Fender Telecaster
Manufacturer	Fender
Period	1951 — present
Construction
Body type	Solid
Neck joint	Bolt-on neck
Scale	25.5" (24.75" on some models)
Woods
Body	Ash , Alder or Poplar
Neck	Maple
Fretboard	Maple/Rosewood
Hardware
Bridge	Fixed
Pickup(s)	2 Single-coil
Colors available
Originally blonde; other colors are available

The Fender Telecaster, also known as a Tele, is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender. Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music. Introduced for national distribution as the Broadcaster in the autumn of 1950, it was the first guitar of its kind to be produced on a substantial scale. Its commercial production can be traced as far back as the spring of 1950, when the single- and dual-pickup Esquire models were first sold. From that time to the present, the Telecaster has been in continuous production in one form or another, making it the world's senior solid-body electric guitar (Duchossoir, 1991, 11-15). Fender redirects here. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Typical bolt-on neck joint on a Yamaha Pacifica 112 electric guitar Bolt-on neck is a method of guitar (or similar stringed instrument) construction that involves joining guitar neck and body using screws. ... Species See text European Ash in flower Narrow-leafed Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) shoot with leaves Closeup of European Ash seeds 19th century illustration of Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus) An ash can be any of four different tree genera from four very distinct families (see end of page for disambiguation), but... Species About 20-30 species, see text. ... This article is about woody plants of the genus Populus. ... For other uses, see Maple (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Maple (disambiguation). ... Rosewood refers to a number of richly hued timbers, brownish with darker veining. ... Three magnetic pickups on an electric guitar. ... This image shows three single coil pickups on a Stratocaster guitar. ... Two different electric guitars. ... Fender redirects here. ... The Fender Esquire is a solid body electric guitar manufactured by Fender, and was the first guitar sold by Fender in 1950. ...

Origins

The Fender Telecaster was developed by Leo Fender in Fullerton, California in the 1940s. Prior to its creation, the solid-body electric guitar had been created independently by several craftsman and companies, in the period roughly between 1932–1949, but none of these guitars had made a significant impact on the market. Leo Fender's Telecaster was the design that finally put the solid-body guitar on the map. Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith was one of the first musicians to use the Telecaster (then named the Broadcaster) to record "Guitar Boogie" in 1947. Leonidas Fender (August 10, 1909 - March 21, 1991), also known as Leo Fender, was an American luthier who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, now known as Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, and later founded G&L Musical Products (G&L Guitars). ... Location of Fullerton within Orange County, California, U.S. Coordinates: , Country State County Orange Government  - Mayor Shawn Nelson Area  - City  22. ... Arthur Smith (born April 1, 1921 in Clinton, South Carolina) is an American musician and songwriter. ...

Fender had an electronics repair shop called Fender's Radio Service where he first repaired, then designed, amplifiers and electromagnetic pickups for musicians -- chiefly players of electric semi-acoustic guitars, electric Hawaiian (lap steel) guitars, and mandolins. Players had been 'wiring up' their instruments in search of greater volume and projection since the late 1920s, and electric semi-acoustics (such as the Gibson ES-150) had long been widely available. Tone had never, until then, been the primary reason for a guitarist to go electric, but in 1943, when Fender and his partner, Doc Kauffman, built a crude wooden guitar as a pickup test rig, local country players started asking to borrow it for gigs. It sounded shiny and sustaining. Fender got curious, and in 1949, when it was long-understood that solid construction offered great advantages in electric instruments, but before any commercial solidbody Spanish guitars had caught on (the small Audiovox company apparently offered a modern, solidbody electric guitar as early as the mid-1930s), he built a better prototype. Lap Steel Guitar (also called Hawaiian Guitar or simply lap steel or steel guitar) is a type of guitar, and a method of playing the instrument. ... The Gibson Guitar Corporations ES-150 guitar is generally recognized as the worlds first commercially feasible electric guitar. ... Audiovox (NASDAQ: VOXX) is an electronics company. ...

