VEGANGELICA

Liz, thank you for explaining so clearly what you love about the sound of the Telecaster. Thank you also for sharing that great example of a Tele played by James Honeymoon(!) Scott in "Kid" by The Pretenders.

The Tele sounds beautiful. I now understand completely what you mean by the twangy, soulful sound of the Telecaster. I like that jangly sound very much, too. The solos are extremely pretty and remind me of bells or a harp, sounding sweetly sad like nostalgia or someone smiling through tears. Contrasting with this delicacy, the guitar provides real substance in the rhythm sections, and can sound wonderfully low, mellow, and rumbly/grumbly. The solo gave me chills.

I'm sure I would also like the fact that the Telecaster has a compact body. Picking up a chair-like instrument and trying to play it wouldn't be much fun.

I'm now listening to more songs by the Pretenders to hear the Telecaster in action. I can tell now that the guitar in "Chain Gang" is a Telecaster, for example. I always liked the way the sound of the guitar makes that song seem full of yearning.

I'm glad to hear your recommendation, Liz, because yesterday while I was thinking over my guitar options and whether now was the time to upgrade to a more solid guitar with better electronics than my Squier Strat has, I came to the same conclusion as you did, which means that...

...I'M NOW THE EXCITED OWNER OF MY VERY OWN FENDER SILVER SISTER STRAT!!!

(This is when we jump up and down and scream!)

My Silver Sister has already been shipped and is somewhere en route at this very moment. Here is what "she" looks like, Liz, in a photo that was taken of her in the New England store:





I decided to go for it because I *had* been thinking I would someday want to upgrade to a Fat Strat reputed to be sturdier and more carefully constructed than my Squier Affinity. When I saw this Silver Sister available at a decent price right after having told you that I feel it is a beautiful style of guitar, I realized that if I didn't jump on it now I might not have a chance for years, since I have read that only around 600 Silver Sisters were made. The last Silver Sister that was sold on ebay was sold a year ago for $550, which is much more than this one cost.

Before I made the decision to buy the guitar, though, I called the store and talked with the salesperson to check on its condition. He said the guitar plays fine and looks in good condition with only a few dings on the edge of the body where it rests under the strumming arm. He said all their used guitars are checked over and played to discover any defects before the store sells them, and this one had no problems.

I asked if he could tell me anything about the person who sold the Silver Sister to the store, but the salesman wasn't the one who took the guitar in. I wanted to learn if the previous owner seemed nice, so I'd know what sort of "vibe" the guitar has! Alas, I'll probably never know who that person was.

I can see, though, that the guitar has been played enough to cause discoloration of the fretboard around the first two frets, which shows me that someone's hand has been there frequently. This means the previous owner probably liked the guitar enough to play it often, which is nice. Of course I'm curious why the person decided to sell the guitar. And I'm very curious what it will sound like.

I'm greedy, though, and now I want a Telecaster, too! Maybe someday we can both get a Tele, Liz: I'll get a Squier Affinity, and I'll keep my eyes out for your future American-made Fender inca silver Tele with a rosewood fretboard and, ideally, a chrome pickguard.

Then I can jump up and down and scream for YOU.

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