The Fender Telecaster: A Short History in 4K
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- Опубликовано: 30 янв 2025
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I've wanted to remake my original "Big 5" Short History videos for some time. In addition to higher quality video and audio I now have the connections I need to include great playing clips of vintage guitars throughout it's history. For all these reasons, I tweaked the script, re-recorded and re-edited everything so you'd have the best possible Short History of the Fender Telecaster. I hope you enjoy it.
All the best,
Keith
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Great video Keith! If you would’ve told me my 20s that my favorite guitar in my 60s was going to be a Telecaster I would’ve told you were crazy, but here we are.
Too true. Bought my first Tele 2 years ago after playing for 39 years. Now I have 4 and counting.
It was my favorite guitar in my 20’s 40 something years ago and it still is!
Tele was never a go-to guitar for me in my 20's. Too twangy for my taste. 40 years later I got my first butterscotch and loved it.
A tele with lighter gauge flats on it so you can still bend is the most comfortable, versatile, beautiful sounding guitar I've ever wanted to play. Took a long time and a lot of different types of guitars to reach this conclusion.
@dgeps7969 and the flat wounds give it a more mellow sound. I did that on my Strat copy years ago. Loved it ❤️
Playing rockabilly gigs is how my father put himself through university. I vividly remember his two telecasters. Nothing seemed cooler at the time. When he died, I really appreciated the old gentlemen who came up and said he was the best player they had ever seen grace the Alberta music scene.
This edition of the Telecaster short history is definitely an improvement on he earlier one. It includes more relevant info, and I appreciated how it extended at least 10 years further in the timeline.
Even though I've watched and read everything out there about the tele, owned a dozen of them, played a hundred of them, I still love these videos. And more so from this channel. Always great quality. Thank you!
The last several years, Fender has made incredibly high-quality Telecasters that are more playable, comfortable, and consistent. The Player Plus/2, American Pro II, and Ultras are fabulous. After playing a rolled fretboard, I can never go back.
I started loving the Tele in the early 80's when 15 year old me started listening to the Yardbirds with Jeff Beck (Esquire, close enough). Here I am, 40 years later, still a Tele fan.
I'm a relatively young player at 30 but I've been playing for 20 years of that, 15 of which I spent playing mainly strats and epiphones. Idk how I managed to go that long without ever picking up a tele but I will never forget the first moment I picked one up. Everything about it simply felt and sounded right. Even the aspects some people dislike, such as the full blocky body or the sound of the neck pickup, are features that fit me like a glove.
Ive gone through multiple teles in the past 5 years but only recently found the one. It's a 62 telecaster. Black with white binding.
I keep finding myself looking at pictures of it while counting down the minutes until I get off work.
I really am glad you mentioned Danny Gatton. If there is such a thing as a spirit animal, mine is definitely Danny Gatton
I mainly use my neck pick up. Try a fender vintage '62 reissue or a Seymour Duncan 5 two
The thinner rosewood fingerboards were less to do with money or tone and more to do with stability. Rosewood and maple react differently to moisture, glueing slab fingerboards to maple, with water based glues could lead to slight backbows in the necks during production. This added an extra step of re flattening them before fretting. The thinner rosewood also added stability to to the necks during season changes or humidity fluctuations.
I LOVE the Telecaster sooooo much! My current Tele is now a Partscaster i put together a while back, but it the best guitar i own.
I have to agree, been threw a few guitars and after all of that, the partscaster blackguard is a keeper. Beat out custom shop fenders...
I currently have a total of six Telecaster style guitars (three of which are home brew partscasters) with all different manner of pickup combinations ranging from a painstakingly built to spec homemade replica of an early 50s vintage blackguard with nitro finished pine body and a fat D shape neck to a shell pink alder with cream binding, rosewood fretboard and a Gretsch Filter'tron in the neck position -- that guitar has all the spank and twang that Telecasters are known for and then some, it's a total beast. I have a nice collection that includes a couple of strats, a 335, a Les Paul and a Gretsch hollow body, but there's just something about the mystique of the Telecaster that makes me want to continue to explore its various incarnations. My wife on the other hand believes it's an affliction.
Gotta love part casters, just finished a modded out mini tele with tapped coils a few weeks ago, sounds like a dream
I wasn't looking for a Tele until some of the shows I was playing for asked specifically for a Tele. I stumbled upon a collector who had an American Deluxe 2010 and was "thinning the heard". Noiseless pickups, locking tuners, and out of phase button in the tone. I had never played a Tele before. What a versatile guitar. I got to play it in the pit for 3 shows this past year. It plays like butter. With very few exceptions you can do almost all of it on a Tele. I can cover about anything for with the Tele, Epi Sheraton ii pro, and Martin D-10E. Even covering some mandolin parts on the Tele. I really enjoy your short histories. Keep them coming.