That hand-built prototype, an anomalous white guitar, had most of the features of what would become the Telecaster. It was designed in the spirit of the solid-body Hawaiian guitars manufactured by Rickenbacker -- small, simple units made of Bakelite and aluminum with the parts bolted together -- but with wooden construction. (Rickenbacker, then spelled 'Rickenbacher,' had also offered a solid Bakelite-bodied electric Spanish guitar in 1935, many details of which seem echoed in Fender's design.) Rickenbacker 330JG Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker (pronounced ) [1]), is an electric guitar manufacturer, notable for having invented the first electric guitar during the 1930s. ... Bakelite is a material based on the thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride developed in 1907–1909 by Belgian-American Dr. Leo Baekeland. ...

The initial production model appeared in 1950, and was called the Esquire. Fewer than fifty guitars were originally produced under that name, and most were replaced under warranty because of early manufacturing problems. In particular, the Esquire necks had no truss rod and many were replaced due to bent necks. Later in 1950, this single-pickup model was discontinued, and a two-pickup model was renamed the Broadcaster. From this point onwards all Fender necks incorporated truss rods. The Gretsch company, itself a manufacturer of hollowbody electric guitars (and now owned by Fender), claimed that "Broadcaster" violated the trademark for its Broadkaster line of drums, and as a newcomer to the industry, Fender decided to bend and changed the name to Telecaster, after the newly popular medium of television. (The guitars manufactured in the interim bore no name, and are now popularly called 'Nocasters.') The Esquire was reintroduced as a one-pickup Telecaster, at a lower price. Gretsch is a U.S. musical instrument manufacturer currently being distributed by guitar company Fender and drum craft company Kaman. ... The so-called Nocaster was a solid-body electric guitar created by Leo Fender that appeared with no model name in late 1950/early 1951. ...

Construction

Leo Fender's simple and modular design was geared to mass production, and made servicing broken guitars easier. Guitars were not constructed individually, as in traditional luthiery. Rather, components were produced quickly and inexpensively in quantity and assembled into a guitar on an assembly line. The bodies were band-sawed and routed from slabs, rather than hand-carved individually, as with other guitars made at the time, such as Gibsons. Fender did not use the traditional glued-in neck, but rather a bolt-on. This not only made production easier, but allowed the neck to be quickly removed and serviced, or replaced entirely. In addition, the classic Telecaster neck was fashioned from a single piece of maple without a separate fingerboard, and the frets were pressed directly into the maple surface--a highly unorthodox approach in its day (guitars traditionally featured rosewood or ebony fingerboards glued onto mahogany necks). The electronics were easily accessed for repair or replacement through a removable control plate, a great advantage over typical construction, in which the electronics could only be accessed through the soundholes in the case of hollow-body instruments, or later by taking off the pickguard after removing the strings (as in Fender's own later design, the Stratocaster). An engravers impression of Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument. ... Typical bolt-on neck joint on a Yamaha Pacifica 112 electric guitar Bolt-on neck is a method of guitar (or similar stringed instrument) construction that involves joining guitar neck and body using screws. ... A Fender Stratocaster with rosewood fingerboard and three-tone sunburst finish. ...

In its classic form, the guitar is extremely simply constructed, with the neck and fingerboard comprising a single piece of maple, bolted to an ash or alder body inexpensively jigged with flat surfaces on the front and back. The hardware includes two single coil pickups controlled by a three-way selector switch, and one each of volume and tone controls. The pickguard is Celluloid (later plastic), screwed directly onto the body with five (later eight) screws. The bridge has three adjustable saddles, with strings doubled up on each. The guitar quickly gained a following, and soon other, more established guitar companies (such as Gibson, whose Les Paul model was introduced in 1952; and later Gretsch, Rickenbacker, and others) began working on wooden solid-body production models of their own. A large chromed cover, often called the "ashtray", was fitted over the bridge for improved grounding, but this is rarely seen as most players find it impedes their style. This image shows three single coil pickups on a Stratocaster guitar. ... Three magnetic pickups on an electric guitar. ... Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents, generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic. ... -1...

