Fender Telecaster - Signature Telecaster Players

Signature Telecaster Players

Over the years, many 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 The King of the Teli Roy Buchanan, Buck Owens, Guthrie Thomas, Waylon Jennings, James Burton who played with Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, and Merle Haggard (a Signature Telecaster model player himself). Burton's favorite guitar was his Pink Paisley (or Paisley Red) model Telecaster. Later, Danny Gatton blended diverse musical styles (including blues, rockabilly and bebop) and 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 Tele with Booker T. and the M.G.'s, Sam and Dave, Otis Redding and countless other soul and blues acts.

One of the most important Telecaster players was Clarence White, who,during his short career contributed more to country electric guitar than almost anyone else, along with being a phenomenal bluegrass flatpicking guitarist and a pioneer of the country rock genre. He played with the Byrds, and Nashville West along with the bluegrass bands the Kentucky Colonels and Muleskinner. He enlisted the help of Gene Parsons and invented the StringBender, a device inside the body of the guitar that raises a string's (either the B- or G-string most of the time) pitch when pressure is applied to the strap. His Telecaster is one of the most recognizable and is now owned by Marty Stuart.

Additionally, George Harrison used a custom-built rosewood Telecaster during the recording sessions for The Beatles' Let It Be album (including the rooftop concert), played through a Leslie speaker. Pearl Jam singer and guitarist Eddie Vedder has been known to use a custom black Telecaster with a white pickguard containing a black arrow decal pointing towards a target design under the strings. Guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins, known for the variety of acoustic and electric guitars that he used, occasionally played a Telecaster in his duets with Jerry Reed.

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. Iconic are also worn-off green and respectively white Telecasters of the two frontmen of Status Quo, Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt. Another signature Telecaster player is Andy Summers of The Police. Jimmy Page used a psychedelic-colored 1958 Telecaster, (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 1971 song "Stairway to Heaven". The guitar had been given to Page by his friend Jeff Beck, who had also been using the Telecaster with The Yardbirds. Bruce Springsteen used a custom Telecaster (with an Esquire neck) off and on throughout his career, both solo and with the E Street Band. David Knopfler, rhythm guitarist from Dire Straits played a sunburst custom Fender Telecaster with white ribboning when with the band.

Albert Lee's extensive use of the Telecaster earned him the nickname of "Mr. Telecaster". Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers has used Telecasters throughout his career. Joe Strummer (frontman of the punk band The Clash) used his worn and battered 1966 Telecaster (originally Sunburst but spray painted 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 honor of Smith's reputation as a modern master of the Telecaster. G.E. Smith was the lead guitarist in the Hall & Oates band and the musical director of Saturday Night Live. Tom Morello of "Rage Against The Machine" plays a black American Telecaster called "Sendero Luminoso" (Shining Path) for songs in drop-D tuning. Jim Root from Slipknot had a signature Telecaster released in 2009. Prince plays a Telecaster in the opening scene of his film, Purple Rain. Singer and Songwriter Jeff Buckley (Son of musician Tim Buckley) played an American Telecaster throughout his career. Lynval Golding, one of the guitarists for 2-Tone band The Specials, used a yellow telecaster throughout his time as a Special. Jonny Greenwood, lead guitarist of Radiohead uses a Telecaster Plus model with lace sensor pickups as his main guitar. British singer and guitar player Anna Calvi exclusively plays a Telecaster through a Vox AC30. Danny Jones, of McFly, uses a Telecaster Vintage '52. Deryck Whibley (frontman and guitarist of the band Sum 41) uses his own signature Telecaster Deluxe, issued in 2005. It features one knob for volume and tone, a single humbucker pickup near the synchronized six-saddle bridge and without the traditional pickup selector switch.