You may not know what you should be looking for when it comes to finding the best Fender Telecasters. There’s a wide range of different models, and it can be confusing trying to find the best one.
This Fender Telecaster guide will help you pick out a great guitar. I’ve played guitar for many years and have tried many different guitars during that time. There’s a guitar here in this guide for every playing level.
Quick Look: Best Fender Telecasters
★ #1 Best Fender Telecasters Overall: Fender Ultra ★
- Best Cheap Fender Telecasters: Fender Player Package
- Best Fender Telecasters Under $1,500: Fender American
- Best Fender Telecasters Under $1,000: Fender Player HH Telecaster
- Best American Professional Fender Telecaster: Fender American
- Best American Ultra Fender Telecaster: Fender Ultra Telecaster Texas
- Best American Performer Fender Telecaster: Fender American
- Best Fender Player Fender Telecaster: Fender Player HH Telecaster
- Best Vintera Fender Telecaster: Fender Vintera Road Worn 50s
- Best Artist Series Fender Telecaster: Jimmy Page Telecaster
The Telecaster is a great guitar and well worth the initial investment. You’ll have a guitar that will last you a long time, and you can grow with the instrument as you become a better player.
About Fender Telecasters
Fender is known for its great Telecaster guitar. This instrument came before their other famous guitar, the Fender Stratocaster. The Tele was originally called the Broadcaster but was renamed the Telecaster.
This guitar is known for its “twang.” It’s a favorite of blues and country players, but it’s suitable for multiple styles. The guitar is quite versatile now that there are so many models available to try out.
I suggest you try a few guitars to find the right model for your needs. This guide will help you do just that, as I’ve picked a wide range of different Telecasters to make that process easier for you.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Fender Telecaster
Think about what you want to do with your Telecaster before you buy. This will save you a lot of headaches and expenses. You want something that will work for you. Buy an instrument based on your own needs.
Size
The Fender Telecaster is one basic size. Fender has a few lower-cost guitars in the Squier lineup where you can get student-sized guitars. The Telecaster is a full-sized guitar.
The Overall Tone & Sound
The overall tone of a Tele with single-coil pickups is a “twang,” but you’ll now find models with humbuckers as well, which gives these models a modern rock tone. So, go with one of these if you like to play rock or distorted guitar styles.
Price
The Fender Telecaster can get quite expensive, but there are a few lower-cost models. Here are some basic price ranges to keep in mind before you buy.
- Beginner: $700+
- Intermediate: $1200+
- Advanced: $1500+
Keep in mind that prices vary greatly depending upon the model that you buy and the features of that Telecaster. You can spend as little or as much as you’d like on your instrument.
Types of Fender Telecasters
When looking for the best Fender Telecasters, it’s important to understand the basic types. Here’s a rundown of the basic ones that you can buy in the Telecaster lineup.
American Professional Fender Telecaster
The American Professional is ideal for any intermediate or advanced player. There are several different pickup options, and the guitar has a great neck and excellent sound. It’s an overall solid choice.
American Ultra Fender Telecaster
The American Ultra is a newer model with excellent pickups, a modern D-shaped neck, and a contour, so it’s easier to access all frets. This guitar costs quite a bit, but it’s a great option if you can afford it.
American Performer Fender Telecaster
The Performer is a mid-range priced Tele with great pickups and a smooth playing neck. It’s ideal for beginner or intermediate players looking for a well-rounded Telecaster guitar.
American Player Fender Telecaster
The American Player is ideal for the beginner. You’ll find several great packages with accessories and cases. These guitars have that same amazing Tele sound, but at a lower price, so beginners can afford them.
Vintera Telecaster
The Vintera Telecaster lineup features guitars modeled after the famous guitars from the 1950s-1970s. These instruments have vintage-sounding pickups and parts, so you feel like you have an iconic guitar from that era.
Artist Series Telecaster
The Artist Series is a guitar modeled after guitars played by famous players. Some artist guitars include Brad Paisley, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Kotzen, James Burton, and Chrissie Hynde.
Custom Telecaster
Fender will do custom instruments. You’ll need to contact them and pick out what you want. These guitars can get quite expensive, but you’ll have all the features that you prefer.
10 Best Fender Telecasters
Here are the 10 best Fender Telecasters. Please keep in mind that these are only my picks. You may have a guitar that you like. I’ve picked models to suit all playing levels with this guide.