The original switch configuration used from 1950 to 1952 allowed selection of neck pickup with treble tone cut in the first position (for a bassier sound), and neck pickup with normal tone in the second position. The third switch position selected the bridge pickup with neck pickup blended in, depending on the position of the second "tone" knob. The first knob functioned normally as a master volume control. This configuration did not have a true tone control knob.^[1]

Typical modern Telecasters (such as the American Series version) incorporate several details different from the classic form. They typically feature 22 frets (rather than 21) and truss rod adjustment is made at the headstock end, rather than the body end, which had required removal of the neck on the original (the Custom Shop Bajo Sexto Baritone Tele was the only Telecaster featuring a two-octave 24-fret neck). The 3-saddle bridge of the original has been replaced with a 6-saddle version, allowing independent length and height adjustment for each string. The stamped metal bridge plate has been replaced with a plain, flat plate, and the bridge grounding cover (which, while helping with the grounding, impedes players who like to mute strings at the bridge with the side of the palm, and makes it impossible to pick near the saddles to produce the characteristic Telecaster 'twang') has been discontinued for most models. Also different from the original is the wiring: The 3-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. The first knob adjusts the master volume; the second is a master tone control affecting all the pickups.

During the CBS era in the 1970s, the Telecaster body style was changed to a new "notchless" shape, having a less pronounced notch in the crook where the upper bout meets the neck. The notchless body style was discontinued in 1982.

The shortlived Elite Telecaster of 1983 incorporated two specially designed humbucking pickups powered by an active circuitry featuring a TBX guitar expander and a MDX midrange booster with 12dB of gain. Other features included a Freeflyte hardtail bridge and die-cast tuning machines with pearloid buttons. This guitar was among the latest CBS-era Fenders to feature a BiFlex truss-rod system, low-friction EasyGlider string trees and active electronics. After CBS sold Fender to a group of employees led by Bill C. Schultz in 1985, the Elite Telecaster, as well as the other Elite models, has no longer been produced. Fender Japan made its own version of the Elite Telecaster in late 1984, featuring a 22-fret neck with medium-jumbo fretwire and a modern 9.5" radius. This article is about the year. ...

Higher-end models such as the American Deluxe and Plus Series Telecasters usually come with a Stratocaster-like contoured body for playing comfort.

The Telecaster sound

The Telecaster is known for its bright, cutting tone. One of the secrets to the Telecaster's sound centers on the bridge pickup, which has more windings than the neck pickup and hence has a much higher output, sometimes having twice the inductance of the neck pickup. At the same time, a capacitor is fitted between the slider of the volume control and the output, allowing treble sounds to bleed through while the mid and lower ranges are dampened. ^[2] A slanting bridge pickup enhances the guitar's treble tone. The solid body allows the guitar to deliver a clean amplified version of the strings' tone. This was an improvement on previous electric guitar designs, whose hollow bodies made them prone to unwanted feedback, and which sometimes suffered from a muddy, indistinct sound. These design elements allowed musicians to emulate steel guitar sounds, making it particularly useful in country music. Such emulation can be enhanced by use of a B-Bender (B-string bending device co-introduced by country picker Clarence White), enabling a smooth, precise change of pitch for a single string within a chord. See Capacitor (component) for a discussion of specific types. ... A Dobro style resonator guitar Steel guitar, strictly speaking, refers to a method of playing using a metal slide (or steel) on a guitar played horizontally, with the strings uppermost. ... B-Bender is a system designed for Fender Telecaster guitars that enables a player to simulate a bending of a single B-string up to a whole tone (thus the name). ... Clarence White (born Clarence LeBlanc) (June 7, 1944 – July 14, 1973) was a guitar player for Nashville West, The Byrds, Muleskinner, and the Kentucky Colonels. ...