In 2003, I put a roland GK pickup on my Epi Dot to play in the pit, I could get acoustic and banjo sounds for what I was doing, but my electric sound was usually a modeled Tele. 😂
@@jacobpittman1996 Another pit player? Amazing! We are a rare bread. Lot's of really good guitar players out there but many can't read much beyond a chord chart. I'm just an OK guitar player, but I can read. Probably my next purchase will be a 6-string banjo to use in the pit.
4K is what my telecaster needs!!
I have used to have 13 guitars. I now have 3. A Kiesel LP type, a really cool strat, and a Suhr Telecaster. The Suhr gets played 80% of the time. It just does everything.
Great video. Thank you! One of the happiest days of my life was when I, finally, bought a Butterscotch Blonde Fender Telecaster!
The tele sound is a pleasing sound . Makes me feel calm. I really enjoy playing the tele.
In my 50+ years of playing guitar, I have gone thru phases of guitars, mainly Humbucker equipped models, but now I will play my Tele's above all others. No other guitars can cover the tonal variations like a Telecaster. The punch and tone are second to none. Another well done video amigo!!
I'm one of the few who seem to prefer the top-load Teles. I prefer the feel.
Great video as always. Teles forever!
Guthrie Trapp….i will get to see him live! My friend and coworker saw him in Nashville….and was blown away. He’s getting more and more known in my home town. What a player. Mentioned we’re all legends, but Trapp just grabs me. I also love Brent Mason’s playing.
Thank you, Keith!
Great short history. Love the Teles.
Thank you for a wonderful episode.
Been waiting for this one!
Me too! 😁👍👍👍
It's been done before, many many times ! 😂
I'm waiting for the DEAN guitars and HAMER guitars history as it's a far less known story than the Fender and Gibson or Rickenbacker for example, they all have been done but the Dean guitars and Hamer guitars are the unsung heroes of the guitar world from the very beginning !
Roy Buchanan is telecaster ‼️
I love my 🇺🇸 strat.... and this year I bought a 2018 butterscotch Fender player telecaster and it's an amazing guitar ‼️ I was not into butterscotch but I love it now ‼️
Corporations don't have the same quality as small business. G&L is a much better built guitar than fender ‼️
My Texas Tea Telecaster Ultra (I) is just great to play and listen to. It was first really high end purchase.
Exact same as ny order from Sweetwater, the ultra is better than the ultra 2, looks and feels much better with the binding that the ultra 2 lacks.
I love your history videos. Great job, as always!
I like that Keith seems to drop these on the weekend, I can ease into the guitars cocktails and gummies wit 5WW! Also, damn right Leo nailed it!
At least Waylon got some recognition!
WHOOPS! Joe Strummers Black tele started life as a 3 tone burst finish , at the birth of THE CLASH it visited the autoshop next to their rehersal space and got sprayed with grey primer and black . hence the distinctive wear pattern . The Fender Joe Strummer signature tele is the ONLY factory made "relic" Ive ever wanted.
Thanks for update . your origional short history Telecaster video was where i started watching you way back i dont know when;
and youve only gotten better since .
keep going sir!
I gigged for a few years. Always 4 sets till 2am. Loved it. But man those last sets after lugging that Les Paul all night, it was such a pleasure to strap on my tele. No nonsense and a Peavey Deluxe. Heaven. Great post!
Hey it's Daniel! Good call on having a modern master of that instrument play :-)
I don’t remember doing these sessions hmmmmm lol. Joking of course. 😂
I liked this video just as much as the first one about the Telecaster. I know making these videos takes a lot of time but as I said before - "You still should have your own Netflix Channel."
Tired of Netflix propaganda crap
What I like to do is wait till you release a bunch of videos, then binge watch em all. I remember the last Tele History video you made. This was great to watch.
Thank you Keith for yet another great video! I am sure most here feel like I do - never ever tire of your work, and always look forward to these bright spots in the week! Cheers
My brother was lucky enough last year to get a slightly used 8502 Telecaster in close enough to perfect condition. It's a fantastic sounding guitar and each string having its own adjustment in the tail really helps to get the intonation as good as possible.
Im glad i found your channel! Really enjoy the history of the guitars.
