, and I’m worried I’ll regret selling it.

So I suppose my question is
Would you sell it and just buy something you actually think you’ll play?
Or would you sell something else??

Thanks!

 

[joe_cpwe]

I'm in a similar position with my Telecaster (60's Baja). Have been considering moving it. I even subbed lead guitar in a modern country band this summer and used a Strat along with a Les Paul instead of a my Tele. I tried the Tele, but the Strat won.
Anyway...I'm hanging on to mine until I find a reasonable substitute, which would be another Tele. I've thought about maybe downgrading to a Classic Vibe, selling the Baja and keeping the cash difference.

Thing with a Telecaster is, it's its own thing and even though I don't play it often, when I do....it's got it. Since getting my first tele about 5 years ago, I'll never not own one, even though it doesn't get as much play.

 

[FleshOnGear]

If it were me, I wouldn’t sell it. But it sounds like you lean to the djenty side of things, so maybe it’s not such a bad idea to sell it. I think a pickup change would make it more useful to you, though.

 

[BlackCharvel87]

If it were me, I wouldn’t sell it. But it sounds like you lean to the djenty side of things, so maybe it’s not such a bad idea to sell it. I think a pickup change would make it more useful to you, though.

you’re not wrong! That said, some of my favorite guitars that I own and play regularly are strats, two of them being traditional single coil strats… and I have a baritone tele with EMGs which scratches that itch..

I think I like the idea of a classic looking/sounding tele, but it just gets no use.
One thing I’m considering is changing out the strings are I’ve got a heavy heavy set on it right…

 

[El Gringo]

Tele's rock hard

 

[KidBlast]

the ONLY strat I ever regretted seeing was a mid 80s made in Japan candy apple red w/a rosewood neck. That guitar had magic in it that I didn't quite realize till it was too late.

 

[NumbSkull]

Put it in Keith Richards 5 string tuning then decide.

 

[Gutch220]

I have an old acoustic guitar I never use, a 1930's Gibson L-00 and I've always wanted an old butterscotch telecaster to trade for it. Perhaps a pre-CBS model is out of reach but it's definitely #1 on my lifetime to-get list.
You sound like you're 99% sure you want to sell it but you're just looking to be convinced of the final 1%. It sounds to be like you really want an 8-string. If you don't have an 8-string but plenty of other 6-strings then your collection will be more diverse with the new 8-string addition. I personally have never owned two of the same (electric) guitar and always try for something to fill another role. So instead of an 8-string, I'd be looking for a Tele, a 12-string Rickenbacker, etc.
A guitar that sits in its case all the time isn't doing you any favors.

 

[DirtySteve]

I think the fact that you have to think about it and ask here means that deep down you don't really want to sell it. Good chance you may regret it later on.

 

[Mike_LA]

If you're not a tele player, then you're not a tele player.
Sure sell it and further your creativity.
It can be replaced, though will you regret selling the instrument? most probably...
You may tire of your heavy genre in a few years . . . .

edit: HA! I just read what I said, couldn't be of less help if I tried ...

 

[V-man]

We are probably in similar boats regarding play preference.

I always hated teles (both for what they were and looked like) but came to regard the wonderfully SSS strat as the guitar I really hate (pos 2 and 4 sound), and became passively interested in teles for clean experiments.

It’s threads like these that confirm I should be making due with my P90 SG for that itch rather than adding another dust collector

 

[PelliX]

Let's get down to brass tacks here. NO.

Well, unless you get another Tele, of course...!

 

[BlackCharvel87]

thanks everyone! lots of good input!! haven't sold it yet haha

Let's get down to brass tacks here. NO.

Well, unless you get another Tele, of course...!

i mean... i suppose i did when I was in Japan. it's got EMGs and it's a baritone scale.. but it's a Tele shape! (seen to the left of this post above my username lol)

 

[El Gringo]

Put it in Keith Richards 5 string tuning then decide.

Keef - The Human Riffmaster him self

 

[paul-e-mann]

Good Teles are a dime a dozen, you can always get another one down the road if your tastes change and you think you need one. Sell it.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I just got an older Tele, after many years without one.
I forgot, they have got the goods!
Your choice, but if you are like me, you will probably regret selling it later.

 

[Clifdawg]

If you like the way it plays, put a hot-stack pickup in the bridge, string it with some heavy-bottom strings, tune to drop C or drop B, and you’ll get some fantastic metal tones a traditional humbucker won’t get you. Just my $.02.

 

[GuitarIV]

If you like the way it plays, put a hot-stack pickup in the bridge, string it with some heavy-bottom strings, tune to drop C or drop B, and you’ll get some fantastic metal tones a traditional humbucker won’t get you. Just my $.02.

I second this. I have a 75th Anniversary Commemorative Telecaster that sounds and plays amazing. I do too play heavy music. I replaced (and kept) the singlecoils with a blade humbucker in the bridge and a noiseless singlecoil in the neck. I use the guitar a lot more now and all I had to do was to drop in different pickups.

Chopper T for the bridge and Area T for the neck. Try it. You might be surprised how well the guitar performs at all things heavy. Even downtuned.

Just my

 

[Buc McMaster]

You will find your taste in music changes with time. The music you're into now is not in a Telecasters' wheelhouse, but I'd bet the day will come when it is. Since we are all confined to the present, it seems wise to move the Tele and pickup another when the time is right.

 

[TXOldRedRocker]

If you don't reach for it, why keep it?

I rotate through all my guitars. If there was one I didn't play, at all, unless it's a collector's item that's an investment, it'd go.