Telecsater EQ Too Bright!!!

lurgan liar

lurgan liar

Jimmy Page XXVIII
Hey guys... simple question... i recorded a band today and the lead guitarist plays a tele ....we miced up his marshall amp with a shure sm58 pointed at an angle about 1 inch from the cone ...i also put a studio projects b1 about 2 foot back from the amp...

the guitarist is brilliant, the playing is excellent, the tone is the only probably. Maybe its just because i am not used to a telecaster as i play a les paul... I know tele's are trebley in nature but this is just too much...

can anyone offer some EQ suggestions ...

In the end we had to change to a different amp and turn the treble way down on it ....

Thanks in advance :)
 
lurgan liar said:
Hey guys... simple question... i recorded a band today and the lead guitarist plays a tele ....we miced up his marshall amp with a shure sm58 pointed at an angle about 1 inch from the cone ...i also put a studio projects b1 about 2 foot back from the amp...

the guitarist is brilliant, the playing is excellent, the tone is the only probably. Maybe its just because i am not used to a telecaster as i play a les paul... I know tele's are trebley in nature but this is just too much...

can anyone offer some EQ suggestions ...

In the end we had to change to a different amp and turn the treble way down on it ....

Thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...


ahh, the famous telecaster issue. Well I think you're on the right path...you're getting at the problem from the source. I think trying to get a good balance starting at the mic is probably the best thing. Or even before that, maybe consider the environment around it. You never know if lifting it from the ground corrects the problem, or simply swinging it towards another angle in the room. Maybe the particular room is already contributing to the brightness, so perhaps a different type and size of room could help. The idea is that every little bit does make a big difference.

So for example:

-Before you start messing too much with mic placement, try to feel how the amp sounds in different parts of the room.

-Before you start messing with EQ adjustments on the amp head, play around with mic placement and/or types. You can usually get a good balance by this stage, if you take your time. So you may not even have to mess with the amp too much.

-However, if that's not enough. You can make your EQ and tone adjustments on the amp, before you start tweaking on the board.

-Then if the sound couldn't be tamed by this point, then you can try to correct for it on the board. But for me personally, that's if all else fails.

I think room and mic placement alone can get all the good sounds you'd ever need.



Telecasters are naturally twangy, which is why they are really good for lead stuff. They cut through the mix really well. So for example, it's not uncommon to see a rhythm les paul section blended to a lead telecaster part.


Also, remember that the idea is not to think of tracking the telecaster by itself, but relative to the other tracks already recorded. So think of how it would sound against the drums, bass and rhythm stuff, rather than EQing by how a telecaster "should" sound by itself. If that makes sense.

Not a rule though.
 
Also remember to check how the amp sounds at the spot where you put the mic. It might not be such a good idea to stick your head right in front a blazing 100 watt tube amp through a full stack, but when it comes to high frequencies, it is critical to get a good idea of what the mic hears. Standing one meter from the speaker already sounds very different than standing 30cm from it. Same goes for having your ear at the same height as the speaker or slightly above or to one side of it. I think way too many people check their sound a bit away from the amp, and nearly always not having the speaker(s) at ear level but (way) below it, causing you to hear drastically less treble than what the mic right in front of the amp is actually hearing.
 
When playing a Telecaster I usually use the bridge pickup and have the guitar's tone control rolled off about 1/4 of the way down, this tames it quite a bit.

:)
 
Try the neck pickup (more mellow)

Roll off the tone

Adjust the amp tone

Move the mic(s)

Different guitar/amp

If all that fails, use a high shelf EQ to tame the highs and, perhaps, a very narrow cut for severely offensive frequencies.
 
This is really simple, backing off the volume (on the guitar) will help tame a lot of the treble bite of a Telecaster. I don't mean to turn it down a lot, just enough to soften the bite a little.
 
I agree with just about everything said here. Another variable I'd like to throw in would be the amp channel.

As an example, I have a friend who plays lead Tele fairly regularly. He typically plays through a Fender deVille 4x10. On this amp (as on many amps) there is a *huge* difference between the characteristics of channel one and channel two, with channel two being much colder and brighter sounding, at times bordering on shrill. Channel one provides a warmer, fatter, and slightly mellower tone for the Tele. When he switches to his Strat, channel two can give some real punch, but with the Tele it can sometimes get a bit harsh.

G.
 
what i do if i think the guitar's to bright is i just run the guitar thrue a bass amp, it works for me, and havn't had any problems. hope it helps...
 
Telecasters should be recorded with Fender amps that have a 1x12 speaker. That's it. Nothing else will sound better.

10 inch speakers kill the low end and accentuate the high end on telecasters. The only exception is for rhythm playing where no leads will be done. Then 10 inch is fine.

Marshal amps are for Strats and Les Pauls.

All other guitars should use Marshall or Mesa Boogie amps. The only exception is for the blues then you can use Fender Amps.

These are universal truths which should not be violated or the sound Gods will make sure your recordings suck.
 
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