Robben Ford Discussion

johan · Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 5:52 am Post subject: Info on Robbens 60's Tele

Robben has used this 60's Tele for many years now. He loves humbuckers (Bakers, Fender Esprits, Gibson LP) but usually he brings his Tele too. I think it's one super cool axe! Sounds great too.

I would like to get some info on it. Help me out here please. Daved included Wink

(I know you're on tour with ABB now so no hurry.)

Made in 60 or 61 I think. Ash body with Blonde finish? Heavy or light guitar? Approx weight?

Stock pickups but the neck pickup has been rewound by Fralin. Are the bridge pickup just a regular "weak" 60's or hotter?

Maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Neck size and profile? I'm not very fond of 60's Tele necks myself. They are too thin! Frets have been 6105. No idea what he's using now. I guess he uses D'Addario 10's, right?

Daved, any info on the guitars set-up? High or low action? Relief? High/low at the nut/bridge? I have a CS 61 Tele (one-off) but I can't get it to play and sound as I want it too. Confused

Thanks!

( My Fender Custom Shop 61's Tele http://web.telia.com/~u42237675/pics/tl6102a.jpg

Aeolian · Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:50 pm Post subject:

I got a good look at this guitar once and the action was quite high. It always amazes me how Robben can burn on this thing.
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frank0936 · Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 7:26 am Post subject: Tele

Johan, I looked back on some earlier posts and found where Daved had talked about the Tele. The neck p.u. is stock, the bridge p.u. was rewound by Fralin to original specs. The body is most probably Ash, and the frets were replaced with large frets, but Daved didn't specify the size. Robben does use D'addario 10's, and Daved said the guitar is pretty light and that Robben favors necks that have a Gibson - type profile. The post where I found this is on the 4th page of this forum if you want to read all of it. I hope that helps,
Frank

stechmann · Member Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Denmark

Is it just my eyes or maybe the picture, but the polepieces on that bridge pickup looks too big to be a standard telepickup from the'60. It looks like they have the same size as a SD Quarter-Pounder to me.

johan · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:43 am Post subject:

They DO look bigger than usual but it's probably just the pic.

Here's a larger pic

stechmann · Member Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Denmark

That's much better, now it looks like a standard telepickup from the '60 with staggered polepieces. BTW here is a pictue of my 63' GVCG, nails the RF sound pretty good IMO.

johan · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:27 am Post subject:

Here's my "Robben" guitar

One-off Fender Custom Shop '61 NOS Tele

PaulG · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:12 am Post subject:

So, where's the Tele???? In all the pix I've seen this summer of Robben, he's only been playing the LP. I caught the 8/12, 13, and 14 gigs and saw only the LP. I miss the Tele!
Is it on vacation or getting a makeover? Has anyone seen it lately?

Ian Hurtt · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:21 pm Post subject:

When I saw Robben at Yoshi's in Oakland (few weeks ago?) he played the Tele on about half the songs. It sounded fantastic that night. He alternated between his Black Baker on one set and LP the other with the tele.

Aeolian · Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:06 pm Post subject:

JingChiFan just got this really amazing Chapin that Bill built specifically for him to capture the traditional Tele vibe of Robbens axe. JCF was really gracious and ran home to get it when he saw me at a local jam. Got to play 4 or 5 songs with it with a full band (including a harmonica player with his amp on a ledge right behind my ear Shocked

) and of course I had to call Maryann. (too many slow songs already or I'd have called Blues With A Feeling!) That same initial Butterfield record was my first blues album too. And the picture of Mike on the back with the white Tele always stuck with me. But they always sounded thin to me on stage. Not this one. It's huge! Still has the bridge pickup bark and twang, and the middle position clarity and sparkle. But I could dig into this axe almost as hard as my 335. It responed to everything. Muting, popping, moving the pick around. I can only imagine what it would sound like in Robben's hands. I bet he'd flip. It had a flater fingerboard and is almost as easy to play as a Baker (longer scale is a bit different). Bill has this artistic knack for tapping a piece of wood and knowing exactly what to do with it.
Here are some pictures I kyped off a post on TGP. Pretty guitar too.

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Ian Hurtt · Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:36 pm Post subject:

Pretty much anyone who has played one of Bill's Chapins speak very highly of them. Bill really seems like a good guy, too in the brief couple times I've talked to him.

As far as this particular guitar, it looks amazing and I'll bet it sounds great! Plus, I just love the flame on that neck!

frank0936 · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:36 am Post subject: Chapin guitar

I agree completely, Ian. That neck looks like water rippling. That's beautiful. I can only imagine how good that sounds.
Frank

Aeolian · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 1:49 pm Post subject:

Usually when I see a neck like that, I get suspicious. Looks like the builder picked it more for appearance than sound or stability. But this guitar has no compromises in sound. I have never played a Tele like this. I've played with Bill at a few jam sessions and he always sounds great. I've played several of his guitars, all of them outstanding. But this instrument is something special. People talked about how it sounded for weeks afterwards. Every note had such "authority", regardless of the timbre used. Clear, present, and fat. In the hands of someone who can play with authority it would be frightening.
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There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com