For Woodstock native Jim Weider, his cherished ’52 Fender Telecaster has been one of the few constants in his life, serving as a vital instrument throughout his career with The Band after he took on the challenging role of replacing Robbie Robertson.
Weider has been a long-time admirer of the Telecaster, having played the model since the ’60s, but he was determined to own a ’52 version.
“I went across the country on my California road trip in my Volkswagen, and during my travels, I was searching for a Tele,” he recalls in the latest issue of Guitarist. “I found a late-’50s model in Oklahoma, but it wasn’t quite right, so I sold it to Jim Messina [of Buffalo Springfield]. I think I paid $100 or $150 for it.”
A few years later, Weider found himself low on funds and doing whatever he could to make ends meet when he came across an ad for his dream electric guitar.
“I was broke and working in a car wash in Santa Barbara when I saw an ad for a ’52 Telecaster,” he remembers.
“I went to the guy’s place, which turned out to be Norm from Norman’s Rare Guitars [one of the world’s most famous guitar shops]. He had a ’52 Tele and an old Bassman amp.”
Norm initially asked for $350 but agreed to sell it for $345, which was all Weider had at the time.
“I took it and said, ‘Well, I’m gonna play this guitar for the rest of my life.’ Thank God, I’ve been playing it ever since. It’s my main instrument.”
When asked about his affinity for the Telecaster, the guitar that has essentially defined his career, he explains, “I don’t know what it is… the shape and feel of the neck, the clarity of the pickups, all of it… You really have to play a Telecaster. It doesn’t come easy.”
“It kind of makes you your own man playing it,” he continues. “You’ve got to figure it out. Somebody will hear if you make a mistake or go out of pitch. I’ve always liked that, which is probably why I’ve played them my entire life.”
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