Telecaster maestro Jim Weider has played with a lot of musical heavyweights – Bob Dylan, The Band, Los Lobos and Taj Mahal all come to mind.
In fact, his first claim to fame was replacing Robbie Robertson in The Band from 1985-98.
The prolific guitarist recently spoke with Guitar International about his gear and his philosophy about the Telecaster for which he is so well-known.
“You gotta know how to set them up,” he said.  ”You know, I learned that from Roy Buchanan, by putting big frets an a Telecaster and a Strat, they play a lot better. Sid McGinnis, for 18 years was playing with the original frets on his ’55 Strat. They’re down to nothing. I said, ‘How are you bending a string? How long have you had the guitar?’
“He said, ‘Well, since ’71 or something like that.’
“And I said, ‘Well I don’t think you’re gonna sell it. So why don’t you put some new frets on it and enjoy yourself.’  So he ended up doing it to all his guitars. It makes a big difference. You do that to a Tele, and you take the finish off the back of the neck and you set them up, and they play great.”
Click here for the full Q&A, and visit Weider’s official website for more information.
Watch video of Weider’s music video for “Squirrels In Paris” with his band, Project PERCoLATor below:
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