Well done, sir! As Jim Weider once said, “If you don’t have a toothbrush and a Tele, you’re in trouble!”
lol I remember watching that video on VHS tape. God bless Jim but man, the productions was pretty corny. He and his friends did at least a couple tasty jams, though.
@ you are spot on! That video and GE Smith on SNL hipped me to tweed amps and taught me what a Blackguard was. It’s been downhill ever since.
Well done as always! 👏👏👏
the big head deluxe was also offered with a strat trem, I think.
thank you so much for that catalog of videos you've created. I can't tell you what a valuable reference it's become as an industry standard!
Just so ya know I enjoy your videos! I’m an old guitar nerd! Love playing them and learning about them! Keep up the good work sir!
I love when you share these histories, and I love Telecasters. Thank you very much for sharing this.
After playing for 50 years I finally ordered my first Tele. Looking forward to learning a new guitar!!!
Thanks Keith! Great video. It is amazing to see all these vintage axes and why the are the way they are.
Thank you for your excellent, direct yet passionate explanation of this beautiful instrument. You're doing great work. Please keep it up.
Another fantastic job Keith! Always look forward to new episodes, keep up the great work! KeepSmiling!
WHOA! Look what’s just come out! Not watched it; I’ve got a gig and then when I’m winding down back home I’m going to pour a small whisky and put it on…… looking forward to this! 👍👍👍👍
Nice one MR Keith keep the good work coming
Great video mate plenty of relevant info on the tele history
Nice piece of tele music to go with it for a morning wake up
I started on a Tele (thank you Joe Strummer!!!) and I feel naked if I don't have a Telecaster in my arsenal. Right now I have FIVE T Style guitars and I have several guitars that have the "Tele Formula" (two pickups, volume, tone, three way switch) and I love those guitars!
The simplicity of the Telecaster is its main strength, it's what gives it such versatility. Of all my T Styles only one (my Squier Standard Telecaster) is the closest to stock. The interesting thing about swapping out pickups is that there is always that Tele mojo going even in Filtertrons and humbuckers in the guitar!🤔
Long live the Telecaster!😎👍✨
Love your videos Keith - keep ‘em coming!
My first electric was an early ‘90s MIM w/top loader. I then bought the MIJ Custom Tele in ‘98 or so, which I still have. I then built a Mark Jenny Thinline w/Nashville pickup set up. I still mostly look at Teles; they just seem to fit me. I’ve recorded a few albums w/a band, and they DO really find a nice place in a rock band mix. There’s a reason they’ve been around so long.
So much fun to learn about these intricacies Keith, thanks for another great video!
❤very nice Keith thanks I drive around with a T310 from epiphone it says by Gibson the pickups are nice I really don't need anything else it's all fender feeling and yet Gibson as well the explorer neck is Edward Vanhalenish it just rocks thanks Leo
Great show.
I've seen a lot of Telecaster documentaries and I thought I knew pretty much everything.
But you brought lots of info I had never seen before.
Bravo.
Fun show.
Keith, great video on a great guitar. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Roy Buchanan. Glad you mentioned him. But, Bill Kirchen, of Commander Cody, is a Tele master. I just subbed.
I got lucky as a teen in the 80s. I was working a job that paid well and my first electric guitar was a Telecaster. I had to sell it in the early 90s and miss it. But own 5 Teles now, some are kits and some are Fenders.
Thanks for inspiring me to buy a tele. I was up all night playing it. Sunburst with maple fretboard. I’m a metal guy but a tele with a good OD pedal is a joy I missed out on for too many years. Not anymore!
I have two Tele’s here, mine both have an unorthodox back, arm and neck heal carve too and it’s honestly one of my most comfy guitars to play sitting down. They both sound fantastic as well and one even has a 3 pickup configuration for a few Stratty kind of blend tones. There’s no wonder why so many famous players choose these guitars imo 🤙
Thanks Keith, as always 😊
I have a sticker on my acoustic which reads 'My other guitar is a Tele'. It's not but I like the attention it brings from Tele fans. If they have a Tele, guaranteed I'm gonna hear about it.
Great stuff as always! I would watch an entire 20-min episode of you just listing tele players. Not kidding. And its probably doable. :)
My Grandfather used to tell me about the staggered Poles at the brewery in Michigan.
I bought a pre-owned Mexican Baja Butterscotch a few years ago. It is one to keep.
The ‘S’ button really gives extra dimensions to this guitar.
Custom Shop did a really good job of designing this.
