Keyboard player here.

ALso played a little bass in the past.

Wanna get a guitar and just learn to do Prince like rhythm guitar..... chicken scratch, James Brown type stuff. Not trying to do the Let's Go Crazy solo!

Any good reco for a type of guitar? Dont' know anything about guitars really.

I know Prince played a Hoener . I tend to like Fender (I got a Fender Jazz bass) but want something prob in the $500 or so range or less.

Be great if I could get it in purple too

get a Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster... IMO, best value for a guitar under 500.00...

RJOrion said:

get a Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster... IMO, best value for a guitar under 500.00...

I know Prince played a Hohner Telecaster copy, but which is better for his music? Telecaster or Strat?

Prince style Rhythm Guitar - Telecaster.

Prince's tele was made with strat pickups and not the twangy tele pickups teles are know for. In recent years he used Fender Noiseless Strat pickups in his tele. His tele is NOT a tele nor does it sounds anything like one. If you want to play Prince guitar for looks, get a tele. If you want to sound like Prince (Nile Rodgers), then play a strat. The angle of the Hohner bridge pickup is almost non-existant and that will contribut to the sound, too. Neither guitar will be exact, but a neck pickup on a strat is going to sounds like Prince's Hohner whereas a tele neck pickup will not.

imo as long as the guitar has *single coil pickups* you're gonna likely be okay. There are times P used guitars with humbuckers I'm sure but the tone you're describing is a single coil tone.

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Past that most of the tone is in your hands.

steakfinger said:

Prince's tele was made with strat pickups and not the twangy tele pickups teles are know for. In recent years he used Fender Noiseless Strat pickups in his tele. His tele is NOT a tele nor does it sounds anything like one. If you want to play Prince guitar for looks, get a tele. If you want to sound like Prince (Nile Rodgers), then play a strat. The angle of the Hohner bridge pickup is almost non-existant and that will contribut to the sound, too. Neither guitar will be exact, but a neck pickup on a strat is going to sounds like Prince's Hohner whereas a tele neck pickup will not.

Thanks to everyone.

I should've started by saying I don't play guitar.... "yet' I play keyboards and used to play a little bass but forgot how at this point.

I am planning to learn guitar, mainly do to rhythm...... i.e. the funky rhythms Prince used in songs like 1999, DMSR, Intro to Raspberry Beret, etc.

NOT necessarily planning on doing leads or trying to re-recreate Let's Go crazy solos!

I care about the sound, not the look (in fact I'd like to get a purple or purple glitter color which he didn't use).

I don't know much about pick ups yet.......

A guitar player I know told me the same about Strats...... more Nile Rodgers funk. So I was confused that Prince usually played a Hohner tele, but if y'all are saying the pickups were start, maybe I should get a beginner strat?

I know it's gonna be all about the playing, but as a beginner, given what I want to achieve (i.e. do the rhythm parts in 80s prince songs), wanna knwo what's best for my first guitar.

Thanks.

You might need this... http://www.guitarplayer.c...ince/12374

Tele's sound like tele's -

Strats sound like strats..

Two different things!

its not JUST the pickups.. its the sound of (5) pickup positions (strat) vs (3) tele..

you cant make a Tele sound like Nile Rodgers or Make a Strat sound like a Prince/Sly Stone Tele.

I say get a basic tele and a Strat down the line..

Or something like the photo below...

Because Humbucking Pick-ups will come in handy when/if

You want to start really rockin' out!

GaryMF said:

steakfinger said:

Prince's tele was made with strat pickups and not the twangy tele pickups teles are know for. In recent years he used Fender Noiseless Strat pickups in his tele. His tele is NOT a tele nor does it sounds anything like one. If you want to play Prince guitar for looks, get a tele. If you want to sound like Prince (Nile Rodgers), then play a strat. The angle of the Hohner bridge pickup is almost non-existant and that will contribut to the sound, too. Neither guitar will be exact, but a neck pickup on a strat is going to sounds like Prince's Hohner whereas a tele neck pickup will not.

Thanks to everyone.

I should've started by saying I don't play guitar.... "yet' I play keyboards and used to play a little bass but forgot how at this point.

I am planning to learn guitar, mainly do to rhythm...... i.e. the funky rhythms Prince used in songs like 1999, DMSR, Intro to Raspberry Beret, etc.

NOT necessarily planning on doing leads or trying to re-recreate Let's Go crazy solos!

I care about the sound, not the look (in fact I'd like to get a purple or purple glitter color which he didn't use).

I don't know much about pick ups yet.......

A guitar player I know told me the same about Strats...... more Nile Rodgers funk. So I was confused that Prince usually played a Hohner tele, but if y'all are saying the pickups were start, maybe I should get a beginner strat?

I know it's gonna be all about the playing, but as a beginner, given what I want to achieve (i.e. do the rhythm parts in 80s prince songs), wanna knwo what's best for my first guitar.

Thanks.

You're going to find a million people with a million different opinions on this btw - and almost all of them are valid - so I hope these posts have helped.

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Obviously I'm not saying that you shouldn't ever use humbucker pickups ever - they could come in handy - but not so much with the tones you've described wanting. With that said - most guitars and amps regardless of brand or type all have lots of ways to change the tonal palette they offer you. In addition to this each players touch is a severly underrated aspect of sound.

.

When you said that you might just pick up a beginner strat - that sounds like it wouldn't be a bad idea. Keep in mind that each music store usually lets you try out and even plug in an instrument if you're thinking about buying one. I'd recommend going to a local guitar centered music shop to see if you can find things there that will help you make a decision. Also - going onto youtube you will find a HUGE variety of tests and demos.

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Good luck!

Thanks everyone!

Yeah I saw that article which partly inspired me to learn guitar.

Gonna try some out and see.

Thanks!