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Hi everybody! How’s the blues playing coming along?
The Telecaster, or Tele, was originally produced in April of 1950 and was called the Esquire. There were two models, one with just a single pickup, and the other with a pickup at the neck and a pickup at the bridge. Leo Fender decided to take these new guitars to a trade show, but the results were slightly discouraging. No one could foresee the popularity of this new kind of guitar. Until the fifties, there had only been electric guitars of the hollow-body style. Both Rickenbacker and Gibson had been making archtop electrics since the ‘30s. The first solid-body electric to go into production was the guitar designed by Paul Bigsby for the country great Merle Travis. Only a few of this model were made, but the design continues to influence solid-body electric guitar design today. But Fender had his sights set on the future. He renamed the two-pickup model of his guitar the Broadcaster, and began putting it into general production. When he was informed that the name “Broadcaster” was infringing upon the copyright of a Gretsch drumkit of the same name, he began searching for a new name for the guitar. One of his employees came up with the name “Telecaster,” and it has been called the same for the last half century. It has also been one of the most popular guitars around for the last fifty years, especially among country and western artists. There are several reasons for this popularity. For one thing, the Tele has a no-nonsense design. There are no frills or embellishments, just a pickup or two, a knob for volume and a knob for tone. It has a single cutaway, which allows the guitarist to reach all the way up to the 22nd fret, an area of the fretboard that had yet to be explored by 1950. This design was tailored to cater to the “working-class” guitarist. Originally the Tele was only available in a plain vanilla finish, adding to its simplicity. But the standout reason for the Telecaster’s popularity among guitarists of all genres is its tone. When the bridge pickup is used alone, a high-pitched, “trebly” tone is produced. This tone has come to be the voice of country guitar, where nearly every guitar solo has the definitive twang of a fingerpicked Tele. If you’ve never had a chance to play a Fender Telecaster, go down to your local music shop and get one off the wall. Play around with it and try to find that magical tone that is the trademark of the Telecaster. Go To Page: 1 2 |
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