Which fender telecaster should i buy

Generally, questions of build quality and design features come down to some key items related to where you go for tone. When thinking of Tele tone, there are three major elements that influence that core sound. Squier is Fender's lower-end brand, but don't let the price tag fool you into thinking these guitars aren't excellently playable instruments. While some guitar designs with complex tremolos or switching systems mean more corners to cut, the brilliant simplicity of the Telecaster means Squier has the ideal palette for a tailored instrument at an accessible price.

Some of the most-well-regarded Squier Telecasters are those that offer vintage-inspired specs and setups. The picks below are ideal for players looking for something old school yet economical. The next step up in the Fender family from the Squier line are instruments made in the company's Ensenada, Mexico facility or, in some instances, those built in Japan. Many include features like shielded pickup and electronics cavities in alder bodies, string-through-body saddle styles, sealed tuners, and a variety of heights and materials for fret choices.

Their Japanese counterparts also offer increased varieties of craftsmanship quality, as well as an expanded range of finish options that give them an almost boutique feel. Notable differences at this step-up level of Teles include both increased attention to aesthetics, noticeable hardware and electronics improvements, as well as use of better tonewoods.

In this category, there are also ways of obtaining homegrown value. The new Fender American Performer series, for example, made it possible to get a Tele built in Corona, California for a price that was previously reserved for offshore builds. These instruments achieve a classic yet modern feel with features that include custom Yosemite pickups and jumbo frets, as well as throwback appointments like vintage-inspired tuning machines and large font headstocks.

As Fender shuffled the deck over the last few years, it meant the retirement and rebranding of some of the long-standing lines built in its Corona, California facility. Given this span, there is almost an endless diversity of form and function in this series. The fruits of the collaboration arrived in as the Telecaster Deluxe, and using the all-new Wide Range humbucker to dial in more overdriven tones. The humbuckers are incredibly musical, both clean and distorted, and offer a bit less of that famous Tele twang in favour of grit and power.

All in all, the Fender Vintera '70s Telecaster Deluxe is a brilliantly versatile and more wallet-friendly tribute to one of the more rock-focused models in Fender history. What do you get when you cross two of the most iconic electric guitars ever made? The middle pickup on the Nashville is actually taken from a Strat, in order to provide a warmer mid-range that turns the Tele from an aggressive, spiky axe into a smooth operator with increased capabilities.

The body and neck of the Player Plus Nashville Tele has had a facelift too, with a Strat-esque tummy cutaway on the back of the body aiding the otherwise un-ergonomic Tele slab body. If you want the trademark Tele grit, with a slightly more sophisticated touch, then the Nashville is your guitar.

The neck profile is a softer variation of the V-Shape profile from the late 50s, so not quite as extreme and still quite thick-feeling. As the guitarist in one of the most successful metal bands the world has seen, Slipknot guitarist Jim Root aka 4 knows a thing or two about high-gain tones. His signature Telecaster features some less-usual appointments, including an ebony fingerboard, locking tuners, black hardware, no tone control, a Hardtail strings-thru-body bridge and his favourite active EMG pickup set.

The result of this collaboration with Fender is a high-powered workhorse that will be able to cut through the mix and have no problem voicing the kind of lower tunings bands like Slipknot were responsible for popularizing. The fact that American guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen has stuck with his signature Telecaster for the large majority of his career speaks volumes. Finished in a gorgeous Brown Sunburst to match its exquisite gold hardware, this is without question one of the best Telecaster guitars in the world.

The American Professional II series brings the Fender Telecaster into the modern age while staying faithful to the original design. The Deep C neck sits in between a Modern C and U in terms of shape and coupled with the narrow tall frets offers extra hold and control. In the neck pickup, alnico 5 under the bass strings delivers detailed low end while alnico 2 under the treble strings adds warmth and clarity, whereas the bridge is powered exclusively by alnico 5 magnets.

The neck heel has been tentatively carved away to enable smooth upper fret access. Little touches like this from Fender are what makes the world of difference with the Pro II range. For those who are unaware, Isbell is one of the leading faces of the Americana movement. Let's not beat around the bush. The Jason Isbell signature Telecaster is gorgeous. You might just take one home with you.

