Fender Standard Telecaster Electric Guitar
July 12, 2007 by Jo Minor
The original Fender Telecaster sparked a revolution in music, and with the Standard, you can get that same quality at a bargain price. Fender has issued their vintage models in a lower priced line made in their Mexican factory. At a list price of $571.41, you can rock right along with those 50’s and 60’s sounds or take this to the latest level of punk and metal.
For a guitar with a colorful historical legacy, you can’t beat the Telecaster. Originally called the “Fender Broadcaster,” it was introduced to the public in 1951. Before that time, there were a number of electric hollow body guitars, and other designers had played around with solid body guitars. The main purpose for electrifying their sound was to increase volume, not for a certain tone. Leo Fender and Doc Kauffman, however, created a solid body guitar to test pickups, and the country music players in the area liked the shiny twang it made.
Another innovation that came along with the Telecaster, was that of factory production. Before the Fender Telecaster, guitars were all hand made and glued together. Fender figured out a way to make a good bolt-on neck and to band saw the bodies from slabs of wood for quick mass production. To further cut down on cost and complexity, the Telecaster did not have a separate fretboard of rosewood or ebony, but simply featured the frets pressed right into the maple surface of the neck.
The bodies of the original Telecasters were made of alder or ash, and were flat on front and back. This quality has caused some guitarists to complain that it cut into their ribs. The Telecaster had two single coil pickups, a three way pickup selector switch, a volume knob, and a tone knob. While it was not technically the first solid body guitar on the market, it was the first truly popular one, with the Gibson Les Paul coming out the next year.
The Telecaster was also Fender’s first real success. Over the years, a few changes have been made. A rosewood fingerboard was added in 1959, and the pick guard was changed. There was a “Custom” model throughout the sixties which had binding and a sunburst finish. Humbucker pickups were used some in 1972, since they produce a “thicker” sound that works better with rock music, which was then coming into popularity.
The Fender Telecaster has been favored by professional musicians of all genres for many years. Now, with the Fender factory in Ensenada, Mexico, producing guitars, the tradition can be obtained for less money. The Standard series includes the various Fender electric guitar models as manufactured by the Mexican plant.
Advantages: Some people just love the simplicity of the Fender Standard Telecaster. Even though it is made in Mexico, it is still a real Fender and has that unique Telecaster sound. Now, if it matters for you that you have something that’s American made, go the extra cost and buy American. Don’t do it for the quality, though, because the Standard line of Fender guitars is just as well made. The Telecaster is good for a lot of different styles of music, from country and classic rock to hard rock. Some people like their Standard Telecaster better than expensive LPs. Try one out and see what you think!
Disadvantages: You might like a slicker neck than the satin finish on the Fender Standard Telecaster neck. It might not be that great of a guitar for metal. Some people don’t like the pickups as well as the humbuckers you can get on other guitars. You’ll probably want to get the setup done by a pro, since the out of box setup is not that good on some of them.
Specs:
- Traditionally shaped Telecaster alder body
- Vintage styling
- Polyester finish
- Maple satin-finished 1-piece, modern C-shaped neck
- Maple fretboard
- 9.5 inch radius
- 21 medium jumbo frets
- 25.5 inch scale
- 1.650 inches wide at the nut
- Fender Ping Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
- Chrome hardware
- New, re-voiced, hot standard Tele pickups at the neck and bridge
- 3-way blade pickup selector control
- Master volume control knob
- Master tone control knob
- 3-ply white pickguard in the traditional Telecaster style
- String-through-body, 6-saddle bridge
- Available in a left-handed version
- Colors available include Black, Chrome Red, Brown Sunburst, Midnight Wine, Arctic White, and Electron Blue
- Fender Super 250L nickel plated steel strings in .009 to .042
Pricing / Buy cheap online: Fender Standard Telecaster Guitar
Related sites:
- For an impressive list of Telecaster players down through the years, check this page out. A lot of them are country performers, but there are some rockers - like Bruce Springsteen - as well as some funk players.
- Here’s some history and photographs of some of the various models of the Fender Telecaster as it has appeared down through the decades.
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