Fender Ultra Telecaster
- Type: Fender Ultra
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Maple, alder, rosewood, gloss finish
- Best for: Professionals that want a modern-sounding Telecaster guitar
One of the best Telecasters by Fender is the Ultra model, which is quite new. Fender Ultra Telecaster guitars have modern D necks, which are comfortable to play, and a nice contour for easy fret access. They have locking tuners and come with a hard case.
✅ Contour heel
✅ Noiseless pickups
✅ Locking tuners
✅ Hard case
❌ Expensive
❌ May not appeal to purists
Why I Recommend It
The Fender Ultra Telecaster is an amazing guitar. The D profile neck has a contour, so it’s easy to access higher frets. I like the addition of the locking tuners, which make string changes easy, and the guitar stays in tune with no hassles.
The noiseless pickups reduce that hum that single-coils have, so you can play with more distortion if you prefer. You won’t have to worry about feedback issues with this guitar. It also has a bone nut and chrome hardware.
Fender Player Package
- Type: Fender Player
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Maple, alder, gloss finish
- Best for: Beginners that want a lower cost guitar package
The Fender Player Package includes an excellent Player guitar, a hardshell case, picks, strings, a strap, a tuner, and an online subscription to Fender Play lessons. This is the ideal guitar package for any beginner.
✅ Great guitar
✅ Plenty of accessories
✅ Hard case
✅ Lesson pack
❌ No amp
❌ Some accessories are poor
Why I Recommend It
Most guitar packages are quite poor and not even worth your time. The Fender Player Pack is a good bargain as it comes with an excellent Player guitar with amazing sound and easy playability.
The best part of the deal is a three-month subscription pass to Fender Play, an online lesson site. This is one of the best Fender Telecasters under $1000, so pick up this amazing pack.
Fender American Professional II Telecaster
- Type: Fender Professional II
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Maple, ash, rosewood, gloss urethane finish
- Best for: Intermediate/Advanced that want an excellent Telecaster guitar
The Fender American Professional II Telecaster has upgraded to Tim Shaw V-mod pickups, which have great clarity. Use the mod circuit to dial back the volume for extra clarity. The C profile 22-fret neck is comfortable to play. It comes with a hardshell case.
✅ Great pickups
✅ Diecast tuners
✅ Comfortable neck
✅ Good bridge
❌ Expensive
❌ No extras
Why I Recommend It
This guitar has an upgraded bridge, which makes it easier to change strings. The V-Mod pickups have a great tone, and you can use the guitar with distorted settings without any problems, thanks to the volume mod circuit.
The neck of these guitars is comfortable, and you won’t have any problems playing it. The back has a nice finish, so it’s smooth up and down the fretboard, which has narrow-tall frets. This is clearly one of the best Fender Telecasters.
Fender Player HH Telecaster
- Type: Fender Player
- Pickups: 2 x humbucker
- Material & finish: Maple, alder, pau ferro, gloss finish
- Best for: Those that want a Tele for rock guitar
The Fender Player HH Telecaster is a guitar designed for hard rock tones. It’s got two Player series humbucking pickups and a push-pull coil-split feature. The C profile neck is comfortable and has 22 frets.
✅ Solid tones
✅ Great neck
✅ Easy string changes
✅ Good price
❌ Synthetic bone nut
❌ No case
Why I Recommend It
I love this Player Telecaster as it’s got two big-sounding humbucking pickups. The coil-split allows you to change the tones of single-coil as well, so it’s got a ton of versatility. This is a guitar ready for rock and many other styles.
The neck is maple with a pau ferro fretboard with 22 frets. You get a satin finish on the back of the neck, so your hand glides when you play. String changes are easy with a string-through body bridge design.
Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
- Type: Fender Deluxe
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Maple, alder, gloss polyurethane
- Best for: Those that want a moderately priced Telecaster
The Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster is a great guitar with solid construction, locking tuners, and a nice set of pickups. It’s the perfect guitar for many musical styles.
✅ Solid construction
✅ Good price
✅ Excellent tone
✅ Contoured heel
❌ Case could be better
❌ No extras
Why I Recommend It
The Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster has a nice pair of noiseless pickups that reduce hum, so the guitar is suited for many styles. The strings go through the body, which enhances the sustain, and the saddle improves intonation.
