Fender Telecaster w/ Bigsby (1971)

This is an American Classic Fender guitar. It is a Blonde Telecaster from 1971, which is a legendary year for Teles. It has 21 frets, a maple neck and fretboard, and two single-coil original Fender tele pickups. It has a volume and tone knob and a three way selector switch.

UTILIZATION

The last fret isn't too hard to reach, so that's a good plus for lead players. Getting a good sound out of this guitar won't require much work on your part, just having a respectable amp and a 1/4" cable should be enough. The version that I play has seen better days, and definitely needs work, but most of the ones for sale will be fixed up nicer. The drivers on most versions should be stable. The guitar feels great to play and isn't very heavy at all. It's a real treat.

SOUNDS

This guitar sounds absolutely incredible. The clean tones on this guitar are particularly smooth and round. They have all the glory of a nice Strat, but the sounds are less twangy and more manageable. Whether or not you would prefer this is debatable, but a good Telecaster is a solid addition to any collection. I really like plugging this guitar into a Big muff or any good fuzz box, as it can get very great tones without overdoing it like a Les Paul sometimes can. It also doesn't sound as bright as a Strat sometimes does. It is certainly a great guitar for electric blues and I've seen guys do some jazzy, almost countryish picking on them too, with great results.

OVERALL OPINION

I really enjoy the great smooth sound of this guitar. It's not as warm as a hollow body, or as thin as a Strat can sometimes be. It's also a really expensive guitar. I just haven't heard newer Telecasters that really captured the sound I hear with this one. I think that this is a unique guitar. They are also kind of rare nowadays, so they aren't gonna be an easy find. However, they are certainly worth it if you can afford it, considering how awesome their tone is.