50s TELE vs 60s TELE! - What Are The Differences? 

That black on black finish is the love of my life 😍

7:57 - 50s Neck Clean 8:06 - 60s Neck Clean 8:19 - 50s Neck Dirty 8:33 - 60s Neck Dirty 8:52 - 50s Both Clean 9:10 - 60s Both Clean 9:35 - 50s Bridge Dirty 9:48 - 60s Bridge Dirty 11:29 - 50s Solo mix 10:26 - 60s Solo mix

yes both is clearly the best way

I love the aesthetics of the 60s Tele, Super sleek and classy But the sound of the 50s Tele it's more punchy and in a band situation, it will really cut through the mix nicely, IMO I totally agree with you, you need both And if you're a sucker for Tele's like I'm, you can't just have one Great job brother!

I definitely lean towards the 50’s Tele, but WOW! The matching headstock on that 60’s model is outstanding. 😱

In 1963, I was 16 years old and had been learning to play guitar for less than a year on an old Silvertone electric arch top when an old fellow in my church offered to sell me his '52 lemon yellow Tele in perfect shape along with it's beautiful case for $100. It took many hours mowing lawns and babysitting but after a few months, I had it. He had played this guitar a number of times at the Grand Old Oprey, but he was getting very old and decided to sell it to me. With it, I started a surf garage band and had a blast. I played mostly rhythm and did a few lead songs while the lead player played a Strat. THAT was the guitar I wanted! The problem I had with the Tele was the neck...bar cords were uncomfortable compared to the Strats. Eventually, I went into the service and gave the Tele to my parents to keep for me. Well, they ended up moving and sold it at their garage sale for $50! I was so pissed...even with the neck, I still loved the sound of that guitar!

Both look great but you can't beat a worn blonde with maple board!

I was able to adjust my truss rod by taking off the pick guard rather than detaching the neck. Still a pain but not nearly as drastic as having to remove the neck. Be prepared to file a flat head screwdriver to an angle to make it work, but it's worth it.

50s on clean tones and 60s in the mix. Thanks for doing this, Darrell!

Love the look and the warm sound of the 60's TELE!!! Thanks Darrell. Pretty much sold out everywhere.

50's one is sounding better in my opinion.

That black Tele is one of the best looking Teles I've ever seen.

To me nothing beats that classic 50s butterscotch blonde look and tone😍

I love the 60's tele, and your guitar videos... But, sometimes i can't understand your videos, because i don't know english, but i try to understand... Cheers from Mexico! :3

50s sound for sure, but the 60s has the look. Absolutely beautiful. Great video, thanks!

Darrell I'm a super fan of yours. Great stuff. I have a 1966 Fender Tele that I bought brand new back then. You don't have to take the neck off in order to adjust the truss rod. Stew Mac even makes an angled screwdriver just for that purpose. Actually taking the pickguard off and at best loosen the neck pickup and you have full access. You want full access while the guitar is stringed up which is the only way to set the truss rod properly; otherwise it is a guess and have to remove and reattach for each tweak. Ouch. Best not to take the neck off unnecessarily. If you do of course you want to hand start the screws so they follow the original thread track. Worst thing that can be done is stripping those thread.

I thought I'd hate a chunky neck until I got a '72 Thinline Tele RI with a U shaped neck and I love it. I much prefer U over C.

I've always loved the looks of the 50's Telecaster.

Just picked up the Midnight Traditional 60’s Tele, and it looks even better in person. Best part, it plays and sounds as good as it looks. Love your videos. Very informative, and awesome playing!

Based on the sound I'd now lean '50s... I've gotten used to guitars before & I'm sure I could again ;)

Uncharacteristically for me, I liked the 50s Tele tone the best. Loved them both though. Cheers!

Thanks Darrell. Very well organised and produced video. So nice to hear actual music being played in a demo video with the guitar in the mix like its meant to be played! I preferred the tone of the 50's strat but I don't like the thick necks, so not sure which one wins yet!

