Hear Fred pickin'  his Tele!

"Don't Fade On Me" (Fred singing and playing all guitar parts.)

"I Love You, I Love You (I Do)" recorded LIVE at a CKNX barn dance.

Fred Lewis

Woodstock, Ontario Canada

Hello, my name is Fred Lewis and I have been playing Telecasters since I was 18. My biggest influences are local heroes, my dad (Bill Lewis), Guy Melanson, and Calvin Horner. Other big influences have been Albert Lee, Roy Buchanan, Steve Piticco, Brent Mason and Roy Nichols. I play with several bands and do studio work, and when there's time I front my own band "Ridin' High".

I have been asked a lot of questions about my tone and the equipment that I use. It is a very basic set-up; I've found that the less stuff I use, the better it seems to sound! For amps, I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, a 1963 Ampeg Reverb Rocket, or a Fender Pro Jr.

Depending on the size of the venue, I will run 2 amps, usually the deluxe and Reverb Rocket for larger rooms and the Reverb Rocket and Pro Jr. for smaller rooms. Lower wattage amps have always worked better for me because I can turn them up and make the tubes work. I use a few effects pedals, but mostly a Boss GE-7 equalizer, CS-3 compressor, and a TU-2 tuner. If I run the Pro Jr. I also use an RV-5 reverb pedal, for distortion I use a DS-2. I use George L cables (they seem to last forever) and a Goodrich volume pedal.

My main guitar is a 1997 California Fat Telecaster, which is currently set-up like this:

• Seymour Duncan Nashville Studio (5-2)
• Seymour Duncan Seth Lover (modified to fit factory pick guard)
• Stock 5-way switch & volume pot
• 1 meg tone pot (w/0.05 cap)
• Joe Barden three saddle bridge (compensated brass saddles)
• Ernie Ball regular slinky 10-46 strings

As much as I've tried to play other guitars, this one is the one I always reached for, it's not the most expensive guitar I've owned but it's the most playable guitar I have ever owned, and it just feels right.

Fred's 1997 California Fat Telecaster

Fred's pedal set-up

Fred's amp set-up.

Updates-February, 2008:
The green Tele was built by my dad and me, and features an alder body with transparent green sunburst; it has a Duncan Seth Lover in the neck and a Seymour Duncan 5-2 (Nashville studio) in the bridge. This guitar was assembled using all American standard hardware (tuning keys, bridge, control plate) this guitar also uses a 1 meg tone pot and a 1 mdf cap with standard 3-way switching. It is currently getting a PW B-bender installed by Bill Bores in Houston, TX.

The vintage yellow Telecaster was built by myself and Bill Bores, it is built around a two-piece alder body and also uses American standard hardware, with the exception of Sperzel trim locks. The neck is a Highway 1 Texas Tele with a 12" radius. Seymour Duncan antiquity mini humbucker in the neck, Duncan Nashville studio in the bridge. The best part is the "B" saddle bender installed by Bill Bores.

The sunburst guitar is my second California series Telecaster. This one originally had the Strat neck pickup which I, of course, changed for the Duncan Antiquity mini humbucker, Joe Barden compensated three-saddle bridge and a Duncan Nashville studio. This is my first tortoise shell pickgaurd - I left the wiring in this guitar all stock (for now!!). This guitar will also be receiving a B-bender from Bill Bores very shortly.