Variants

The Telecaster has also been a long-time favorite guitar for hot-rod customizing. Several variants of the guitar appeared throughout the years with a wide assortment of pickup configurations, such as a humbucker in the neck position, three single-coil pickups and even dual humbuckers with special wiring schemes. Fender offered hot-rodded Teles with such pickup configurations, the US Fat and Nashville B-Bender Telecasters around 1998. The Deluxe Blackout Tele was also equipped with 3 single-coil pickups, a "Strat-o-Tele" selector switch and a smaller headstock than a standard Telecaster. The most common variants of the standard two-pickup solid body Telecaster are the semi-hollow Thinline, the twin-humbucker Deluxe and the Custom which replaced the neck single coil-pickup with a humbucking pickup. The Custom and Deluxe were introduced during the CBS period and are offered to this day. Fender US Fat Tele The US Fat Tele is an electric guitar made by Fender Musical Instruments. ... The Nashville B-Bender Telecaster is an electric guitar made by FMIC. It was introduced in 1998 and upgraded in 2001. ...

Thinline

Main article: Fender Telecaster Thinline

A semi-hollow thinline version appeared in 1968/69, designed by German guitar maker Roger Rossmeisl. Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups, Bullet truss-rod and 3-bolt neck fixing were added around 1972. The Fender Telecaster Thinline is an electric guitar made by the Fender company. ... The Fender Wide Range is a humbucker guitar pickup, designed by Seth Lover for Fender in the early 1970s. ...

Deluxe

Main article: Fender Telecaster Deluxe

This model includes two Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups. The Tele Deluxe sported a large headstock similar to the Stratocaster maple neck and a contoured body, as well as a tremolo bridge on models manufactured after 1973/74. The Fender Telecaster Deluxe is a solid-body electric guitar originally produced from 1972 to 1981, and since re-issued by Fender in 2004 as the 72 Telecaster Deluxe. ... The Fender Wide Range is a humbucker guitar pickup, designed by Seth Lover for Fender in the early 1970s. ... Traditional Open Coil (uncovered) humbucker pickup A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup that uses two coils, both generating string signal. ...

Custom

Main article: Fender Telecaster Custom

The Tele Custom was popularized by Rolling Stones' guitarist and composer Keith Richards since its introduction in the early '70s, featuring a Fender Wide Range humbucker in the neck position and a single-coil pickup in the bridge. Fender Telecaster Custom is a make of electric guitar made by Fender. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer, producer and founding member of The Rolling Stones. ... The Fender Wide Range is a humbucker guitar pickup, designed by Seth Lover for Fender in the early 1970s. ...

Plus

Main article: Fender Telecaster Plus

Designed to restore Fender's reputation after a group of employees led by William C. Schultz took over ownership from CBS in the early 1980s, the Plus series of Telecasters (and Stratocasters) featured Lace Sensor pickups, low-friction roller nuts, locking synchronized vibrato bridge and tuners. Early models used a humbucking Dually Red Lace Sensor bridge pickup and a single Blue Lace Sensor neck pickup. Later models (post 1994 or so) used three Gold Lace Sensors or a Red/Silver/Blue set in a Strat-like configuration, as well as a bound contoured alder body with ash veneers. These Telecasters are also notable for their 24.75 inch scale, more common to Gibsons than to Fender-style instruments. These instruments were discontinued in 1998 with the advent of the American Deluxe series; there have been no reissues. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Lace Sensor is a guitar pickup designed by Don Lace and manufactured by AGI (Actodyne General International). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Fender American Deluxe Series is a line of high-end electric guitars and basses introduced by Fender in 1998 and upgraded in 2004. ...

Models

In keeping with other models Fender distinguishes product lines manufactured in different locations. Standard and Classic models are manufactured outside of the United States while model lines manufactured in the United States are named American and well as Special edition and Highway One models.

The top-of-the-line American Deluxe Telecaster (introduced in 1998 and upgraded in 2004) features a pair of Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups and the S-1 switching system. Models made prior to 2004 featured two Fender Vintage Noiseless Tele single-coils and 4-bolt neck fixing. Other refinements include a bound contoured alder or ash body and an abalone dot-inlaid maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets, rolled fingerboard edges, highly detailed nut and fret work. The American Deluxe Telecaster HH sports an ebony fingerboard, quilted or flamed maple top and a pair of Enforcer humbuckers with S-1 switching. A Fishman Powerbridge was briefly offered on the American Deluxe Telecasters made from 2000 to 2001. Fender currently offers the Fishman bridge on the Mexican-made Deluxe Series Nashville Tele guitar.

