The most popular guitar

The first Fender solid body guitar

The very first solid body electric guitar the Fender company made was the Esquire - very similar in design to the Tele and introduced in June 1950. By September the Esquire had been discontinued, possibly because it didn't have a truss rod and necks were warping. In October 1950 the Broadcaster appeared, essentially the same guitar, with two pickups and, importantly, a truss rod. The name Esquire appeared again on a single pickup version of the Broadcaster guitar. Due to complaints from the Gretsch company regarding a naming conflict with a drum kit they manufactured, Fender changed the name of the guitar to the Telecaster and it proved such a serendipitously well designed piece of musical equipment that todays Teles are essentially the same as those from the early fifties. A pure case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Bruce Springsteen holds an Esquire from 1952 (upgraded with a Telecaster neck pickup) in the famous cover picture from his album Born To Run. He still plays that guitar to this day. And why wouldn't he?

Why Is The Tele So Popular?

George Fullerton, one of the designers at Fender, was also an astute and intuitive marketing mind. He gave an early Broadcaster to Jimmy Bryant, legendary country/jazz/swing guitarist. Fullerton later likened this act to "starting a prairie fire." Bryant loved the guitar. He played it in countless live dates, on TV, on record and amateur and professional guitarists alike did what they have continued to do to this very day ie try to emulate their guitar heroes by playing the same guitar. The Tele is such a versatile guitar that it has been the guitar of choice for many famous players from all kinds of music who have inspired others to pick up the two pickup, single cutaway, slab bodied guitar.

La Bella Figura

But there's more to it than that - Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Francis Rossi, Andy Summers, Muddy Waters the list of famous Tele players goes on forever, so add the non famous players and you've got a mighty long list of musicians who love this instrument. There's something in a Telecaster that you'll find in any object that's exquisitely and perfectly designed, something Italians call "la bella figura". This translates as "beautiful figure" but means more than that - "a beautiful image" is perhaps closer. One look at a Tele is all you need to instinctively recognize the perfection of its design. Play one and you'll realize that the sound it makes can also be classified as "la bella figura". It's a remarkable guitar. The Fender company had an incredible strike rate as regards "la bella figura" - they also came up with a revolutionary electric bass that has remained virtually unchanged to this day.

What About The Stratocaster?

The Strat first appeared in Spring 1954. It has since become one of the most popular and most copied guitars of all time. The reasons are similar to those stated in connection with the Telecaster. It's perfection in sound and design, this time with a touch of the deluxe about it. The guitar was an attempt to improve on the Telecaster, though some will always prefer its slightly more rough hewn sister. The Strat is an asymmetric double cutaway guitar with a contoured body for comfort while playing. It has three pickups in comparison to the Tele's two. It also comes with a very sexy device - the tremelo or whammy bar. Players such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton (famous enough so far?) have made magic with the Stratocaster but the first really high profile guitarist to use them was Buddy Holly. Buddy did for the Strat what Jimmy Bryant did for the Tele. Hank Marvin, Mark Knopfler and John Mayer may have introduced the guitar to legions of fans, but Buddy was so enamoured with his Stratocaster that it is engraved on his tombstone. Now that's true love between a man and a guitar.