My 66 Tele that I bought brand new, still have a love. It came with .020" frets small. I love it that way because when you squeeze a chord on larger frets it stretches the strings making the guitar go out of tune. The stretched string has a higher pitch, the open strings do not. Net result = out of tune guitar. So the modern way around this is to use heavy gauge strings to you can play down to the fret and know where that is and be able to stop there. With light gauge strings it is so easy to go all the way to the fretboard. I love 8's. The medium jumbos popular today on the Fenders that is a .035" and the jumbo frets on ESP and Gibsons are commonly .050". So if you are using Jumbo's squeeze a chord to the fretboard and see just how far out of tune your guitar plays. On my 66 Tele I use #0000 steel wool to polish the fretboard, and then apply Black Magic car wax, amongst other things to enhance the sheen without softening the wood. If using steel wool be sure to mask off and protect the rest of the guitar, especially the magnetic pickups from getting any steel wool shreds in there. I even mask the frets themselves while using it by taping off either side of the trough so to speak.

Just talking about Telecaster is talking about great quality guitars. I have a Tele, and I can feel the power and quality of this beautiful guitar. Congrats to your channel, keep rocking!!!

I love the look of the 60s double binding, what a beautiful guitar, both sound great!

That face at 8:38 says it all! Both sound great, the clean, twangy intro on the 50s stole the show for me 😎. I prefer the string tree and brass saddles on the 50s. I learned quite a lot about the differences here 👍.

Darryl, the neck does not need to come off in order to adjust the truss rod. All you need to do is take the pickguard off. If you have one of those special Stew Mac right angle screw drivers you don't even need to remove the neck pickup. As I am sure you already know having to take the neck off in order to adjust the truss rod defeats the purpose of adjusting the rod. Only under tension with the string gauge of your choice can you make an accurate truss rod adjustment. Love watching your channel. I'm a fan.

I like the sound of the 50's and the look of the 60's !

The most important sound of a Tele is missing: where is the bridge clean?!

Darrel, I think we should have a serious discussion on the major impact that double binding has on the tone of a tele! Love it bro!

The 60's Tele in black with gold hardware is KILLER!

Today I am digging into the details trying to help answer the question: 50s or 60s Tele? Let me know which one you liked the most! Enjoy :)

As usual, thanks Darrell for an instructive demo. My tone preference goes to the 60s, as well as aesthetics. I used to have an excellent 52ri but sold it, it was not my taste of tones. Kept my MIM 72DLX with wide range humbuckers, and bought a MIM Baja with 4positions switch. Your MIJ 60s is appealing 😊

Neither of those are real. Reissues don’t count in this discussion. And besides, Every decal in Pre CBS fenders were put on by hand and the placement between two Tele’s made on the same day can be in totally different positions.

I have an original '61 untouched. Its been in the family since 62. I bought a squire classic vibe 50's to take the stress of the ever increasingly valuable 61. Im finding that I actually like the squire a little better. I used to think my 61 was perfect. My thoughts on the early 60's is that theres not much difference between an early 60's and a late 50's telecaster since some of the parts are probably "left over" or remaining inventory from the LATE 50's, IMHO. For example the electronics and the bridge with the holes through the bridge but also through the body. Ive thoroughly RESEARCHED the '61 and everything is correct on it. Love the c shaped neck on the 61 Both have awsome tone.. Anyway just my thoughts and experience on the subject. Your mileage may vary😁. Great video as always!

I'm a sucker for blondes ,so I'd have to go with the 50s Tele ,but 9.5 radius the maple neck :) I put together my own Tele slimline butterscotch blonde, with the maple CV slimline neck. 64 Fender pure vintage pups. ..

Love the 50's Tele. Reminds me of my dad's '52 reissue in that same finish/configuration he bought back in the 80's. He still plays it to this day :)

I love that butterscotch!! Darrell, would you consider doing tests on aftermarket saddles, like Graphtech? Like a before and after tests?