The American Series model uses two single-coil pickups with DeltaTone system (featuring 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. There were also HS and HH guitars with Enforcer humbucking pickups and S-1 switching which debuted in 2003; they have been discontinued in 2007. As of 2008, all American Standard Telecasters came with a redesigned Tele bridge with vintage-style bent steel saddles.

The American Nashville B-Bender guitar is modeled after the personally customized instruments of some of Nashville's top players, featuring a Fender/Parsons B-Bender system, two American Tele single-coils (neck, bridge), a Texas Special Strat single-coil (middle) and a five-way "Strat-O-Tele" pickup switching. Ideal for country bends and steel guitar glisses, this Tele is available only with a maple fingerboard.

The American Series Ash Telecaster is based on the '52 vintage reissue. It features an ash body, one-piece maple neck/fingerboard with 22 frets and two Modern Vintage Tele single-coil pickups.

The Custom Classic Telecaster is the Custom Shop version of the American Tele guitar, featuring a pair of Classic and Twisted single-coils in the bridge and neck positions, as well as a reverse control plate. Earlier versions made before 2003 featured an American Tele single-coil paired with two Texas Special Strat pickups and 5-way switching.

The Highway One Telecaster (introduced in 2003) features a pair of distortion-friendly Alnico III single-coils, super-sized frets, Greasebucket circuit and '70s styling (since 2006). The Texas Telecaster sports a 1-piece maple neck/fretboard with a modern 12” radius and 21 jumbo frets, solid ash body and a pair of Hot Vintage pickups.

The moderately-priced Standard, Classic and Deluxe Tele guitars are made in Mexico, Japan and Korea. Each of these instruments has a feature set which makes them an affordable value for any budget.

Artist Series Telecasters share features favored by world famous Fender endorsees: James Burton, John 5, Muddy Waters, Albert Collins, Andy Summers and many others. Custom Artist models are made at the Fender Custom Shop, differing slightly quality and construction-wise; their prices are much higher than the standard production versions. James Burton (born August 21, 1939 in Minden, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. ... John 5 is the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1915 – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered the Father of Chicago blues. He is also the actual father of blues musician Big Bill Morganfield. ... This article is about the blues musician. ... Andy Summers (born Andrew James Somers 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist and composer best known for his work in The Police. ...

Significance

The Telecaster was important in the evolution of country, electric blues, funk, rock and roll and other forms of popular music, because its solid construction allowed the guitar to be played loudly as a lead instrument, with long sustain if desired, and with less of the whistling 'hard' feedback (known in sound reinforcement circles as 'microphonic feedback') that hollowbodied instruments tend to produce at volume (a different kind to the controllable feedback later explored by Jimi Hendrix and countless other players). Even though the Telecaster is more than half a century old, and more sophisticated designs have been coming out since the early 1950s (including Fender's own Stratocaster), the Telecaster has remained in constant production. There have been numerous variations and modifications, but a model with something close to the original features has always been available. Blues music redirects here. ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... For the music genre, see Pop music. ... Audio feedback (also known as the Larsen effect after the Danish scientist, Søren Larsen, who first discovered its principles) is a special kind of feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input (for example, a microphone or guitar pickup) and an audio output (for example... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... A Fender Stratocaster with rosewood fingerboard and three-tone sunburst finish. ...