The Fender logo is rendered in gold foil on the headstock. The American Ultra Tele wears these updates well. There are a suit of stunning new finishes — Texas Tea and Mocha Burst are particularly mind-blowing — but for all the modern accoutrements, the American Ultra Tele is still a textbook Tele, with raunchy twang and more than a little snarl when you turn the gain up.

The S-1 switch allied to the 3-way pickup position switching makes it sound a little like the greatest hits of Tele tone. That in itself is enough of a recommendation. The headstock decal was relocated to the other side of the retainer and set at an upwards angle. Flat-top knobs with a soft knurl were another new feature. An early Telecaster advert. More significantly, and controversially, Fender changed to a top-loader bridge design. Indeed, the playing feel gets a little slinkier.

Nevertheless, Fender abandoned top-loading in and reverted to through-body stringing. Top-loaders spanned the period in which Fender made other significant changes.

In mid , Fender reconfigured its necks for rosewood fretboards. One-piece maple necks were a thing of the past, and while maple fretboards were still available to order, they were glued on in the same way as the slab rosewood boards. Ash remained the wood of choice for blonde finishes. The overwhelming majority of mid-late s Teles were blonde and ash would continue to be used throughout the s and beyond. Fender used alder for sunburst Custom Telecaster and Esquire bodies on their introduction in June Maybe Fender was trying to achieve a more upmarket look with the Custom models, because the distinguishing feature is single layer of white binding on the front and back of the body.

Fender continued making these into the early s but they are extremely rare. The Custom Telecaster added body binding for a touch of aesthetic class. Custom features kept pace with the changes to regular Teles, acquiring white three-ply pickguards in the mid s and moving from the spaghetti logo to the transitional logo in and then the black block logo by Other changes that occurred throughout the Telecaster line included a new white Chiclet tone capacitor in , and the introduction of ceramic caps in Patent numbers and a DES number were also added to the decal that year.

They also added a 0. In , Fender replaced the k potentiometers with 1M and some pickups were potted in lacquer rather than wax. These factors can combine to make Teles of that era shriller and prone to squealing. With the exception of some early Blackguards, Telecasters of the vintage era usually had fairly light bodies. Maybe lightweight ash was becoming harder to source in sufficient quantities, because around Fender briefly experimented with weight-reducing routs under the pickguard.

It was the s, after all…. Its appearance is another pragmatic mixture of eras, while the six bent-steel bridge saddles mean the overall look is reminiscent of the recently superseded American Standard Telecaster. Tone-wise, its vocal and expressive neck pickup instantly impresses, and the other two pickup selector positions elicit the same response. Read our full review here. The legendary Broadcaster which catapulted Fender into the electric guitar mainstream has made its return in this 70th anniversary edition.

The Baja Tele has become something of a modern classic. With four-way switching including series and an S-1 switch, it offers a huge amount of tonal options from the classic Tele pickup layout. Parallel Universe series, the Tele Magico imagines a thinline tele equipped with two Gold Foil Pickups, which provide expressive mid-range punch and pristine highs. Designed by Fender Custom Shop master builder Ron Thorn, this guitar receives some exquisite appointments, including a flame maple neck with pearloid inlays and a modern-performance cut tele bridge.

Its ash wood body is paired to a Modern Deep C maple neck that stays comfortable to play over long periods. This well-mannered beast comes loaded with two Tim Shaw designed V-mod single-coils that pack a vintage sounding punch, while remaining balanced throughout all positions.

Thanks to its combination of Vintage Noiseless Tele bridge and neck pickups flanking a Strat middle pickup, the Nashville Tele offers a mix of Strat and Tele voices and a five-way switching system. For players in search of a tele with meatier tone options on the fly, the Original 70s Telecaster might be right for you. It pairs a vintage-style bridge single coil with a Tim Shaw Authentic Wide-Range Humbucker in the neck — which when used together delivers the kind of thick rhythm tone that even Keith Richards might approve of.