Clean, the 50s sounds bigger, but with overdrive, the 60s sounds smoother and has more clarity in the low end. Overall, I think I prefer the slightly warmer 60s sound, but the size and clarity of the 50s clean sound is really cool, and it seems like it'd stay in tune for weeks at a time.

I have the black 60's tele you are playing in this video. It's great sounding and fierce looking. Perfect combo. One of my fav guitars.

One of the best produced comparison vids I’ve seen. Killer playing too

I had a ‘69 Tele equipped with a Bigsby that I bought new. I absolutely LOVED the tone! In the 90’s, I was having some troubles with a pickup & a volume pot. Took it in to someone who "supposedly " had a good reputation. That "jerk" (I have another term for him but I’ll refrain from using it here) replaced the bridge pickup, the volume pot, & the tone & volume knobs with cheap aftermarket crap. I took it in 2 years ago to have it appraised & the appraisal went from $5,000 to $2,000. I was SO pissed but by that time it was far too late to do anything about it. I traded it in for a custom made Tele from a master luthier in the pink paisley design only made in ‘68 & ‘69. I had to pay an extra $500 for it but it was worth it. But DAMN I miss the old girl 😢

They both look and sound great 👍 but if I had to choose, I would pick the 50’s tele 😎

Forget the teles, I would listen to this again just for the snappy playing!! That was great!!

Great video Darryl. Love the 60’s only because of everything, But I would not turn my nose up at a 50’s either! Both sound Very good!

I recently purchased a Baja 50’s telecaster in blonde after watching quite a few videos of yours and also some reviews. I sold a Reverend Eastsider and went with Fender. The blonde finish is beautiful and it plays awesome! It’s hard to improve on near perfect and Fender has it down IMHO. I also like the pickups in series option and the s1 out of phase sounds. It essentially does all 6 sounds a freeway switch would render. Keep on posting the great videos Darrel!

I'm more of a 50's Tele guy, but if I get specific, I'd take a 1958 Tele. Kind of a transition model between 50's and 60's. Love all Telecasters and Esquires though... also throw in a good G&L ASAT, which I call the "4th era" of Telecaster. Gotta have 'em all!

was going to ask you a question but you answered it as i was typing lol! great video as always man !!! cant wait to get my tele :)

I didn't hear anything about how the switches are wired. From 1952 to 1967 the selector went (left to right as you're looking down wearing the guitar) neck p/u with bassy preset, centre was neck as standard, next position was bridge. After 67 the wriring was rejigged as we know it today. Interestingly, pre-52 the wiring was different again - the switch went (left to right again) neck with bassy preset, centre was standard neck, and next position was bridge, but that selection engaged the other knob in the set (what is now a tone control) as a blender pot, so you could play the bridge straight, or dial in as much neck pickup as you wanted. That sounds like a great idea to me!

Ash vs alder. Alnico 3 vs 5 magnets. More body pieces on 60s. Different copper wire.

Love when you get one with a matching headstock. It just feels and looks better to me lol. I don't have a fender with a matching head stock and I own more than one : ( I do have a RS SSS music man cutlass with a matching headstock though. It's sparkly silver and looks amazing.

Just bought that exact black and gold 60'S Telecaster recently. Have smaller hands so I really like the neck profile on it. The gold on black and black doesn't hurt too. Have a couple electric guitars already but it's already become my #1 since I got it a couple weeks ago.

I am waiting for my Fender FSR Blonde Tele to come in the mail, seeing this video is killing me😭 cant wait for my first telecaster! love your video Darrell, God Bless!

That black/gold MIJ looks and sounds great.

Funny thing Darrell. I found the 50's Tele warmer and rounder. But this video got me thinking (before you said it) that I want both. It made me chuckle when you said it after I was already thinking it. LOVE your channel!