Signature Telecaster players

Further information: List of Telecaster players

Over the years, many famous guitarists have made the Telecaster their signature instrument. In the early days, country session musicians were drawn to this instrument designed for the "working musician." These included Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, James Burton, who played with such stars as Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, and Merle Haggard (a Signature Telecaster model player himself). Burton's favorite guitar was his famous Pink Paisley model Telecaster. Later, Danny Gatton blended diverse musical styles (including blues, rockabilly and bebop) with such great proficiency and clarity that he became known as the "telemaster." Eric Clapton used a Telecaster during his stint with The Yardbirds, and also played a Custom Telecaster fitted with Brownie's neck while with Blind Faith. Roy Buchanan and Albert Collins proved the Telecaster equally suited for playing the blues. Muddy Waters also consistently used the Telecaster and Mike Bloomfield also used the guitar on his earlier works. Soul sessionist Steve Cropper used a crisp, spare Tele sound to perfect effect with Booker T. and the M.G.'s. Additionally, George Harrison used a Rosewood Telecaster during the recording sessions for The Beatles' Let It Be album, on which the sound of the Telecaster was modified by being amplified through a revolving Leslie cabinet speaker. This is an alphabetized list of musicians who have made notable use of the Fender Telecaster, Broadcaster or Esquire in live performances or studio recordings. ... Alvis Edgar Buck Owens, Jr. ... Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was a respected and influential American country music singer and musician. ... James Burton (born August 21, 1939 in Minden, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Elvis redirects here. ... Merle Ronald Haggard (born April 6, 1937) is an American country music singer, guitarist and songwriter. ... Danny Gatton (September 4, 1945 – 4 October 1994) was a talented and enigmatic American guitarist who committed suicide at his Maryland home in 1994 while still relatively unknown to the public. ... Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE[2] (born 30 March 1945) [3], nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. ... Not to be confused with Yard Birds. ... Brownie was the affectionate name to a Fender Stratocaster that was used extensively by Eric Clapton during the early 70s most notably with Derek and the Dominos on their album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. ... For other uses, see Blind Faith (disambiguation). ... Roy Buchanan (September 23, 1939 - August 14, 1988) was an American guitar virtuoso and blues musician, and was considered a soulful master of the electric guitar. ... This article is about the blues musician. ... McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1915 – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered the Father of Chicago blues. He is also the actual father of blues musician Big Bill Morganfield. ... For the astronaut, see Michael J. Bloomfield the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, 1966 Mike Bloomfield (July 28, 1944 – February 15, 1981) was an American musician, guitarist and composer. ... Steve The Colonel Cropper (born October 21, 1941) is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer, and soul musician. ... Booker T. & the M.G.s is a soul band, most prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. ... For other persons named George Harrison, see George Harrison (disambiguation). ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Let It Be redirects here. ...

With the development of rock, the Tele inspired and sustained yet another genre. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones has composed many classic riffs on his battered "Micawber" Tele. With endurance to match that of his guitar, Bruce Springsteen has given many energetic performances with his Esquire. Another remarkable Telecaster player is Andy Summers of The Police. Summers's guitar playing defined much of the Police sound. Jimmy Page used a psychedelic-colored 1958 Tele, (painted by Page himself, and also known as the "Dragon Telecaster") on the first Led Zeppelin albums, and also for the lead solo in the iconic 1971 song "Stairway to Heaven". The guitar had been given to Page by his friend Jeff Beck.^[3] Albert Lee's extensive use of the Telecaster earned him the nickname of "Mr. Telecaster." Joe Strummer (frontman of the legendary punk band The Clash) used his worn and battered 1966 Telecaster (originally Sunburst but spraypainted black) with its distinctive "Ignore Alien Orders" sticker from the beginning of his musical career until the day he died. In January 2007, Fender issued the G. E. Smith signature Telecaster in honour of Smith's reputation as a modern master of the Telecaster. G.E. Smith was the lead guitarist in the band Hall and Oates and the musical director of Saturday Night Live. James Root of Slipknot and Stone Sour fame also plays Telecaster guitars. Through 2003 until 2006, on the first leg of Stone Sour's tour in support of their album Come What(ever) May, he used Fender Custom Shop Flat-head models. In the summer of 2007 he officially released his new Artist Series Telecaster guitar sporting black hardware and EMG 60/81 humbuckers and in two color choices: Black/white pickguard/maple fretboard and vintage white/black pickguard and ebony fretboard. Additionally, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead uses his battered Telecaster Plus for most songs, including Creep. Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer, producer and founding member of The Rolling Stones. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... Springsteen redirects here. ... Andy Summers (born Andrew James Somers 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist and composer best known for his work in The Police. ... This article is about the rock band. ... For the Scottish football (soccer) player, see Jimmy Page (footballer). ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... This article is about the Led Zeppelin song. ... Geoffrey Arnold (Jeff) Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, Greater London) is an English rock guitarist. ... Albert Lee (born December 21, 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire) is an English guitarist known for his finger-style and Hybrid picking technique. ... John Graham Mellor (August 21, 1952 – December 22, 2002), better known as Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash. ... This article is about the English punk rock band. ... George Edward Smith (b. ... For the UK magazine, see Guitarist (magazine). ... Daryl Hall and John Oates. ... SNL redirects here. ... James Jim Root (born October 2, 1971) is one of the current guitarists for Slipknot he shares lead guitarist duties with fellow bandmate Mick Thompson. ... Slipknot (sometimes typeset as SlipKnoT to fit their logo) is a Grammy winning American metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. ... Stone Sour is a three time Grammy-nominated American rock band based in Des Moines, IA, United States. ... Alternate Cover Special Edition cover Come What(ever) May is the second album from post-grunge/hard rock band Stone Sour. ...