Yet I sold my butterscotch Baja - didn't like the neck - and bought a Pacifica 612 viifmx. Happier with that, but disappointed with not liking the Tele.
Thanks for this great video on Telecaster’s Keith! Pretty comprehensive for being short!
Wonderful video Keith. So much rich history for Fender guitars. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
❤. Another great video Kieth. Plus a telecaster is my favorite guitar and I have 2 of them a thinline modified and one I built Nashville style with a 6 position switch. Have a good one.
I have a lovely Mexican tele, yellow-black lady. Now I'm looking to buy an American one
My first guitar was a 92' lefty, MiM, cherry red Telecaster, bought out of a pawnshop window for $200. At the time, it wasn't what I wanted. It was left-handed and I could afford it. I have a lot more guitars now, but that Tele is still the one I play the most.
I have a black guard '04' Korean built lite ash Telecaster with clone 1951 Electric City Pickups and a MSSC harness in it ,great playing and sounding guitar. Thank you for the video Keith.
Another informative and entertaining "Short History" lesson.
Great video thanks!🎸
I've a '52 reissue... damn thing was so heavy, It'd make a Les Paul blush.... one set, and my shoulder was toast.
I bought a pine body, bound it, haven't looked back...
The case candy came in handy too, 1 meg volume and a cap-only treble bleed. I had the fingerboard stripped to bare wood, jumbo frets installed. It's just an amazing instrument now.
In a freak accident this past week, I severed the last digit of my left ring finger clean off. Once healed, I'll have to learn to play all over with a shorter finger... it's gonna hurt... but I've been playing for well over 50 years... quitting isn't in the program. I'm borrowing a classical nylon string guitar yo break it in, then, take it from there... hope the finger toughen up quickly, I've Telecasters waiting
I have a '54 white guard. I heard that they were celluloid. You said PVC. Now I'm confused.
I've got a very rare 2003 Scorpion with a single, double humbucker that broke the mold on the original Tele. Its a neck-through, and it's been customized with a coil tap. It's a hell of a Hard Rock/Heavy Metal player.
I love the Telecaster. I do not use mine in stock form (although I love them stock too) but rather with singlecoil sized rail humbuckers. I play high gain and high volumes with the band and the Telecaster is reliable, stays in tune, cuts through the mix and hangs and plays beautifully.
They are an aquired taste for most, but once you discover them you won't want to play anything else! ❤
I really enjoyed this video, Keith... I am such a fan of the Telecasters. I used to have 4 of them, but right sized down to one! 🐺
I bought my first real endeer Tele with a luxe version with a floyd rose and dual hunbuckers. Black with a bound body. I know, trem and humbuckers are "sacrilege" . Who cares. The guitar was around $2700 and the most expensive guitar I ever purchased. WORTH EVERY DOLLAR! Keith-you rule!! My favorite t-shirt is my 5-watt world. The shirt is sooooo soft. Thanks!
Another fantastic video with such interesting history. I always wonder what you will do next! 😊
I do like my Tele!
I can remember as a kid about 12 in the mid 60's walking to a club nearby and climbing on the roof than lowering myself on a ledge where from a window I could watch bands on Friday night play Rock-a-billy and Blues. Every guy had a faded white Tele with a maple fretboard. They introduced me to the music of Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker. The players were cool. They could see me but they never ratted me out to the management.
One time I was there for load in and a guy had just scored a used Esquire an hour earlier. He took it out of his black and pink 55 Ford and let me hold it, Heaven!!!
Great video. In my country band in the 90's I owned and played a black 78 tele custom. It was a great guitar.
The Telecaster has that unique, distinctive sound that is so elusive to the casual player. It is a very musician dependent guitar
Awesome history of… story again, Keith!!!!
I fell in love with the Tele from two very different people. I can’t remember whether I saw Prince first, or Merle Haggard. But they both sparked that love. Ps. Perfect as always, Keith.
16:50 according to Andy Summers the PAF in the neck position was added by someone else before the guitar got in his hands. I don’t recall if Andy found it that way in a pawn shop or if he knew the person who made that mod.
He bought it from one of his guitar students. See the top 20 Tele players video for the details.
Great documentary! Thanks for your efforts.
Great video and informative as always. I ve probably stated on here b4 that i finally purchased The Squier 70s Telecaster with the wide range Humbucker in the neck and single coil in the bridge configuration and the Gibson LP control s layout. The guitar is both extremely balanced and a delight to play and hear. And looks great in the 3 tone Sunburst. Its my 1st Telecaster, but it wont be my last.