Darrell! I would be surprised to not see your next video project be exactly this one, only replacing details of another mans accomplishments over ten years via lots of work to bring design to manufacturers, by detailing what you've done as a video production and guitar collector, that made yours and our lives a little, or a lot, better. Thanks for the videos Darrell. I would love to see how your collection plays. I would be so stoked to come on the show for a gig some day. Have a great day and keep on rockin in the free world! Peace

My 60s and 50s Squier CV show the same tonal difference as your test, Darrell.. Its quite amazing. I always thought it was the rosewood vs the maple neck. I still do, with your test. I know the rosewoosd is said to be harder, but it seems warmer, the note also seems a bit dryer with rosewood neck. real interesting that the CV express the same tonal differences between CV and Fender models. I think I prefer the sweet clarity of the maple for a telecaster, but of course, it all depends what you want to express. BTW, I proved to myself how the neck wood matters, when I switched a rosewood neck to a maple neck on the 60s Tele. The sound was totally different. It was as your test shows....

Tele's in your hands, Tele's on the rack...Strats on your shirt. C'mon man! 😉

That black 60’s with gold hardware.. smooth... Plus iam more into warm sound.

0:49 man, that headstock is GORGEOUS 😍

My first BIG guitar buy was a '52 reissue Fender Hot Rod Tele. It's got an ash body, with a butterscotch blond nitro finish and black pick guard. Also has a Seymour Duncan mini-humbucker in the neck. Gorgeous guitar, feels great, plays great, sounds great.

Awesome comparison . thank you! Another thing to note is the newer classic vibe 50s, the string tree placement is lower now for some reason.

I am a drummer, but I have been binge watching these videos because he explains guitars so well😂. Now I might go purchase a guitar😂

I built a Warmoth Tele a couple of years ago and used Fender '64 reissue Tele pickups in them. So punchy, so awesome.

Don't play, but to me the 60's model seemed to be the one I would probably gravitate to as a beginner. If I'm going to get a REAL guitar to learn on, I don't mind spending some money. If it came down to one of these 2 models I kind of liked the 60's model better. Great demo of both, I would love to own both.

Both are so sweet its a hard choice so I started out with the Fender Squier 60s Vibe Telecaster Custom and really like it!!!

I like them both but I am drawn to the 50s. My cousin bought one new as a teen and still plays it I grew up listening to him play at his house or at gigs and that sound got me hooked on Teles.

A tele with ash body and maple fingerboard is a real tele 😎ི

for the color, I prefer the black and I also love the double binding But to adjust the neck taking it off is not for me

Baja 50s for the win and get the best combo imo. Fat neck, 9.5 radius, snd medium jumbo frets , with 4 way pickup selector switch.

I almost fell asleep because of your soothing voice, until I heard you bust out the playing. Awesome video

My Fender custom shop tele is a 60's style but the body is light swamp ash. Best guitar in my arsenal. It has the custom shop handwound '63 pickups in both neck and bridge. The bridge position is so freaking amazing.

I tried the Baja Player 50s and 60s and bought the 50s. I thought it sounded better (but then the pickups were different). I also wanted a maple board as my other 4 guitars are all rosewood. But the absurdly light blue colour of the 60s - almost white - is a killer look. Don't regret my choice one bit. My Tele is very black. In this video, the 50s also sounds a bit better - bitier!

Wow, that may be your coolest vid yet, Darrel -- and that's saying something! I'm basically a "Strat guy" (didn't say I was any good!) but love Tele's, too. I remember the first one I ever saw (vaguely) was around 1964. I didn't start playing, m'self, until '70, but I remember being very favorably impressed. To my surprise, I liked the 60's Tele shown here a bit better than the 50's variant. Thanks for the comparison!

I tend to like warmer sounding tones so I preferred the 60s. The 50s sounds more like a classic tele to me though. I would buy the 60s but if I someone wanted a typical tele i would recommend the 50s. The 60s sounded smoother, less aggressive and less muddy in the mix. 50s was more interesting and expressive but also a little harder on my ears.

i was jamming with my friend one time and i did this hammered harmonic thing on the bass and he was like woah thats so cool and just kinda adapted it to exactly what you were doing at the 8:50 mark

I, too, am a sucker for a double binding Tele. Second to that is a translucent finish over a beauty wood grain.