Notes

1. ^ Duchossoir, 1991, 15
2. ^ The Telecaster Sound
3. ^ 1977 Jimmy Page Interview (Audio/Text)

References

• Bacon, Tony (1991). The Ultimate Guitar Book. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0-375-70090-0.
• Bacon, Tony & Day, Paul (1998). The Fender Book: A complete history of Fender electric guitars (2nd ed.). London: Balafon Books. ISBN 0-87930-554-1.
• Burrows, Terry (general editor) (1998). The Complete Encyclopedia of the Guitar: The definitive guide to the world's most popular instrument. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-865027-1.
• Denyer, Ralph (1992). The Guitar Handbook. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd. ISBN 0-679-74275-1.
• Duchossoir, A. R. (1991). The Fender Telecaster: The detailed story of America's senior solid body electric guitar. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Publishing Co. ISBN 0-7935-0860-6.
• Freeth, Nick & Alexander, Charles (1999). The Electric Guitar. Philadelphia: Courage Books. ISBN 0-7624-0522-8.
• Wheeler, Tom (et al.), edited by Trynka, Paul (1993). The Electric Guitar: An illustrated history. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-0863-7.

• U.S. Patent No. D164227

The current version of the article or section reads like an advertisement. ...

See also

• Fender Esquire
• Fender Telecaster Custom
• Fender Telecaster Deluxe
• Fender Telecaster Plus
• Fender Telecaster Thinline
• Fender Stratocaster
• Nocaster
• Squier Telecaster

The Fender Esquire is a solid body electric guitar manufactured by Fender, and was the first guitar sold by Fender in 1950. ... Fender Telecaster Custom is a make of electric guitar made by Fender. ... The Fender Telecaster Deluxe is a solid-body electric guitar originally produced from 1972 to 1981, and since re-issued by Fender in 2004 as the 72 Telecaster Deluxe. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Fender Telecaster Thinline is an electric guitar made by the Fender company. ... Stratocaster redirects here. ... The so-called Nocaster was a solid-body electric guitar created by Leo Fender that appeared with no model name in late 1950/early 1951. ... The Squier Telecaster is an electric guitar manufactured and sold by Squier, a marque of Fender. ...

References

External links

• Ten Terrific Telecaster Guitars - Descriptions, including the prototype (Archived version accessed 18 October 2006).
• Telecaster.com - Fender Telecaster Discussion Forums

The Fender Telecaster Thinline is an electric guitar made by the Fender company. ... The Fender Telecaster Deluxe is a solid-body electric guitar originally produced from 1972 to 1981, and since re-issued by Fender in 2004 as the 72 Telecaster Deluxe. ... Fender Telecaster Custom is a make of electric guitar made by Fender. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...