Fender Telecaster

Fender Telecaster

Growing up, there were always Strats around. My uncle played them, I played them, SRV was the soundtrack to learning what a guitar could do. But the first time I picked up a friend's Telecaster, something shifted. It wasn't a dramatic difference — it was more like a different dialect of the same language. Familiar, but with its own voice. And it just played so well.

That was it. A Tele became a must-have. I went looking on Craigslist and found mine being sold by a younger guy who hadn't played it nearly as much as he thought he would. The middle pickup was what really drew me in — that extra tonal option isn't standard on a Tele, and it immediately opened things up. A maple neck sealed the deal. Pretty easy decision.

It got played heavily on Worlds and Worlds Above Us. The Telecaster pickups just say something that I can hear — it's hard to put into words beyond that, but when a tone connects with you, you know it. Since then I've loved hearing heavier bands reach for a Tele. There's something about that combination that works in ways people don't always expect.

One modification so far — a custom control plate. Eventually I'd like to put an American Tele neck on it. Better frets, smoother poly finish. But that's a future project. For now it's exactly what it needs to be.