The Authentic Fender Telecaster has been the preferred guitar for country, rockabilly, and many blues artists now for decades. It has a unique feel all its own, and is hard to compare to any other classic, like the Les Paul or Stratocaster, on the market. For this reason, Fender has continued its long tradition of making Telecasters available from the beginning level to the high level, with even models in between. One of these modes is the Fender Standard Telecaster electric guitar. It is the authentic brand Fender, but is made in Mexico instead of America to increase affordability. Let’s take a closer look at it to see how well Fender did with the Standard Telecaster.
Features: The body of the Fender Telecaster is made of alder wood, which is common among just about every other Fender guitar on the market. The alder helps give Fenders their signature style and feel. Since it’s a broad and well-selling line, there are a plethora of finishes available. These include traditional styles like vintage sunburst, and also more modern looks like an electric blue. In effect, the looks of the Standard Telecaster are more or less up to you. The only finish feature standard on all available versions is the three ply white pickguard. The neck is made of maple with a satin finish, and has the modern C shaped profile. The fretboards on all finishes are made of maple, and have 21 medium jumbo frets with black dot inlays serving as position markers. The hardware, including the tuning heads, bridge plate, and bridge itself are all chrome finished. The bridge is standard with six saddles. They have been this way pretty much since the introduction of the Telecaster line, and are known for good quality and being able to keep the guitar in tune nicely. Electronically, the newest model of the Standard Tele has two re-voiced single coil pickups. This means that the new Tele’s will have a more modern sound. Also, there are one tone and one volume control knobs, and a three way selector switch.
Playability: Personally, I think there are few guitars that feel better in my hands than the Telecaster. It has a nice, thin profile that lends to very comfortable playing. This applies whether you’re standing during a long gig, or practicing at home. The deep bottom cutaway allows for excellent high fret access. This is no surprise though, as slide players have long preferred the Telecaster line because they provide ample space. The neck, with its modern profile, is very easy to play and move up and down. For a timeless instrument, it’s a given that it must have timeless playability.
Sound: The sound of the Telecaster has been known for years to be its own. It is unique among other guitars in that it has a thin, raspy tone that hits the ears in a different way. In the new models, the re-voiced pickups are often described as a little hotter than the older ones. What this means is that they ring clearer and have a bit more of an edge to them. From a personal standpoint, this really increases its versatility. It can handle the classic range of Telecaster tones as well as more distorted modern ones.
Overall: The only way you’ll notice that the Fender Standard Telecaster is different from the much more expensive American version is by looking at the price tag. This guitar has the look, feel, and sound of Telecasters that cost multiple times its price. So, if you’re getting serious about guitar playing and need something as close to the real thing as possible without breaking the bank, the Standard Telecaster may be the guitar for you. You can find the Fender Standard Tele in music stores for about $400.