Right on, Keith! I dig it.
Great video as always. Even though I am mostly a Fender Stratocaster lover, I also love Fender Telecasters as well. I have a suggestion for your next short history video. Can you please do another Fender Telecaster video where you can talk about the three single coil pickups version of them? We would love to know the history of those three pickup versions of Fender Telecasters and how they came to be when the Fender Stratocaster middle pickup was finally paired with the two other Fender Telecaster bridge and neck pickups. Ever since the Fender company started selling their Fender Telecasters with three single coil pickups in them years ago or so, those Fender Telecasters started to get more and more versatile than ever before. Otherwise, great short history video and we would love another one. Thank you.
Another great Keith Williams video👍 I have a super light thin necked 72 tele routed for a humbucker in the neck position. It’s the nicest sounding and playing tele I’ve ever had. They’re just wonderful. I love the humbucker in the neck position. Never really like the sound of the lip stick. Thanks again Keith. Lots of work👍
Been following Five Watt for a couple years - ever since I watched the history of the Champ Amp - which motivated me to rehabilitate a Champ 5C1 and its matching Champion Lap Steel, parts of a "kit" Leo sold in 1954, that I'd inherited 40 or so years ago, but never played.
Most of the online lessons for lap steel refer to chords made on a six-string, so it turned out I needed to learn "guitar" at the same time as lap steel. What guitar? Leo's second guitar after the lap steel - of course, the Telecaster. An Indonesian FSR Squier Bullet blackguard butterscotch to make it consistent with the '54 originals I own.
I've tried others since. My best buddy in high school had an Epiphone SG, so I found one in a pawn shop and rehabilitated it. I found a MIM Strat at a good price, but - like so many others, it's the Tele I pick up when I just want to doodle around. I got a good deal on a new Player Plus Tele a few years ago. If I ever get another, it's likely to be Telecaster, too.
Mahalo Keith! Great video!
JW III another tele legend. Great video, my favorite model guitar from Fender. It's simple and perfect. Just one man's opinion.
Another great video, Keith!
I have many guitars Strat's, Les Paul's and acoustics. BUT I have only ONE Tele. And it has the title of being the ONLY guitar I own that I bought new with money I made playing live No trades. Just cash. Ok live My main guitar was a Clapton Strat. But my Tele remains the most worked instrument. Honorable mention goes to my 1987 Fender Princeton Chorus ($249 NEW). Incredible durability. From 110 degree + outdoor stages to -20 to -30 degree temps in Minnesota. (indoors). My Tele remains as my shinning light. Thank You. Gutherie Trapp SOOO Great!!
Don't forget Billy Gibbons! 00:40 he LOVES a Tele style and especially an Esquire!
"Jesus Just Left Chicago" and "A Fool for Your Stockings"!
Great video on the Telecaster. Although you mentioned the greats who play, or played the Telecaster, one great player who wasn't mentioned , John 5.
From Leo: Great Job on this report. The guest appearances for demonstration was a nice touch. Everyone should own a Tele (or 12 if a player lacks self discipline)
Awesome video as usual!!
I think a fun Tele related video would be to profile the players more deeply... of course Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan and their peers but don't sleep on guys like John 5 who bring the Tele into the present.
Keep up the good work!!! :)
Really liked this one. Well done and no fat.
My Tele is a Squire Prarnormal Cabronita. What an amazing guitar! Light, because she's a semi hollow body. Tonefull because of the big fat jazzmaster style pickups. And beautiful because of the rich sparkle blue finish. Plays and sounds like a dream!
10:58 interestingly enough, Vince Gill has refused multiple offers from Fender for them to make a signature model for him. In Gill’s own words, Fender simply can’t make a better version of a Telecaster for him than the one he already has and loves.
Thank you Keith. I’m having a really bad day and I needed this ❤🎸
Here for you Art!
Hope it gets better brother!
Snorlax plush on the Amp is a good sign of a good video :D My first electirc guitar was a cheapo harley benton Telecaster, which the pickups died around in 2016 and I gave the guitar to another student from the university. Later on I bought a cheap Frankenstein Tele, not a Fender, but it included Telecaster Body and Pickups but a Strat Mapleneck. The neck felt like a half baseball bat. Plays like a dream and got some issues how it was build together but I like it. Also the telecaster to me is the perfect allrounder for any style you wanna play. It's easy to pickup and play also the controls quite simple. Also in a mix of making records the tele is always good hearable :D So I don't wanna miss the Telecaster in the History of electric guitars :)
Loved this video!