The Fender Telecaster is one of the most iconic and recognizable electric guitars, as well as the first solid body to break into the mainstream music world. The Telecaster has laid the foundations for almost all the electric guitars that have succeeded it, whether through its two microphones, its choice of woods, its fixed bridge or its dimensions.
The Telecaster has laid the foundations for almost all the electric guitars that have succeeded it, whether through its two microphones, its choice of woods, its fixed bridge or its dimensions. The Fender Telecaster is placed on the pantheon of legendary guitars that have passed through the generations.
History
The Telecaster was born in the early 1950s in California, designed by Leo Fender and the small team of his electrical instrumentation company. First baptized under the name "Esquire" then "Broadcaster" before Gretsch comes to grumble with blows of telegrams for plagiarism, it will be the name "Telecaster" which will be finally adopted, paying homage to televisions on which their yellow guitar, sorry , "Blonde butterscotch" would stand out beautifully.
Specifications / Construction
The design of the Fender Telecaster comes down to its ruggedness and simplicity. At the time, the solutions it offered were for some totally revolutionary, then over time they have become everything there is more classic in an electric guitar. Among these innovations, we find a screwed neck, a bridge with three saddles and a fixation of the strings at the back of the body. But the image that immediately comes to mind when we think of a Telecaster is the shape of its body: flat and cut from a 45mm thick alder or maple board. A large pickguard accompanies the body, surrounding the neck pickup.
Sound
We traditionally find on a Telecaster 2 single coil pickups screwed directly onto the body of the guitar. With its thick body and metallic "ashtray" bridge on which comes a microphone, this is what gives the Telecaster this defined and piercing sound: that "twang" immensely appreciated in blues, folk rock or country. Over the decades, different Telecasters have emerged: some with a humbucker as a neck pickup, others with P-90s, or even with a semi-hollow body, the Telecaster have become a category of guitars in their own right.
Usage
From its birth under the names Esquire and Broadcaster until today, the Telecasters have inspired guitarists of all kinds: from classic blues to the most avant-garde jazz, from country to punk via the rock and metal. So difficult to stick a specific style to the Telecaster, you will find a way to make it sound beautifully in almost any style.