It comes with a comfortable modern C-style neck, so it’s nice and smooth no matter what position you’re playing in. This one also has 22 frets and a synthetic bone nut.
Fender American Performer Telecaster (HS Pickups)
- Type: American Performer
- Pickups: 1 x single-coil 1 x humbucking
- Material & finish: Maple, alder, gloss finish
- Best for: Beginner or intermediate players with a medium budget
The Fender American Performer Telecaster is a great guitar with many tonal variations possible thanks to the pickup configuration and Greasebucket tone control. Pair this with a fast neck, and you have a superb guitar for many playing situations.
✅ 22 frets
✅ Good pickups
✅ Easy to play
✅ Greasebucket tone control
❌ Case could be better
❌ No extras
Why I Recommend It
I like the pickup configuration on this guitar as it has a coil tap for a wide range of tones. The humbucking pickup gives this Tele more bite for rock, and you can back off the guitar highs with the Greasebucket tone control, which is a nice feature.
Fender Kotzen Signature Telecaster
- Type: Artist Series
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Maple, ash, gloss finish
- Best for: Those that want a great signature guitar
The Fender Kotzen Signature Telecaster has a lot going for it, as it has amazing pickups capable of producing a ton of different tones. The neck is comfortable to play, and the instrument has an attractive look with gold hardware.
✅ Superior pickups
✅ C shape neck
✅ Great tuners
✅ Amazing look
❌ Expensive
❌ No case
Why I Recommend It
This guitar is unique as it has a rotary switch, so you get more tones out of the Dimarzio and Chopper single-coil pickups. The C profile neck is easy to play for both chords and solos with 22 jumbo frets.
The ash body gives the guitar more resonance, so your playing sounds better. The strings go through the body, so your Tele stays in tune for longer. My only complaint is the lack of a case with his guitar.
Jimmy Page Telecaster
- Type: Artist Series
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Rosewood, maple, ash, nitrocellulose finish
- Best for: Jimmy Page fans that want a Telecaster
The Jimmy Page Telecaster is a superb guitar with custom pickups and neck, and easy playability. The ash body provides note clarity, and it has 21 frets. You get vintage tuners and a saddle-through string bridge for easy string changes.
✅ Custom pickups
✅ Custom neck
✅ Great look
✅ Easy to play
❌ Expensive
❌ No extras
Why I Recommend It
The Jimmy Page Telecaster has some nice customizations. I love the 59 pickups, which have great clarity and are perfect for many styles of music. It has a thin D neck, which makes it easier to perform solos on this guitar.
You get vintage tuners, master volume, master tone, and a three-way pickup selector switch. The finish is a nice gloss of nitrocellulose, so this guitar is built to last.
Fender Vintera Road Worn 50s Telecaster
- Type: Artist Series
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Maple, alder, nitrocellulose finish
- Best for: Those that want an authentic ‘50s-style Telecaster
The Fender Vintera Road Worn 50s Telecaster looks like it has been played, but that’s all part of the classic design. It has pickups closer to the ’50s tone of Tele, a smooth playing neck, and vintage tuners for today’s player.
❌ Expensive
❌ Some may not like worn look
Why I Recommend It
The Road Worn ‘50s Telecaster has a great “worn” look to it. The guitar is set up to play pretty close to a ’50s standard Telecaster. The pickups have a great “twang” to them. The small radius fingerboard is easy to play with 21 frets.
Other vintage extras include a vintage saddle and tuning machines. The alder body produces a nice balance between the tones. If you want an authentic ’50s look and feel, this is the guitar for you.
Fender 75th Anniversary Telecaster
- Type: Anniversary Edition
- Pickups: 2 x single-coil
- Material & finish: Maple, alder, gloss polyester finish
- Best for: Those that want a great-looking Telecaster
The Diamond Anniversary Telecaster celebrates the Fender 75th Anniversary Telecaster iconic instrument. It’s got excellent Tim Shaw ’50s-style pickups for vintage tones. The neck is comfortable, and it’s got sealed machine heads. It sounds great right out of the box.
✅ Superb finish
✅ 22 frets
✅ Modern C neck
✅ Vintage 50s pickups
❌ Case could be better
❌ No extras
Why I Recommend It
The Fender 75th Anniversary Telecaster is the perfect guitar for anyone that loves this instrument. It’s got vintage-sounding pickups so that you can recreate all of those classic songs with ease.
