Ted on Perseverance
“Make your playing have a good feel, always – as much as possible. This is the most crucial area because it is the most delicious area in many styles of music. Don’t be blown away by all the failure that usually happens at first. Don’t give up, results will come. Accept the work and aches and pains, they’re part of it. I still have aches after over 40 years of playing. So what. Just part of the deal. Nobody wants to hear us complain about something that is as beautiful as the guitar and the magic music that can come out of it. Stay with this amazing instrument and near-miracles happen. And for some people, it is simply so important that they look for more and more ways to make their practicing enjoyable, even a real pleasure. One big thing for me has always been to put rhythmic life into everything I’m working on as soon as possible. It’s got to groove.”
Banana – Ted’s 1954 Esquire – highly modified -beloved and old reliable gigging guitar. Notice how worn the frets are, that should give you a clue about Ted’s perseverance.
Ted Greene Archive 
My heart stopped when I saw that picture. Can anyone imagine the music that was emanated from that instrument. I might be mistaken but it looks like the tele that is on the cover of the greatest jazz guitar album of all time. Thanks for posting this picture…lots of memories and good lsitening are associated with this guitar.
RC
Hi Ron! I assume you are referring to the Solo Guitar album of Ted’s? The guitar he used on that album was a ’51 Telecaster named Lucky (99 percent sure). You know, I never asked him if that was Lucky on the album cover photo. Lucky’s fingerboard was equally as worn as the ’54 Esquire.
Leon will know, I’ll ask him and write back to you, or perhaps he’ll see this and respond? Barbara