The Guitar Sherpa

Known for its solid-body design and tone/sound, the Fender Telecaster represents a classic electric guitar that has maintained its popularity for 60 years.

Typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar, the Telecaster initially appeared as a single-pickup model, dubbed the Esquire, in 1950. Developed by Leo Fender, the Telecaster Esquire model was credited with setting trends in the electric guitar manufacturing industry and putting the solid-body electric guitar on the map.

Prior to the Telecaster Esquire’s creation, the solid-body electric guitar had been created independently by craftsman and companies. As a result, these solid-body electrics didn’t have a significant impact on the market because a significant amount of them weren’t being produced.

Telecasters, however, were produced quickly and inexpensively on an assembly line, as the guitars’ simple and modular design – which was influenced by solid-body Hawaiian guitars - was intended for mass production.

Design

The classic Telecaster’s ash or alder body is band-sawed and routed from slabs, and its’ neck and fingerboard are comprised of a single piece of maple, which is bolted to the body. The bolt-on feature allows the neck of the guitar to be removed quickly for service or replacement. Additionally, a removable control plate enables easier access to electronics.

The guitar’s hardware includes: two, single-coil pickups, controlled by a three-way selector switch; and one volume and one tone control. The guitar also features a 3-saddle bridge.

Typical modern Telecasters, such as the American Standard version, incorporate several details different from the classic form.

Modern models typically feature 22 frets and a 6-saddle bridge, rather than the traditional 21 frets and 3-saddle bridge. The 6-saddle bridge allows for independent length and height adjustment for each string.

Also different from the original is the wiring, as the three-way toggle switch selects neck pickup only in the first position, neck and bridge pickups together in the second position, and bridge pickup only in the third position.

Through the years other attempts have been made to adjust the look and features of the Telecaster. During the 1970s, the Telecaster body style was changed to a new "notchless" shape, having a less pronounced notch where the upper bout meets the neck. However, the “notchless” body style was discontinued in 1982.

A semi-hollow thinline version of the Telecaster appeared in 1968/69, designed by German guitar maker Roger Rossmeisl. Today two versions of the Thinline are sold. The '69 version has two standard Telecaster pickups and a mahogany body, while the '72 version yields two Fender wide-range pickups, and a solid, swamp ash body.

In late 1984, Fender Japan made its own version of the Elite Telecaster, which featured a 22-fret neck with medium-jumbo fretwire and a modern 9.5" radius.

Tone/Sound

Producing a tone that is described as bright, rich and cutting, the Telecaster’s sound centers on the bridge pickup, which has more windings than the neck pickup and a higher output. The bridge pickup is slanted in such a way that it enhances the guitar's treble tone.

The solid body of the guitar also adds to the clean amplified tone of the strings, which made the Telecaster popular amongst a number of musicians.

Guitarists who used the early Telecasters found it to be a guitar that allowed them to play loudly as a lead, with long sustain and less ‘hard’ feedback.

Guitarists known for playing a Telecaster include Bruce Springstein, Keith Richards, Andy Summers, G.E. Smith, Joe Strummer, and Muddy Watters.

Because the design elements of the Telecaster allowed musicians to emulate steel guitar sounds, a number of country session musicians were drawn to the classic Telecaster. These musicians included Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, and James Burton.

Models

According to Fender’s webpage there are at least 37 models of telecasters currently available. Series of Telecasters include: American Deluxe, American Special, American Standard, American Vintage, Artist, Classic, Classic Player, Deluxe, Highway One, Road Worn, Special Edition, Standard, Vintage Hot Rod, and Custom.

Standard, Classic and Deluxe models, which are moderately priced, are manufactured outside of the United States in Japan, Mexico and Korea; while model/series lines manufactured in the U.S. include American, Special Edition, and Highway One.

The various American Series models feature two, single-coil pickups combined with a DeltaTone system that features a high-output, bridge pickup, and a reverse-wound neck pickup. Other features include a parchment pickguard, non-veneered alder or ash bodies, and rolled fingerboard edges.

The Custom Classic Telecaster is the custom shop version of the American Series Telecaster, and features a pair of classic and twisted single-coils in the bridge and neck positions. The guitar also features a reverse control plate.

The Highway One Texas Telecaster features a one-piece maple neck/fretboard, along with a modern 12” radius and 21 jumbo frets. The guitar’s body is solid ash and includes a pair of hot vintage pickups.

The Artist series of Telecasters have features favored by world-famous Fender endorsees including: James Burton, John 5, Muddy Watters, Jim Root, G.E. Smith, Joe Strummer and Jim Adkins.

In 1951, Fender produced a Precision bass, which later was released as the Fender Telecaster bass.

During the past 20 years Fender has continued to release new Telecaster models including the Nashville B-Bender Telecaster, which was introduced in 1996.

The B-Bender Telecaster is an American Standard series Telecaster combined with a factory-installed B-string bender device. The device raises the pitch of the B string by one whole tone to C-sharp. The bend is activated by a one-inch downward pull on the guitar neck, which allows a guitarist to emulate pedal steel sounds and play country bends.

After its introduction in 1996, the Nashville B-Bender experienced major design changes in 1998 and 2000.

The American Deluxe Telecaster was introduced in 1998 and upgraded in 2004. The guitar features a pair of Samarium cobalt, noiseless pickups and the S-1 switching system. Models made before 2004 featured two Fender vintage, noiseless single-coils and 4-bolt neck fixing.

Introduced in 2003, the Highway One Telecaster features a pair of distortion-friendly Alnico III single-coils, super-sized frets, and a greasebucket circuit.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Telecaster, Fender released some of its most collectible and historical instruments including the Limited Telecaster Proto in early January 2010. The Limited Telecaster is a reproduction of the prototype that Fender initially used.

Non-Fender Telecasters

The design, features, sound and popularity of the Fender Telecaster has influenced other guitar manufacturing companies to produce their version of the guitar.

The H.S. Anderson/Hohner Telecaster, which was made famous by Prince, was designed in the early 1970s and made by a Japanese factory called Morris. H.S. Anderson later sold the rights to Hohner in Germany.

Ibanez produces the Roadstar guitar (RG), which has the body shape of a Fender Telecaster “with twists,” while Yamaha and Peavey also manufacture Telecaster-style guitars.

The Squier Telecaster is manufactured and sold by Squier, a marque of Fender. While the guitar is a rebranded Fender Telecaster, it does not qualify as a Telecaster copy produced by Fender.

A true sign that the Telecaster remains a popular guitar after 60 years is the fact that a Telecaster has been designed specifically for use with RockBand 2, a guitar-playing simulation video game. The recreated Telecaster looks similar to the classic version, but also features a differently designed saddle and an additional lever.