I use to play a strat. I bought a affinity series tele and upgraded. I went for the original 50s sound in my upgraded pickups. The point of a tele largely is that bright sound. If it's not broke don't fix it. I definately go for the 50s sound. However i prefer the feel of a rosewood neck which my tele came with. I have a upgraded brass nut as well for ressinance. I love my tele.

For low budget comparatives, since you do them better than anyone else because you guarantee high audio quality and consecutive audio examples, it could be very interesting to review the following models: Harley Benton sc550, Harley Benton sc Custom, Harley Benton sc Custom Active Pickups, Harley Benton CST-24. They look very good guitars for the price (Les Paul and PRS style) and finally your review would eliminate many doubts about which model to choose. And if it were possible it would also be nice to make their differences felt compared to a real Les Paul and a real PRS ;)

50°telecaster is the best!!!waooo..it my favourite elettric guitar! It's my dream 😱😭

I've had a 50s mim Esquire for about 10 years now. Absolutely love that guitar. I do not need to remove the neck to adjust the truss rod, just need to remove the pick guard. The nice thing about an esquire is that there is no neck pickup, so it comes right off.

I have a 60's Tele with a 50's style bridge and saddles apparently. I believe it was made by a luthier because there isn't a logo on the headstock. It looks just like a Fender though, and has authentic Fender pickups. Probably the best guitar I own by far.

Well as mentioned the first teles were made of pine. Could get a rosewood neck in 59. Fender never made a matching colour headstock in the 60's. Never mentioned the number of screws in the pick guard. We can go on.

Love the look and sound of the 60's Tele. Informative vid, thanks!

U-shaped necks...I recently bought a new Strat on eBay that I thought would have a 7.25” c-shaped neck. It came with a 12” u-shape. Definitely different but I’m glad I got it because it makes it different from my other Strats. And will maybe prepare me for a 12” u-shaped Tele neck down the road!

That black Tele sure is beautiful with the double white binding. Wow.

My 52 reissue have a V type neck, narrow frets and seven and a quarter inch fingerboard radius. Butterscotch blonde, but with a beautiful translucent finish, not flat.

Outstanding 😎 I'd have to say the 60s with the black paint job stunning 😎

The 50's sound more tele, I like that

60's for me !! Thanks for the review.

Great video Darrell. I have a black Baja Tele with a black pick guard, maple fret board and the 4 way switch. I love it! I have to say that 60"s Tele is beautiful but the 50"s version sounded better.

I watch about 3 seconds and always just automatically thumbs up because your vids NEVER suck. #1 similarly: I can't afford either one 😁

bought 2 used Tele Thinlines - 1st was Fender Logo - Crafted in China [ yeah right ] twin P90's - not bad but basically Squier with Fender decals & plates for Asian market - 2nd Thinline was a Squier "Standard" Series but SET NECK ! ! wowser what a diff the Set Neck made - there are other set neck Squiers like Stagemasters etc & any Squier with a Full Name Stratocaster + Telecaster decal is great

Hey Darrell, to me the 50s CV sounds great by itself (lovely full sound) - probably preferred. But when cleverly compared to the 60s CV 'in a mix', I thought the 60s CV cut through a bit more which worked better. Great comparison. I think it will now come down to playablilty and whether I can wrap my mitts around the U-shaped 50s neck! Hoping to buy a Squire CV very soon.

I really love the warmth of the 60's. And the playability as well.

If you got a Telecaster, you da boss! The Fender Telecaster rules!

50’s all the way, no contest, not even close! Great video man! I own a Vintage V52 that is every bit as good as these, for maybe 10X less!

They both beautiful I love both But I have to choose one m〜 Tone is Butter scotch and looks and Playability is Black one So my ideal Telly is Ash body black finish white binding gold hardware On 60’s neck shape rose on maple 😊😊😊㊗️

60's, that guitar looked and sounded fantastic

We literally have the same taste in guitars, i was just looking at the 60's Japan Tele, after i got my 50's Baja, and im currently working out a trade to secure a '07 SG3. Thank you for making videos!