FENDER TELECASTER

The Telecaster was the first solidbody electric guitar in production, and for many players it’s never been improved. Even in stock form, there’s still no type of music the Tele can’t make a convincing stab at, and no genre where it can’t look at home. Country, soul, and indie are its mainstays but Tom Morello, Jim Root and Richie Kotzen show how far it can travel. Leo Fender saw what needed to be done and did it: the Tele offers solid tuning, great sounds, and playability. Its few shortcomings, like the difficult-to-intonate three-saddle ‘ashtray’ bridge and single-coil pickup hum, can be improved but not without compromising the classic tone. It is the ultimate workhorse guitar.

MICAWBER

Rolling Stones’ prolific riff machine

Eric Clapton gave Keith a 1953 butterscotch blonde Telecaster for his 27th birthday – which makes him a pretty good mate in our books. Nicknamed Micawber, it quickly became the Stone’s most famous guitar. Keith’s tech switched the neck, and others. Open G was a slide tuning, and Keith developed a unique rhythm style with it. The Tele is one of the few guitars that will give you more the harder you hit it, and this was ideal for his loose approach.