Playing is a breeze with a modern C-shape neck with 22 frets. The alder body helps produce a nice clear tone when you’re playing. The neck plate has a 75th Anniversary engraving, which is a nice added touch.
Fender Telecasters Aesthetics & Build
Here’s what you need to know about the build of the best Fender Telecasters before you buy. It’s important to understand what you’re getting so you don’t end up disappointed.
Material
Fender uses several different kinds of wood for their guitars. Here’s what you need to know before you buy.
- Alder: This is used on newer guitars and has a great tone.
- Ash: Older Fenders were made from ash. This wood is used today, but not as often in guitar construction.
- Maple: Mainly used for guitar necks, fingerboards, and some tops, it’s hard and durable with a good tone.
- Rosewood: Some Telecasters have a rosewood fingerboard, which is smooth and easy to play.
- Laurel/pau ferro: Used in cheaper Fenders for the fingerboards
Finish
There are several types of finishes used for electric guitars and Fender Telecasters. Here’s what you need to know.
- Lacquer: This is a hard and durable finish with a good shine.
- Nitrocellulose lacquer: This is used on many Fender telecasters as it’s long-lasting and has a good shine.
- Poly finish: This finish has a good shine and durability. Polyurethane is the most common and is used on some Fender Telecasters.
Color
There are many different colors when it comes to a Fender Telecaster. Black, red, white, sunburst, blood, and blue are common colors. You’ll find many color options for your new Telecaster.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Here are some commonly asked questions that people ask about the best Fender Telecasters.
How Much Do Fender Telecasters Cost?
Fender Telecasters vary in price. The more options that you add, the higher the cost. You can get a basic Telecaster for under $1,000.
- Beginner: $700+
- Intermediate: $1200+
- Advanced: $1500+
What Pickups Should I Get?
Most Fender Telecasters have single-coil pickups, which are great for blues, country, and some rock. If you prefer a lot of distortion, I suggest a Telecaster with a humbucking pickup.
How Can I Make My Telecaster Sound Better?
Your Telecaster will sound the best with a setup to ensure the intonation is correct. A good amplifier, a high-quality guitar cable, and a fresh set of strings will also make the guitar sound its best.
What Are the Best Fender Telecasters?
Here are the top three best Fender Telecasters that you should consider. These are listed for beginners through to advanced players.
Fender Telecaster Player Package: Best for Beginners
The Fender Player Package is ideal, as you get a good guitar with a case. The accessories include everything that a beginner needs, including a three-month online lesson subscription, for one nice price.
Fender American Professional II: Best for Intermediate Players
The Fender American Professional II is a solid guitar with excellent pickups, a fast neck, and easy playability. It’s a guitar that you’ll enjoy for years to come and is one of the best Fender Telecasters by far.
Fender Ultra Telecaster: Best for Professional Players
The Fender Ultra is a new guitar with modern improvements. It has a nice contour heel to make it easy to access all of the higher frets. This instrument also has locking tuners to make string changes simple.
Where Are Fender Telecasters Made?
Most Fender Telecasters are made in the USA. Fender has a few models that are made in Mexico and overseas.
What Is the Best Sounding Fender Telecaster?
The best-sounding Fender Telecaster is the Fender Ultra Telecaster Texas Tea, which is a new model. It has superb noiseless pickups, a fast neck with a contour, and locking machine heads for a modern feel and playability.
Where to Buy Fender Telecasters
There are several places where you can pick up a Fender Telecaster. Shopping online is a good option as you can get a great selection, fast service, and money-back guarantees. Here are a few places where you can buy your new guitar.
Amazon
Amazon is a great place to shop. They have an amazing selection, fast service, great customer service, and I like reading the reviews for guitar products before ordering.
Online Music Retailers
Sweetwater and Guitarcenter are two other locations where you may want to pick up a Fender Telecaster. These online retailers have a huge selection, good customer service, and fast shipping times.
Your Local Music Store
Your local music store probably has some Telecasters in stock. Keep in mind that your store may not have all models, so you may have to wait for your guitar for some time.
Review This Post
Table of Contents
In Conclusion
Thank you for reading my guide to the best Fender Telecasters. This is an iconic guitar, and there’s a wide range of newer models with modern improvements available now. You’re sure to find one that appeals to your tastes and style.